Gandhari (Mahabharata)
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Gandhari | |
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(daughter) Yuyutsu (step son) | |
Origin | Gandhara Kingdom |
Gandhari (
Early life and marriage
Gandhari was born to
As a maiden, she is said to have impressed Shiva through penance and received a boon to bear a hundred children. However, the reason for her penance and her receiving such boon is unknown. In alternate versions, she is said to have impressed Veda Vyasa with her gracious and generous nature.
One of the main reasons of Bhishma choosing Gandhari to be the elder daughter-in-law of the Kuru Kingdom is said to be this boon, which would put an end to his worry of the throne remaining vacant.[citation needed]
Gandhari's marriage was arranged with Dhritarashtra, the eldest prince of the Kuru kingdom. The Mahabharata depicted her as a devout woman, beautiful and virtuous. Their marriage was arranged by Bhishma. When she found out that her would-be husband was born blind, she decided to blindfold herself in order to emulate her husband's experiences. It is stated that the act of blindfolding herself was a sign of dedication and love. On the contrary, Irawati Karve, Devdutt Pattanaik and many modern scholars have debated that the act of blindfolding herself was an act of protest against Bhishma and the Kuru dynasty for having intimidated her father into giving her hand in marriage to the blind prince of Hastinapur.[3]
The Mahabharata depicts her marriage as a major reason for the story's central conflict, since her brother Shakuni was furious to learn that her husband was blind. However in Vyasa's Mahabharata, there is no mention of Shakuni objecting to Gandhari's marriage with Dhritarashtra. As per the Adi Parva of the Mahabharata, Shakuni brought Gandhari to Hastinapura for marriage. Gandhari was welcomed by the Kuru elders and Shakuni gave many gifts to Hastinapura and returned to his kingdom.[4]
Her husband Dhritarashtra was denied the throne because of his blindness, despite being the eldest son. The throne went to Pandu, his younger brother. After being cursed by Sage Kindama, Pandu renounced his kingdom in order to repent. With this turn of events, her husband was crowned King of Hastinapura and she became queen.[5]
Pregnancy and birth of her children
Once, an exhausted
Just as the Kuru elders were about to discard the mass of flesh, Veda Vyasa arrived. Before Vyasa, she admitted her jealousy of Kunti and complained about the boon he had given her. Veda Vyasa assured her that he had never spoken "untruth" and ordered that a "hundred pots full of clarified butter be brought instantly, and let them be placed at a concealed spot. In the meantime, let cool water be sprinkled over this ball of flesh".[6]
The lump of flesh was cut into one hundred parts, but when Gandhari revealed she wanted a daughter the mass was cut once more to make one hundred and one parts. Then, Vyasa "brought another pot full of clarified butter, and put the part intended for a daughter into it." These cuts of flesh, "sprinkled over with water," developed in the course of a month to become Gandhari's hundred sons and only daughter,
After the birth of her first son Duryodhana, many ill omens occurred: the child "began to cry and bray like an ass" and caused "violent winds" and "fires in various directions." A frightened Dhritarashtra summoned Vidura, Bhishma and other Kurus and countless Brahmanas regarding his firstborn's possibility of succession to the throne. Observing ill omens, Vidura and the brahmanas suggested the king forsake his first born since the child might cause destruction to the Kuru clan; out of paternal love for his firstborn he chose to ignore this advice.[6]
Later life and death
After the
It is believed that Gandhari made a single purposeful exception to her blindfolded state, when she removed her blindfold to shield her eldest son Duryodhana. She poured all her power into her son's body in one glance, rendering Duryodhana's entire body, except his
All of Gandhari's sons were killed in the war against their cousins, the
Portrayal in the Mahabharata
The Mahabharata attributes high moral standards to Gandhari. Although her sons are portrayed as villains she repeatedly exhorted her sons to follow dharma and make peace with the Pandavas. Famously, when Duryodhana would ask for her blessing of victory during the Kurukshetra war, Gandhari would only say "may victory find the side of righteousness". Gandhari's major flaw was her love for her sons, especially her firstborn Duryodhana, which often blinded her to his menacing character.[citation needed]
Gandhari fostered a sisterly relationship with Kunti, often sharing her joy, anguish and anger with her. There is little information about her relationship with the
Legacy
In Hebbya village,
Rabindranath Tagore wrote a Bengali poetic play about her, named Gandharir Abedon (Bangla: গান্ধারীর আবেদন, Translation: Supplication of Gandhari). Gandhari, her husband Dhritarashtra and their son Duryodhana are central characters in the play.[12] Aditi Banerjee wrote a novel named The Curse of Gandhari, which depicts the story of the Mahabharata through the perspective of Gandhari.[13]
In media and television
- In B.R.Chopra's Mahabharat Gandhari was portrayed by Renuka Israni.[citation needed]
- In Ramanand Sagar's Shri Krishna Gandhari was portrayed by Neela Patel.[citation needed]
- In Star Plus's Mahabharat Gandhari was portrayed by Riya Deepsi.[citation needed]
- In Mahabharatham Gandhari was portrayed by Pavithra Janani.[citation needed]
- In Dharmakshetra (2014) Gandhari was portrayed by Maleeka Ghai.[citation needed]
- In Suryaputra Karna (2015 TV Series) Gandhari was portrayed by Smriti Sinha Vatsa.[citation needed]
- In RadhaKrishn (2018–2023) Gandhari was portrayed by Via Roy Choudhury.[citation needed]
References
- ^ Ganguli, Kisari Mohan. The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa Translated into English Prose by Kisari Mohan Ganguli. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Web.
- ^ "Adi Parva Sambhava Parva : Section LXVII". Mahabharata Book 1. p. 139.
- ^ Irawati Karve, Yuganta: The End of an Epoch, Chapter:3
- ^ "The Mahabharata, Book 1: Adi Parva: Sambhava Parva: Section CX". www.sacred-texts.com. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
- ^ Irawati Karve. Yuganta: The End of an Epoch. p. 29.
- ^ a b c d e The Mahabharata, Book : Adi Parva:Sambhava Parva : Section:CXV. Sacred-texts.com.
- ^ The Mahabharata, Book : Adi Parva:Sambhava Parva : Section: CXVI. Sacred-texts.com.
- ^ "Gandhari, the Rebel". 29. Economic and Political Weekly: 1517–1519.
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(help) - ^ "60-61". Mahabharata Book 9. Vol. Shalya Parva.
- ^ Roy, Pratap Chandra; Kisari Mohan Ganguli (1884–1894). The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa. Princeton Theological Seminary Library. Calcutta : Bharata press.
- ^ "Gandhari temple: a testimony to loyalty and womanhood". The Hindu. 20 June 2008. Archived from the original on 7 October 2008.
- ^ Sanchayita by Rabindranath Tagore
- ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
External links
- Media related to Gandhari at Wikimedia Commons
- Works related to Gandhari (Mahabharata) at Wikisource