RESEARCH ARTICLE WRITTEN BY LONDON SWAMINATHAN
Date: 28 August 2018
Time uploaded in London – 13-57 (British Summer Time)
Post No. 5371
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There is a very interesting love story of Nala and Damayanthi in the third chapter, Vana Parva, of Mahabharata. This interesting story was adapted into Tamil by two poets Pukazenthi and Athi Veera Rama Pandyan. Other poets of Tamil epic Silappadikaram and Thevaram made passing references to it. Because he story is so moving lot of other things in the story are missed by many. According to Mahabharata, it is a pre-Mahabharata story. That means it should have happened before 3100 BCE. It reflects the social condition of those days which is supported by other books as well, particularly Sangam Tamil literature.
Following subjects are dealt within the story:-
1.Extra Terrestrials
- Art of Disguise
- Eight Paranormal Powers
4.Bird Migration and Training Birds for communication
5.Art of Cookery
6.Art of Charioting
7.Magic Numbers
8.Art of Gambling and Manipulation
9.invisible Cloaking
10.Toxicology
11.Moral Teaching and Psychology
12.Letter Writing by Kings
13.Truth alone Triumphs
14.Necessity of cleanliness
15.Role of Poetry
16.Brahmin Ambassadors/ Role of Ambassadors
17.Travellers’ Tale & Business Travel
18.Geography
19.History
20.Role of Saints/Psychologists
21.Child care
22.Unusual Freedom of Indian Women
23.Body marks
24.Science of Horses
25.Tree Science
- SHARING/ EXCANGE OF INFORMATION
NALA DAMAYANTI story was translated into Latin by Bopp and into English verse by Dean Milman.
DAMAYANTI was the only daughter of King Bhima of Vidarbha (Nagpur region in Maharashtra). She was very beautiful and clever. Nala, King of Nishada, was a brave and handsome person. He was learned in Vedas and virtuous. He had great skills in arms, management of horses and cooking. His only weakness was addiction to gambling (which we see later in Yudhishthira of Mahabharata as well). Nala and Damayanti loved each other, though they have never met. Nala sent a message using swans.
(This shows the use of animals for human communication; it is in Sangam literature Purananuru verse as well.)
Bhima determined that his daughter should hold a swayamvara. The warrior class Hindu women of India had the highest freedom in the world. They chose the bravest ad cleverest prince or a king as their husband. This explodes the theory of Aryan immigration and Aryan-Dravidian division. Since it was not practised anywhere in the world except Hindus from Kanyakumari to Kashmir from the Vedic days, we know the Aryan migration is a concocted story. Madurai Meenakshi, Alli Rani of Tamil Nadu, Yadava women of Tamil Nadu, Indumati of Kalidasa’s Ragu Vamsam, Sita of Ramayana and Draupadi and Damayanti of Mahabharata show that the foreigners’ theory of Aryan and Dravidian is a farce.
(This shows Hindu women were freer and cleverer; even Kalidasa’s wife was a clever woman who wanted to marry only the cleverest man; Though she was fooled by her own ministers later Kalidasa received Goddess Kali’s grace and became most intelligent and world famous).
Bhima sent letters to all the kings inviting them to Swayamvara (princess choosing her own partner). The message was sent by letter written on barks of the trees or cloth. This also explodes the foreigners’ pet theory that Hindus derived Brahmi script from Phoenicians. Even before the Mahabharata period, all stories say something about writing.
Kings flocked to Damayanti’s Swayamvara and among them was Nala. Having heard the beauty of Damayanti through the Inter Galactc traveller Narada, even the Vedic Gods Indra, Varuna, Agni and Yama came to it. Nala who met them on the way, without knowing their intention, promised them to help. Even when they asked his help in marrying Damayanti , he did not go back on his words. Throughout Hindu literature whether it is a curse or a boon, not even Gods would go back on their words. This Truthfulness of the Hindus was praised by all foreign visitors at least for 2000 years. Modern India also engraved the Upanishad dictum ‘Truth Alone Triumphs’ on its National Emblem.
Nala reluctantly performed the promised task, but his presence perfected his conquest, and the maiden announced her resolve to pay due homage to Four Vedic Gods , but choose him for her lord. Nala entered the harem of Damayanti by becoming invisible with the power given by the Vedic gods. Now we read in science magazines about ‘Invisible cloaks’. We had such facilities thousands of years ago!
During the Swayamvara (princess freely choosing her own lord), all the four gods looked like Nala (art of disguise), but Damayanti was able to see the features of Extra Terrestrials in the Four heavenly Gods. Their feet never touched the ground (floating), they never winked (no beating of brows) and their garlands never withered. Throughout Hindu literature we such description of ETs are found. Other Puranas say ETs cant have sex in the heaven due to Parvati’s curse. They can exceed the speed of Light in Inter Galactic Travel falsifying Einstein’s theory. According to Hindus mind is the fastest object in the Universe, not Light.
When Damayanti chose Nala as her husband, they got married formally and lived happily for some time. Kali, the symbol of bad age- Iron Age- also came for the Swayamvara, but very late. When he heard that everything was over, he decided that he would separate the couple in future. One day when Nala did not wash his hands and feet before worshipping God, Kali entered him and made him an addict to gambling.
Hindus always use this evet to emphasize cleanliness; if a person is not pure or clean mentally and physically, the person will be spoiled. This is a moral lesson every parent gives to their children.
At Kali’s instigation Pushkara, younger brother of Nala challenged him to come for a game of dice. Kali charmed the dice and Nala went on losing; but he was infatuated; the entreaties of friends and ministers, wife and children, were of no avail; he went on till he had lost his all, even his clothes. His brother Pushkara became king and proclaimed that no one should give food or shelter to Nala. So, the defeated king wandered forth into the forest with his wife Damayanti.
When he tried to catch some beautiful birds with his only garment, they flew away with it (This is comparable to Rama trying to catch the golden deer for Sita). He shared the cloth of Damayanti and decided at one stage that he should leave her alone. While she was sleeping, he slipped out leaving her in great distress. When she came to forest she wisely sent her two children Indrasena and Indrasenaa (long vowel is used for females in Sanskrit; Krishna is lord; Krishnaa is Draupadi).
This shows the importance of child care. A woman worries more about the safety and welfare of her children than her life.
Damayanti joined the caravan that was passing through the forest. We find such caravans going through forest in Tamil literature as well. The caravan of business people was attacked by an elephant and the chaotic scene is described vividly in the Mahabharata. Even Brahmins joined the group of tradesmen passing through the forest.
When the queen mother of Chedi Kingdom saw a beautiful woman with all the features of a queen, walking with the traders, she called her and gave her refuge. Now we learn about the geography and history of ancient India. We have come across Vidarbha, Nishada, Chedi and later Ayodhya and Dasarna kingdoms. Ayodhya of Kosala Kingdom is 800 miles away from Vidarbha. We even come across Krishna travelling from Gujarat to Uttarpradesh in Mahabharata. 1000 mile travel was done with the fastest horses 5000 years ago!
Nala fell in with the king of serpents Karkotaka in the forest, who was under a curse from which Nala was to deliver him. The serpent bit Nala and the poison should work upon him till the evil spirit (Kali) was gone out of him, and then he should restore his original handsome form. The serpent’s poison made him ugly and deformed. Here we learn about toxicology. Minus X Minus is Plus. One impurity of poison works as an antidote for another impurity (Kali). Now Nala looked like a misshapen dwarf (dwarf becoming a normal man is also in Periya Purana. A pandyn king dwarf king was made normal by a Miracle boy named Sambandar in Tamil Nadu).
Nala entered the service of King Rituparna of Ayodhya, as a trainer of horses and an accomplished cook, under the name of Bahuka. ( we see some similarity with the Bhima episode in incognito period).
Damayanti was sent to her father’s kingdom of Vidarbha where he found her children. Then she devised a clever plan to bring back Nala. She announced a second swayamvara since three years had gone. King of Vidarbha also made all efforts to find Nala, but could not succeed in it.
In those days Brahmins were used as ambassadors and Damayanti also employed a Brahmin to find Nala with all the available information. One of the identification technique was the words (cliché) Nala used (we see such identification techniques in Ramayana as well). The Brahmin identified Nala with such clichés used by Bhauka ( Nala in different disguise) and informed Damayanti about his whereabouts.
In the meantime, Rituparna, having heard the second swayamwara of Damayanti, decided to attend it. Since he knew that Nala was a great driver of chariots, he employed the service of him to travel 800 miles in 24 hours (100 yojanas in the original). On their way the speed of the vehicle was explained with some examples. When Rituparna lost his shawl, he asked him stop the chariot so that he can pick it up. Nala said that the chariot had already travelled 8 miles from the spot (before he finished one sentence). On his way Nala says that a particular tree has so many leaves and fruits. When the co -driver Varushneyan checked one branch of a tree it was proved correct. Such references in the story showed the advance science of biology and horse training. Before choosing the horses for the fastest travel, Nala exhibited his knowledge in the field.
We also have great proof of Hindus knowledge in the art of charioting from the Vedas and from the Horse Manual of Kikkuli of 1380 BCE in Turkey. The manual has instructions in Sanskrit! More over Homer also used the Sanskrit word in the first book of Greek literature. Trojan horse episode means Horse -Horse Episode, because Troja is itself Turaga, Sanskrit word for horse and Turkey as well. TROJA=TURAGA=TURKEY= KUDRA in Tamil ( dyslexic image of Troga is Gutra= Kudra= Kuthirai in Tamil).
On their way Rituparna taught Nala the science of numbers and the rule of chances and learnt from Nala, the science of horses. This shows the Exchange of Knowledge and Sharing Information. As soon as Nala acquired this knowledge, the evil spirit (Kali which means Dark) went out of him. Here is another lesson. If you do anything without full knowledge of it, you suffer. The ignorance, impurity uncleanliness- all are Kali+ dark forces. They all went out of him as soon as he became aware of this; but still he retained his deformity.
Damayanti half penetrated his disguise and was at length convinced that it was her husband Nala by the flavour of a dish he cooked. Here comes the art of cooking. In Tamil Nadu only men cook even today for big events, conferences and weddings. Two names have become proverbial among Hindus; if someone cooks very well immediately they will say ‘Oh he is Bhima, He is Nala’. Both of them employed themselves when they were in the forest. There is another lesson here. The more fields you know, better and easier it will be for your future or survival. Nala’s art of charioting, art of cooking, knowledge in the Science of Asva/Horse –all these things came handy.
Afterwards Nala and Damayanti met and Nala resumed his form. Gods also assured him that Damayanti was virtuous. Now that he knew the science of numbers he challenged Pushkara for a game of dice and won the game. Rituparna’s teaching helped him. Humbled Pushkara was forgiven by Nala and he sent him to his own city with lots of gifts. Nala and Damayanti talked and talked about all the things that happened in the past three years. Like Ramayana, Nala also had some doubts about her chastity during his absence. But Gods assured him that she was well behaved in the past three years.
There is another thing in the story. Nala was given the knowledge of eight miracles. By obtaining this paranormal skill he did cooking without fire and water. And he was able to pass through narrow ways and lower gates. His glance made the pots and vessels to fill in with water. If he showed the fuel stick in sun it got fire like phosphorous. Even if he crushed a flower it remained fresh and intact. All these things were watched by Damayanti’s attendent and reported to Damayanti before she met Nala.
When a Brahmin ambassador met Nalan (Bahuka) in Ayodhya he repeated the words which Damayanti already knew because Nala used to quote that passage. This type of riddles we see in the Story of Kalidasa and Bhohja. All the episodes in the Nala Story show that the Hindu civilization of Pre Mahabharata period was very well advanced in every field.
The queen mother who gave refuge to Damayanti in the Chedi Kingdom was actually aunty of Damayanti. She came from Dasarna kingdom. During a conversation they founout the close relationship and cried in joy. All these facts and twists in the story make it more interesting than a modern Indian film.
Damayanti’s mole in between her brows also figure in the story which helps her identification. This shows the science of body marks was very familiar.
In short, if one reads the Nala-Damayanti between the lines, one would come across lot of facts to show that it was a developed and advanced civilization.
–Subham-
Tamil and Vedas 