Women in Mahabharata - Mamata
Mother of the two pioneering philosophers of Rig Veda and the progenitors of many noted dynasties.
She is the wife of Utathya (or Ushij), Vrihaspati's older brother. When Vrihaspati, lost in the pride of being the Devas' guru, had alienated both his brothers.
After his brother's untimely passing however, Vrihaspati tries to get physical with Mamata against her will.
She was however already expecting, and the child is born early as a result of this altercation, and he is born with blindness (we see somewhat of a mirrored situation later with Vyasa and Amba). This child is called Deerghatamaa (unending darkness).
However, his blindness could also have been as a result of an altercation with Vrihaspati in his early childhood, as opposed to the pre-natal story, when he might've tried to protect his mother. What is both ironic and sad is the fact that Mamata was known in her time as the woman with the most beautiful eyes.
After his mother's passing Deerghatamaa was abandoned by his family, and he ended up traveling to the 'forbidden' eastern side of India and fathering several sons via niyoga who establish the kingdoms of Anga, Vanga, Kalinga,
The result of Vrihaspati's assault on Mamata results in the birth of another child- Bharadwaja: named as such from the words of a disgusted, traumatised Mamata soon after his birth: 'Bhara Dwajam Vrihaspate' (You keep the product of your indiscretion, Vrihaspati).
Mamata abandons Bharadwaja and returns to Utathya's ashram with Deerghtamaa, and Vrihaspati, who was interested only in his mother, also abandons him in the forest.
Luckily, the baby is then rescued by Shakuntala's son Bharata [or a descendant was adopted by Bharata and the original Bhradwaaj just grew up with some other family].
Bharata then names Bharadwaja's son Vitatha as his heir, in place of the biological princes. And, we see the main Paurava line that was restarted by Dushyanta, has now been biologically replaced with a dyamushyayana (mixed-caste), Brahmin lineage.
Another son of Bharadwaj's we see return to the forest, and it is this line, which is considered to be pure Brahmins, that becomes the precursor family which births Mahabharata's Drona and Ashwatthama.
