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Conclusions
167
Bhadrā-tale is cited to illustrate the ideal of conjugal fidelity, but the ritual ceremony it symbolises imbibes the custom of Niyoga. The Nalakūbara episode seeks to protect Sita's chastity against Rävaņa, but it devalues both the characters.
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- (2) It is observed that even within the epics groups of tales are generally formed according to their functions, and the sameness of their function is often reflected in the formal similarity of those tales. This we have particularly noted towards the end of last chapter where we have shown the functional patterns in the tales of VapP., ŚãnP. and AnuP. In the cases of RM, AdiP and SabP also we have shown this by studying the tales groupwise. It also seems likely that where such bunches of tales are found, they were introduced into the epics as bunches only and not as separate tales one after another.
This can be corroborated in another way also. From our detailed discussion of the tales of Ādip, we can point out that almost all the sub-parvans therein are constituted of a functionally homogenous groups of tales. Thus, PauşyaP. has the Uttanka-story-group held together by the common moral of strict obedience to the preceptor's instructions, linked preceptilineally, and intended to introduce the Janamejaya-story-cycle as well as to instigate him to perform the sacrifice. The Paulo naP, made up of fictitious tales of Bhārgava interest, also serves to introduce the Janamejaya-story group by the parallel motif-structure in the tale of Ruru and Pramadvarā. ĀstikaP, as the story group of Janamejaya's snakesacrifice is titled, serves to frame the epic-narrative. Ādivamśăvataranap. is Purāņic in style and content, presses the tale of Genesis and the motif of incarnation in service, and is intended, most probably, to project the epic-tale on a cosmic dinension. SambhavaP., apart from the two tales of the ancestors of Kuru race, is niostly made up of the birth-stories of the epic-personae, the chief interest being in justifying the birth of the epic-heroes through Niyoga. The Hidimba-vadha-P and Bakavadha-P are heroic tales of Bhima; the Arjuna-vanavāsi-P, Subhadrā-harana-P. and Haraņa-hārika-P. are tales of Arjuna's love-affairs; the Caitraratha once again narrates tales of Kuru-ancestor Samyarana and Vyāsa's ancestors Vasiştha-ŚaktiParāśara. The Svayamvarap tries to explain and solve the confusion about the polyandrous marriage of the epic-heroes; the Jatu-erh 1-1āhaP, the Vaivahikap, Vidurāgi. manaP and the Rājya-lambhaP take the epic in the direction of its central episode. The Khāndava-daha--P connects the entire AdiP with the SabP.
This shows that the division of MBh into sub-parvans is more useful in deciding the original or secondary nature of the contents since the sub-parvans are, for the most part, homogeneous in the nature of their content, style or function. Besides these sub-parvans, the redactors leave their fingerprints in a number of ways. Style istic differences, genealogies and ir dez-summaries, references to and reflections and influences of the contemporary works, divisions into sub-parvans, and even titles and
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