Thread by @VandanaJayrajan

#FolkTales
"कहीं की ईंट, कहीं का रोड़ा, भानुमती ने कुनबा जोड़ा" is a popular saying that is often used in rural Indian heartland. Meaning, “Collecting bricks from someplace and gravel from elsewhere, Bhanumati patched together an unlikely home."

Kunba means a home, a family, but the ईंट, रोड़ा metaphor also indicates a physical house. Bhanumati was the daughter of King of Kamboj, Chandravarman. The fame of her beauty was known to all. Kamboj was a Kingdom adjacent to Gandhara, part of Greater India or Aryavarta.

In addition to beauty, Bhanumati was also famed for her physical strength and intelligence. She was said to be a combination of Lakshmi, Parvati and Saraswati, the Triambikas, to whom Chandravarma prayed when he did not beget any children after years of marriage.

When she attained marriageable age, as was the custom in those days, a Swayamvara was held to facilitate Bhanumati to choose her husband. 'Swayam Vara' means “Acquire/wed on one’s own”. That was how marriages were in those days in ancient India.

Princes,Kings,learned men lined up and women walked along inspecting them to chose one (So much for the claim of modern day feminists, other apologists that women were enslaved by ancient Hindu traditions). Princes from all over Aryavarta gathered in Rajapura, capital of Kamboja.

Duryodhan grew up listening to the tales of beauty of Bhanumati from his mother Gandhari, who was from the neighbouring kingdom and he was bent upon winning Bhanumati for himself. Apparently, Gandhari wanted her daughter-in-law to come from a place near her own maternal home.

Duryodhan,as you may know,had a habit of insisting on getting what he wanted. He attended the Swayamvara with Karna, his loyal friend. As was the tradition,Bhanumati walked past all her suitors with a garland of flowers. Karna liked Bhanumati a lot when he saw her at first sight.

Viewing the hopeful suiters, Bhanumati also, it appears, liked Karna and decided on him. Duryodhan was waiting anxiously. When she walked past him, he was enraged. He grabbed her arms and walked away. Perhaps, he didn't know that she liked Karna!

Given his sense of duty, Karna, suppressing his own desire, defended his friend against the horde of other suitors and her father’s army who stepped up to challenge Duryodhan. He left peremptorily, assigning Karna with the job of beating back the challengers.

Seeing the mighty Karna, everyone withdrew except Jarasandh. He wanted Bhanumati for himself. Karna fought with him & defeated him. A beaten Jarasandh was impressed by Karna and vowed to become his ally henceforth. Karna promptly transferred the loyalty of Jarasandh to Duryodhan.

This was how Jarasandh became an ally of the Kauravas. Duryodhan thus abducted Bhanumati. After reaching Hastinapur, he justified his act by giving reference of how Amba, Ambika, and Ambalika were abducted by Bhishma for Vichitravirya.

Bhanumati finally accepts him as her husband and gathered some ईंट and रोड़ा.
They had a daughter Lakshmanaa. As they say Karma is a bitch, Lakshmanaa was abducted by Lord Krishna’s son Samba in the same way. Lord Krishna and Jambavati therefore became the unlikely sambandhis..

of Bhanumati and Duryodhan. Jambavati was the daughter of the bear Jambavaan who helped the Lord in his avatar as Rama. All different, disparate kinds of ईंट and रोड़ा. Bhanumati gathered these too.
During the Mahabharata war, Bheem killed Duryodhan. Arjun’s son Abhimanyu...

killed Bhanumati’s son, Lakshmanaa’s twin, Lakshmana. After the war however, left with neither her husband nor her best friend Karna, Bhanumati married Arjun. Some more ईंट and रोड़ा. And this was how Bhanumati made her family. भानुमती ने कुनबा जोड़ा...

Bhanumati did not play any major role in Mahabharata. She is mentioned only 2 places. Stri Parva and Shanti Parva. In the Stri Parva, according to Gandhari, Bhanumati was very intelligent and physically strong as well. She used to mock and challenge Duryodhan for wrestling.

She had changed a lot after seeing and living with Duryodhan. Also, she said that Bhanumati still is a very beautiful woman but very sad and broken from inside. Stri Parva is the book of the time after Kaurava’s are dead and Pandava’s are mourning the dead.

In Shanti Parva, sage Narada describes Bhanumati’s Swayamvara. Shanti Parva is of the time when the war is over and Yudhishthira is installed as King of Hastinapur.

There are other interesting stories about Bhanumati. Will share some other time.