II~SHAHEER SHEIKH~II **Aparaajit Dhanurdhari Arjun** AT#4 - Page 102

Brihannala the Transgender

Urvasi and Pururavas

From the Vana Parva [Maha: 3.40-3.46] of the Mahabharata we come to know that the Pandavas have to spend 12 years in exile and another year incognito and Arjuna, chooses to live his life as a Brihannata, or Vrihannala or a Brihannala. During these years of exile Arjuna spent a period of time with his father Indra at Indraprastha. It so happened, once as he was watching the celestial dancer Urvashi dance in the court of his father, both his father and Indra's chief Gandharva musician Chitrasena mistook the adoring gaze of Arjuna at the dancing of Urvashi, as if he has been smitten by Kama and there bloomed a desire in the heart of Arjuna for the physical nearness of Urvashi. But, Arjuna spurned the amorous advances of Urvashi as unbecoming of a mother towards her son. Urvashi had once been married to a king named Pururavas and had borne a son named Ayus from that liaison; Ayus was a distant forebear of Arjuna, hence he regarded Urvashi as a mother. Arjuna reminded Urvashi of this connection while rejecting her advances. But in her aroused passion for the male in Arjuna, Urvashi has lost her power of reasoning. Urvashi, the love smote Apsara curses Arjuna in her anger, born out of unrequited love.

Urvashi said:

"Because you will not welcome me, when I am under the control of desire and have come to your house with your father's (Indra's) permission, therefore Partha (another name for Arjuna) you shall wander as a dancer among women, bereft of prestige, reputed to be unmanly like a eunuch." [Mahabharata, Critical Edition, Volume 4, page 1052].

Arjuna was stupefied. He did not know what to do. At that juncture, his father Indra comes forward, to modify the curse of Urvashi, such that the curse will be effective only for a period of twelve months and that too of Arjuna's choosing. During the 13th year of exile of the Pandavas at which time they are required to live in disguise Arjuna chooses to live the life of a transgender, or Brihannala in the inner apartments of the Queen of King Virata, teaching dance and fine arts to her daughter Uttara, the princess of the Kingdom of Matsya and later also won the battle against the Kauravas for Uttara Kumara, when they attacked the kingdom suspecting the presence of the Pandavas. This episode in the Mahabharata gave birth to a proverb "The curse of Urvashi is a blessing in disguise"

Arjuna is a happy prince. Standing on the summit of Himavat he is paying obeisance to his forebears with satisfaction writ large on his countenance. Through his austere penance and meditations, he has pleased the three-eyed Ishwara and obtained his favour. He is sure that with this knowledge of the brahmastras, he is invincible. He will be able to defeat any foe in any battle regardless of the invulnerability of his opponent.

Subsequently, Yama the guardian of the South, appears before him and in a booming voice the Lord of Death says: "O Arjuna, you have fulfilled the destiny that was foretold when you were born. Know that you were a great Rishi in your previous birth and were the friend and companion of Vishnu. When he had to take birth as a mortal, he bade you also to accompany him and promised you that you will obtain great honours. You have gratified the great Shiva, by engaging him in single combat. Such a feat has not been achieved even by the celestials!

As a mark of my appreciation for your determination, here is my mace that has ever been my companion in battle."

It is the turn of Varuna. He speaks thus: "Everyone knows that my noose is all powerful. As a token of my regard, I gift you my noose and my favorite weapons, the secret of using which is known only to me and to Brihaspati, my teacher. These weapons were created by him to recover his wife Tara, for my use in the great battle between the celestials and the Daityas".

Kubera, the third in the line, who is the guardian of North and the Lord of wealth, appears before Arjuna and says: "I am also exceedingly gratified by your dedication to your cause. Here is my weapon known as Antarddhana, endued with extreme energy. It is capable of decimating your foes, regardless of their strength. This weapon was used by Lord Shiva to slay countless Asuras when he burnt their three cities known as Tripura. You are worthy of wielding this weapon, that has been used only by Mahadeva and myself."

Arjuna receives all these weapons with instructions as to how to use them in a battle.

Indra is a proud father. "My son", he tells Arjuna, "you have now obtained all the divine weapons of the protectors of the Universe, the Lokapalas. I shall now take you to my domain where you will continue your education in arms and other sciences. No sooner Indra utters these words both he and the Lokapalas disappear from mount Himavat and Arjuna sits down in a pose of meditation, to thank the celestials for the favours shown to him.

Within a few seconds, the charioteer of Indra, Matali arrives with Indra's chariot and takes Arjuna to Indraloka. Arjuna gazes around him in wonder and becomes spellbound after seeing the Nandana Gardens. He is ushered to the court of Indra and Indra introduces his valiant son to all those who are present there.

Arjuna lives with his father as a devout son and learns from him the use of all weapons that Indra would use in his warfare, including the secret of using Indra's famous and irresistible thunderbolt. He learns the tactics of war from Brihaspathi, the Acharya of the Devas. After learning all that is to be learned in the art and science of warfare, Arjuna is directed to Chitrasena, the gandharva who is proficient in music and dance, to learn the art of dance and fine arts.

Accordingly Arjuna starts living with Chitrasena and learns all about dance and music. One day in the court of Indra Urvashi is dancing .Both Indra and Chitrasena observe that Arjuna is captivated by the dance of Urvashi, the celestial nymph. Chitrasena after obtaining the approval of Indra loses no time in approaching Urvashi and represents to her that Arjuna is deeply in love with her and Indra has blessed the union.

"When Chitrasena conveyed Indra's message to her, Urvashi was very glad. She told Chitrasena that she will carry out her sovereign's wishes. That night, she dressed herself with great care, and decorated herself with beautiful jewels and applied divine perfumes to her person. She too had noticed how ardently the Pandava prince had looked at her in the assembly. Her vanity was gratified and besides she too was attracted to the handsome prince.

Soon, she arrived at Arjuna's abode and sent word through his attendants that she had come to visit him. She was immediately led inside. When Arjuna entered the room, he was filled with exceeding wonder and a nameless fear, as he saw the resplendent form of the divine nymph. He received her with great respect, but averted his eyes from modesty, for she was clad rather scantily and seductively. He said to her, "O Lady, I am indeed honored by your presence. I am your servant, command me."

Urvashi was by this time completely under the influence of her passions. With deep sighs, she told him about the command of his father and of how it coincided with her great passion for him. She concluded with, "I have come here by the command of your father and driven by my own desire. Do that which will be agreeable to me, you and that which will gratify your father also. A maiden asks you to gratify her out of love for you, act as a man should, when faced with such a request."

Arjuna recoiled from her. He shut his ears with his hands, fixed his gaze firmly on the ground and said in a voice choked with emotion, "Blessed lady, are my ears deceiving me? I have ever regarded you as my superior and my regard for you is as that of mine for Kunti, my mother. Do not utter words that are unbecoming, against the scriptures and that cause me so much pain to hear".

Urvashi was amazed. She said, "What is this nonsense? I am a woman, and you are a man. I tell you I have cherished a great passion for you since I first beheld you. My heart craves your embraces; I am well-nigh distracted by the grip of my desire. And here you are, recoiling from me as from a snake! Did I not see you gaze longingly at me today in the assembly? Indeed, I could not be mistaken, for even Indra and Chitrasena had noticed it. It was but today that you cast such glances betraying your desire for me, and now you are claiming that""

Arjuna interrupted her with, "Stop! Stop! O divine lady, do not traduce my character so! It is indeed true that I gazed admiringly at you today while you were dancing, but my sole thought was: "It is this beautiful lady that is the progenitor of the Kuru race". You were the wife of my ancestor Pururavas, and thus I am your lineal descendant. Just as I revere my mother Kunti, just as I revere Lady Sachi, the wife of my father Indra, just so do I worship you as my mother. I am indeed sorry to have behaved in a way that led you and my father to misconstrue my true feelings. You have been momentarily distracted, please regard me as your son, and behave accordingly."

"Indra's son, you are confused. The Apsaras are immortal; they do not have any relations as mortals do. We are free spirits, and sport with whoever strikes our fancy. The sons and grandsons of Pururava race, who have attained heaven at the end of their days, have sported with me without incurring any sin. I am an eternal virgin, not your mother. Today, I am a maiden who desires you, that is all that you need to know. Our union shall not be one of sin; it will be just the culmination of our mutual desires."

Arjuna replied, "Beautiful lady, listen! Let the celestials witness my assertion. Just as Kunti, Madri, and Sachi are my mothers, so are you, the parent of my race, and an object of reverence to me. Return to your palace, O amiable one. I worship you as my mother; it behooves you to protect me as a son".

Hearing these words of the Pandava, Urvashi's desire turned into wrath. Her whole body shook with anger. She said, "Since you have turned away a woman who had come to you of her own accord, one who, dead to all shame, has openly avowed her desire for you, may you lose your manliness and have to spend time among women, unregarded and scorned as a eunuch."

With these words, the Apsara fled precipitately from Arjuna's abode. Arjuna stood rooted to the floor, pondering the violence of the curse pronounced by her. He soon regained control over his stupefaction and sought out Chitrasena. He narrated all that had passed between Urvashi and himself. Chitrasena took him to Indra and explained the situation to the sovereign.

Indra embraced his son and said, "I always knew you were a brave warrior, but today you have surpassed even my expectations. Not even the Rishis with their senses under complete control could have resisted the temptation of Urvashi's embrace, especially when she had come inflamed by her desire. You have demonstrated your rigid self-control. As for her curse, fear not. It will be to your benefit. I shall grant you the boon that you will be a eunuch for the period of just one year, and that of your own choosing. It will be useful to you when you have to spend the thirteenth year of your exile incognito."

ApamNapat

The five Pandava brothers are exiled from their kingdom for twelve years. And they have to spend another year incognito, without being detected by the spies of the Kaurava Kingdom. All the five brothers assume disguises that suit their personalities, except the third one which is considered in the whole of Mahabharata as curious and surprising, because it is not an assumed disguise but a transformation born out of the curse received from Urvashi, the celestial Apsara. During those times such people of the third sex were known as "kliba".

[A small note on the Kliba: "The Third Sex. The Sanskrit word "kliba" is used throughout Vedic texts to describe many different types of people who belonged to a "gender-ambiguous" and neutral third sex. These people were not considered to be ordinary males and females, and they did not experience attraction for the opposite sex or engage in sexual reproduction. They were taken to be a combination of both the male and female natures, yet at the same time neither one. We are familiar with this third sex today as transgenders, the intersexes, and other types of persons who do not neatly fit into traditional male and female roles. In Vedic times, the third sex category served as an important tool for the recognition and peaceful accommodation of such persons within society. Interestingly, gays and lesbians were not in the third sex category (as they often are today), and were considered male or female respectively."]

Klibas are men of our Vedic Society who often dressed themselves as females and behaved like women and had no sexual attraction towards the female gender. An instance that proves our Vedic society was not immune from the typical "handclap" of these unfortunate "hijras" which we encounter in the streets of the metros of today.

When the time approaches for the Pandavas to live out their agyanavas' they decide they would spend this last year in the capital city of Virata which is ruled by Maharaja Virata. The brothers enter the city separately after adopting their disguises and each presents his petition to the King requesting his shelter and a suitable employment in his palace or the royal court. After his two elder brothers had secured their employments with the King, Arjuna is the third brother, to enter the King's palace. As he is transformed into a eunuch because of the curse of Urvashi, he adopts the name of Brihannala and enters the palace to be an attendant (dasi) of the queen.

Introducing himself as Brihannala, a professional dancer and musician trained by "gandharvas" or celestial beings, Arjuna explains that he is an expert in singing, hair decoration and "all the fine arts that a woman should know." After exhibiting his skills before the court, he is tested by beautiful young women to ensure that he is actually a third-sex and thus free from any lust for females. Had Arjuna been merely a eunuch or a transgender the men of the palace could easily have examined him themselves for testicles or hermaphroditism. Instead, they make certain that beautiful women will not be able to arouse Arjuna.

This third classification of gender is known as "tritiya-prakriti" in Sanskrit language, which is explained away as a combination of both the male and female characteristics, yet at the same time being neither one. Even though Arjuna presents himself donned in a woman's garments and enters the palace with the gait of a broad hipped woman his body remains incredibly strong and muscular.

Brihannala (Arjuna) soon becomes a great favorite within the inner chambers of the palace. The King instructs his daughter Uttara, "Brihannala seems to be a high-born person. She does not seem to be an ordinary dancer. Treat her with the respect due to a queen. Take her to your apartments."

In the end, this curse proved fortuitous; Arjuna used it as a very effective disguise for the period of one year when he, his brothers and Draupadi all lived incognito while in exile.

These are beautiful passages from our epic, the Mahabharata and I do not think I can better the translation of Apamnapat from the original Sanskrit. . Hence, I have reproduced the passages, wherever it is apt, giving him due credit.

Arjuna, a statue from Bali.

Rajaputhran.

Disclaimer: Various sources, from which the story has been borrowed. The painting by Raja Ravi Varma is from the Internet. Copyright rests with his heirs. The image of Arjuna, from Bali, is in the free domain. VP.