Puranic encyclopaedia
by Vettam Mani | 1975 | 609,556 words | ISBN-10: 0842608222
This page describes the Story of Gandhari included the Puranic encyclopaedia by Vettam Mani that was translated into English in 1975. The Puranas have for centuries profoundly influenced Indian life and Culture and are defined by their characteristic features (panca-lakshana, literally, ‘the five characteristics of a Purana�).
Story of Իī
Wife of ٳṛtṣṭ.
Birth.
There was a King called Subala in the family of Turvasu, brother of Yadu. (For genealogy see under Subala). Subala became the King of the land of Ի. This land extended from the river Sindhu to Kābul. Իī was the daughter of Subala. (Chapter 111, Ādi Parva).
Marriage.
Իī became a devotee of Ś even from her childhood. Ś became pleased with her and blessed her saying that she would bear a hundred sons. īṣm came to know of this and he planned to get her married to ٳṛtṣṭ. One day he sent a messenger to Subala making a proposal. Subala knew that ٳṛtṣṭ was born blind but considering his lineage and the powerful alliance it would make, consented to the proposal of īṣm. ŚܲԾ, brother of Իī, then by the order of his father took Իī to Ჹپܰ and ٳṛtṣṭ accepted her as his wife. Իī obeying his father’s instructions without a demur accepted her blind husband with such devotion that she made herself blind by tightly covering her eyes with a silk shawl. (Chapter 110, Ādi Parva).
Birth of Sons.
Once ղ came to her exhausted with hunger and thirst. Իī appeased his hunger and thirst with tasty things to eat and drink. ղ was immensely pleased and he also blessed her and said she would get a hundred sons. Very soon she became pregnant. But even after two years she did not deliver, while ܲԳī, wife of ṇḍ, gave birth to a son. Grief-stricken, she hit hardly on her womb secretly and then a great mass of flesh came out. Then ղ appeared before her and advised her to cut the lump of flesh into a hundred pieces and deposit one each in a jar of ghee. ղ himself cut it into pieces. Իī expressed a desire to have a girl also. ղ cut it into hundred and one pieces and put them in hundred and one jars of ghee. In due time the jars broke and a hundred sons and a daughter came out of the jars. The daughter was named ٳśś. For their name see 'Kauravas'. ٳṛtṣṭ got another son named Yuyutsu. (Chapters 115 and 116, Ādi Parva).
Gāndharī faints.
When ñᲹⲹ reported about the death of ṇa at the battle both ٳṛtṣṭ and Իī fainted. (Śǰ첹 55, Chapter 96, ṇa Parva).
Իī starts to curse the ṇḍ.
When the battle was over the sons of Իī and their followers were killed. ٳṛtṣṭ suggested that the ṇḍ should visit Իī and pay homage to her. The ṇḍ, therefore, went and stood before Իī very respectfully. Vengeance boiled in her heart and her body shivered. Իī was about to curse the ṇḍ when ղ, intervened saying "Իī! Don't you remember you said that victory would lie on the side of the righteous in this war? Your words are not wasted. The ṇḍ won the battle because right was on their side. So why should you get agitated?" Իī became calm on hearing these words and she admitted that the end of the Kuru dynasty came because of the mistakes of Duryodhana, ŚܲԾ, ṇa and ٳśśԲ. She, thereafter, treated the ṇḍ as her own sons. (Chapter 14, ٰī Parva, Ѳٲ).
Dharmaputra’s foot-nails become blue.
Following the instructions of ٳṛtṣṭ, the ṇḍ, approached and bowed before Իī. She covered her face with a cloth and wept, tears rolling down her cheeks. When Dharmaputra bent to touch her feet the latter saw through the veil on her face the foot-nails of Dharmaputra. A few drops of the lachrymal water fell on the foot-nails of Dharmaputra making them turn blue instantly. (Chapter 15, ٰī Parva).
Իī curses ṛṣṇa.
At the end of the battle the aggrieved Իī went to ܰܰṣeٰ together with ṛṣṇa and other relatives. Seeing mighty Kings on the Kaurava side lying dead like huge trees lying truncated Իī burst into tears. She knew that Śrī ṛṣṇa was at the root of all this. Embittered she looked at ṛṣṇa and cursed him. "Ho, ṛṣṇa, thirtysix years from this day you will lose your sons, ministers, friends and relatives. You will become a lone walker in the forests and be killed by trickery."
It was because of this curse that the 岹 tribe perished and ṛṣṇa was struck by the arrow of a hunter which made him end his life on earth.
The end of Իī.
After the great ܰܰṣeٰ battle heart-broken ٳṛtṣṭ and Իī accompanied by ܲԳī, Vidura and ñᲹⲹ went to the forests to spend the rest of their life there. Many people and the ṇḍ accompanied them up to the river Ҳṅg and there near the ś of Śatayūpa ٳṛtṣṭ made a hut and lived with Իī and ܲԳī.
The ṇḍ felt the separation of their relatives unbearable and lived in grief. After six years one day Dharmaputra saw his mother, ܲԳī, in a dream. He told his brothers about this and they all felt a desire to go to the forest and see their mother. The next day they reached the shores of Ҳṅg. ղ also joined them. Իī and ܲԳī expressed a desire to ղ that they would like to see the dead sons and relatives once again. ղ then asked them to go and take a dip in the river. When they rose up after a dip they saw standing on the shores of the river the great warriors ṇa and Duryodhana and others. By the yogic power of ղ even the blind ٳṛtṣṭ could get the vision. Very soon the vision faded and the ṇḍ returned to Ჹپܰ.
Two days after, fire broke out in the forest where ٳṛtṣṭ was staying. ٳṛtṣt, ܲԳī and Իī were burnt to death in that fire. (Chapter 32, Āśramavāsika Parva).
After the death.
Dharmaputra performed the obsequies of those who died in the wild fire (Āśramavāsika Parva, Chapter 30). Leaving the mortal bodies the souls of ٳṛtṣṭ and Իī entered Kuberaloka. (Śǰ첹 14, Chapter 5, Svargārohaṇa Parva).
Synonyms of Իī.
The following words have been used in the Ѳٲ to denote Իī; Իrājaduhitā, Saubaleyī, Saubalī, Subalajā, Subalāputrī and Subalātmajā.