The Divine Drunkard 1

Balarama (बलराम) or Balabhadra (बलभद्र), the fair-skinned older brother of Krishna, is – in my opinion – one of the most intriguing, yet underappreciated, members of the Indic pantheon. His distinguishing attributes include having a plow as his weapon of choice, and his fondness for alcohol in spite of the fact that he is (primarily) a Vaishnava divinity. Two of his numerous appellations recorded by Sanskrit lexicographers are priyamadhu (प्रियमधु) and madhupriya (मधुप्रिय), प्रिय = "fond / beloved"; मधु = "intoxicating drink", and poets have not shied away from making fun of his drunken antics. It is presumably because of Balarama's association with alcohol that 'Chaitanyadasa' Pujari Goswami ('চৈতন্যদাস' পূজারী গোস্বামী), one of the most revered commentators on Jayadeva's Gita Govinda in the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, makes Balarama the patron deity of hAsyarasa (हास्यरस), "comedy", in his commentary on the Dashavatara Stotra (दशावतारस्तोत्र)! As such, it would be remiss of me to not feature him on this blog; so here is the first installment of an entire series dedicated to that scion of the Yadavas who is fondly called Balāi (বলাই) in Bengali, Baḻiā (ବଳିଆ) in Odia, Baldāu (बलदाऊ) in Hindustani dialects, and so on.

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The nine-day Rathayatra (रथयात्रा) [see also this] of Puri, Odisha, is a major festival in the Indian Subcontinent. The caturdhA mUrti (चतुर्धा मूर्ति), i.e. the three main idols of the Jagannath Temple – jagannAtha (जगन्नाथ), balabhadra (बलभद्र), subhadrA (सुभद्रा) – along with sudarshana (सुदर्शन), all bedecked in special finery, are ceremonially brought out of the temple premises, and mounted on three huge, ornate, peculiar chariots (subhadrA and sudarshana share one), which are then pulled with ropes by throngs of devotees in a grand public procession that ends at the Gundicha Temple; after a week-long sojourn at this "garden house", the deities make a similar return trip to their permanent abode. The Gajapati King of Puri [see also this and this] plays a key role in these festivities – as the Lord's servant.

The story goes that Baneswar Vidyalankar, the renowned 18th century scholar from Guptipara in present-day West Bengal, was once attending the Rathayatra solemnities at Puri in the presence of the Gajapati King when, suddenly, the idol of Balabhadra toppled over, presumably at some point while being "walked" from the sanctum sanctorum to his vehicle, the tAladhvaja (तालध्वज), "having the picture of a toddy palm on its banner". Dismayed, the king yelled, "औत्पातिकम्!" ("Calamitous!"), much like a stereotypical housewife on a Hindi soap screaming "अपशगुन!" when a lamp blows out in the wind. On the spot, Vidyalankar pronounced the following versified judgment on the situation, putting the worries of his royal highness to rest!

Devanagari text:

औत्पातिकं तदिह देव विचिन्तनीयं
नारायणो यदि पतेद्यदि वा सुभद्रा|
कादम्बरीमदविघूर्णितलोचनस्य
युक्तं हि लाङ्गलभृतः पतनं पृथिव्याम्||

– वाणेश्वरविद्यालङ्कार

Harvard-Kyoto transliteration:

autpAtikaM tadiha deva vicintanIyaM
nArAyaNo yadi patedyadi vA subhadrA|
kAdambarImadavighUrNitalocanasya
yuktaM hi lAGgalabhRtaH patanaM pRthivyAm||

– Baneswar Vidyalankar

Loose translation: My lord! It would be reasonable to deem it a bad omen if either Narayana (i.e. Jagannath, in this context) or Subhadra had toppled; but it is only logical for the Plow-bearer, with his eyes rolling over in alcohol^{[see notes]}-induced stupor, to fall upon the ground!

Source: Udbhata Chandrika Volume II Part 1 Verse 90.

Notes:  The word kAdambarI (कादम्बरी), used in this verse, can refer to any alcoholic beverage in general; but, in particular, it denotes the variety that is produced from the fermentation of the flowers of the kadamba tree, and most authorities derive the name kAdambarI from kadamba: कादम्बं (कदम्बोद्भवं रसं) राति. This "wine" is intimately associated with Balarama, and some etymologists have gone to the extent of interpreting the word kAdambarI itself as "beloved of Balarama": In this purported derivation, kadambara (कदम्बर), "one who has inferior clothes", is claimed to be an appellation of Balarama – an allusion to his preference for dark-colored (नील, a word which has now acquired the exclusive denotation "blue" in most Indic languages) garments! The Vishnu Purana (Part 4 Chapter 25), the Shrimad Bhagavata Purana (Canto 10 Chapter 65), and the Khila Harivamsa (Chapter 98, according to the Vacaspatyam) all recount the episode of Balarama finding some vinous fluid in the hollow of a kadamba tree (the Bhagavata is not specific about the kind of tree), guzzling it, getting inebriated, and then giving the river-goddess Yamuna a hard time; this fluid has been described as an incarnation of Varuni (वारुणी), the goddess of alcoholic drinks, and is specifically called kAdambarI in the last of the three sources mentioned above (कदम्बकोटरे जाता नाम्ना कादम्बरीति सा। वारुणी रूपिणी तत्र देवानाममृतारणी।।).

 To the best of my knowledge, the Balabhadra deity at the Jagannath Temple is never ritually served alcohol; this snippet is just an allusion to Balarama as described in mythology.

The king of fruits

The subject of today's quote needs no introduction.

Devanagari text:

त्रपाश्यामं जम्बु स्फुटितहृदयं दाडिमफलं
सशूलं संधत्ते हृदयमतिमानेन पनसम्|
अभूदन्तस्तोयं तरुशिरसिजं लाङ्गलिफलं
समायाते चूते जगति फलराजे रसमये||

Harvard-Kyoto transliteration:

trapAzyAmaM jambu sphuTitahRdayaM dADimaphalaM
sazUlaM saMdhatte hRdayamatimAnena panasam|
abhudantastoyaM taruzirasijaM lAGgaliphalaM
samAyAte cUte jagati phalarAje rasamaye||

– Anonymous

Loose translation: The Jamun darkens in humiliation; the Pomegranate's heart rips apart while that of the Jackfruit has, as it were, a spike driven through it, its pride all shattered; the Coconut that grows at the top of the tree turns all watery inside – when the Mango^{[see also this]}, that juicy / delicious / charming king of fruits, arrives on the earth. 

Source: Udbhata Sagara Part II Verse 207; Kavivacanasudha verse 186 begins with त्रपाश्यामा जम्बूः.

Notes:  The fruit of the jamun or java plum (Syzygium cumini) is green when unripe, but "[a]s it matures, its color changes to pink, then to [a] shining crimson . . . and finally to black" (Wikipedia). But in the poet's imagination, the blackness of the jamun is due to the pall of shame cast upon it by the appearance of a superior fruit. Note that the jamun, just like the mango, is harvested and enjoyed in the summer.

Pomegranates are known to sometimes crack and split open on the tree when they ripen. The ripping of the heart is a standard metaphor for envy or extreme sorrow in many Indic languages. 

As far as the "heart" of the jackfruit being pierced by a zUla (शूल), "spear / skewer / stake", is concerned, here is my conjecture based on the popular Bengali idiom kiliye kanthal pakano (কিলিয়ে কাঁঠাল পাকানো): One postulated origin of this expression is the alleged practice of forcing the jackfruit to ripen prematurely by driving a peg (कील) through its stalk. Or is सशूलं . . . हृदयम् just an allusion to the prickly skin of this fruit, which is also called kaNtakiphala (कण्टकिफल), "thorny fruit", in Sanskrit (once or twice, I have seen हृदय referring to the chest rather than the heart, in poetry)? In any case, the word शूल is key in this personification since it also denotes pain in Sanskrit. The jackfruit, too, is a summertime delight.

In all stages of maturation, the coconut contains a clear liquid inside its hard shell, but the poet (presumably) imagines that it has suffered a major meltdown out of the legitimate fear of being upstaged by the mango, or is just holding back its tears beneath a tough exterior!

Feel free to read these interesting articles on the mango culture of Bengal: [1], [2].

Odes to in-laws

The sixth lunar day of the bright half of the month of Jyaishtha (ज्यैष्ठ) is known as Aranya Shashthi (अरण्यषष्ठी) and is dedicated to the worship of various goddesses [see also this] in different parts of the Subcontinent. However, in Bengali Hinduism, it is observed (for some reason that I do not know) as Jamai Shoshthi (জামাই-ষষ্ঠী; जामातृषष्ठी) – a day when a married man is invited to the house of his in-laws and treated to a lavish meal. For obvious reasons, this ritualized annual "propitiation" (if you will) of the son-in-law by a married woman's family has its fair share of admirers, and of detractors as well.

The following verses were presumably penned by sons-in-law as thank-you notes for their relatives by marriage.

(1) Devanagari script:

असारे खलु संसारे सारं श्वशुरमन्दिरम्|
हरो हिमालये शेते हरिः शेते महोदधौ||

Harvard-Kyoto transliteration:

 asAre khalu saMsAre sAraM zvazuramandiram| 

haro himAlaye zete hariH zete mahodadhau||

Loose translation: The most excellent entity in this (otherwise) insubstantial world [see this] is the house of the father-in-law: Shiva reclines in the Himalayas, and Vishnu on the Great Ocean (serving as examples or reminders thereof).

Source: The prolific anthologist Purnachandra De Kabyaratna Udbhatasagara of late 19th-early 20th century Calcutta, in his Udbhata Shloka Maalaa, quotes this couplet as verse 12 of a small collection titled Dharma Viveka (धर्मविवेक) which he ascribes to one Halayudha (हलायुध) [I do not know if this attribution is to the Halayudha]. It is also quoted in other modern anthologies: Verse 55 of Section II of Kabi Kahini (কবি-কাহিনী), compiled by Sri Durgaprasanna Sengupta (শ্রীদুর্গাপ্রসন্ন সেনগুপ্ত) and published in 1895; Verse 687 of Shloka Ratnavali (শ্লোকরত্নাবলী; श्लोकरत्नावली), compiled by Sri Dinanath Sanyal (শ্রী দীননাথ সান্যাল) and first published in 1933; Subhashita Ratna Bhandagara chapter on comedy (हास्यरसनिर्देशः) Verse 12;  

Notes: Shiva's wife Uma is a daughter of Himavat, the numen of the Himalayas. Shiva is generally described as an inhabitant of mountainous terrain, and the mountain primarily associated with him is Mount Kailasa, which is part of the Himalayan Region. Moreover, after the demise of his first wife Sati, Shiva spent a long time, absorbed in meditation, in Himavat's territory, where Uma, the reincarnation of Sati, met him for the first time. Vishnu's consort Lakshmi sprang from the ocean during the famous mythical episode of the Churning of the Ocean, and has many names in Sanskrit that literally translate to "ocean-daughter". In Puri, Odisha, the name Mahodadhi, "great ocean", is traditionally applied to the part of the Bay of Bengal adjacent to this coastal city (or sometimes the entire Bay / "Eastern Sea").

There is a plethora of popular shlokas beginning with the words असारे खलु संसारे सारम् . . . , most of which are either didactic or erotic; hence, the above quote can be viewed as a parody of this class of epigrams.

Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay used a variant of this couplet in his celebrated novel Durgeshnandini (দুর্গেশনন্দিনী; दुर्गेशनन्दिनी); in Part II Chapter 9 of this literary masterpiece, the comedic character Gajapati Vidyadiggaja (গজপতি বিদ্যাদিগ্গজ; गजपतिविद्यादिग्गज) of Brahmin descent blesses the male protagonist Jagat Singh (জগৎ সিংহ; जगत्सिंह) with the following distich:

यावन्मेरौ स्थिता देवा यावद्गङ्गा महीतले|

असारे खलु संसारे सारं श्वशुरमन्दिरम्||

(As long as the devas exist on top of Mount Meru, and the Ganges on the face of the earth,

the most excellent entity in this (otherwise) insubstantial world will continue to be the house of the father-in-law.)

(2) The following quote is, beyond doubt, unsettling to a modern reader, although it might have come across as a memorable witticism to its intended audience; remember that it was (presumably) written in an era when suttee was still prevalent in Bengal. I believe it was inspired by (1), and never became as popular as (1) for obvious reasons.

Devanagari script:

असारे खलु संसारे सारं श्वशुरकामिनी|
यस्या गर्भसमुद्भूता मृतेऽपि सहगामिनी||

Harvard-Kyoto transliteration:

 asAre khalu saMsAre sAraM zvazurakAminI|

yasyA garbhasamudbhUtA mRte(a)pi sahagAminI||

Loose translation: The most excellent entity in this (otherwise) insubstantial world is the wife of your father-in-law, for she who is born from her womb accompanies you even when you are dead.

Source: Verse 56 of Section II of Kabi Kahini (কবি-কাহিনী) [see (1) for further information on this anthology].

Notes: The first hemistich was used by the renowned Bengali dramatist Rai Bahadur Dinabandhu Mitra in his 1863 play Nabin Tapaswini (নবীন তপস্বিনী).

(3) Again, in another poet's imagination, Vishnu has taken it upon himself to underscore the preeminence of one's in-laws – in particular, the brother-in-law.

Devanagari script:

गृहिणीसोदरस्येह गृहिण्या आदरः परः|
वक्षसि कौस्तुभो नित्यं लक्ष्मीः पादतले हरेः||

Harvard-Kyoto transliteration:

gRhiNIsodarasyeha gRhiNyA AdaraH paraH| 

vakSasi kaustubho nityaM lakSmIH pAdatale hareH||

Loose translation: In this world, the wife's brother deserves greater care / respect than the wife herself: The Kaustubha jewel rests eternally upon Vishnu's chest while Lakshmi remains at his feet.

Source: Udbhata Sagara Part II Verse 204.

Notes: The jewel named Kaustubha, which adorns Vishnu's necklace, was one of the many treasures that emerged during the Churning of the Ocean [see (1) above], and is hence regarded as one of Lakshmi's brothers. In several canonical depictions, Vishnu reclines on the coils of the many-headed serpent Ananta with Lakshmi massaging his feet and shanks.