Secondary Tales of the Two Great Epics

Author(s): Rajendra I Nanavati
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

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Secondary Tales of the two Great Epics
the story revolves. A similar importance of the motif of jealousy can also be observed in the RM and in the Nala-story. The following analysis of the opening events of these three tales will make this clear :
RM. (a) Daśaratha's old-age ...........(b) Rāma's coronation..... Nal. (a) Nala's love for Damayanti.....(b) Nala's marriage with Damayanti...... MBh. (a) Yudhisthira's victories-glories.(b) Performance of Rājasüya..........
(c) Jealousy of Kaikeyi.. (c) Jealousy of Kali - inspiring jealousy in Puskara-motif reinforced. (c) Jealousy of Duryodhana ...
(d) the two boons............... (e) Rāma's exile into forest. ...... (d) the game of dice........... (e) Nala's exile into forezt............... (d) the game of dice........... (C) Yudhisthira's exile into forest.....
The basic similarity of the pattern of motifs will not be missed even by a casual observer. Jealousy of the antagonist is the pivotal emotion in all the three tales. This jealousy makes hin active into using some trick against the protagonist who is consequently turned into exile. The jealousy is caused by an incident which, set together with its circumstances, marks the beginning of the epics in the first two cases. The pattern can thus be described in general terms. (a) There is a situation which leads to (b) the causal incident. This gives rise to (c) the jealousy of the antagonist who, (d) becoming active in order to snatch away the good fortune of the protagonist, resorts to some trick (e) as a result of which the protagonist is driven into exile.
If we accept the pattern to be a convincing evidence we shall have to re-state certain observations made above about the opening of the original epic. The acceptance of the pattern will leave out two more sub-parvans of SabP - the Mantraparvan and the Jarasandha-vadha-parvan – as secondary, and the original epic will now be supposed to start from the Digvijaya-(sub)parvan oply. We can try to corroborate this with some further observations. A difference can clearly be seen between the style of Jarāsandha-vadha-parvan which is puranic in nature and that of Arghabhiharaṇa- and sišupāla-vadha-parvans which have powerful dialogues containing an epic grandeur. Again, the pattern seems to give us a more natural order of events in a simple primitive epic which would obviously be : first, a dig-vijaya or at least some significant victories, and only then, an ambition of performing Rājasūya. In SabP, on the other hand, the seed of ambition is laid first in the mind of Yudhisthira who then starts discussing the possibilities of the sacrifice. This makes it quite probable that the entire episode of Jarāsandha-vadha is added later on, and is not a part of the original epic. It is too hyperbolical, too loosely-connected, to form an essential part of the original.