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
with constellations and is prevented with difficulty by the gods only when they recognise his creation with the king in it.151 (c) King Ambarīşa of Ayodhyā loses his sacrificial victim (whom Indra has stolen) and replaces it by Sunahấepa, the middle son of Sage Rcika Bhārgava. On their way back, Sunahsepa learns two gāthäs of Indra and Upendra from Viśvāmitra and is blessed with a long life by the gods themselves.152 (d) The sage is enamoured of Menakā, but after passing some happy years with her realises his mistake, and deserting her goes to East.153 (e) On the bank of the river Kausiki he is blessed by Lord Brahmă with the status of a great sage (Maharşi) but not Brahmarşi as he has not yet controlled his senses fully. 154 Indra sends Rambhā to disturb the sage who sees through and curses her.155 Then once again, after severe austerities he is addressed by Lord Brahmā as well as by Vasistha as Brahmarsi.156
The significance of these tales are so obvious that a bare mention of them will suffice. The first tale is reminiscent of the famous Vasiştha-Viśvāmitra controversy reflected in the well-known Dāśarājña Sūkta 157 of the Rgveda. The second tale is reactionary in nature. What Vasiştha cannot do for Trišanku, Viśvāmitra can. In that way his superiority is established. The Sunahấepa-tale shows him as a great seer, specially favoured by Indra. It is his gāthās which please Indra and Upendra to set Sunahsepa free. 158 The stories of Menakā and Rambhā show the sage falling prey to the passions of lust and anger and eventually coming out of them.
In fact, the author of BK seems to observe twofold precaution in narrating the Viśvāmitra-story-cycle. One, he takes care not to show Viśvāmitra angry without cause. If the sage wishes to possess the cow, it is because the cow is a 'gem' and a king is the repository of all 'gems'.159 That is the reason of his insistence on possessing the cow at all costs. He curses the sons of Vasistha and the sage Mahodaya to become cāndālas because they have abused his sacrifice for Trisanku. 160 But the incidents which show him overly angry and revengeful without cause have been omitted. In MBh, for example, he orders the river Sarasvati to bring Vasiştha to him so that he can kill him.161 When Sarasvati plays a trick to save Vasistha, he curses it to turn bloody and to be drunk by Rākşasas. He, again, orders a kinkara to possess the King
151 BK, 56. 10-BK. 59. 33. 152 BK. 60-61. 153 BK. 62. 4-13. 154 BK. 62. 21. 155 BK. 62. 25-63.15' 156 BK. 64.1-64. 20. 157 Rgveda VII. 33. 2. 33. 5; 83. 8 etc. 158 BK. 61. 24-25. 159 Cf. BK. 52.9.
ratnam hi bhagavann etad ratna-hări ca pārtbivah/ 160 See BK. 58. 14.
Kșatriyo yājako yasya cănļálasya višeşataḥ|
katham sadasi bhoktāro havis tasya surarśayāh|/ 161 SalP. 42,