#FolkTales
"कहीं की ईंट, कहीं का रोड़ा, भानुमती ने कुनबा जोड़ा" is a popular saying that is often used in rural Indian heartland. Meaning, “Collecting bricks from someplace and gravel from elsewhere, Bhanumati patched together an unlikely home."

Kunba means a home, a family, but the ईंट, रोड़ा metaphor also indicates a physical house. Bhanumati was the daughter of King of Kamboj, Chandravarman. The fame of her beauty was known to all. Kamboj was a Kingdom adjacent to Gandhara, part of Greater India or Aryavarta.

In addition to beauty, Bhanumati was also famed for her physical strength and intelligence. She was said to be a combination of Lakshmi, Parvati and Saraswati, the Triambikas, to whom Chandravarma prayed when he did not beget any children after years of marriage.

When she attained marriageable age, as was the custom in those days, a Swayamvara was held to facilitate Bhanumati to choose her husband. 'Swayam Vara' means “Acquire/wed on one’s own”. That was how marriages were in those days in ancient India.

Princes,Kings,learned men lined up and women walked along inspecting them to chose one (So much for the claim of modern day feminists, other apologists that women were enslaved by ancient Hindu traditions). Princes from all over Aryavarta gathered in Rajapura, capital of Kamboja.

Duryodhan grew up listening to the tales of beauty of Bhanumati from his mother Gandhari, who was from the neighbouring kingdom and he was bent upon winning Bhanumati for himself. Apparently, Gandhari wanted her daughter-in-law to come from a place near her own maternal home.

Duryodhan,as you may know,had a habit of insisting on getting what he wanted. He attended the Swayamvara with Karna, his loyal friend. As was the tradition,Bhanumati walked past all her suitors with a garland of flowers. Karna liked Bhanumati a lot when he saw her at first sight.

Viewing the hopeful suiters, Bhanumati also, it appears, liked Karna and decided on him. Duryodhan was waiting anxiously. When she walked past him, he was enraged. He grabbed her arms and walked away. Perhaps, he didn't know that she liked Karna!

Given his sense of duty, Karna, suppressing his own desire, defended his friend against the horde of other suitors and her father’s army who stepped up to challenge Duryodhan. He left peremptorily, assigning Karna with the job of beating back the challengers.

Seeing the mighty Karna, everyone withdrew except Jarasandh. He wanted Bhanumati for himself. Karna fought with him & defeated him. A beaten Jarasandh was impressed by Karna and vowed to become his ally henceforth. Karna promptly transferred the loyalty of Jarasandh to Duryodhan.

This was how Jarasandh became an ally of the Kauravas. Duryodhan thus abducted Bhanumati. After reaching Hastinapur, he justified his act by giving reference of how Amba, Ambika, and Ambalika were abducted by Bhishma for Vichitravirya.

Bhanumati finally accepts him as her husband and gathered some ईंट and रोड़ा.
They had a daughter Lakshmanaa. As they say Karma is a bitch, Lakshmanaa was abducted by Lord Krishna’s son Samba in the same way. Lord Krishna and Jambavati therefore became the unlikely sambandhis..

of Bhanumati and Duryodhan. Jambavati was the daughter of the bear Jambavaan who helped the Lord in his avatar as Rama. All different, disparate kinds of ईंट and रोड़ा. Bhanumati gathered these too.
During the Mahabharata war, Bheem killed Duryodhan. Arjun’s son Abhimanyu...

killed Bhanumati’s son, Lakshmanaa’s twin, Lakshmana. After the war however, left with neither her husband nor her best friend Karna, Bhanumati married Arjun. Some more ईंट and रोड़ा. And this was how Bhanumati made her family. भानुमती ने कुनबा जोड़ा...

Bhanumati did not play any major role in Mahabharata. She is mentioned only 2 places. Stri Parva and Shanti Parva. In the Stri Parva, according to Gandhari, Bhanumati was very intelligent and physically strong as well. She used to mock and challenge Duryodhan for wrestling.

She had changed a lot after seeing and living with Duryodhan. Also, she said that Bhanumati still is a very beautiful woman but very sad and broken from inside. Stri Parva is the book of the time after Kaurava’s are dead and Pandava’s are mourning the dead.

In Shanti Parva, sage Narada describes Bhanumati’s Swayamvara. Shanti Parva is of the time when the war is over and Yudhishthira is installed as King of Hastinapur.

There are other interesting stories about Bhanumati. Will share some other time.

As promised, here's another interesting story abt Bhanumati.

Bhanumati, Karna and the game of dice :
In Stri Parva, there's mention of the time when Duryodhan was travelling across the kingdom for his duties as the Prince. He left Karna, to take care of his new bride, Bhanumati.

As Bhanumati had been abducted, she did not have any women or handmaidens from her own home, as friends. So the only people she knew were Karna, Gandhari and Duryodhan. To pass the time, Bhanumati and Karna used to play Pachisi (game of dice).

Once when they were playing, just then, Duryodhan, who had arrived early, entered the room. They both were completely engrossed in the game and were chatting like old friends. Karna was winning at that stage so both started bickering.

Bhanumati was accusing Karna of cheating and he was teasing her. Suddenly Duryodhan come in. She instantly stood up, as a mark of respect. However, Karna, misconstruing her intent, thought she was leaving because she had almost lost. He had not seen Duryodhan entering the room.

He immediately reached for Bhanumati’s pearl-trimmed shawl, and accidentally pulled so hard that the trimming broke and the pearls were scattered all over the floor. Her pallu also got pulled along. She froze at the thought of how Duryodhan would react seeing her in such a state!

She had heard of his ego and had seen personally, when the last time he was insulted, that had resulted in her own abduction. She stood up immediately. Following Bhanumati’s stunned gaze, Karna turned around to see Duryodhan observing them both carefully.

Karna knew about Duryodhan’s anger. He thought he was going to accuse him and Bhanumati, of impropriety. However, much to their surprise, Duryodhan looked past Karna and said to Bhanumati, “Should I just collect the beads or would you like me to string them as well?”

Bhanumati & Karna could only look at each other mutely, feeling ashamed at the way they had both misjudged him. Sensing their discomfort, Duryodhan said, “I trust you dear wife, and you too, my brother. Don’t ever think that I would assume any of you to betray me” and then left.

As per another version - While Bhanumati and Karna were still silently astonished at Duryodhan’s reaction, Duryodhan looked at the game and said, as he left the two of them alone again, “I see Karna is winning. Beware of him Bhanumati, he cheats sometimes.”