Meet the King Santanu: The King of all opressed Men

Today my brain has been on a overdrive. I was reading The Mahabharat, the full edition printed by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. I’ve read it many times before but today was a very different experience.

My brain's being cooked up with thoughts and I hope to off load some of 'em here to see if it ignites anyone else besides me.

Coming back to the Mahabharat! Most novels start with a simple introduction. Mahabharat starts with a bang!!! In just 9 pages, it reveals the life story of man.

The man was king of entire Bharat. Yet he was the man who was opressed for many
years by not one but both of his wives. The man whose lineage was destroyed because of the actions from his wives.

The Mahabharata starts with a King Santanu who ruled from Hastinapura.

Hastinapura in those days was capital of our beautiful country Bharat or BharatVarsha. King Santanu was childless. There is no mention of King Santanu having any wives. One day out on hunting trip, King Santanu meets a beautiful maiden with whom he falls in love immediately.

HEY.... WAIT A ONE DAMN MINUTE.

He was The King and the nation which was supposed to have character and substance then present generation. So, how could the King fall in love with a woman before he knew her name? Did he not have any royal protocols to follow? Janmakshars to match? Dowries to demand?

… Anyway, let us continue with the story …

The beautiful maiden as it turns out was River Ganga in her human form. She too liked King Santanu and agreed to marry him but on a condition that he will never question her. He promises to not challenge her and they get married.

Hmmmmm, Interesting Isn't it?

The Bride sets a precondition before her marriage that she will live exactly on her terms and will never ever tolerate any challenge from the groom.

Who was calling shots? The Man or The Woman?

And we are told a bunkum fiction that modern day men demand dowry for getting married to women. We've got the whole freakin draconian (add your own expletives here) law IPC 498a that stops short of cooking men alive

Get real!!! Men marry women for all reasons other than money.
King Santanu wanted to marry because he wanted a heir for his throne. Most Men marry for they want to spread their seeds and continue their lineage.

Coming back to Mahabharata, King Santanu was a brave amongst men. Still he did not hesitate to think that Ganga was perhaps an enemy spy who might just turn and give away his Kingdom to someone else. There is no mention of him consulting with his ministers.

And, the King Santanu get married to the River Ganga in her human form.

And the Mahabharata epic slides into a top gear!!!

The union of King Santanu and Ganga is briefly described. Ganga was the ideal wife
for King Santanu. He was happy.

As it happens in with every healthy man-woman union, a child was born to them. A Son was born to the King. It was the first child born to King Santanu.

The new mother Ganga takes her first born male child and dumps him into her River form. This happened before the King would meet his son. The King saw his beloved wife throw her son into the River.

HAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT?

She killed a new born male child in broad daylight by throwing him into a river?
She killed the first born son of the King of the Bharatvarsha?
The Mother killed her own infant, her own child?

Why did she kill her own child? What kind of woman would do that?

Well these are kind of the questions that run through mind such as mine and maybe yours too. There is no mention of it crossing through the mind of King Santanu. Even if they did, he does not utter them to his wife Ganga and keeps his mouth shut as per his promise to protect his marriage.

A King of the Land keeps quiet and suppressed all his anger and natural instinct and manly rage. He did nothing against the killer of his first born son. Not even a Why for an explanation. A King has to stay quiet to save his marriage!! A King!!

What a sacrifice the man King Santanu had to go through to keep his marriage?

Just imagine what would be the plight of a modern husband. Imagine what he would have to do for his marriage?

When this thought hit me, it fell like a brick wall on me. Even reading of it for first time 5000 years from its happening made me sit up and bow my head with reverence to King Santanu!!!

King Santanu, please bless me. Please bless all of us. I am in man born 5000 years from you in the same country that you once ruled. In your days you were opressed even when you were the King and possibly the rulemaker.

Bharat is now named India and it is being ruined by new ministers who go on and lark that women are opressed and use that lame excuse to make more and more laws that oppress more and more men.

Every men, women and child of your country is in danger. Every marriage in India is on guillotine. My marriage was already butchered.

The ministers say that Domestic Violence is growing. Nah!! By all accounts it is Wild Violence. Mad Ministers are making rules that are making women of the nation wild. Wild with sense of revenge. Wild with greed.

Back to Mahabharata!

If killing one newborn male child is bad, the story of Mahabharata gets worse.
If killing one newborn male child is brilliant, the story of Mahabharata gets dazzling. As dazzling as a Sun.

Ganga kills 6 more newborn children of hers and King Santanu.

And King Santanu has nowhere to go. There is no mention of the King talking to
his ministers about actions of his wife. Maybe those poor ministers were married to and no one liked fouling up mood of one other. King Santanu had no one to whom he could talk to. No one to counsel him and his wife Ganga.

There was not even SIF in those days. I was not there. Jinesh was not there to demand Welfare ministry for men. So the poor King of the land, being a man had no option to stay quiet. All for the sake of preserving the marriage.

Indian Government, Renuka Chowdhury, Good ‘ol Kapil Dev and God only knows who else proclaim loudly on TV and say that killing a female newborn is crime!

Maybe they should also advertise for male infanticide equally. It is documented as being a phenomenon since the time of Mahabharata.

The Great history of Bharat documents that one such child killer was Ganga who killed her own infants. Another such child killer was Kamsa who killed children of his sister.

Kamsa was punished to death by fists of his nephew Krishna in about 20 years after his bad deeds.

What happened to Ganga? She was felicitated called mother of the civilisation.

AHEM!! Do you see certain certain something something (a double) here. No offence intended to Mother Ganga.

Some of you might even wonder what is with the King Santanu? After all He was a King.
He is described as Handsome and of course he was Rich. he is not the shy kind of fellow. He expressed "I love you and I'd like to marry you" within a moment of him seeing Ganga. And he stayed quiet.

To be perfectly honest, silence of the king at the unceremonious murder of his seven newborn male children is not the most horrendous part. It is not even close to being horrendous even if you consider that each of the child was the natural heir who could
grow into the King someday.

IMHO, The most horrendous part is that the King Santanu lived with Ganga and made her pregnant again and again. He made Ganga pregnant eight times. The epic says that
she was pregnant once a year so their marriage lasted 7-8 or 9 years.

Even assuming that pregnancies were concluded as optimally and efficiently as humanely possible and were consecutive, this cycle of pregnancy, birth and infanticide continued for six long years.

The King Santanu with all his raging male hormones remained with his wife Ganga. He lived with Ganga who at any given point of time in her married life was either pregnant for few months or at best cleansing herself for getting pregnant again.

I lived with my wife through most of her one pregnancy. To get gist of my experience of living with a pregnant woman, First imagine a forest floor fully hidden by dry leaves. You can hear the rattle of a poisonous rattlesnake but cannot sense the direction other than knowing that rattlesnake was hiding beneath those very leaves. Now, try walking. That is how I (man) experienced rattlesnake and I was married to a woman who seemed very good then.


King Santanu lived with a pregnant woman for at least six years but did not get to name his child or play with him!!

And no, luxury that most of us enjoy was not available for King Santanu. Sending Ganga back to her parent’s home for pregnancy was not an option. Her former home
is claimed to be Swarga. She was a goddess who had come to earth because of a curse.

I bet after imagining the plight of King Santanu, you will never be able to poke honest funny jab at a Government of India employee who has gargantuan beer belly.
You will never be able to say APND “Always Pregnant Never Delivering” and not remember King Santanu. (Well, at least I tried to convince you to let poor Govt employee relax at work. He drinks beer cause he is married)

The significance of the silence of King Santanu gets even more profound. He never once uttered the word "WHY?" to Ganga in all those years. Not for throwing the child in the river. Not for anything else that might have happened.

Do you see, Ms. Renuka Chowdhury? Do you see the extent to which a men can handle
opression from women for sake of marriage, for sake of love?

Modern Men also do not oppress their women as often as Women do. Men not even ask "Why" many times although they are not bound by a promise as King Santanu was.

Hell, I also have so many Why's that I did not ask to my wife. Many of my Why’s also got buried somewhere way down deep. Maybe I’ll vent ‘em out and someone will answer on behalf of my wife.

Why did you cook Dal with Shrikhand? Why did you not use the new tea leaves that I get for you? Why did you colour your hair blue?

Do my SIF friends see what I am getting at? Maybe, just maybe there is a light at the end of tunnel. Maybe this is what Ms. Renuka wants from all us husbands. Never ever utter the word “Why” or she'll go after your chromosome Y. Ouch!! It hurts.

Glad I'm Batchelor. Ok, Ok all Right I am Divorced. I declare myself to be single unless I mingle. The point is that my Why's are safe. And so are my Y chromosomes.
I can splurge 'em wherever I want with reckless abandon. Gratefully only true boys will understand the true meaning of reckless abandon!

Ok, back to Mahabharata!

Was the King Santanu stone-hearted? Or stoned? I know people did not use such things in those days. So what is it?

Why OH Why then did he never ask Why!? to his wife.

King Santanu did not utter why because he was a married man and had made a promise
to his wife in order to get married. He faced oppression from his wife so that
she may remain married to him. So that he can have a family. So that he can have
a heir and continue his royal lineage.

The beloved wife of King Santanu ruled the King with a sword dangling over his marriage. One mistake and it would be all over. Boy OH BOY What an experience.

What a marriage.

Feminism must have been a raging fire 5000 years ago. Isn't it? It must be so scalding hot that even the King of entire land could not dare to lift a voice to his wife or risk demise of his marriage.

King Santanu was definitely not a weakling. He was the King. I imagine he would slice neck of men who'd dare to look at him or his subjects with malice but was as silent as a stone in front of Ganga.

I assume that King Santanu spoke to his beloved wife Ganga regularly. So in all those conversations, he would have always spoken kind words.

Imagine the pain that King Santanu went through. His 7 newborn male children and heir to his throne were murdered by their mother and he had to continue to live with her. Not only live but talk to her about other things. Talk to her and make her pregnant. King Santanu did all of his duties but never challenged her.

Santanu was a King after all. If Ganga was playing a hard-ball, He could also have muttered "Darling, Humne bhi koi Kachi Goli Nahi Kheli" or some such dialogue.

He could have found himself another woman, got married to her and made her pregnant instead and let Ganga eat Khatti Imli just to keep herself busy.

But the great faithful and loving husband that he was, he did not do that. He stayed loyal to his beloved wife Ganga.

As the story continues, he finally his wife asked the Why for the inhuman act of throwing his eight child, his infant into the River. The epic says and I quote "He spoke harshly to her for the first time".

Ganga spared the life of the eigth son and told the King Santanu a story about her killings. She concluded “now that you asked me and interfered with me, I will not live with you anymore. I will not be your wife from now on. I will not dump this child into the river but make him into a man fit enough to rule your kingdom. And she left.

Ganga explained to the her traumatised husband that 7 infants killed by her were Vasus who had been cursed into human form. She had made a promise to help them live their curse and keep their life as small as possible. So their kind mother Ganga performed a cruel job of killing them and releasing the soul of Vasu.

Today, we Hindus Celebrate Ganga as a mother of our Vedic Civilisation.

Isn't it too ironic that Kamsa used the exact same explanation for killing his 7 nephews but he was punished to death. Some might say that Punishment of Kamsa for killing 7 children still continues.

Back to Mahabharata.

King of the Land had to accept waiting for 16 years to see his son that he managed to save. He had to console himself that he finally had a hope of heir.

He did not go marry another woman as soon as Ganga left him. He longed to see his son taken away by Ganga. He waited for another 16 years.

8 to 10 years of a great marriage and 7 dumpings of infant in river followed by 16 years of staying unmarried.

He met his son when he was a prince and a warrior. Thankfully, Ganga had done a great job at raising their only son Devavrata.

The ministers in India say that India is the male-dominated society from time immemorial where women play second fiddle to her man.

We felicitate the woman who killed 7 of her own children as the mother of the nation. We say that if one take a full dip into river form of Ganga, all his accumulated bad karma of past 7 lives will be washed away.

I say, India is indeed a male dominated society.
In India, male are dominated by female every step of the way .

Hats off to King Santanu. Hats off to his fortitude amidst such an opression.
Hats off to his love to beget the child. Hats off to his faithfulness to his.
Hats off to the one who wrote Mahabharata.

Hats of to the River Ganga.

Now, at least now I can come to terms that my wife wanted to throw my son on railway tracks.

Dear Ms. Renuka Chowdhury. Are you listening? Do I now have your attention.

This was not the isolated incident for King Santanu.

His wife number two started chain of events that eventually led to the battle of Mahabharata. The epic battle in which 18 AXAHANI's were killed. The battle ground in which the Jewel of Indian epic, Srimad Bhagvad Gita came into existence.

King Santanu tried to live his life again and again fell for fisherman's daughter Satyavati.

Even in his second marriage, father of the bride called the shots. The poor fisherman extracted the unchallenged right to throne of the King Santanu just cause he was the father of the bride. His son Devavrata gave up the price for little bit of joy for his father and in doing so, Bheesma bonded himself into the service to throne.

King managed to gets sons out of Satyavati but his sons died before getting heirs. Even after living through 7 murders of his own son by his wife, direct lineage of the King Santanu eventually perished.

His only surviving son Bheesma died on 16th January 3122BC.
(Hey, Today is the death anniversary of Bheeshma, WOW!!)

The dynasty of King Santanu was carried forward by Sages like Parashar, Vedvyas and eventually with divine intervention from Dharmaraj, Indra, Vayu and Ashwini Kumar.

The woman who did this to him is still roaming free and worshipped in her River form.

This much amount of punch of Mahabharata is in first 9 pages.

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CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
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Before the imported western feminist ideologies were even born, men in India respected the woman. A respect so deep that even 5000 year dust and countless foreign regimes have not managed to cause the dent.

Using 5000 year old history of our nation, I emphatically state that Men are not violent to women inside the house. Men are not violent even when women committed
the most dastardly act when viewed from our mundane material senses.

Men were gentle before the word Gentleman was heard in India. Men like King Santanu were epitomes of word gentlemen. He did not misuse his power unlike modern day female ministers. Men did not opress their women in past. Men do not opress woman in present.

Each Men just snaps at differnt points in time to the opression from his woman.

So whatever imported ideologies you are using to justify liberation of Women is a big farce. Be Indian. Use Swadeshi. Use Mahabharata as an example.

Even 5000 years ago, King of the land, the most powerful men was helpless against his wife. You do not need to protect the women at all. Women do not need protection.

Government just needs to protect the men. They will do their duty willingly and protect their women far better than all of the laws put together. Men need women
for the gift that they posses of taking the human race forward. Men protect their
women for sake of their children.

There are thousands of men who think and behave to various shades of King Santanu.

Dear Government of India, you need to change gears and dismantle WCD and all
its evil cousins pronto. India will fare better without WCD or 498A or DV ...

King Santanu Amar Raha
Jab Tak Suraj Chand Rahega, Santanu tera naam rahega.

We WANT Welfare Ministry for Men.
We WANT to make male infanticide illegal too.

Ahem! There I said my bit, guys.

Chant after me ....

We WANT Welfare Ministry for Men.
We WANT to make male infanticide illegal too.

Dhun Macha De

Once more, come on you people !!

Chant after me ...