Friday, January 21, 2011

Saramma the Celestial Bitch

Don't think that this Saramma is your next door neighbour who is a bitch. Someone who could have been better if she was not your neighbour. It is really the name of a bitch. Not an ordinary bitch. A celestial bitch. Not one of those mongrels you always meet on the streets and gives a full throated bark whenever you pass her by.
I came to know of her only just now when I was reading 'Mahabharata' for want of doing anything better. Here is the story I read.
There was a king called Janamejaya. He was very pious and from the look of it was doing one sacrifice or other whenever he is not fighting his enemies. Now also he was doing one sacrifice with three of his brothers in attendence.
While doing this yagna one dog came smelling this and that to the yaagasaala. The brothers of Janamejaya without knowing the VIPness of the dog thrashed him and send him out yelping to his mother the celestial bitch Saramma. All the maternal love flowed out and Saramma asked her offspring what happened. The son gave a good description of how the three bullies beat him and send him out of the yaagasala. Mother though full of maternal affection wanted to know whether there was any fault on her son's part and asked him whether he licked the sacrificial butter or anything. He answered that he did not even look at it. The bitch straight away went to the yaagasaala and confronted the king. She told that since your brothers have beaten my innocent son 'you will be meeting an unfortunate incident when you least expect'.
King after the sacrifice and went back to his palace and thought over it and ways and means to get over the curse. He decided to get a good purohit who can ward of the evil effect. In the city he could not procure one of his choice. Then one day when was hunting he came to an ashram of a sage. There he saw the sage's son who looked the ideal person for the post of palace purohit. The sage told that he shall send his son but the king should ensure that any demand of his son should be met forthwith. Then King took the new purohit and reaching his palace instructed that the no demands of the new purohit should be denied.
Telling this he went to fight a war in Takshasila. As if like hunting or performing sacrifices the war is also a good way of passing the time.
This story is from Mahabharata, Adi parva, Section 1 Ch.2