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Secondary Tales of the two Great Épics
Kșşņa takes him on his lap.340 Saivism thus is symbolically shown to lose ground before Vaişņavism. Siśupāla is also slain in the wink of an eye by Krsna. And this Kțşņa, let us not forget, has been, oft and on, identificd with the Highest Principle, has been referred to and praised as an incarnation of Lord Vişnu. It seems that in its final stage, the epic has been consistently retouched from the Vaişņavaite point of view, which is shown throughout the epic to be superior to all other sectarian viewpoints, śaivaite in particular. This we have also shown above in the case of Rāvana-katha-cakra.341
Looking at it in a dispassiunate manner, there seems to be much truth in what Mr. Ghose ( again !) has to say about the Jarāsandha-episode. "Jarāsandha, it appears, was not only subduing the other kings, he was, contrary to prevailing Indo-Aryan political practice and understanding, annexing their kingdoms to his own, which indeed was the reason of his keeping so many kings in his capital city as captives. Sisupala and the other so-called allies of his appear from the accounts to have been his satraps or generals or other similar mandatories rather than feudal vassals or tributaries. The fear and hatred inspired by this unprecedented policy of annexation, pursued as it moreover appears to have been with ruthless determination for years on end, would naturally give currency to stories (unquestionably false) of his cruel disposition, of the plans which he had matured of offering his prisoners as victims at a great thanks-giving sacrifice to be held for victories won, and other like caoards which made him pass into oral tradition for a veritable ogre, an impression which is entirely contradicted by even a superficial examination of what written records we find of him ... It is Jarāsandha's chivalry, coupled with KȚsna's disregard of it, which enables this unexpected result (i.e. of the former's death) to be so easily achieved ... There is in all these descriptions of Jarasandha and his country just that suggestion of envious regard which shows that the superiority of this land in point of civilization and culture over the rest of Northern India and the superior capacity for governance of its kings were not open to question". 142
In the Digvijaya sub-Parvan, Sahadeva went to conquer the southern direction. When he reached the city of Māhismati, King Nila there countered him severely with the help of Fire. Why did Fire help him against a sacrificial cause ? It is said : Formerly, Fire in that city was enjoying extragamous relations in the form of a Brāhmin. When the king tried to punish him, he became fiery. The king became supplicant. Then, the Fire gave a boon to the females of that country of free enjoy. ment. The females became unpunishable for indulgences at their will. The king also obtained a boon that his army would then have no fear from Fire.343 The popular version of the tale shows Fire being caught with the princess herself. Failing to subdue
340 SabP. 40.16-17. 341 See above p.78 342 Indo-Aryan Literature and Culture (Origins), PP.202-4. 343 SabP. 28.17-36.
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