Mahabharata Storytelling (Week 6): Satyavati's Deception

The mighty king, Vichitravirya, was just pronounced dead by his legal council. So many of his subjects adored him and cherished his rulings, so a period of mourning occurred for weeks.  According to my rulings of Dharma, he lived a righteous life, but the gods did not choose to reward him with a son to take the throne. Because of this, I wanted to send a test to his family to see if their Dharma was as important to them as it was to Vichitravirya.

One week after his death, Satyavati, a beautiful sister to the king, makes a plan to tempt the royal family into breaking my cosmic law. Satyavati summons Bhishma, her and Vichitravirya’s brother, and makes a proposal to him.

“Brother, you had no opportunity to take the throne because of your older brother, but this could be your chance to rule the kingdom.” She said with a sneaky tongue.

Bhisma’s eyes lit up with excitement thinking about his future on the throne. He leaned in closer and listened to her opportunity.

Satyavati whispered: “Because your brother died without bearing any sons for the throne, all you must do it lie with his widows and you will surely have a son. Then, while the son is a child and learning to be king, you will take the throne.”

Bhishma’s excited eyes slowly started to lower. I, Yama, was intrigued by this conversation, so I listened in with great attention. Will Bhishma make the decision to live righteously and live by the law and his vows?

“Sister, even though taking the throne is everything I could have ever wanted, I cannot break the vows I have to my wives just to get a reward. I know Yama is watching over me, and I must follow the honest path that he placed in front of me. Someday, I will be rewarded.” Bhisma finally said, full of pride.

Satyavati, although proud of her young brother, was still on the hunt for another member of the royal family to create sons for the throne. She thought to herself: “This is for the good of the kingdom; asking the family to sacrifice part of their Dharma for the wellness of the kingdom’s subjects was justifiable, right?”

I was beaming with pride for Bhishma’s decision; I will reward his greatly during his judgment day. Satyavati, on the other hand, had secret intentions to break her family’s obedience to Dharma. Next, she summons her son Vyasa and proposes the same plan to take the throne.

I was not surprised to find that Vyasa was not as honorable as Bhishma; the son has not had a good example of righteous living from his mother. Vyasa himself was born from Parashara, so he does not see the bad consequences of illegitimate children.

I watched closely and saw Vyasa’s eyes light up just like Bhisma’s did. He began dreaming of ruling the kingdom and having servants and many riches, so his morals and cosmic law was not even a fleeting thought.

Vyasa nodded his head, and his deceptive mother smiled. She found someone to break the family’s Dharma. She will finally get the reconciliation she deserves after bearing her illegitimate child.

Obviously, Katyavati is not aware of how my laws work at all: she will be punished for her intentions as well as her illegitimate child. Her grandchildren will also suffer.

After Vyasa slept with the widows of Vichitravirya, all of the children suffered from hideous appearances or blindness. Because their family did not live on the path of Dharma, I, the ultimate judge, punished the following generations.

 Image information: Photograph of Satyavati and her beauty. Flickr

Author’s Note:

        Vichitravirya dies without having sons, so Satyavati (woman that Shantanu falls in love with)  begs Bhishma to sleep with his widows. He thinks that is morally wrong and he doesn’t want to break his vows with his other wives. When he  refuses, she wants the widows to sleep with her son Vyasa (he was the son of Satyavati and Parashara, a poet). Vyasa was summoned to sleep with the widows, and he looked strange because he had been performing religious rituals. One of the widows, Ambika, is repelled by him and closes her eyes, so their son, Dhritarasha, is born blind. Ambalika  (another widow) turns pale when she sees him, so their son, Pandu, is born looking pale. Ambalika makes her maid sleep with Vyasa and likes him, so their child, Vidura, was born without any flaws.

BBibliography: The Mahabharata; R.K. Narayan.