Sexual Life in Ancient India: A Study in the Comparative History of Indian Culture v2.c13.87

Language: English

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she would be scorned there; she wished, she said, to lead an ascetic life, so that so evil a fate should not be thrust on her again in another life.¹ Then her mother's father happened to come thither, the royal Ṛiṣi, Hotravāhana. When he had heard her tale, and learned who she was he spoke trembling and sorrowful to the tortured maiden: "Go not to thy father's house. I am thy mother's father. I will turn away thy unhappiness. Stay by me, my child, let thy desire rest² thus to pine away." He advised her now to seek out his friend Paraçurāma, mighty in arms and penance, and to make request of him; he would slay Bhīshma, if he did not do as she said, and would set her free from her sorrow. Meanwhile, a comrade of Paraçurāma came into the penitential forest. The matter was put before him, and Ambā declared that Bhīshma had not known that she loved the king of the Çalvas, otherwise he would not have carried her off; but that the ascetic must decide. He held that Bhīshma was the cause of it all; for had he left her alone, then the Çalva would have been content with her. Ambā spoke: "In my heart also does this wish ever lie, whether I could not slay Bhīshma. Him on whom thou layest the blame, him do thou chastise, for I have come because of him into deep suffering." Then later came Rāma himself; full of pity and love he hearkened to the lovely, tender young granddaughter of his friend Hotravāhana, who was begging help of him in tears.

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His wish was now to clear everything up through a kindly message to Bhīshma, or to the Çalva, while Ambā declared that the Çalva had sent her away through distrust in her purity; Paraçurāma must make away with Bhīshma, the root of her unhappiness. He reminded her that he would only take up arms on behalf of the Brahmans. But she always came back to insisting that he must kill Bhīshma, the cause of all her woes. Then his comrade reminded him that he must help her that asks for protection, and that, moreover, he was bound by an earlier vow, and therefore he must fight in this case. So Rāma went to Kurukshetra with his band of disciples and the maiden, and from there a further couple of days' journey on, and solemnly asked Bhīshma, who came to meet him at the frontier respectfully : “ Bhīshma, what was it that made thee carry off the daughter of the king of Kāçi that time against her will, and then let her go? For now the glorious maid is left through thee bereft of her rights (marriage); for who could here on earth approach her, whom thou, a stranger, hast touched? The Çālva has rejected her, because thou didst carry her away, O Bharata. Therefore do thou at my bidding take her back again. This king's daughter, O tiger among men, must be given her rights. It is not seemly in thee to hold kings to scorn and insult.” But Bhīshma made answer: “I could in no wise give her to my brother, O Brahman.

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‘I belong to the Çālva,’ said she to me myself before this, and it was with my leave that she went to the city. Neither from fear nor pity nor greed, nor to please anyone will I be unfaithful to the warrior's laws; this vow I did undertake.” But Rāma was angered, the more so since Bhīshma had been his disciple, and was thus under the duty of obedience to him. The unshakable one, however, for all his reverence for his teacher stood his ground: “Who would want to take into his house a woman that loves another man, and bears herself like a snake-woman, if he knows of it? A fault in women¹ brings great harm. If the teacher is overbearing, if he knows not what must be done, and what must be left undone, if he goes astray, then according to the holy ordinance he shall be given up.” After further proud and challenging words between the two, they made ready to fight. Bhīshma's mother tried to reconcile them, but without success. Through many days lasted the struggle between the two picked fighters, but in the end Rāma had to declare himself beaten. Thus had Ambā's thirst for vengeance been left unquenched. But she did not yield, but with rage in her eyes she exclaimed: “Then I will go whither I myself shall bring down Bhīshma in the fight.” For twelve years she submitted to the most dreadful chastisements in the Indian list of penances, then visited various holy bathing-places, and there carried out cleansings. After that