When a Mother Curses Her Sons: Brahma and the Balance of Creation in Mahabharata - the Warning for Humanity
Kadru and Vinata were sisters, and both were wives of Sage
Kashyapa. They made a bet about the colour of the tail of the horse
Ucchaihshrava, which came out during the churning of the ocean. Vinata said the
tail is white. Kadru said it is black. The one who loses will become the
servant of the winner.
Kadru knew that the tail was white, so she made a plan to
cheat. She asked her thousand serpent sons to hang on the tail so that it looks
black. The serpents refused. They said this is cheating and adharma, and they
did not want to be part of it. Kadru became very angry and cursed her own sons
that they will be burnt in the snake sacrifice of King Janamejaya of the
Pandava lineage.
Why Brahma and the Gods Approved
This is the part which makes us think. A mother cursing her
own children is a cruel act, and normally the gods would not support it. But
according to the Astika Parva of the Adi Parva, chapter 18, Brahma and the
other gods agreed to the curse. The reason given is the welfare of all
creatures. The snakes had multiplied too much. They had strong poison, great
strength and were dangerous to other beings. So the curse was not seen only as
the anger of one mother. It became a way to reduce the imbalance in creation.
We should also understand that the serpents who refused to
cheat were not evil in that moment. Still, the whole snake race had become a
threat to the world. In the Mahabharata, the gods look at the whole system, not
only at one family. Later, Brahma also gave hope. He told Vasuki, the king of
serpents, that the sage Jaratkaru will have a son named Astika, and that Astika
will save the good serpents from the sacrifice. So there was justice and also
mercy in the plan.
Symbolism in the Story
Kadru and Vinata are not only two sisters. Kadru with her
many sons shows unlimited increase and greed for power. Vinata with only two
sons, Aruna and Garuda, shows quality over quantity. Later, Garuda becomes the
great carrier of Bhagavan Vishnu and the enemy of serpents. This shows that
when one side grows too much, the balance is brought back by another force.
The serpents themselves also have meaning. Poison is a
symbol of harm which grows when it is not controlled. The fire of Janamejaya's
sacrifice is the correction which comes when the limit is crossed.
The Teaching of Balance
Hindu scriptures speak again and again about dharma as
balance. In the Bhagavad Gita, chapter 4, verse 7, Bhagavan Krishna says that
whenever there is a decline of dharma and rise of adharma, He comes forth. This
means that the universe does not allow imbalance to continue forever.
Correction will come, sometimes as an avatar, sometimes as a curse, sometimes
as a natural event.
A Question for Our Times
It is very interesting to note that even a mother's curse
was accepted by the gods because of imbalance. So we should think what kind of
imbalance humans have created today - over population. We cut forests, pollute rivers, and take
from the earth much more than we give. We have multiplied our wants without
limit, just like the serpents multiplied without limit.
So the question is: are we waiting for a curse, or are we
already cursed and moving quickly towards our own cauldron? The story does not
want to frighten us. It shows that when balance is lost, nature and the divine
order will bring it back. Better it is that we correct ourselves first, through
restraint, honesty and respect for all creatures, before the correction comes
from outside.