Marvellous Mahābhārata Morals - V

Āpat Dharma may be practiced to establish Dharma

Āpat Dharma is righteousness that is practiced in times of contingency. Extraordinary stressful times are known as contingent times. During these times, the ordinary rules may be relaxed for sometime, so that ordinary times are regained. Once normal conditions are established, then the ordinary rules are again followed with rigidity. Āpat Dharma consists of acts that are inherently considered as wrong and immoral. For example, Satyavatī calls upon his son and the author of Mahābhārata, Veda Vyas, who was born of the union between Riśī Parāśara and Satyavatī before the marriage of Satyavatī when she was a maiden, to come and pregnant the wombs of Ambīkā and Ambālika, the widows of Vichitravīrya, so that princes may be obtained for the throne of Hastināpura. Now, under normal circumstances, widows cannot have sexual relations. Again, an intercaste sexual relation was prohibited. Satyavatī was a Śudra and Riśī Parāśara was a Brahmin. They were not married but they conceived a son Veda Vyāsa. Thus, Veda Vyāsa had the blood of a Śudra and a Brahmin. He is called to pregnant the widows of Vichitravīrya- Ambīkā and Ambālika, who are Kśatṛiyas. Dhritrāśtra is born from the union of Ambīkā and Veda Vyāsa, Pāndu is born from the union of Ambālika and Veda Vyāsa, and Vidura is born from the union of Veda Vyāsa and a female servant who is dressed up royally as Ambīkā and presented to Veda Vyāsa for the union. Dhritrāśtra was born blind as Ambīkā closed her eyes in fear during the union; Pāndu was born pale and weak, as Ambālika was instructed to keep her eyes open, but she was also gripped with fear when she saw the ascetic countenance and yogic heat of Veda Vyāsa; Vidura was born a perfect child, as the servant woman served Veda Vyāsa dutifully with love and care. All the three sons, have mixed blood of Śudra, Kśatṛiya, and Brahmin. However, after their births, they were treated and brought up only as Kśatṛiyas and Dharma was again restored. Hence, if the circumstances are of a critical and extraordinary nature, than extraordinary measures like Āpat Dharma may be utilized to achieve one's aim for the restoration of normal circumstances and Dharma.

Again, when Pāndu, due to a curse, was unable to produce an heir for the throne of Hastināpura, Kuntī recounted to Pāndu as to how she had served Riśī Durvāsa when she was a maiden. Pleased with her service, how Riśī Durvāsa had granted her a mantra (magical utterance) by which she could summon any God and conceive a child by the God, on a condition that the mantra may be used only five times. Kuntī does not tell Pāndu that she had already used the mantra once, when she was a maiden and had given birth to Karṇa whom she had left afloat on the river, as she was ashamed to acknowledge a child before her marriage. Upon the request of Pāndu, she used the mantra thrice and gave birth to Yudhiśṭira (from Dharma), Bhīma (from Vayu), and Arjuna (from Indra). Thereafter she taught the mantra to Mādrī, the second queen of Pāndu, and told her to summon the twin gods, the Aświns. Thus, Mādrī gave birth to twin sons Nakula and Sahadeva (from the twin gods, the Aświns). Therefore, now five sons were born and Kuntī could say that the mantra was used five times, and the secret of Karṇa remained a secret. These acts were resorted by Kuntī because the circumstances were not normal, and thus to restore normalcy, the use of Āpat Dharma was justified by Kuntī so that Dharma ultimately prevailed.