Behula
Encyclopedia
Behula is the heroine in the Manasamangal genre of Bangla
medieval epics. A number of works belonging to this genre were written between the thirteenth and eighteenth centuries. Though the religious purpose of these works is to eulogise the Hindu goddess Manasa
, these works are more well known for depicting the love story of Behula and her husband Lakhindar.
mind, both in Bangladesh
and West Bengal
. She is often seen as the archetypal Bengali woman, full of love and courage. This image of Behula is reflected in one of the poems of Jibananda Das. Behula was the daughter-in law of Chand Sadagar
of Champaknagar.According to myth, two beautiful "apsara's of the kingdom of heaven, Usha and Aniruddha were cursed by Gods as per the plan of Goddess Manasa and sent to earth as Behula and Lakshinder- Behula as the only daughter of Say bene and Lakshinder as the seventh son of Chand sadagar. Chand sadagar was a great devotee of Shiva and for certain reasons he hated Manasa. But Manasa had to get "Anjali" by Chand sadagar's right hand- the Bhaktasreshto to get position of Goddess in the heaven.However, Chand sadagar promised to himself that he will never give anjali to Manasa by the hand he uses to give anjali to Lord Shiva. To get an anjali from Chand, Manasa took away his six sons.They died from poisonous snake bites and manasa had absolute power over all snakes. These deaths infuriated Chand sadagar even more and he vowed to save his last son, lakhinder, in any way possible. Chand found a girl,Behula, whose destiny spoke that she will never be a widow. Chand got his seventh son, Lakshinder married with Behula. Chand also had an iron-palace built without any hole so that not a single snake could enter the house. Bishyakarma made it for the wedding night of Behula-Lakshinder. But due to the request of Manasa, Bishyakarma kept a hole in the palace. The night came and Manasa sent her Kalnagini, the most poisonous snake, to the iron palace. Behula fell asleep due to a spell Manasa cast on her. When Kalnagini was going to bite Lakshinder, she saw that Behula had committed no sin for which she might be given such a harsh punishment. So kalnagini, with the help of the lower end of her body smeared the parting of Behula's hair with the oil of the lamp, which was a sin according to the Hindu mythology. After she bit Lakshinder, Lakshinder shouted aloud. Behula woke up and saw kalnagini going out of the room. In anger, she threw the jaanti towards kalnagini and the lower part of the snake's body was cut off. kalnagini was not eager to bite Lakshinder; Manasa forced her to do so. To get back her husband's life from the Gods in the heavens, Behula sailed with her husband in a raft towards Heaven. She faced many dangers during her incredibly long and difficult journey in the rivers. After reaching Heaven, she pleased all the Gods with her beautiful and enchanting dancing and got the Gods to promise to give back her husband's life on the condition that Chand would give anjali to Manasa. Desperate to save his son's life, finally Chand gave in and gave the anjali by the left hand. Consequentlty Manasa got the position of Goddess in heaven and gave back the life of all the six sons of Chand. Behula is regarded as the epitome of loving and loyal wife in the bengali culture.
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
medieval epics. A number of works belonging to this genre were written between the thirteenth and eighteenth centuries. Though the religious purpose of these works is to eulogise the Hindu goddess Manasa
Manasa
Manasa is a Hindu folk goddess of snakes, worshipped mainly in Bengal and other parts of northeastern India, chiefly for the prevention and cure of snakebite and also for fertility and prosperity. Manasa is the sister of Vasuki, king of Nāgas and wife of sage Jagatkāru...
, these works are more well known for depicting the love story of Behula and her husband Lakhindar.
Impact on Bengali ethos
Behula continues to fascinate the BengaliBengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
mind, both in Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
and West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
. She is often seen as the archetypal Bengali woman, full of love and courage. This image of Behula is reflected in one of the poems of Jibananda Das. Behula was the daughter-in law of Chand Sadagar
Chand Sadagar
Chand Sadagar, , , was a rich and powerful merchant of Champak Nagar in ancient India. Bipradas Pipilai gave an account in his Manasamangal about the merchant ship of the trader Chand Saudagar proceeding to the sea, passing through Saptagram and Tribeni, the tri junction of the Ganges, Saraswati...
of Champaknagar.According to myth, two beautiful "apsara's of the kingdom of heaven, Usha and Aniruddha were cursed by Gods as per the plan of Goddess Manasa and sent to earth as Behula and Lakshinder- Behula as the only daughter of Say bene and Lakshinder as the seventh son of Chand sadagar. Chand sadagar was a great devotee of Shiva and for certain reasons he hated Manasa. But Manasa had to get "Anjali" by Chand sadagar's right hand- the Bhaktasreshto to get position of Goddess in the heaven.However, Chand sadagar promised to himself that he will never give anjali to Manasa by the hand he uses to give anjali to Lord Shiva. To get an anjali from Chand, Manasa took away his six sons.They died from poisonous snake bites and manasa had absolute power over all snakes. These deaths infuriated Chand sadagar even more and he vowed to save his last son, lakhinder, in any way possible. Chand found a girl,Behula, whose destiny spoke that she will never be a widow. Chand got his seventh son, Lakshinder married with Behula. Chand also had an iron-palace built without any hole so that not a single snake could enter the house. Bishyakarma made it for the wedding night of Behula-Lakshinder. But due to the request of Manasa, Bishyakarma kept a hole in the palace. The night came and Manasa sent her Kalnagini, the most poisonous snake, to the iron palace. Behula fell asleep due to a spell Manasa cast on her. When Kalnagini was going to bite Lakshinder, she saw that Behula had committed no sin for which she might be given such a harsh punishment. So kalnagini, with the help of the lower end of her body smeared the parting of Behula's hair with the oil of the lamp, which was a sin according to the Hindu mythology. After she bit Lakshinder, Lakshinder shouted aloud. Behula woke up and saw kalnagini going out of the room. In anger, she threw the jaanti towards kalnagini and the lower part of the snake's body was cut off. kalnagini was not eager to bite Lakshinder; Manasa forced her to do so. To get back her husband's life from the Gods in the heavens, Behula sailed with her husband in a raft towards Heaven. She faced many dangers during her incredibly long and difficult journey in the rivers. After reaching Heaven, she pleased all the Gods with her beautiful and enchanting dancing and got the Gods to promise to give back her husband's life on the condition that Chand would give anjali to Manasa. Desperate to save his son's life, finally Chand gave in and gave the anjali by the left hand. Consequentlty Manasa got the position of Goddess in heaven and gave back the life of all the six sons of Chand. Behula is regarded as the epitome of loving and loyal wife in the bengali culture.