The Truth Of Devika

Timimg Of Devika's Death

[Note: Please do not read if your intention is only to mock my knowledge and research and to bash me in your books/PMs/message boards. I have taken a lot of time and hardwork to find out citations so I expect a little respect from whoever is reading this. Stay away if you cannot respect. Thank you!]

Well, so here we are to research on the timing of death of the Goddess of death herself. I won't give any conclusion at the end but will just present facts and doubts. Then the conclusion will be upto you all.

Myth:

Devi Devika died much earlier, probably before war itself.

Conclusion drawn from this:

Govasana joined Kauravas because he then had no more relation with Pandavas after his daughter's death.

Logic in support of the myth:

Devika is not found in the Mahabharata after war. Where all other PandavaPatnis are mentioned, she is not mentioned. So she must have died already.

Questions to be raised:

1) If she had died earlier, where is the mention of her death?

2) Why did Shaivya fight for Pandavas then? Why did Shivi split into two segments out of sudden? Even after Kotikasya's active participation against Pandavas?

Doesn't this look a little odd? The king of Shivi is on one hand, well, maybe under Sindhu's pressure, but why would Shaivya break away unnecessarily if there was no valid reason?

Facts that are found:

1) Not only Devika, no PandavaPatni is mentioned in Ashramavasika Parva except Draupadi, Ulupi, Chitrangada (BORI omitted these two also), Karenumati and Subhadra.

Excerpt:

This lady, of eyes as expansive as lotus petals, who seems to have touched the middle age of life, whose complexion resembles that of the blue lotus, and who looks like a goddess of Heaven, is Krishna, the embodied form of the goddess of prosperity. 1 She who sits besides her, possessed of the complexion of pure gold, who looks like the embodied rays of the moon, in the midst of the other ladies, is, ye foremost of regenerate ones, the sister of that unrivalled hero who wields the discus. This other, as fair as pure gold, is the daughter of the snake-chief and wife of Arjuna. 2 This other whose complexion is like that of pure gold or like that of Madhuka flowers, is the princess Chitrangada. This one, that is possessed of the complexion of an assemblage of blue lotuses, is the sister of that monarch, that lord of hosts, who used to always challenge Krishna. She is the foremost wife of Vrikodara. This is the daughter of the king of Magadha who was known by the name of Jarasandha. Possessed of the complexion of an assemblage of Champakas, she is the wife of the youngest son of Madravati. Possessed of a complexion as darkish as that of the blue lotus, she who sits there on the earth, and whose eyes are as expansive as lotus-petals, is the wife of the eldest son of Madravati,

Observation: Devika, Valandhara and Vijaya were absent from the above excerpt.

Bhima's wife cannot be Valandhara here but a certain sister of Jarasandha or Shishupala. Sahadeva's wife mentioned here is clearly Jarasandha's daughter and not Vijaya.

A) Question: Where are Valandhara and Vijaya then? How could Sahadeva, so devoted to Kunti, come here without Vijaya? Is this logical?

B) Question: So should we assume all of them already died?

If so, then where is the mention of their deaths?

Doesn't it look weird that Kashi royal family fought for Pandavas after Valandhara died?

Then what is the possibility?

From the facts it seems like:

Only those wives lived with Pandavas whose natal homes still had people to take care.

Karenumati had her brother, Sharabha, still alive.

Subhadra's brothers were alive too.

Fact:

Shivi, Kashi and Madra lost their men. Could it be like these three ladies went to look after their natal kingdoms then?

What do you conclude from this? Choice is yours. I leave this open-ended.

2) Parikshit is left under the care of his grandmothers (plural). That cannot be Subhadra alone. Ulupi and Chitrangada did not stay with Parikshit.

Excerpt:

"The five brothers, with Draupadi forming the sixth, and a dog forming the seventh, set out on their journey. Indeed, even thus did king Yudhishthira depart, himself the head of a party of seven, from the city named after the elephant. The citizen and the ladies of the royal household followed them for some distance. None of them, however, could venture to address the king for persuading him to give up his intention. The denizens of the city then returned; Kripa and others stood around Yuyutsu as their centre. Ulupi, the daughter of the Naga chief, O thou of Kunti’s race, entered the waters of Ganga. The princess Chitrangada set out for the capital of Manipura. The other ladies who were the grandmothers of Parikshit centered around him. Meanwhile the high-souled Pandavas, O thou of Kuru’s race, and Draupadi of great fame, having observed the preliminary fast, set out with their faces towards the east.

So who are these grandmothers?

Again, conclusion is yours.

Thank you for reading till the end. I wish we just learn to understand the logic behind the epic events instead of just learning it like school text books.

And please, no bashing. Neither here or not in your message board. I do not go to your books to bash you, so I expect the same good manners from you too. If you still bash me, that will show your character and not mine.

Thanks again!