Mahabharata of Kashidas - How Upamanyu and Aruni Gained Their Education

Sauti said to the rishis, "Listen to me as I continue telling you. In the city of Avanti, lived a Brahmin named Sandipan. He had a gurukul and many students came to him to learn. The students would come to him, stay with him and learn."

He would give tasks to his students and see how they performed them. These tasks were apart from the scriptures he taught them.

To one student called Upamanyu, the Brahmin gave charge of the cows. Receiving the teacher’s command, Upamanyu took charge. He would take the cows out in the forests. The cattle would graze there and, in the evening, Upamanyu would bring them back. After some days, the Brahmin said to him, "I have a question for you. I see you are looking very healthy and nourished. How is it so? What do you eat? Where do you get that? Speak the truth."

On hearing this, Upamanyu said, "After the cows are milked, the calves drink their fill. Once the calves are done, I milk the cows again, and whatever milk I get, I drink that." Hearing this the Brahmin said, "Ah! so this is the reason why the calves have become weak. You are depriving the calves. Never do this."

Upamanyu agreed.

After a few days, the Brahmin called Upamanyu and spoke to him again and said, "I think I should tell you something. Do not get angry. I see you are still well-nourished and healthy. Are you drinking the milk again?"

Upamanyu said, "Master, since the day you asked me not to drink the milk, I have not done that. Whenever I feel hungry, I beg for food."

The Brahmin said, "Whatever you get by begging, bring it all to me."

Upamanyu agreed.

Some days passed. The teacher asked Upamanyu again: "I see you are still very healthy and stout. What have you been eating?"

Upamanyu said, "Master, when I take the cows to graze, I ensure that the cows are protected and then I go to beg. Whatever I get, I leave that with you. In the night, when I am hungry, I beg for food and eat that."

The Brahmin laughed and said, "So you have been keeping the best part for yourself? From today, whether it be night or day, whatever food you get, you will bring that to me."

Upamanyu agreed.

He performed his duties quietly but did not complain. As and when he was hungry, he would eat the soft leaves of the Calotropis plant. Doing this, he became very weak, his body became thin. One day when he was out with the cows, he realized he had lost his sight. While wandering with the cows, Upamanyu fell into a dry well. The whole day passed, evening came. The cattle returned home.

The Brahmin saw the cows come alone. Upamanyu had not returned. Sandipan was worried. He set out, with a few other students, to look for Upamanyu. They all kept calling out to Upamanyu, while taking the path Upamanyu took for grazing the cattle.

Soon they reached the place where Upamanyu had fallen. While calling out to him, they heard a faint voice, "I am here, inside the well."

Sandipan asked, "How did you fall inside the well?"

Upamanyu said, "I could not see. By eating the Calotropis leaves, I have lost my eyesight."

Hearing this, Sandipan said, "Pray to the twin gods, Ashvini Kumars. They are the physicians of the gods. Think of them and pray to them."

Upamanyu prayed to the Ashvini Kumars and soon his vision was restored. He then climbed out of the well and fell at his teacher’s feet.

Sandipan blessed him and said, "You have proved yourself. Go home. I grant you the knowledge that is there in the four Vedas."

Sandipan then said to another student of his, Aruni, "I can hear the sound of water. I think the water in the paddy field is flowing away. The binding of the field may have broken. Go there and stop the water from flowing away."

Aruni went there and saw the water gushing out of the field. He dug up some earth and tried to close the gap. That did not help. It kept getting washed away, such was the force of the water.

Aruni kept trying but every effort of his was failing. He was not sure what to do. He did not want to anger his teacher. Not seeing any other option, he lay against the gap, to stop the water from flowing away.

Back in the ashrama, the guru wondered where Aruni was. They all had returned with Upamanyu. Night passed, the day came and that too passed. It was evening and Aruni was still not back. The teacher set out himself to look for him. He shouted out to Aruni, trying to see where he was. Aruni called back, "I am lying in the field. I tried my best to stop the gap but failed. So, I lay against the gap to stop the flow of water."

The guru asked Aruni to rise, and the water began to flow again.

The guru then said, "Because in getting up (ud-dal) from the embankment you opened the water-course, henceforth you will be called Uddalaka. You shall have the knowledge of all the four Vedas." Saying this, the teacher asked Aruni to go home.

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Difference between this and the version of Vyasa

• This tale of Upamanyu and Aruni is part of the Poushya Parva - the third sub-parva of Adi Parva of the Mahabharata of Vyasa. This is placed before Pouloma Parva, which deals with Pouloma and the birth of Rishi Chyavana.
• Why does Kashidas place this in Astika Parva? Probably because he preferred a chronological flow.
• One thing, Kashidas was not translating the Mahabharata. He was telling this for people. And placing these events later makes the sequence easy. This fits more naturally in the discussions.
• The story of Aruni comes before that of Upamanyu.
• The name of the guru in Vyasa’s text is Ayoda-Dhoumya and not Sandipan.
• Upamanyu’s story is more detailed in Vyasa’s version. It had dramatic elements that could have been included. I will share here, what I am talking about.

"Moved by Upamanyu’s prayers, the Ashvins appeared before him. 'We are pleased,' they said. They gave him a piece of cake. 'Eat this. This will restore your sight.'

Upamanyu took it but did not eat it. 'I cannot eat this, without first offering it to my teacher.'

The Ashvins said: 'Years ago, your teacher prayed to us. When we gave him a cake, he ate it immediately, never offering it to his own guru. You could do as he did.'

Despite this, Upamanyu remained firm. 'I crave your pardon,' he said. 'I will not eat until my teacher has been blessed too.'

The Ashvins smiled at his integrity. 'We are pleased with your devotion,' they said. Because he had passed the trial of character, they granted him more than just the recovery of his health. They promised that his teacher’s teeth, once hardened like iron, would be restored, and Upamanyu’s own teeth would turn to gold."

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Observations from this account

Upamanyu and Aruni do not follow orders out of blind fear. There is commitment to the process. Knowledge is not just in the books, but in the character of the seeker. The teacher is responsible for "breaking" the ego of the student. By making the conditions difficult, the teacher ensures the student’s motivation is not fame or comfort, but a thirst for truth.