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 his preoccupations - and his class forms the teeming millions--a set of prepared ideas about the Supreme Power is necessary,.... The average man, again, would feel gratified to find some concrete story on which his Faith can lay anchor."167 We may also add here that the gradual process of this concretisation of abstract philosopbical ideas is excellently shown by S. A. Dange in his treatment of the MBh-legends of Kaca, of Garuda, and of the churning of ocean. In fact, such studies in the developnient of our legends through ages can reveal the various traits of our cultural development and help us solve the riddles of many dichotomies like those of Brāhmaṇaśramaņa, of Vedic-non-Vedic, of Aryan- non-Aryan and so on.
After the Viśvāmitra-story-cycle is finished, Rāma is shown the famous saiva-bow. He lifts it up and in trying to string it, breaks it in the middle. Janaka sends for Daśaratha and the four sons of Daśaratha are married at a time to the four daughters -- two each of the brothers Janaka and Kušadhvaja. Then Viśvā mitra takes leave of them and returns to the northern mountains, 168 and never appears in the epic tale again. The coincidence is noteworthy that Viśvamitra had approached Daśaratha for Rāma's help in his sacrifice, just at a time when Daśaratha was thinking about the marriages of his sons, 169 and leaves immediately after their marriage. This creates an impression that Viśvāmitra is brought in to arrange for Rāma's marriage to Sitā, his another contribution to the principal tale being his educating Rāma and Laksmana in the lore of arms. Thus he is shown to be responsible for two of the most important aspects of Rāma - his prowess and his marriagewhich are of central importance to the principal epic.
The attempt to wipe out any significance that might be attached to Vasistha, the family-priest of the Solar kings, in the birth and growth of Rāma - in the development of Rāma's personality – is too glaring to be missed. The onslaught is consistent. Not Vasistha, but Rsyaśộnga, is instrumental in the hero's birth. Not Vasiştha, but Viśvāmitra, is the cause in educating the epic hero in arms, in shaping his personality as an ideal of virtue and martial prowess. Not Vasistha, but Višvāmitra, becomes instrumental in Rāma's marriage. Visvāmitra is thus shown to be behind the entire structure of the hero's personality. Does not this attempt to throw Vasiştha's personality into insignificance by making Viśvāmitra do his jobs also smack of the famous Vasiştha-Višvāmitra controversy ? Are we in a position to postulate that the entire BK from Višvāmitra's entry onwards is the handiwork of some Vaiśvāmitra-redactors ?
Two things seem to favour such a hypothesis : One, the abruptness of Viśvamitra's coming and going. He breaks the thread of the epic story at a time when the father of the hero is thinking of his son's marriage. He leaves the epic, after connecting up
167 Rgvedic Legends Through the Ages, Hariyappa, p. 135, 168 BK, 73, 1. 169 BK 17.22-23.
riyappa, p. 135.