Aśvahṛdaya: The Secret Science of Horses

Aśvahṛdaya means “the heart of horses”. It is a divine vidyā (branch of knowledge): a deep science of understanding, choosing, training and driving horses. In the Mahābhārata it belonged to Nala, king of Nishadha. The lokapālas (the devas who guard the directions of the world) gave it to him as a boon at his svayaṃvara with Damayantī. A svayaṃvara is a ceremony in which a princess chooses her own husband.

This mastery of horses made Nala the finest charioteer in the world. His fame for it stayed with him even when he lived in disguise as “Bāhuka” in the service of King Ṛtuparṇa. During the one-day journey from Ayodhyā to Vidarbha, Nala traded the Aśvahṛdaya with Ṛtuparṇa for the Akshahṛdaya, the secret knowledge of dice. This exchange helped to resolve the story of Nala and Damayantī, which is told to the Pāṇḍavas as part of the larger story of the Mahābhārata.

How Nala Received It

At the svayaṃvara, four lokapālas, Indra, Yama, Varuṇa and Agni, each took on Nala’s form, so that Damayantī saw five men who looked exactly alike. Damayantī picked out the real Nala among them through her wisdom and devotion. The lokapālas were moved by this and gave boons to the couple. Among the boons given to Nala was mastery of horses, the Aśvahṛdaya. It made him unequalled in the knowledge and skill of horses (Vana Parva, Chapter 56).

Nala the Charioteer

Even in disguise as Bāhuka, Nala’s mastery of horses was plain to everyone who watched him. Ṛtuparṇa saw in Bāhuka a horseman of rare skill and kept him on as his chief charioteer and the manager of his stables. When the journey to Vidarbha had to be made, there was no question who would drive. Only Bāhuka could cover that great distance in a single day (Vana Parva, Chapter 65).

The Exchange

During the journey, Ṛtuparṇa showed his skill of counting the leaves and fruits of a tree at a glance, which came from the Akshahṛdaya. Nala asked to learn it and offered the Aśvahṛdaya in return. Ṛtuparṇa agreed at once. For a king who wished to travel fast, a charioteer’s mastery of horses was as valuable as the Akshahṛdaya was to a king who wished to play dice. The exchange was fair, freely made, and changed the lives of both men (Vana Parva, Chapter 71).

Sources

  • Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapter 56
  • Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapter 65
  • Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapters 71–72