Source of the epic Śiśupālavadha

The epic Śiśupālavadha was written by Māgha based on the story of the Mahābhārata. Mainly he based on the thirtieth to fortieth or fourty-fifth chapters of the Mahābhārata. Though this type of story is found in one hundred and fifty second chapter of Padamapurāṇa, fourth to twelfth chapter of Agnipurāṇa, Viṣṇupurāṇa and Bhāgvatapurāṇa. Śiśupāla, the king of Cedī was borned in his previous birth as Rāvaṇa and Hiraṇyakaśipu. This story is found in Viṣṇupurāṇa (1/16-20chap.), Bhāgvatapuraṇ a (7.1.38,3.15.16 chap.) and Agnipurāṇa. (4,12,12,14,21 chap.). The poet Māgha obviously has collected the story of his epic from these two Purāṇas–Viṣṇupurāṇa and Bhāgvatapurāṇa. But the hint of the story is also found in the Mahābhārata.

In the tenth chapter of Bhāgvata the story of Śiśupāla is described shortly. Sahadeva suggested the name of Śrīkṛṣṇa in the context of the first worshiped person in the sacrificial ceremony organished by Yudhiṣṭhira. According to the suggestion of sahadeva the offerings was given by Yudhiṣṭhira to Śrīkṛṣṇa. For this Śiśupāla used slang languages towareds Śrīkṛṣṇa with anger. After this many kings or members left the assembly. When pāṇḍavas were getting preparation to kill Śiśupāla at that time Śrīkṛṣṇa amputed Śiśupāla’ s head from his neck with his sudarśaṇa cakra.

The story of Padmapurāṇa is similar to Bhāgbatpurāṇa. But in there are slight difference in the story of viṣṇupurāṇa, Agnipurāṇa and Brahma vaivartapurāṇa.

Mainly the epic Śiśupālavadha is written based on that particular story. There it is found that pāṇ ḍavas completed their vanavāsa and occupied Indraprastha firstly. With the suggestion of Śrīkṛṣṇa and the help of Arjuna Nakula and sahadeva Yudhiṣṭhira occupied Jambudvīpa in Asia and became the owner of lot of money and property. With this wealth king Yudhiṣṭhira decided to arrange the Rājasūya sacrifice ceremony. After this storg the facts in thirtieth to forty second chapters of the Mahābhārata is narrated in the epic Śiśupālavadha by Māgha. The summary of the story shows that from the description of Rājasūya sacrifice ceremony arranged by Yudhiṣṭhira the story begins. Getting the invitation by Yudhiṣṭhira, Śrīkṛṣṇa reached to attend the ceremony in the city named Dvārakā. In this ceremony all the opponent kings of Jambudvīpa were also present. Nakula invited the family of Dhṛtarāṣṭra and his relatives. Yudhiṣṭhira was directed in the sacrificial ceremony. Guests came to attend the ceremony. Bhīṣma and other assisting members were involved to perform their duties in this ceremony. The ceremony was performed perfectly. After this the time arrived to give oblation to the respected persons.

With the direction of Bhīṣma Sahadeva gave the first oblation to Śrīkṛṣṇa. For this Śiśupāla becames angry for such behaviour. Śiśupāla reproached pāṇ ḍ avas and used unpolite slang languages to Śrīkṛṣṇa. Bhīṣma was explaining with reason why Śrīkṛṣṇa was given first preference for arghya and at that time Yudhiṣṭhira gave consolation to Śiśupāla. With anger Sahadeva took promise to kill those who criticised Śrīkṛṣṇa at that time flowers showered on his head from heaven and reproached to the insultors of Śrīkṛṣṇa. To give proper lesson for such behaviour of pāṇ ḍ avas, Śiśupāla approached other kings. Yudhiṣṭhira hesitated for this situation. Śiśupāla smiled ironically looking at Śrīkṛṣṇa and Bhīṣma that time Bhīma got ready to kill him. Bhīṣma hindered Bhīma and started describing the bad activities of Śiśupāla and after this Bhīṣma and Śiśupāla started disputing again and again. Śiśupāla invited Śrīkṛṣṇa to fight with him and at that time Śrīkṛṣṇa started to count the number of offences of Śiśupāla. After the completion of hundred offence Śrīkṛṣṇa amputed the head of Śiśupāla from his neck with the Sudarśaṇa cakra which he was holding in his hand. After the completion of sacrificial ceremony guests turned back to their house and Śrikṛṣṇa also came back to Dvārakā. This story of the Mahābhārata is described shortly here. Though Māgha has collected the subject matter for his epic from the Mahābhārata but that matter is narrated only in fourteenth to twentieth cantos. From the first to thirteenth cantos Māgha has shown his own excellence. Also even though the subject matter for fourteenth to twentieth cantos is taken from the Mahābhārata but in that subject Māgha has changed some matter according to, his own. Some verses in the Mahābhārtā and the Śiśupālavadha are common.

In the Mahābhārata (2.33.23) the verse is—

“ācāryamṛtvijañcaiva saṃyujañca yudhiṣṭira |
snātakañca priyaṃ prāhuḥ ṣaḍrghyārhānnṛpaṃ tathā ||” 36.23 ||^[1]

And in the Śiśupālavadha the verse is—

“stātakaṃ gurumabhīṣṭamṛtvijaṃ saṃyujā ca saha medinīpatim |
ardhabhāja iti kīrttayanti ṣaṭ te ca te yugapadāgatāḥ sadaḥ ||”14.65 ||^[2]

Another verse in the Mahābhārata is—

“paśuvadghātanaṃ vā me dahanaṃ vā kaṭacāgninā |
kriyatāṃ mūrdhti vo nyastyaṃ mayedaṃ sakalaṃ padam ||” 2.44.40 ||^[3]

In the Śiśupālavadha is—

“vihitaṃ mayādya sadasīdamapamṛpṣitama cyutārccanam |
yasya namayatu sa cāpamayaṃ caraṇaḥ kṛtaḥ śirasi sarvabhūbhṛtām ||”15.46 ||^[4]

These verses prove that Māgha is indebted to the Mahābhārata. Not only he has taken the subject matter from the Mahābhārata but he also copied some verses from the Mahābhārata as it is. Though the subject matter is taken from the Mahābhārata but his incomparable excellency expressed in the Śiśupālavadha is very great.

Literary characteristics:

“Regarding the literary qualification of the poet Māgha the following cut and dried verses are rife among the populace.

a. puṣpeṣu jātī nagarīṣu kāñcī nārīṣu rambhā puruṣeṣu viṣṇuḥ |
nadīṣu gaṅgā nṛpatau ca rāmaḥ kāvyeṣu māghaḥ kavi kālidāsaḥ ||

b. upamā kālidāsasya bhāraverarthagairavam |
naiṣadhe padalālityaṃ mādhe santi trayo guṇāḥ ||

c . tāvad bhā bhāraverbhāti yāvanmāghasya nodayaḥ |
udite naiṣadhe kāvye kva māghaḥ kva ca bhāraviḥ ||

These versified lines are spoken in praise of the poet Māgha who has been raised to the equal rank with the far famed poet Kālidāsa. These praises should not be explained away on the plea of panegyrical hollowness. However much encrushed with a good deal of untruth they may be, they still contain a grain of truth; and unless there was a marked prominence in the poet their origin would not have occurred. The second verse declares that the poet’s composition had all the three requisite merits–viz happy similes, gravity of significance and happy choice of words.

In other words the poet’s personality had the conjoint merits of Kālidāsa, Bhāravi and Śriharṣa Who had each a singular deftness in one or other of the trio.

The work Śiśupālavadha itself evinces, the poet’s profound scholarship in the purāṇas system of philosophy, polites, grammar, rhetoric etc. But on scanning him finely we find that he is more a scholar than a true born poet. He had poetic susceptibilities no doubt but his gift in this direction was not so wide as was that of Kālidāsa and others. The metaphors and similes are often highly artificial and laborious rather than spontaneous and facile. But the poet eclipses the fame of others by the astounding art of life like description. The description is a faithful representation of the actual state of affairs and his art lies in holding before the mind’s eye of the reader the exact photo of the thing he is describing.

The poet will ever be remembered by posterity for his power of writing, his power of character painting and his true appreciation of melody.^[5]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Mahābhārata, sabhāparvan, p. 725.

[2]:

Haridas Siddhantavagisha: Op.cit., p. 578.

[3]:

Mahābhārata, p. 741.

[4]:

Haridas Siddhantavagisha: Op.cit., p. 635.

[5]:

Sitanath Kavyaratna and Pandit Madhad Dass Sankhyatirtha, (Ed.): Śiśupālavadha, (canto-II), pp. 5-7.