Hinduism

The Tragic Trio: Uttara

Uttara is the third of the trio, she is the princess of Virat. She is introduced in the Agyatvaas of the Pandavas. When Kauravas attacked Virat Kingdom, Prince Uttar was about to go to fight with the Kauravas, it was at the verge of completion of their Agyatavas. Draupadi suggested her to ask Vrihannala to accompany to him. Uttara rushes to convince him.

Arjun and Uttara, the Epic writer has used the typical theorem of that of a hero and heroine, with a hint of an adoration, an exalted love is mildly present in the penpicture of Uttara-Arjuna relationship. A hero worship of admiration for the hero like personality is revealed. A hint of closeness is present in between the Guru and the student. Later, when the king of Virat offered Uttara’s suit for Arjuna revealed, deals it with tremendous maturity. As students belong to the status of ward, Arjuna finds his son suitable for Uttara. Significantly, the way Arjun addresses Uttara, is a bit different than that of a teacher. This is a strange but realistic feeling that prevails. Humans are of variety and outré is their feelings. All the feeling cannot be actually named or expressed. A tune of sterling and sweat adoration grew between the great and iconic Arjun as teacher and his intelligent and high-spirited student Uttara.

Realising the adoration of the girl Arjun handed it in a mature way, when Viratraj offered him to marry his daughter Arjun considering the teacher-student liaison offers her the suit for his son Abhimanyu, saying that a student is like a ward to a teacher.

Vyasa draws a pen picture of Uttara as an exuberant girl demanding clothes from Kauravas to her teacher who goes for a war; it is obvious that she is a jovial, innocent and pampered girl surely having lots of dream for her married life. Abhimanyu is seen to have been more dedicated towards his responsibilities as a warrior presuming the great war was at near future, than concentrating on his newly-married beautiful wife. The very next morning the little Arjun is seen to participate in the political discussion with his kinsmen. The marriage tenure is of merely six months. Abhimanyu is killed heinously by the seven members of the Kauravs.

Uttara at that time was pregnant. The pampered innocent lovely prince. Pain can be traced. A minimal married life who when Abhimanyu dies, the reference of Uttara is strikingly less. She is more highlighted not for her loss of husband but for her pregnancy, this indicates the socio-political scenario gaining more importance than humanism. The death of the husband suddenly presents Uttara as a mature balanced lady. But the whole thing was more complicated for Uttara. The Brahmashir charged by Aswathama killed the pre-born Abhimanyu in his mother’s womb. Krishna saved life of the newborn with his gtrong will power and commitments. The baby was a six month born. Abhimanyu’s birth is very signicant as it can be considered as the first pre-mature delivery and stillborn babe later put to life. The pair of a bereaved wife merges with the return pain of a bereaved mother. She pleads to Krishna “Bahabaaasanmanoratha” - (lots of dream I have for this son) and to restore the life of her dead baby.

Uttara says Krishna, considering the ritual of Sahamaran, that she did not end her life even after Abhimanyu died because of her son who was about to take birth. The posthumous child was born as still-born, but saved by Krishna and the pain of the mother is appeased.

May be she does not take a big area in the Epic or any grandiloquence she holds like Kunti or Draupadi, but strikes a trenchant tune of pain specially as she undergoes transformation from sweetness to realism, joviality to graveness, immaturity to sensibility.

21-Oct-2017

More by :  Debalina Roychowdhury


Top | Hinduism

Views: 3496      Comments: 1



Comment Thank you Debalina expounding the story of Uttara. I am from Kerala and there is a Malayalam movie song about Uttara and Arjuna. As I very much like the song, I have been trying to understand the relationship between Arjuna and Uttara. So thanks for detailing this.

Anonymous
25-May-2020 13:44 PM




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