The epics, Mahabharata and Ramayana, have been the inspiring wings of Indians. Though Ramayana is incredibly perfect in teaching Principles, Morals and Ethics, Mahabharata is little bit differs. The characters in Mahabharata depict all shades of life. It is difficult to find out complete good from one character. The situations and tales in Mahabharata can be assumed in good as well as bad ways. In many ways some of these situations and the way society dealt with them give us a tiny glimpse into the social system prevalent in those times. One of such tale is about Madhavi, mentioned in Udyoga Parva would stir your emotions in a rather tragic way.
The story begins with Galva, a learned but penniless scholar. Having done with his studies under his guru the sage Vishwamitra, he requested his master to take guru dhakshina. Vishwamitra orders his pupil Galava to give him 800 of the finest steeds, “white as the rays of radiant moon and an ear black as the night sky”.
In ancient times the student has to accept whatever the Guru orders him to pay as Gurudakshina. Galava promptly sets out in search of such type of horses but he was unable to find any. While he was in search of horses his friend Suparna offered help and took him to the king Puru, fore father of the Kurus. They requested King Puru to free them from guru dakshina. Unfortunately Puru doesn’t have those type of horses and whose wealth by then had depleted, he could not give him wealth for those horses.
But as a king it was his duty to satisfy the needy who approaches him. So he gifted his beautiful daughter Madhavi to Galva and said “ Take her and sell her to other kings who can offer the wealth you seek.” He even said that “Madhavi was capable of promoting every virtue and her beauty was so striking that any king would give away his kingdom as a prize for her”
Thus Madhavi, a Kuru princess was taken by a priest to trade with her for 800 horses to payoff his gurudakshina demanded by his master Vishwamitra.
Galava walks away with Madhavi. Throughout this conversation Madhavi remains silent. Galva took her to the court of Haryasva, the king of Ayodhya. Galva asks him to give 800 white horses, each of them having one black ear and make Madhavi as his wife. Haryasva was seduced by the beauty of Madhavi. He describes her “the six parts of this girl’s body which ought to be high are high, seven parts which ought to be slender are slender, three parts which ought to be deep are deep and five which ought to be red are red.” The king is described as “Kamamohitha” afflicted by sexual desires. He want to fulfill his desires but he did not have the price demanded by Galva. So he told Galva “ I have only two hundred white horses. I will give you them if you leave Madhavi with me for a year. I will have only one son with her.”
Now Galva is in dilemma about remaining six hundred horses. Here Madhavi speaks for the first time and this was her last time too. She says that she has a boon to become virgin again after giving birth to a child. So Galva had made the arrangement and came back after a year. In the due time Haryasva had a son with Madhavi. After the child was born she regained her virginity and returned to Galva.
Galva next took Madhavi to Divodasa, the king of Kashi. Divodasa stunned with the beauty of Madhavi and he too made similar arrangement with Galva. Madhavi lived with Divodasa till she had a son with him. After the child was born she regained her virginity and returned to Galva.
The next was, King Ushinara of Bhojanagari who also had only two hundred of such horses. Madhavi was again traded for 200 more horses. Madhavi hanged with Ushinara till a son was born. After that she turned as a virgin once again.
Galva traded her for 3 times and received only 600 horses in exchange. Later his friend Suparna informs him that there were no more such horses. So he took six hundred horses with him and went to his guru. He urged his guru to accept Madhavi in place of the remaining 200 horses and said him to free from gurudakshina. Thus Madhavi was again traded for 200 horses. Vishwamitra, the sage, was elated at the prospect of having Madhavi. He accepts the offer gadly and discharged Galva from his obligation.
After a while Vishwamitra lost interest in her. He gives 600 horses to his son and sends Madhavi back to her father Yayati. Yayati arranged wedding for Madhavi in his court. But Madhavi was no longer interested in marriage. She refused to marry anyone and walked away from the court into a life of seclusion.
Question of Ethics and Morals
1.The king has to
help needy but how far it is correct to trade a women that too his daughter.
2.How can Galva use women for trading her against 200 horses just to pay his gurudakshina.
3.Vishwamitra, the sage, how can he took awomen of his daughters age as his mistress.
4.The other kings who accepted her for a year, how can they treat a women as sexual machine just to fulfill their desires and giving them child.
Don’t try to use her ‘boon to regain virginity’ as a reason to satisfy the answer. It is a question of morality and ethics not about virginity. Even though Madhavi accepts to help her father it is against the values to trade women. Of course Mahabharat is an Epic but is this the way they should treat women? What type of message it is giving by this tale to society?
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