The annual Kartika Puja (কার্তিকপূজা; कार्तिकपूजा) is held in Bengal on the final day of the month of Kartika (কার্তিক; कार्तिक) according to the Bengali Hindu calendar. Kartika or Kartikeya (कार्तिकेय) or Skanda (स्कन्द), to whom this day is dedicated, is viewed as the god of war since he is the commander (सेनापति) of the heavenly army and, although his mythological parentage is a tricky issue, is generally regarded as the son of Shiva and Parvati. In the Bengali psyche, there is hardly any link between this peacock-riding deity and warfare: Here, he is the patron of human fertility (which is ironic since he is also believed, in this part of the world, to be eternally celibate) and the epitome of manly beauty. His association with childbirth and child welfare, however, is not limited to Bengal at all. Kartika Puja has historically been a day of great importance to childless couples who pray to him for progeny on this occasion. And speaking of progeny, today's post is about the exploration of the mother-son relationship between Parvati and the infant Kartikeya in Sanskrit literature. The name of the six-headed child-god used in both snippets is Guha (गुह).
(1) This couplet, an indirect supplication to Brahma, speaks to the predicament of a parent whose child sees too much and talks too much (which cannot be helped when the child has six pairs of eyes and six mouths). Its setting is presumably this: Brahma, accompanied by a few other celestials, is paying a visit to Shiva's household, and the latter's young son wants desperately to be part of the conversation between the guests and his mother. He perhaps feels that these distinguished guests need to know how his mother has been wronged by his father in the recent past.
(1) This couplet, an indirect supplication to Brahma, speaks to the predicament of a parent whose child sees too much and talks too much (which cannot be helped when the child has six pairs of eyes and six mouths). Its setting is presumably this: Brahma, accompanied by a few other celestials, is paying a visit to Shiva's household, and the latter's young son wants desperately to be part of the conversation between the guests and his mother. He perhaps feels that these distinguished guests need to know how his mother has been wronged by his father in the recent past.
Devanagari script:
मातस्तेऽधरखण्डनात् परिभवः कापालिकाद् योऽभवत्
स ब्रह्मादिषु कथ्यतामिति मुहुर्बाल्याद् गुहे जल्पति|
स ब्रह्मादिषु कथ्यतामिति मुहुर्बाल्याद् गुहे जल्पति|
गौरीं हस्तयुगेन षण्मुखवचो रोद्धुं निरीक्ष्याक्षमां
वैलक्ष्याच्चतुरास्यनिष्फलपरावृत्तिश्चिरं पातु वः ||
वैलक्ष्याच्चतुरास्यनिष्फलपरावृत्तिश्चिरं पातु वः ||
– छित्तप/चित्तप
mAtaste(a)dharakhaNDanAt paribhavaH kApAlikAd yo(a)bhavat
sa brahmAdiSu kathyatAmiti muhurbAlyAd guhe jalpati|
sa brahmAdiSu kathyatAmiti muhurbAlyAd guhe jalpati|
gaurIM hastayugena SaNmukhavaco roddhuM nirIkSAkSamAM
vailakSyAccaturAsyaniSphalaparAvRttizciraM pAtu vaH||
vailakSyAccaturAsyaniSphalaparAvRttizciraM pAtu vaH||
– c(h)ittapa
D. H. H. Ingalls' scholarly translation:
"Brahma̅ and the others should be told, mother,
how the skullbearer has mistreated you with biting of your lip."
So prattles Ka̅rtikeya from six mouths, and Brahma̅,
observing Pa̅rvatī unable with two hands
to cover all, embarrassed turns away,
which turn, though vain, I pray be your protection.
"Brahma̅ and the others should be told, mother,
how the skullbearer has mistreated you with biting of your lip."
So prattles Ka̅rtikeya from six mouths, and Brahma̅,
observing Pa̅rvatī unable with two hands
to cover all, embarrassed turns away,
which turn, though vain, I pray be your protection.
Source: Subhashita Ratnakosha Verse 101: Verse 32 of Chapter 5 (शिवगणव्रज्या, "the chapter on Shiva's associates").
Notes: Here, कापालिक (the "skullbearer") is, of course, an appellation of Shiva referring to the human cranium he uses as a begging bowl (and/or the other skulls he carries on his person), but this name can be interpreted to have slightly pejorative connotations here since it also refers to a sect devoted to Shiva and engaging in highly unconventional activities. Kartikeya's indiscretion is duly attributed to his बाल्य, "the state of being a child/childishness". The turning away of the four-faced deity is futile for he has a face on each side as well as the back of his "head", and hence keeps facing the helpless-mother-and-defiant-child duo however much he turns – also an allusion to the fact (or hope) that he is incapable of turning his face away from his devotees.
The poet Chittapa is placed in the 12th century and is associated with the semi-legendary king Bhoja.
(2) The play on words in the following benediction is, I think, most appealing to speakers of Bengali or other Indic languages in which a distinction between long and short vowels is hardly made. It was, in fact, composed by one of the foremost scholars of Sanskrit and Bengali in 19th century Calcutta. It serves as a tongue-in-cheek reminder of the fact that, in practice, the primary meaning of a compound word is not always the one that you would get by putting together the meanings of its parts. See notes for an explanation.
Devanagari script:
Source: Udbhata Sagara Part II Verse 62.
Notes: The word girIza (गिरीश) can indeed be split into giri (गिरि), "mountain", and Iza (ईश), "lord", and hence can refer to Himalaya (हिमालय) or Himavat (हिमवत्), the 'king' of all mountains ("गिरिगणस्य ईशः", as his daughter describes him here) and the father of Parvati in Indic mythology. But usually this name is applied in Sanskrit literature to no one but Shiva (in his capacity as the lord of the single mountain Kailasa which he calls home); the name is used as such in the authoritative lexicon Amarakosha (अमरकोष) and literary works such as Kumarasambhava (कुमारसम्भव) and Vakroktipanchashika (वक्रोक्तिपञ्चाशिका). Moreover, there is a similar-sounding but non-identical name that belongs exclusively to Shiva: giriza (गिरिश), "he who reclines on a mountain"; not too long ago, it used to be a common male first name in the Bengali Hindu community and its pronunciation in Bengali is indistinguishable from that of गिरीश. So, if one says गिरीशदुहिता (as Kartikeya does above), a listener well-versed in Indic languages (especially Bengali) is bound to interpret it as nothing but "a daughter of Shiva". Presumably, in our poet's imagination, the above conversation took place at a time when Kartikeya was learning Sanskrit grammar and, as soon as his mother said गिरिगणस्येशो, he recalled the rules of samAsa (समास) and deduced, as a novice would, that she was the daughter of गिरीश. To Parvati, however, it sounded like her son was calling her the daughter of her husband; but all she could do in response was smile since her son was technically correct and his mistake could be attributed to her own choice of words while talking to him!
The anthologist Purnachandra De Udbhatasagara expounds on the word प्रोन्मीलत्स्मितमुग्धनम्रवदना as follows: प्रकर्षेण उन्मीलत् स्मितं यत्र तादृशं मुग्धं मनोहरं नम्रं वदनं यस्याः सा तथोक्ता.
Devanagari script:
चापल्यादिह वः सदास्मि विधुरा यास्यामि तातालयं
तातस्ते जनयित्रि को गिरिगणस्येशो हि तातो मम|
तातस्ते जनयित्रि को गिरिगणस्येशो हि तातो मम|
मातस्त्वं किमहो गिरीशदुहितेत्याभाषमाणे गुहे
प्रोन्मीलत्स्मितमुग्धनम्रवदना गौरी चिरं पातु वः||
प्रोन्मीलत्स्मितमुग्धनम्रवदना गौरी चिरं पातु वः||
– प्रेमचन्द्रतर्कवागीश
Harvard-Kyoto transliteration:
cApalyAdiha vaH sadAsmi vidhurA yAsyAmi tAtAlayaM
tAtaste janayitri ko girigaNasyezo hi tAto mama|
mAtastvaM kimaho girIzaduhitetyAbhASamANe guhe
pronmIlatsmitamugdhanamravadanA gaurI ciraM pAtu vaH||
tAtaste janayitri ko girigaNasyezo hi tAto mama|
mAtastvaM kimaho girIzaduhitetyAbhASamANe guhe
pronmIlatsmitamugdhanamravadanA gaurI ciraM pAtu vaH||
– Premchandra Tarkabagish
Loose translation:
- "I am fed up with your endless shenanigans here! I am off to my father's house."
- "Who is your father, Mother?"
- "My father is none other the lord of all mountains."
- "Ah! Are you the daughter of Girisha, Mother?"
As Guha spoke thus, Parvati lowered her pretty face on which a smile (of embarrassment or amusement) had begun to appear: May that fair Parvati protect you!
- "I am fed up with your endless shenanigans here! I am off to my father's house."
- "Who is your father, Mother?"
- "My father is none other the lord of all mountains."
- "Ah! Are you the daughter of Girisha, Mother?"
As Guha spoke thus, Parvati lowered her pretty face on which a smile (of embarrassment or amusement) had begun to appear: May that fair Parvati protect you!
Source: Udbhata Sagara Part II Verse 62.
Notes: The word girIza (गिरीश) can indeed be split into giri (गिरि), "mountain", and Iza (ईश), "lord", and hence can refer to Himalaya (हिमालय) or Himavat (हिमवत्), the 'king' of all mountains ("गिरिगणस्य ईशः", as his daughter describes him here) and the father of Parvati in Indic mythology. But usually this name is applied in Sanskrit literature to no one but Shiva (in his capacity as the lord of the single mountain Kailasa which he calls home); the name is used as such in the authoritative lexicon Amarakosha (अमरकोष) and literary works such as Kumarasambhava (कुमारसम्भव) and Vakroktipanchashika (वक्रोक्तिपञ्चाशिका). Moreover, there is a similar-sounding but non-identical name that belongs exclusively to Shiva: giriza (गिरिश), "he who reclines on a mountain"; not too long ago, it used to be a common male first name in the Bengali Hindu community and its pronunciation in Bengali is indistinguishable from that of गिरीश. So, if one says गिरीशदुहिता (as Kartikeya does above), a listener well-versed in Indic languages (especially Bengali) is bound to interpret it as nothing but "a daughter of Shiva". Presumably, in our poet's imagination, the above conversation took place at a time when Kartikeya was learning Sanskrit grammar and, as soon as his mother said गिरिगणस्येशो, he recalled the rules of samAsa (समास) and deduced, as a novice would, that she was the daughter of गिरीश. To Parvati, however, it sounded like her son was calling her the daughter of her husband; but all she could do in response was smile since her son was technically correct and his mistake could be attributed to her own choice of words while talking to him!
The anthologist Purnachandra De Udbhatasagara expounds on the word प्रोन्मीलत्स्मितमुग्धनम्रवदना as follows: प्रकर्षेण उन्मीलत् स्मितं यत्र तादृशं मुग्धं मनोहरं नम्रं वदनं यस्याः सा तथोक्ता.
