In the Critical Edition of Mahabharata published by the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune, the "yatrasAyam" phrase occurs at the following places:
1. Adi Parva: JaratkAru
01041001a etasmin eva kAle tu jaratkArur mahAtapaH
01041001c cacAra pRthviM kRtsnAM yatrasAyaMgRho muniH
2. Vana Parva: Krishna
03013010 arjuna uvAca
03013010a daza varSasahasrANi yatrasAyaMgRho muniH
3. Vana Parva: Damayanti
03062026 a sairandhrIM jAtisaMpannAM bhujiSyAM kAmavAsinIm
03062026 c phalamUlAzanAm ekAM yatrasAyaM pratizrayAm
4. Santi Parva: Jajali
12253044 a somarSavazam Apannas tulAdhAradidRkSayA
12253044 c pRthivIm acarad rAjan yatrasAyaMgRho muniH
Let us look closely at the contexts in Mahabharata where the phrase " yatrasAyamgRho" is used.
1. Adi Parva: Jaratkaru
Meanwhile, the great ascetic
Jaratkaru wandered over the whole earth
making the place where evening fell his home for the night. And gifted
with ascetic power, he roamed, practising various vows difficult to be
practised by the immature and bathing also in various sacred waters.
And the muni had air alone for his food and was free from desire of
worldly enjoyment.
And he became daily emaciated and grew lean-fleshed. And one day he saw
the spirits of his ancestors, heads down in a hole by a cord of virana
roots having only one thread entire. And that even single thread
was being gradually eaten away by a large rat dwelling in that hole.
And the pitris in that hole were without food, emaciated, pitiable and
eagerly desirous of salvation. (Kisari Mohan Ganguli,
Mahabharata, Vol I, Adi Parva, section XLV, page 96)
2. Vana Parva : Krishna
Vaisampayana continued: And when on account of the wrongs of Pritha's sons,
Janardana had thus got into a passion, and seemed bent upon consuming
all created things, Arjuna exerted himself to pacify him. And beholding
Kesava angry, Falguna began to recite the feats achieved in his former
lives by that soul of all things, himself immeasurable, the eternal one,
of infinite energy, the lord of Prajapati himself the supreme ruler of the
worlds, Vishnu of profound wisdom!
Arjuna said, "In days of old, thou, O Krishna, hadst wandered on the
Gandhamadana mountains for ten thousand years as a Muni having his home
where evening fell! Living upon water alone, thou hadst in days of old,
O Krishna, also dwelt for full eleven thousand years by the lake of
Pushkara! And O slayer of Madhu, with arms upraised and standing on one
leg, thou hadst passed a hundred years on the high hill of Vadari,
living all the while upon air."
(Kisari Mohan Ganguli, Mahabharata Vol I, Vana Parva, section XII,
page 27-28)
3. Vana Parva: Damayanti :
And departing speedily towards evening, the damsel came to the
mighty city of the truth-telling Suvahu, the King of Chedis. And she
entered that excellent city clad in half a garment. And the citizens saw
her as she went, overcome with fear, and, lean, melancholy, her hair
disheveled and soiled with dust and maniac like. And beholding her
enter the city of the King of Chedis, the boys of the city from
curiosity began to follow her. And surrounded by them she came before
the palace of the King. And from the terrace, the queen mother saw
her surrounded by the crowd. And she said to her nurse, "Go
and bring that woman before me. She is forlorn and is being vexed by the
crowd. She hath fallen into distress and standeth in need of succour.
I find her beauty to be such that it illumineth my house. The fair
one though looking like a maniac, seemeth a very Sree with her large eyes",
Thus commanded the nurse went out and dispersing the crowd brought Damayanti
to that graceful terrace. And struck with wonder, O King, she asked Damayanti
saying "Afflicted thou are with such distress thou ownest a beautiful form.
Thou shinest like lightning in the midst of clouds. Tell me who thou art
and whose. O thou possessed of celestial splendour, surely thy beauty
is not human bereft though thou art of ornaments. And although thou art
helpless, yet thou art unmoved under the outrage of these men".
Hearing these words of the nurse, the daughter of Bhima said, "Know
that I am a female belonging to the human species and devoted to my husband.
I am a serving woman of good lineage. I live wherever I like,
subsisting on fruit and root, and without a companion and stay where
evening overtaketh me. My husband is the owner of countless virtues
and was ever devoted to me".
(Kisari Mohan Ganguli, Mahabharata Vol I, Vana Parva, section LXV, page
139).
4. Santi Parva: Jajali :
Bhisma said: "In this connection is cited the old narrative of the
conversation of Tuladhara with Jajali on the topic of righteousness.
There was once a Brahmana of the name Jajali who lived in a certain
forest practising the ways of a forest recluse.
....On one occasion that great ascetic abstaining entirely from food and
living upon air only stood in the forest like a post of wood.
Unmoved at heart he stood there, without once stirring an inch.
While he stood there like a wooden post, perfectly immovable,
O Bharata, a pair of Kulinga birds, O King, built their nest on his head.
..
The couple urged by desire approached each other according to the law of
creator and in complete confidence laid their eggs, O King on
the head of that Rishi.
.....In course of time, the young ones grew and became equipped with
wings. ... Subsequently when their strength became fully developed they
left him and returned not at all even after many days. At last on one
occasion, leaving him, they came not even after a month.
Then O King, Jajali left that spot. When they had thus gone away for
good, Jajali wondered much and thought that he had achieved ascetic
success. Then pride entered his heart. Firm in the observance of vows,
the great ascetic, seeing the birds thus leave him after having been
reared on his head, thought highly of himself, and became filled
with delight. He then bathed in a stream and poured
libations on the sacred fire and paid his adorations to the rising sun
indeed having thus caused those chataka birds to grow on his head.
Jajali the foremost of ascetics began to slap his armpits and proclaim
loudly through the sky, "I have won great merit".
Then an invisible voice arose in the sky and Jajali heard these words, "Thou
art not equal, O Jajali, to Tuladhara in point of righteousness.
Possessed of great wisdom, that Tuladhara lives at Banarasi.
Even he is not fit to say what thou sayest, O regenerate one!"
Hearing these words, Jajali became filled with wrath,
and desirous of meeting Tuladhara, O monarch, began to roam over the
whole earth, observing the vow of silence and passing the night at that
spot where evening overtook him". (This was a new vow that Jajali began to
observe viz., of travelling over
the entire earth sleeping there where
evening overtook him - Footnote by Ganguli)
Narrators and Listeners
Let us consider the narrators and listeners of the phrase "yatrasAyaM".
In Adi Parva, the narrator Ugrasravas (Sauti), the son of Lomaharshana uses the phrase YatrasAyaMgRho muniH to describe Jaratkaru, while describing the circumstances of Astika's birth to Saunaka, the listener.
In Vana Parva, Arjuna uses the phrase, yatrasAyaMgRho muniH to remind Krishna that he was a yatrasAyaMgRho muniH in his former lives in days of old. Here the narrator is using the phrase to describe the listener.
In Vana Parva, Damayanti tells the nurse of the queen mother of Chedi king Suvahu: "I .... stay where evening overtaketh me" (yatrasAyaM pratizrayAm)
In Shanti Parva, Bhishma uses the phrase yatrasAyaMgRho muniH to describe Jajali who was on his way to meet Tuladhara.
Time and Space:
Let us arrange these situations with reference to time and space.
Recall that Damayanti is described as dEsakAlajna (one who knows place and time). Damayanti uses the phrase yatrasAyaM to describe her own condition to the nurse. This refers to the first person's current condition. Let us denote this as level one.
Arjuna uses the phrase yatrasAyaMgRho muniH referring to the past of Krishna, the listener. This reference is to the past of the second person, which may be denoted as level two. However, viewing Arjuna and Krishna as "two-in-one", this also qualifies as level one.
The phrase yatrasAyaMgRho muniH is used by Ugrasravas to describe Jaratkaru to Saunaka and by Bhishma to Yudhishtira to describe Jajali. In both situations the phrase is used to denote a past condition of a third person, which may be considered as level three. Note that Level three is far away from level two in time and space.
Forest related Subsistence:
In all the four contexts, forest related subsistence is implied.
Damayanti says: "I live wherever I like subsisting on fruit and root". She is referring to her life in the forest where fruit and root are readily available.
Krishna was wandering on the Gandhamadana mountains for ten thousand years when he was a yatrasAyaMgRho muniH. Even though it is not explicitly stated what Krishna subsisted on during this life, we may presume that he lived on air alone (as he had in Badari)
Jaratkaru was "having air alone for his food when he saw the spirits of his ancestors heads down in a hole in a forest".
Jajali was standing in the forest like a post of wood, abstaining entirely from food living upon air only.
These are strikingly similar: Damayanti on fruits and roots; Krishna, Jaratkaru and Jajali on air only. All refer to forest!
Appearances:
Damayanti was "lean, melancholy, her hair disheveled and soiled with dirt and maniac like". To the queen mother she was "looking like a maniac", but "seemed a very Sree with her large eyes".
Jaratkaru "became daily emaciated and grew lean fleshed". (Sauti said: Jara is said to mean waste and karu implies huge. This rishi's body had been huge and he gradually reduced it by severe ascetic penances.) (KMG, Vol I, Adi Parva, Sec XL, page 88).
No doubt, living like a wood, Jajali's appearance must be similar.
Nothing is stated about Krishna's appearance. We may assume that it may be similar to that of Jaratkaru when Krishna was a yatrasAyaMgRho muniH.
Lack of Companions:
Damayanti states this clearly: "I live without a companion". No doubt, Krishna, Jaratkaru and Jajali must be alone when they were yatrasAyaMgRho muniH. Again, Krishna's case call for a possible exception since Nara and Narayana are usually paired together.
Compassion:
Compassion appears to be the driving force of all the four.
Devoted to her husband, Damayanti's only desire is to find Nala. This intensely personal desire arises out of compassion. She is only half way (yatrasAyaM) in this group. Note that she alone in this group depends on fruit and root while others manage with air. Her compassion is due to the wife-husband relation.
Jaratkaru, free from desire of worldly enjoyment, agrees to marry to produce a son only out of compassion to the spirits of his ancestors. This compassion is due to grandson-grandfathers relation.
Krishna is angry due to the wrongs done by Duryodhana to Pritha's sons.
Krishna's compassion is due to his relation as a cousin brother of Pandavas
and due to his relation as a friend to Arjuna (Narayana - Nara).
The present context appears to be the only episode in the
Epic where Arjuna remembers the past lives and not Krishna. Vyasa seems vey
much aware of this special situation since at the end of the eulogy by
Arjuna, Vyasampayana says:
03013037a evam uktvA tadAtmAnam AtmA
kRSNasya pANDavaH
Jajali did not move from the spot in the forest where he stood like a wood, out of compassion to the birds. Jajali's case may appear strange at first sight, since there is no apparent relation between him and the birds. However, later Tuladhara points out that the young birds are "his children" indeed!
In Jajali's case, an act of compassion generates a relation while in all the other cases, the relation causes compassion! Then Jajali wondered much and thought that he had achieved ascetic success. Then pride entered his heart. Note that among the four, only Jajali has to meet someone else who is not equal to him (actually above him!) to eliminate the pride which entered his heart. In the cases of Jaratkaru, Krishna and Damayanti, pride is not mentioned, neither there are any discussions on righteousness. Jajali episode is the last place where the phrase YatrasAyamgRho muniH is used. It is as though the hints given earlier (Jaratkaru, Krishna and Damayanti) are elaborated and the topic is explored through the discussions between Jajali and Tuladhara. General theme seems to be: While compassion is required to sustain life (spanned by ancestors-friend-husband-children respectively in the four episodes), a balanced view towards life seems essential to attain the ultimate aim of life.
This brings us to the question: What is this ultimate aim ?
In the words of the spirits of Jaratakaru's pitrs (desiring salvation), Jaratkaru (the only thread that remains in the line of his ancestors) is free from greed for the merits or asceticism. The rat is the Time of infinite strength which is gradually weakening the wretch Jaratkaru engaged in ascetic penances tempted by merits thereof, but wanting in prudence and heart. But, as the subsequent incidents indicate, we know that Jaratkaru has both prudence and heart. When Jaratkaru leaves his wife (after Asitka is conceived), Ugrasravas says: The great Rishi Jaratkaru of virtuous soul went away, his heart firmly fixed on practising again the severest penances (page 100, Vol I, KMG). We are once more reminded that Jaratkaru's heart is fixed on severest penances! (At the same time, we can not ignore the faint indication that this act of Jaratkaru was a deviation.)
Jaratkaru's aim appears to be salvation. Jajali is also apparently aiming at the same. What about Damayanti?
Damayanti is searching for Nala. This is on a human plane viewing
Nala-Damayanti story as a great love story. If we look at the philosophical
implications of the story Nala-Damayanti, following Hiltebeitel,
we get the answer. Damayanti (Jeevatman) is searching
for Nala (Atman) [3].
In the case of Krishna, connection comes with an inversion:
Krishna is Atman who has
compassion for the Jeevatman (Arjuna/Pandavas).
Thus all four examples fall into one homogenous set.
The sequence in which these instances are presented appears to have significance: The cases of Krishna and Damayanti are enveloped by the cases of Jaratkaru and Jajali. Jaratkaru leaves his life of severe penances to father Astika (who paves the way for Vaisampayana's recital of Mahabharata to Janamejaya). After facilitating the life of the young birds, the proud brahmin Jajali has to learn his last lessons from Tuladhara, the merchant so that he can return to his life of great vows. This sequencing can imply that life (represented by Astika the young birds) which is created by penances performed by life generating agents (Jaratkaru and Jajali) is sustained by penances (Krishna and Damayanti) and has to end in penances (Jaratkaru and Jajali)!
Restoring balance to life:
(All quoted translations in this section are by Kisari Mohan Ganguli)
At the outer layer, "Where-night-falls-is-my-home Muni" signifies mind fixed
on a single goal. But this can easily degenerate into a life out of
balance. This is what Jaratkaru is reminded of by his forefathers. Krishna
becoming out of control is a rare occurrence in the Epic, but we do have it
here. It takes Nara to restore balance to Narayana. In the case of
Damayanti imbalance is spelled out in detail. In the case of Jajali, he of
course has to learn from Tuladhara how to lead a balanced life. The
merchant Tuladhara richly deserves his name:
12254011c
samo 'smi sarvabhUteSu pazya me jAjale vratam
12254012c
tulA me sarvabhUteSu samA tiSThati jAjale
I cast equal eyes upon all things and all creatures.
Behold, O Jajali,
this is my vow! My scales are perfectly even, O Jajali, with respect to
all creatures. ....
Here is an advise for all of us (yatrasAyaMgRho muniH: where-night-falls-is-my-home Muni. That is what we all are. - P. Lal)
12254050a
kAraNAd dharmam anvicchen na lokacaritaM caret
One should practise what one
considers to be one's duty, guided by reasons, instead of blindly
following the practices of the world.
And more:
12255039a
sarvA nadyaH sarasvatyaH sarve puNyAH ziloccayAH
12255039c
jAjale tIrtham Atmaiva mA sma dezAtithir bhava
All rivers are as sacred as the Saraswati, and all
mountains are sacred. O Jajali, the Soul is itself a Tirtha. Do
not wander about on the earth for visiting sacred places.
Sounds of Birds [4]:
At the end of the conversation, Tuladhara tells Jajali to summon the
birds:
12256004a saMbhAvayanti pitaraM tvayA saMbhAvitAH khagAH
12256004c asaMzayaM pitA ca tvaM putrAn Ahvaya jAjale
12256005 bhISma uvAca
12256005a tato jAjalinA tena samAhUtAH patatriNaH
12256005c vAcam uccArayan divyAM dharmasya vacanAt kila
12256006a ahiMsAdikRtaM karma iha caiva paratra ca
Summon them, O regenerate one! There those birds, treated with affection by thee, are displaying their love for thee that art their father. Without doubt, thou art their father, O Jajali! Do thou summon thy children.'
"Bhishma continued, 'Then those birds, summoned by Jajali, made answer agreeably to the dictates of that religion which is not fraught with injury to any creature. ...'
Birds eulogise shradda. In their discourse we find the following
advice to Jajali:
O thou of great wisdom,
betake thyself to Faith (shraddha),
for thou shalt then obtain that which is superior.
[2] Mahabharata Prapancattilekk
(Entry point to the Mahabharata Universe), A.
Harindranath (2005), article in Malayalam, unpublished. Available
on-line at
http://www.oocities.org/purushothaman_avaroth//maha/pinku.pdf
[3] Alf Hiltebeitel, Listening to Nala and Damayanti, chapter 6 of Rethinking the Mahabharata: A Reader's Guide to the Education of the Dharma King, The University of Chicago Press, (2001) page 215-239.
[4] It is enlightening to recall the role of the sounds of birds in Ramayana and
Mahabharata: The sounds of birds thus both inspire the poets and
penetrate the poetics of both of the Sanskrit epics. ...
Alf
Hiltebeitel, Vyasa and Suka: An Allegory of Writing, chapter 8 of
Rethinking the Mahabharata: A Reader's Guide to the Education of the Dharma
King, The University of Chicago Press, (2001) page 322.