Women are incredible in our Indian mythology. Throughout the history of Indian civilization; Women have battled to assert themselves as self-reliant individuals and to vindicate their identities in a patriarchal society. Again and again, these warriors have manifested their prominence in various myths; which are narrated and passed down by various generations in the form of folk traditions. The two great epics The Ramayana (500 BCE) and The Mahabharata (400 BCE) are radiant with many heroic female characters’ distinguishing themselves through various skills.
The Mahabharata is the story of courageous men and eminent women whose lives are truly motivational. Women in the Mahabharata performed their various roles and responsibilities with their endurance, optimism, nobility, intellect, and faithfulness. Their assertiveness and self-confidence made them rebellious and tough enough to deal with Patriarchy and Gender-discrimination.
Durga, Gauri, and Maha-Kali are the manifestation (Avatar) of Shakti; these Goddesses are the embodiment of energy, fertility, and power. Shakti is the Creator, the Destroyer of devilish forces, and the Restorer of balance. Devi or Shakti takes many appearances, incarnations, and names.
Parvati(Courtesy: Mahakali Anth Hi Aarambh Hai: ColorsTv)via Facebook shorturl.at/ioIR8She can be a harmonious and sacrificial mother like
Goddess Parvati is also worshipped as ‘Annapurna’ who is
considered as the goddess of nourishment and fertility that represents food.
A dangerous warrior and epitome of strength like Goddess Durga who transformed herself into nine fierce forms to kill demons like ‘Mahisasura’, ‘Shumbh’ and ‘Nishumbh’ because they were fascinated by her beauty and attempted to abduct her forcibly.
As the fiery goddess of annihilation Maha-Kali; she is the slayer of the devil ‘Raktabeej’ by drinking every single drop of his blood because with each drop of his blood fell on the ground, producing multiple forms of ‘Raktabeej’.
If we look into our legendary epics we have found many invincible women, who fought courageously in the battlefield alongside men. In The Ramayana For instance, the brave and beautiful queen ‘Kaikeyi’ was the second wife of King Dasharata; she was well-trained in self-defense, warfare drove chariots, and fought wars from a very young age.
Kaikeyi(Image Courtesy: Youtube still from Ramanand Sagar's Ramayan)
When ‘Indra’ the king of gods asked Dasharata to fight with the devil ‘Samhasura’, who was the rival of both Indra and Dasharata. Kaikeyi requested Dasharata to take her with him on the battlefield. She served him as the charioteer. In the field, Dasharata’s chariot wheel broke, and then it was the fearless ‘Kaikeyi’ who took him to a safe place, repaired the chariot wheel, healed Dasharata’s injuries, then returned to the battlefield again and they won. After that, king Dasharata had promised her two boons.
More than 100 women are discussed in the Mahabharata. Draupadi, Gandhari, Kunti are associated with the main theme of the epic, but there are many ‘other’ women who were lost in the history of Mahabharata. These women have shown their eminence in warfares and martial arts. Chitrāngadā, Satyabhama, Shikhandi, and Ulupi were such skilled warriors. These female figures were, surely the embodiment of heroism, but got a remark in very few episodes of Mahabharata. The present paper aims to discover the myths of these female warriors in the epic, which will justify their contributions to the Mahabharata.
As Chitrāngadā was the only child of the king Chitravahan, she was brought up as a boy, who loved adventures, hunting, and martial arts. She was exceptional in archery, sword art, horse riding, warfare, and administration. Chitrāngadā was the army chief and the protector of Manipur. She dressed up like a man who fiercely protected her land. Even a skilled archer like Arjun was also got impressed by the skills of Chitrāngadā; she gave him tough competition in archery. Chitrāngadā was not a man, but she was more than a son for king Chitravahan.
After seeing Arjun, she reacquires her hidden womanly qualities and feminine delicateness. She invokes the God of love (Kamdev) and the Goddess of beauty (Rati) to make her elegant and gorgeous to win the love of Arjuna. Pleased with her prayers, Kamdev granted her a beautiful appearance.
When Arjun saw the completely transformed Chitrāngadā, he was fascinated with her charm. Her angelic beauty and skills made him fall in love with her. Therefore, Arjun requested the king to seek Chitrāngadā’s hand in marriage. King Chitravahan was initially reluctant to get her daughter married to Arjuna because according to the boon of Shiva, every king of Manipur is destined to have only one child, who is appointed as the king’s inheritor.
Chitrāngadā was his inheritor so; king agrees on a condition that; the child born to Arjun and Chitrāngadā would be the king of Manipur. Arjuna accepts this condition and gets married to Chitrāngadā, he stayed with her for three years. When she gave birth to a son ‘Babruvahana’, Arjun went away on his wanderings. Chitrāngadā was left behind to govern and protect Manipur. She deeply missed Arjun in every single moment. Chitrāngadā became the teacher of her son Babruvahana; who prepares him for all techniques of war such as archery, sword art, and martial arts like his father Arjun.
Arjun and Babruvahan
According to the Ashvamegh Parva of Mahabharata, when Arjun returned to Manipur with his army, following the sacrificial horse of yajna; Babruvahana captures their horse. Babruvahana does not even know that he is the son of Arjun. However, Babruvahana challenges Pandava’s army to fight with him, if they want their horse.
Photo Courtesy BR Chopra's Mahabharat via dailymotion.com
And then Krishna sent Babruvahana to the Naglok (the land of the snakes), to bring Sanjeevani Mani from Arjuna’s other wife Ulupi. Arjun was brought back to life with the help of Krishna.
Though, Chitrāngadā spent her whole life without Arjun but wanted to die if her husband was not revived (Bhawalkar, 362). This kind of devotion has been seen in the women of that era.
2)Ulupi: The Naga Warrior Princess-
Ulupi(Photo Courtesy BR Chopra's Mahabharat
Ulupi was a Naga princess and the daughter of the serpent king, Kauravya, who belongs to the dynasty of Vasuki. Kauravya was the ruler of the underwater kingdom of snakes in the river Ganga. Arjun started his exile of twelve years from the banks of Ganga. Ulupi saw Arjun and fell in love with him.
Ulupi was a well-trained warrior(Chandramouli,2012), who was skilled in martial arts. She dragged him forcibly into the Naga Lok (the land of the snakes). Ulupi expressed her love and requested Arjun to accept her as his wife otherwise; she will end her own life. Arjuna got impressed with her skills and accepted her by Gandharva's marriage because he wants to end the rivalry between the Pandavas and Nagas. He spent that night with her and left the palace on the morning of the next day. They had a son whose name was Iravan.
Ulupi and Arjun(Photo Courtesy BR Chopra's Mahabharat via dailymotion.com)Ulupi gave a boon to Arjun that “he would be unbeatable in the water and all creatures live underwater would always obey him”. Some sources also say that that Ulupi had taught war-techniques to ‘Babruvahana’ (son of Chitrāngadā and Arjun) along with Chitrāngadā. She behaved like an elder sister with Chitrāngadā and loved her son Babruvahana too. When Arjun got slain by Babruvahana, she revived him by giving Sanjeevani Mani to Krishna. Ulupi was the second wife of Arjun; the first one was Draupadi, later he had married Chitrāngadā and Subhadra. Though Arjun had spent only one day with Ulupi; yet she had ended her life by drowning herself in the Ganga, When Pandavas decided to go with Draupadi on their last journey to Himalayas (Bhawalkar, 360).
3)Satyabhama: The Warrior Wife of Krishna-
Satyabhama was
the only child of Satrajit, the royal treasurer of Dvaraka. She was an incarnation
of BhooDevi, the earth goddess. Satyabhama was the third wife of Lord Krishna. She was an
ace archer, who expert in war tactics. Unlike the other women of those
days; who were satisfied with their household. Satyabhama was the companion of
Krishna in all fields, including battles. Her father had given her adequate
training of warfares. There is an iconic story associated with Narakasura and Satyabhama. Narakasura was the son of BhooDevi; He became a tyrant after
getting so many powers from ‘Brahma’. He had attacked Indra’s kingdom to rule heaven. He had abducted 16,000 women and captivated them in his palace to
satisfy his lust. Narakasura became obsessed with his powers and in
greed; he stole the earrings of the heavenly goddess ‘Aditi’.
Image Courtesy Facebook via https://rb.gy/ktkejh)
When Satyabhama heard of his tyrannies and ill-treatment towards women, she became furious. She approached Krishna to declare a battle against Narakasura. Krishna took her as his charioteer, on the battlefield. In the war Narakasura attacked Krishna with his most dangerous weapon Thunderbolt; being struck with his weapon Krishna got fainted. After seeing Krishna collapse, Satyabhama got enraged. She doubled her powers, aggressively took the bow, and shot an arrow at Narakasura’s chest and He died finally. After that Satyabhama released the sixteen thousand women and all the prisoners who were captivated by Narakasura. To protect the Honor of sixteen thousand women, Krishna married to all of them. Satyabhama was the warrior as well as the loving and caring wife of Krishna.
In the Vana-Parva of Mahabharata, there is the most popular conversation between Satyabhama and Draupadi; where Satyabhama wants to know from Draupadi, the secrets of winning a husband's heart. Draupadi explains to her how to be a good wife by serving her husband, satisfying their needs, how to become indispensable, and loved in the eyes of your husband. Thus, Satyabhama always tried to make Krishna happy, they had ten sons. After Krishna’s death, Satyabhama went to the forest to perform penance.
4)Shikhandini: The Warrior Princess
‘Shikhandini’ had been born in her previous birth as ‘Amba’. She was the princess of Kashi. In her Swayamvar, she was forcibly abducted by Bhishma with her sisters Ambika and Ambalika. Bhishma abducted the princesses for the marriage of his brother Vichitravirya, The king of Hastinapur. However, Amba told Bhishma that she wants to marry Salva, not Vichitravirya. So, Bhishma respectfully sent her to Salva, but Salva refused to marry her because she had been abducted by Bhishma. She returned to Hastinapur, but Vichitravirya refused to marry her. Amba then requested Bhishma to marry her, but Bhishma rejected her due to his vow of celibacy. Bhishma had ruined her life; so she went to Parashurama to kill Bhishma in a war. After twenty-three days of a fierce battle with Bhishma; Parashurama could not defeat Bhishma.
Image Courtesy: YoutubeTherefore, Amba decided to avenge Bhishma herself and kill him by taking birth as a man (Bhawalkar,441). She started a very tough penance; Shiva blessed her and granted her a boon that in her next birth she would kill Bhishma but with the condition that she would be born as a girl and later would become a man(Bhawalkar,441).
In her next birth, Amba was born as Shikhandini;
she was the daughter of Drupad, the King of Panchal. According to the boon of
Shiva, Drupad’s wife
She learns archery, martial arts, war techniques, and fine arts when she is a mere girl. Dronacharya is her guru; it is not mentioned in the Mahabharata whether she has learned this staying in Drona’s house or in her own house(Ghosh,45). She was married to the daughter of the powerful king of Dasarna, who became very angry to know the gender of Shikhandini.
He felt betrayed by
Drupad, so he terrorized him to attack his kingdom. Being responsible for the
sufferings of her parents, Shikhandini left home and went into a forest. There
she had seated alone, cried, and fasting for days. Yaksha felt pity for her and
asked her about her sufferings. He offered her a mutual exchange of their sexes
for a short period, to satisfy the king of Dasarna. Thus, Shikhandini attained
manhood, became ‘Shikhandi’, after that he
happily returned to his own country, Panchal. When Kubera got to know about
Yaksha’s act of changing gender, he became very angry with Yaksha. Kubera cursed Yaksha that “he would not regain manhood till Shikhandi’s death”. It’s because of Shiva’s boon, Shikhandini
permanently got masculinity to avenge Bhishma.
In the Kurukshetra war, Shikhandi fought on the side of the Pandavas. Bhishma knows all the activities of Amba, her penance, and her rebirth as Shikhandi. Bhishma took an oath that he would drop his weapons against women.
Arjuna took advantage of Bhishma’s oath; he took
‘Shikhandi’ on his chariot to kill Bhishma. On the
chariot, he hides behind Shikhandi and attacked Bhishma with several arrows. Thus, Shikhandi became the cause of
the death of Bhishma, this way ‘Shikhandi’ took revenge for his humiliation in a previous birth as
‘Amba’. Shikhandi was killed by Ashwathama on
the 18th day of the war. Amba/
Conclusion-
These phenomenal women of the Mahabharata were fearless warriors, who performed as fighters and defended themselves in the patriarchal society. They were not just warriors; they were daughters, sisters, wives, and mothers also. These ladies were those who administrated their kingdom wisely; who fought alongside men on the battlefield, who nurtured their children alone and accept the challenges of hard-pressed life, who trained their children in warfare, who fought for their dignity and self-respect. These heroic women were the embodiment of strength, courage, and dedication. Undoubtedly, we cannot ignore the contributions of these female warriors in the epic, without them, Mahabharata would have been incomplete.
References:
1. Bhawalkar,
Vanmala. Eminent Women in the Mahabharata. Sharada Publishing House, 2002.
2. Chandramouli, Anuja.
“Serpent Princess”. ARJUNA: Saga of a
Pandava Warrior-Prince. Lead Start
Publishing Pvt Ltd., 2012.
3. Chopra,
B.R. Mahabharat Katha.BR Films, 1988-90.
4. Dowson, John. A
Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology and Religion, Geography, History, and
Literature. Trübner & Company, 1879.
5. Ghosh, Raghunath. Facets of Feminism: Studies on the
Concept of Woman in Indian Tradition.
Northern Book Centre, 2005.
6.Mazumdar, Subash. Who is who in the Mahabharata. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan,
1988, pp. 32.
7. Mathur, Suresh Narain
and B.
K, Chaturvedi. “Parvati Ji Goddess of fertility and wife of Shivji”. The
Diamond Book of Hindu Gods and Goddesses.
Diamond Pocket Books (P) Ltd, 2004, pp.31.
8. Mittal, J.P. History
of Ancient India (a New Version): From 7300 Bb To 4250 Bc. Atlantic
Publishers & Dist., 2006.
9. Ninan, M. M.The
Development of Hinduism. Madathil Mammen Ninan, 2008.
10. Sarma, Bharadvaja. Vyasa’s
Mahabharatam in Eighteen Parva’s- The Great epic of India in summary
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Rabindranath. Chitra. Newyork*, the Macmillan Company, 1914.
Originally published at Literary Endeavour (ISSN 0976-299X): Vol. IX: Issue: 1 (January 2018)
Hello friends I am DrRashmi Vajpayee,PhD Awardee,Assistant professor and founder of Rashmi Vajpayee's Confessions on Culture.Here I share everything about Indian Culture and Festivals.I hope you guys enjoy my content so keep reading!.
10 comments
Click here for commentsVery informative blog.. Keep up the good work ����
ReplyGrear read...kudos to women power 🥳
ReplyThank u so much😘🙏
ReplyThanks😘🙏
ReplyThanks alot😘🙏
ReplySuperb👏👏very informative 👍
Replythanks 😘
ReplyI think it will be not justice if we don't consider "Morvi" daughter of daityaraj "Mura" as a female warrior. She was the most powerful female warrior of that era. She fainted balram in a war.
ReplyWow good website, thank you.
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