Ghaṭotkacha and Kāmakaṭaṅkaṭā
This is the account in the Kaumārika Khaṇḍa of how Ghaṭotkacha, son of Bhīma and Hiḍimbā, went to Prāgjyotisha to win Kāmakaṭaṅkaṭā, the daughter of the asura Muru. She had made a rule: a suitor must defeat her in a riddle, in māyā (magic power) and in strength, or be killed. Ghaṭotkacha beat her in all three, and they were married at Indraprastha. Their son was the great warrior Barbarika.
Ghaṭotkacha goes to Prāgjyotisha
Arjuna’s pilgrimage was over and he had returned to Indraprastha. Ghaṭotkacha took leave of the Pāṇḍavas and set out for Prāgjyotisha (modern Assam), the kingdom of Bhagadatta in the north-east.
Outside the city he saw a grand golden mansion of a thousand storeys, standing in a great park. It was full of the sound of flutes, lutes and mṛdaṅgas (drums). Ten thousand maidservants lived there.
This was the home of Kāmakaṭaṅkaṭā, the daughter of the asura Muru and the sister of Bhagadatta. Her companion Karṇaprāvaraṇā met Ghaṭotkacha at the gate and warned him: “Crores of lovers have been killed by her before.” Ghaṭotkacha said: “I am her guest of love and I wish to see her.” The companion tried to turn him aside and offered herself instead. He refused, gently but firmly.
The three contests
Kāmakaṭaṅkaṭā had set this rule. A suitor must put her in a “doubtful fix” with a riddle. If she lost, she would come under his control. If not, he would be killed.
The riddle
Ghaṭotkacha remembered Kṛshṇa in his mind and put this riddle to her: “A man raised his own daughter and told her she was the neighbour’s child. When she grew up, he made her his wife. A daughter was born to them. Is that child his daughter or his granddaughter?” Kāmakaṭaṅkaṭā thought about it in many ways, but she could not reach any clear answer.
The contest of māyā
Beaten by the riddle, she used her magic power. She struck the golden chain of the swing, and crores of fierce rākshasas, lions, tigers, boars and leopards came out of it. Ghaṭotkacha rubbed his little finger against his thumb. Twice as many rākshasas came out of him and swallowed all of hers in a moment.
The fight
She then got up to take her sword. Ghaṭotkacha ran after her and caught her hair with his left hand. He threw her to the ground and put his left foot on her neck. In his right hand he took a knife, ready to cut off her nose. She trembled and said: “O master, you have beaten me in three ways: by the question, by magic power and by bodily strength. I bow to you. I am your servant.”
She knows him, and the marriage
Ghaṭotkacha let her go. Kāmakaṭaṅkaṭā said: “I know you, O mighty one. You are a hero, the best among the strong. You are the leader of all rākshasas and the overlord of the Guhyakas, known as Kālanābha. To protect the Yakshas you are born on earth as the master of sixty crores. Kāmākhyā herself told me this.”
She offered him her mansion and all her followers. Ghaṭotkacha answered: “O daughter of Muru, one should not marry in secret when one has parents and kinsmen. Carry me to Śakraprastha (Indraprastha). It is our family custom that the wife carries the husband. I shall marry you there, after I have the leave of my elders.”
Kāmakaṭaṅkaṭā told Bhagadatta, took much wealth, and said goodbye to her brother. She carried Ghaṭotkacha on her back to Indraprastha, with her attendants around her. Vāsudeva and the Pāṇḍavas welcomed them with joy. At a good muhūrta (auspicious hour), Ghaṭotkacha took her hand in marriage.
The birth of Barbarika
A son was born to Ghaṭotkacha and Kāmakaṭaṅkaṭā. He was named Barbarika. The name comes from “Barbara”, the name of an outside tribe, because his hair grew like the hair of the Barbaras. He became one of the most extraordinary warriors of his time. His story, from his pilgrimage to Guptakshetra to his meeting with Kṛshṇa, is the high point of the Kaumārika Khaṇḍa.
Sources
- Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kaumārika Khaṇḍa, Chapters 59–60
- Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kaumārika Khaṇḍa, Chapter 60 (the journey, the three contests, the marriage and the birth of Barbarika)