Sexual Life in Ancient India: A Study in the Comparative History of Indian Culture v2.c13.74

v2.c13.74

the woman looked at the Brahman, and said with mournful voice: ‘Two hundred sons of mine have been stricken to earth by destiny. I was a king, O Brahman; a hundred sons were born to me before, shaped like me,¹ O best of Brahmans. One day I went hunting, and lost my way in a deep forest. And when I dipped in a lake, I became a woman, O most excellent Brahman. Then I set my hundred sons in the kingly rule, and went into the forest. As a woman, I bore a great-souled penitent in the hermitary a hundred sons, O Brahman, and these I took into the city. An enmity has by the dispensation of the gods arisen among them, O twice-born one. It is for this I mourn, O Brahman, overwhelmed by the waves of destiny.’ When Indra saw her sorrowing, he spoke these harsh words to her: ‘In days gone by, my friend, thou didst do me evil truly hard to bear, offering the sacrifice hateful to Indra, without inviting me, who hold the first place. I am Indra, thou fool, I have cast my hatred on thee.’ But when the royal Rishi saw it was Indra, he bowed his head to Indra’s feet: ‘Be gracious, best of the thirty-three. I made that sacrifice in my yearning after sons, O tiger among the gods; do thou forgive me this.’ Rejoiced by his humble expression of reverence Indra granted him a favour: ‘Which of thy sons, O king, are to live—tell me this—those thou didst bear as a woman, or those that came to thee as a man?’ Then spoke the penitent’s wife to Indra, folding her hands before her forehead: ‘The sons I bore as a woman are to live, O Vāsava.’ But Indra heard this with astonishment, and once more asked the woman: ‘How comes it, then, that the sons begotten by thee as a man are hateful to thee? Wherefore harbourest thou the greater love for those thou didst bear as a woman? I would fain hear the reason. Tell it to me here.’ The woman spoke: ‘The woman cherishes a more tender love, not so, indeed, the man. Therefore, O Çakra, let those live that were born to me when I was changed into a woman.’” Bhīshma spoke: “Thus addressed, Indra then joyfully uttered the words: ‘They shall all live, all of them, thou speaker of truth. And choose thyself a favour, O prince above kings, which thou, O pious one, dost wish : thou mayest be either a man or a woman, whichever thou wouldst have of me.’ The woman spoke : ‘I choose to be a woman, O Çakra : I have no wish to be a man, O Vāsava.’ But, thus addressed, the ruler of the gods made answer to the woman : ‘Wherefore dost thou scorn to be a man, and insist on being a woman, O ruler ?’ To these words made answer the best among kings, that had become a woman : ‘The woman has in the union with the man always the greater joy. That is why, O Çakra, I choose to be a woman. I feel greater pleasure in love as a woman, that is the truth, best among the gods.¹ I am content with existence as a woman. Do thou leave me, first herdsman of the heavenly ones.’ ‘So be it !’ he spoke, took leave of her, and went back into heaven. So it is said that the woman feels the greater love and pleasure.”²