MAARKANDEYA presents MAHAABHAARATHAM

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"After praying to Naaraayana, Nara, Sarasvathi and Vyaasa, then one should read the Jayam."

DEDICATED TO MY DEAR NIECE VYSHNAVI KRISHNA

MADAYANTHI

( the D in this name is pronounced like 'th' in 'brother'. Y is pronounced like Y in you. N is pronounced like n in one. TH is pronounced like th in with.)

Madayanthi is the name of a queen. We come across two queens of the same name. One in Mahaabhaaratham, another in Bhaavagatham.

1) In Mahaabhaaratham, Ashvamedha parva contains the episode of sage Uththanka. He went to a king Soudaasa to beg the ear-rings of his queen Madayanthi, to offer them as gift to his teacher Gouthama's wife Ahalya. This king Soudaasa was cursed to become a man-eater.

2) In bhaagavatham (Book 9) there is a story of a king named Sudaasa ( Note the spelling) whose wife was Madayanthi and who was also cursed by Vasishtha to remain a cannibal for twelve years. While being a man-eater, Sudaasa killed a Braahmana despite pleadings of the Braahmana's wife whereby the Braahmana woman cursed him to die as soon as he touches his wife. To avoid brekage of the king's lineage, Vasishtha awarded the queen with a son. When the pregnant queen was suffering the labour , Vasishtha opened her abdomen with a Kusha and delivered a son named Ashmaka.

The names of the king appear very similar. Both of them were said to be of the same lineage, of Ikshvaaku. Both of them were refered to with the same epithet - Mithrasaha. Both the queens wore divine ear-rings. In both cases, the ear-rings were given after the husband permitted. In both cases, the earrings were stolen by a serpent. In both cases, the bearer of the earrings went to the nether world, reobtained them and returned home with aid from Indra, in a similar manner.

Through these many similarities between these stories, we may suppose that these two queens were one and the same.

"After praying to Naaraayana, Nara, Sarasvathi and Vyaasa, then one should read the Jayam."

DEDICATED TO MY DEAR NIECE VYSHNAVI KRISHNA