Part 4 - Details of Fruits in the Mahabharata

A large number of fruit-bearing trees were known to the Mahabharata It is, however, doubtful if so many fruits actually were /consumed, for there are very few references to actue edible fruits as such. Most of these trees occur in similes and Nature-descriptions. They are already listed in an earlier section dealing with the "Flora". A repition, therefore, is almost unavoidable. Fruits were included in almost every lavish the wedding feast, including feast (1.76.3, 186.5; III.157.7.8). But it is doubtful if they were cultivated commercially. They came most of the time, direct from the forest, and as such figure very prominently in the diet of the forest-dwelling hermits, who practically lived on fruits and roots (phala and mula), so much so that these two became inseparably associated with a forest-residence (I.110.30; III.143.4, 163.14, 182.7; V.94.19; VII.114.73).

- 127 The fruits which are given as edible are listed below alphabetically. Some of these were offered by Rayasriga to the courtesan who came to seduce him (III. 112.12), while the others were laid out by King Kusika for sage Cyavana, while entertaining him in his palace (XIII.53.18). (1) malaka (11) Amra (111) Badara : (Emblic Myrobalan), Amala, (III.111.12). : (Mangifera indica), Mango, (II.16.28). : (Zizyphus jujuba), Ber, (XIII.53.18). (iv) Bhallataka : (Semecarpus anacardium), Bhilva, (III.111.12; XIII.53.18). (v) Bilva : (Aegle Marmelos), the Wood-Apple, or Bel, (XIV.57.19). (vi) Dhanvana : (Alhagi maurorum), (III.111.12). (vii) Inguda (viii) Jambu : (Terminalia Cattapa), wild almonds, (III.111.12; XIII.53.18). : (Eugenia jambalana), the Rose apple or Jamuna, was forbidden as an offering at the sraddha rites (XIII.91.41).

. 126 (ix) Kasmarya : (Gmelina arborea), (XIII.53.18). ( x) Parusaka : Berries, of either the (Grewia asiatica), or (Xylocarpus granatum) (III.111.12). (xi) Privala : (Cheroniia Sapida), or (Buchanmia latifolia) (III.111.12). (xii) lesataka : (Cordia latifolia), whose fruit was forbidden to a Brahmin (XII.37.16). The fruit was believed to posess properties, that weakened a person's powers of intelligience (III.134.28). The Kalpasutras too, forbid the use of its fruit, as well as its wood (Ram Gopal 1959 : 105). (xiii) srngataka : (Trapibispinosa), the water-fruit Singada too, was forbidden in Braddha rites (XIII.91.41). (xiv) Vata (Ficus indica), the sacred Banyana, (XIII.53.18).

- 129 of great significance is the absence of mravika or grapes in the Mahabharata, which figure prominently in Kautilya and Patanjali (1 st-2 nd centuries B.C.). They are believed to have been introduced into India by foreigners from the North-West, around the 2 nd century B.C. By the time of the early Mauryas, grape-wine had become well-known in royal courts. Around the same time a foreign soldier (or an Indo-Greek king ?) is shown holding a bunch of grapes with a vine-leaf attached to it at Barhut and Sanchi (Om Prakash 1961 : 269-70; Cunningham 1879 : 32-33, Plate XXXII, fig.1). The Mahabharata, however, is completely oblivious of both grape and grape-wine. Therefore, there are strong reasons to believe that the fruits mentioned in the Epic were all known in a pre-Kautilyan age, and not many additions could have been made after the 1 st century B.C.