#tataka

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Suspended Villa, Tataka, Taiwan,

Courtesy: Khatereh Bakhtyari

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When you’re gay and evil.

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The Lick!

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Women in the Indian Epics - 2

This is an addition to my earlier post, cause I am only human and I can fit only so much of awesome ladies in one post.

RAMAYANA : 

1. Ahilyaa : Daughter of the Creator god Brahma, Ahilya literally means “the perfect woman”. She was married to the sage Gautam, and was the foster mother of the Monkey Emperor Vali and his brother Sugreeva. One day, Indra (indian zeus) took on the form of Gautam and approached Ahilya because he lusted after her. Now, some people say Ahilya knew it was Indra and readily had sex with him (which is used by conservatives to call women sluts and by feminists for sexual liberation of women), while some say Indra revealed his true form after Ahilya accepted him into her home and then raped her (this version is more common). When Gautam got to know of this, he cursed Indra to be infected with a hundred festering sores, and cursed Ahilya to turn into stone. Afterwards, he modified the curse, stating that these sores would become Indra’s eyes when he truly repented, while Ahilya would turn back into a woman after Ram touches her (Ram accidentally stepped over Ahilya in the forest, turning her into a woman). A feminist icon, Ahilya is etched forever into history.

2. Taraka : Ravan’s maternal grandmother, Taraka was the daughter of the Yaksha king Suketu (yakshas are the hindu equivalent of dwarfs, but crossed with elves). Her husband Sumali was killed by the sages when he tried to reclaim the forest they had occupied. To avenge him, Taraka went there with her elder son Subahu and her army, but the sages instead cursed her to go insane and lose her divinity, turning her into a monster. She and her elder son were later killed by Ram on Vishwamitra’s orders in the Dandaka forest.

3. Gaargi : A female scholar, she was a fearless woman. She openly voiced her opinions, criticized men for their misogyny, and even challenged regressive traditions and rituals. Her rivals often used to taunt her by saying she might lose her head if she talked that much, to  which she replied “Yes. I would rather lose a head and grow ten more, one head alone won’t suffice me.” She was responsible for Sita’s education.

4. Shabari : A tribal woman, Ram and Lakshman had rested at her house in their search for Sita. She proposed to feed them berries, but tasted all of them beforehand, so that she could only serve the sweet ones. This angered Lakshman, but Ram ate them with pleasure. She has become a symbol of motherly devotion today. However, there is no mention of her in the Sanskrit Valmiki Ramayana.

5. Swarnapuchha : Literally meaning “the golden tailed one”, she was the Queen of Mermaids and protector of Lanka’s waters. She was convinced by Hanuman to oppose Ravan and join Ram. She’s mentioned in the Thai Ramayana.

MAHABHARATA : 

1. Shakuntala : Daughter of Vishwamitra and the apsara Menaka, Shakuntala was abandoned as a baby and raised by the sage Kanva. Her name means “she found below doves”. The King of Hastinapur, Dushyant, had fallen in love with her and they had married secretly. However, following a curse, Dushyant forgot Shakuntala. Shakuntala thus raised her son Bharat as a single mom, and the day Bharat asked about his father, she took him to Dushyant. The version mentioned in the Mahabharata says Dushyant remembered everything when he saw Shakuntala, but refused to accept her or her son. Only when the gods intervene did he recognize Shakuntala, but Shakuntala left her son with him and left to live in the forest. The more popular version in the Sanskrit poet Kalidasa’s Abhijnanam Shaakuntalam (think of it as early fanfiction) says that the curse was still in effect, and only when Shakuntala show Dushyant the ring he had given her did he remember her. He then readily accepted her and her son.

2. Chitrangada : The androgynous/non-binary warrior Queen of Manipur (present day Manipur, northeast India), she was Arjuna’s wife. Once Arjun had visited Manipur, and Chitrangada wanted to be with him, but she assumed he was straight and bigoted and thus asked Shiva to make her a feminine woman. However, on meeting her, Arjuna said he only wanted to meet with Chitrangada the warrior queen, for he loved her. Shiva then returned Chitrangada’s androgynous nature and her badass warrior skills. Arjuna and Chitrangada were then married and they had a son called Babruvahana (REALLY weird name). Chitrangada had strategically kept out of the Mahabharata war and thus saved her entire queendom. But as a result of a curse by the river goddess Ganga, her son ended up killing Arjun (his father) and then later committed suicide. They were both revived by the Naga princess Uloopi.

3. Uloopi : The daughter of the snake king Vasuki, Uloopi was a Naga princess who fell in love with Arjuna. One day, she dragged an unsuspecting Arjuna underwater to Nagaloka, where she professed her love to him, and Arjuna agreed to marry her. Her father however was unhappy with the alliance since Arjuna already had many wives and moreover, Arjuna had destroyed his brother Takshaka’s kingdom in the Khandava forest. Arjuna left her after they were married, and the Nagas then kicked her out. She was given refuge by Chitrangada. Her son Iravan was used as a human sacrifice in the Mahabharat war to guarantee success. After Babruvahana killed Arjuna, she revived both of them by using the mythical Nagamani (kind of like the Indian Philosopher’s Stone).

4. Subhadra : Krishna’s sister, Subhadra is said to be the incarnation of Yogamaya, Vishnu’s female essence. She kidnapped Arjuna on her wedding day, and eloped with him. She was his favourite wife, and also the mother of Abhimanyu.

5. Hidimbaa : The rakshasa princess, Hidimba was Bheema’s first wife before Draupadi. The story goes that both she and her brother Hidimba had initially wanted to eat the Pandavas in the forest, but Hidimbaa and Bheema fell in love with each other. Her brother got angry when he learnt his sister was with his food (humans), and so he proceeded to kill Bhima. It is said that Hidimbaa aided Bhima with her magic, so that he could kill her brother and marry her. She stayed behind to take care of her queendom while the Pandavas carried on. Her son Ghatotkacha helped Abhimanyu with his first marriage, and later turned out to be the fiercest warrior in the Mahabharata. He was so powerful that Karna had to use the weapon given to him by Indra to kill him.

6. Rukmani : Princess of Vidarbha (modern day Maharashtra-Madhya Pradesh region) and Krishna’s first wife, Rukmani had called on Krishna to elope with her on the day of her marriage (she was being married off to some random dick). So she eloped with Krishna. She was the mother of Pradyumna.

7. Satyabhama : Third wife of Krishna, Satyabhama was the daughter of a noble (he had a fight with Krishna about this divine gem). She was proud and feisty and accompanied Krishna to all of his battles, most famously where she helped him kill the demon Narakasur. Her pride bordered on arrogance, with her repeatedly taunting Rukmani on how she ran away, demanding the gods that they give up the divine Parijata tree as payment for her husband helping them, and even once trying to measure and then give away gold equal to Krishna’s weight to prove that she is greater in status than Rukmani (surprisingly, she kept piling on gold but it never equaled Krishna’s weight but the moment Rukmani placed a leaf from her garden on it, it became heavier than Krishna.

8. Sulakshana : Balarama’s daughter, Sulakshana was initially betrothed to Duryodhana’s son Lakshman. However, she loved Abhimanyu (her first cousin. WHAT’S UP WITH PEOPLE FUCKING THEIR COUSINS Y’ALL jeez). Ghatotkacha helped her and Abhimanyu get married by rescuing her, and the union was blessed by Krishna.

9. Uttara : Daughter of Chief Virata with whom the Pandavas had sought refuge, Uttara was Abhimanyu’s second wife. She was the mother of the only surviving Pandava descendant Parikshit.

10. Lakshmanaa : Duryodhana’s daughter, Lakshamanaa was married to Krishna’s younger son Samba. The story goes that Samba had molested/raped her, so to save face Krishna had the two married. However, Lakshmanaa only agreed to the marriage once both Balaram and Krishna laid down beside her feet and begged her to marry Samba.

11. Bhanumati : Princess of Kalinga (present day Orissa, India), Bhanumati was Duryodhana’s wife. Her marriage with Duryodhana is described as a blissful one, with Duryodhana being described as a good husband and partner, despite being a bad person. 

12. Dushala : The only Kaurava sister, Dushala was married to Jayadratha the king of Sindhudesha (present day Sindh, Indo-Pakistan). She forced her children to participate in the war from the side of the Kauravas, and they all ended up dead. She refused Pandava authority after the war, and instead became regent of Sindh until her grandchildren came of age.

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