Sexual Life in Ancient India: A Study in the Comparative History of Indian Culture v1.c6.149

Language: English

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And the parent's heart in Old India often quavered for the child still living, especially if it was the only one. On this an excellent tale was told (iii, 127 f.) : “ There was a pious king, Somaka by name. He had a hundred wives of his own rank. But in spite of every most strenuous endeavour the prince had no son by them even after a long time. One day among his hundred wives there was then born to the old man, who used every care and endeavour, a son named Jantu. When he had seen the light of day, all his mothers constantly circled round him, and turned their backs on all wishes and pleasures. An ant now once bit Jantu on the buttocks, and at the bite the child called out loudly with pain. Then all his mothers screamed in violent distress, standing quickly in a ring round Jantu ; there was a great uproar. These cries of distress were suddenly heard by the ruler of the earth, as he sat in the midst of the council of his ministers with his sacrificial priest. The lord of the earth sent and asked : ‘ What is that ? ’ The doorkeeper told him what had happened to his son. Quickly Somaka, the queller of his foes, rose up with his councillors, went off to the women’s apartments, and soothed his son. When the prince had soothed his son, he left the women’s apartments, and seated himself together with his sacrificial priest and his ministers of state. Somaka spoke : ‘ Grievous it is, when a man has but one son on earth! It were better to have no son.

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Since beings are always shadowed by suffering, it is a sorrow to have only one son.¹ When I had carefully picked myself out these hundred wives of equal birth with me, I took them home that I might have sons. And now they have no children! One son has come into being with trouble and care, this my Jantu, by the exertion of all. What sorrow could now be greater! The vigorous age has now departed from me and my wives. Their life and mine rests on this one little son of mine. Is there now a work that were such as to give me a hundred sons, whether through a great, or a small deed, or one hard to carry out?' The sacrificial priest spoke: 'There is such a work whereby thou wouldst have a hundred sons. If thou canst do it, then I will speak, Somaka.' Somaka spoke: 'Be it possible or impossible, that by which I get a hundred sons, it is already done. Know that, O glorious one; tell it unto me!' The sacrificial priest spoke: 'Sacrifice Jantu, O king, in a sacrifice carried out by me, then thou wilt speedily have a hundred splendid sons for thine own. If his retina is offered up in the fire, and his mothers smell the smoke, they will bear sons mighty and strong as heroes. But their son will come into being again in his own (bodily) mother. And on his left side he will bear a golden birthmark.' Somaka spoke: 'Brahman, even as this must be carried out, so indeed do thou carry it out. In my longing for sons I will obey all thy words.' Then for Somaka he sacrificed this Jantu.

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But his mothers tore him away² by force, filled with pity, wailing in their burning sorrow: 'Woe, we are death's,' weeping bitterly and seizing him by the right hand. But the sacrificial priest seized him by the left hand, and so dragged and tore the child away from them, who wailed like she-eagles of the sea. And having cut him up according to the precept, he offered up the retina of his eye in the fire. When the retina was offered up in the fire, and the mothers smelt the smoke, they fell in tortures suddenly onto the ground, and all these exquisite women there received a fruit of the body. Ten months afterwards the gift of a full hundred sons was made by these wives together to Somaka. Jantu was born first, and from his own mother¹; he was the much beloved for them all, not so their own children; and that golden birthmark was on his right side, and among these hundred sons he was the first too in qualities. Then that Guru (teacher, high priest) of Somaka went into the other world. And in the course of time Somaka, too, went into the other world. There he saw him scorching in the dreadful hell. He asked him: ‘Wherefore dost thou scorch in hell, O Brahman?’ Then his Guru, who was being sore tortured by the fire, spoke unto him: ‘I have made sacrifice for thee, O king, this is the fruit of that work.’ When the royal Rishi had heard this, he spoke to the king of justice (to Yama, the lord of the dead and of hell): ‘I will go in there. Set thou my sacrificial priest free!

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For it is for my sake that the excellent one is being burned by hell fire.’ Yama spoke: ‘None other but the doer ever enjoys the fruit of the work. Here (in heaven) the fruits of thy deeds are seen, O best of those that speak.’ Somaka spoke: ‘I crave not for the holy and heavenly worlds without the knower of the Veda, only with him will I dwell in the abode of the gods or in hell, O king of justice; for I am the same as he is in the work. Let the fruit of the good or of the evil work be alike then for us both.’ Yama spoke: ‘If thou so wishest, O king, then enjoy together with him the fruit of the work which he reaps, and for the same length of time. After that thou wilt come unto the place of the good.’ Then did the lotus-eyed king do this all, and when his sin was blotted out, he was set free from there with his Guru. He came together with this Guru into that pure heavenly joy which he had won for himself through his deeds, he who loved his Guru.”²