Mātali Upākhyāna

The Mātali Upākhyāna is an account told by the ṛshi Kaṇva in the Udyoga Parva of the Mahābhārata, Chapters 97 to 100. It is told in the Kaurava assembly (sabhā) during Kṛshṇa’s peace mission. It is about Mātali, the divine charioteer of Indra. He cannot find a husband worthy of his daughter Guṇakeśī among the devas or among humans, so he asks the ṛshi Nārada for help. Together they go down through the worlds. They visit Varuṇaloka, the realms of Pātāla, and at last Hiraṇyapura, the great city of the dānavas below the earth. The account also tells where the Gāṇḍīva bow came from in Varuṇaloka, and it gives a long description of Pātāla.

Kaṇva begins the account

Paraśurāma has just told the Dambhodbhava Upākhyāna. Then the ṛshi Kaṇva, another great ṛshi in the Kaurava assembly during Kṛshṇa’s mission, rises to tell the Mātali Upākhyāna. Duryodhana has already refused peace, and the court is thinking about the coming war. Kaṇva’s account widens the court’s view of the worlds and of the realms beyond the visible world. (Udyoga Parva)

Mātali is the divine charioteer of Indra. He drives the king of the devas across the sky in his great chariot. He has a daughter of rare beauty and virtue, Guṇakeśī. The time has come to find her a husband.

Mātali thinks of the greatest names among the devas, but none of them fully meets what he wants for Guṇakeśī’s husband. He searches among the best of humankind, and again finds no one fit.

Then Mātali goes to the ṛshi Nārada, who travels between all worlds and knows who lives in every realm. Nārada agrees to help. Together they set out on a long journey through the worlds to find the right bridegroom. (Udyoga Parva)

Varuṇaloka and the Gāṇḍīva

The first place Mātali and Nārada visit is Varuṇaloka. This is the realm of Varuṇa, the deva of the waters and guardian of the order of the world. The account stresses its beauty under the water, its pillars of shining light, and the great treasures kept there under Varuṇa’s care.

The origin of the Gāṇḍīva bow is told here. The Gāṇḍīva is the bow of Arjuna, the greatest weapon among humans. It was in Varuṇaloka before it was given to Arjuna. Its home in Varuṇa’s divine store shows that it is no ordinary weapon. (Udyoga Parva, Chapter 98)

Pātāla

The search goes on downward into Pātāla. The Udyoga Parva gives a long description of the realms of Pātāla. They are layers of lower worlds where nāgas, dānavas, yakshas and other beings live. The description is rich and full. It speaks of the palaces of the nāga kings, the armies of the dānavas, the treasures of the deep, and life in the realms below the earth.

The description fits the search, since the realms below hold beings of great power and high birth. It also serves the Mahābhārata’s wider aim of describing every part of the inhabited universe. (Udyoga Parva, Chapter 99)

Hiraṇyapura

The search reaches Hiraṇyapura, the City of Gold. It is a great dānava city in the realms of Pātāla. It is described as a splendid city, a stronghold of the dānavas, shining with wealth. Here the account of Mātali’s search reaches its high point. A candidate for the bridegroom is named from among the dānava lines, one who meets the needs Mātali has been seeking.

Hiraṇyapura is beautiful, full of people and strong. In the Mahābhārata’s picture, the world below is not only a place of suffering. It is a whole world with its own cities, ranks and grandeur. (Udyoga Parva, Chapter 100)

Other accounts of Mātali

Mātali also appears in other places in the Mahābhārata and the Purāṇas. The Vana Parva has him in connection with Arjuna’s divine weapons. The Udyoga Parva account is a separate narrative about Guṇakeśī and the search through the lower worlds.

Sources

  • Mahābhārata, Udyoga Parva, Chapters 97–100 (Chapter 98: Varuṇaloka and the Gāṇḍīva; Chapter 99: Pātāla; Chapter 100: Hiraṇyapura)
  • Mahābhārata, Vana Parva (Mātali and Arjuna’s divine weapons, named in passing)