Tumburu
Encyclopedia
In Hindu mythology
, Tumburu , also spelt Tumbaru (तुम्बरु) and Tumbara (तुम्बर) is the best among Gandharvas or celestial musician and is sometimes described as the best of singers. He is described to perform in the courts of gods Kubera
and Indra
as well as sing praises of god Vishnu
. He leads the Gandharvas in their singing.
Tumburu often described as the best among Gandharvas or celestial musicians. A "mighty singer and musician", he sings in presence of gods. Besides Narada
and Gopa, he is regarded the king of songs. Bhagavata Purana
considers Narada to be the teacher of Tumburu. The scripture mentions that Tumburu accompanied him on a visit to the court of Yudhishtira (See Mahabharata section). Narada and Tumburu are said to sing the glories of god Vishnu, the Unborn One. Adbhuta Ramayana
mentions that Tumburu was the best of all singers and was rewarded by god Vishnu
. Narada, a devotee of Vishnu, became jealous of Tumburu. Vishnu tells Narada that Tumburu was dearer to him as he loved songs of praise, rather than austerities that were performed by Narada and sent Narada to an owl named Ganabandhu, to learn music. After learning from the owl, Narada sets to conquer Tumburu. When he reaches Tumburus's house, he sees Tumburu surrounded by wounded men and women, who he discovers are musical Raga
s and Raginis, injured by his bad singing. Humiliated, Narada leaves and finally learns proper singing from god Krishna
's wives.
Tumburu is mentioned as the courtier of Indra
- the god-king of heaven - as well as of Kubera
, the god of riches. He is described as a follower of Kubera; his songs usually heard when passing Kubera's abode on Gandhamandana mountain. Tumburu is described as the special friend of Kubera and leads the Gandharavas in music and singing, which is performed by Gandharvas and Kinnaras. Tumburu is described as a "lord of Gandharvas", along with other lords like Haha-Huhu, Parvata, Citraratha. Tumburu is sometimes mentioned as a Muni (sage), rather than a Gandharva. Tumburu is also described to lead Gandharvas to watch the battles of men and goes to Mount Meru to worship with the divine sage Narada and other Gandharvas.
Tumburu is also described as the preceptor of the apsara
- divine dancer - Rambha. He is sometimes described as wedded to her. He only suffers a curse due to Rambha (See Ramayana section). Though thought to be as "the martial hero" of the Gandharvas, "yet one of the few yielding to love". In another reference, he is described to have two daughters Manovati and Sukesha, called Pancacudas collectively and who ride the Sun's chariot in the months of Chaitra
and Madhu (Vaisakha
). Tumburu is said to preside over months Madhu and Madhava (Magha
).
In South India, Tumburu is often portrayed horse-faced. He holds the instrument vina
that he plays as he sings. In another hand, he holds wooden cymbals, that he beats to maintain the rhythm. A South Indian legend records that Tumburu performed severe austerities and pleased god Shiva
. Tumburu asked Shiva to grant him a horse-face, immortality, liberty to travel the universe, skill in music and singing and ability to reside with and serve Shiva. Shiva blessed him and granted the boons that he sought.
, Tumburu appears in many instances related with the Pandava
brothers - the heroes of the epic. Tumburu once gifted Yudhisthira
a hundred horses and also attended his Ashvamedha
yagna ("horse-sacrifice"). He also stayed in Yudhisthira's court for some days.
Tumburu also attended the birth celebrations of the middle Pandava, Arjuna
and welcomed him in Svarga
(heaven) when he came to meet his father, Indra. "A friend of Arjuna", Tumburu also keenly watched Arjuna's battle fought against the Kauravas - the villains of the epic and cousins of the Pandavas - on the side of Virata
. Tumburu also granted Arjuna his Gandharva weapon.
Tumburu also granted Shikhandi
-an ally of the Pandavas- his war-horses.
mentions that Rama
- the Avatar
of god Vishnu
and his brother Lakshmana
encountered a demon called Viradha
, while in exile in the forest. This demon was the cursed Tumburu. Tumburu once offended Kubera by not bringing Rambha before Kubera at the stipulated time. Enraged, Kubera cursed him to be born as a demon (Rakshasa
). Kubera also decreed that Tumburu would be freed from the curse when Rama would slay him. Accordingly, Tumburu was born as Viradha, the son of giant Jaya and his wife Shatahrada. Viradha had two long arms and a fierce appearance. He rushed at Sita
, Rama's wife and caught hold of her and starting running again. Rama and Lakshamana followed him, compelling him to set Sita down. Then, they sat on the demon's shoulders and chopped off his arms. As Viradha was still alive, the brothers decided to bury him alive. Viradha then told his story to Rama and acquired the form of Tumburu, liberated from the curse and returned the home of the Gandharvas.
mentions that Tumburu's curse was responsible for the separation of the couple - king Pururavas
and the apsara Urvashi. Pururavas was once visiting heaven, when Rambha was performing before her preceptor Tumburu. Pururavas insulted her by finding a fault in her dance. When Tumburu questioned Pururavas's knowledge of the divine dances of heaven, the king responded that his wife Uravashi had taught him more than what Tumburu knew about the subject. Agitated, Tumburu cursed the king that he would be separated from Urvashi till he performs penance to Vishnu. The Gandharvas then kidnapped Urvashi, resulting in the curse to come true.
Hindu mythology
Hindu religious literature is the large body of traditional narratives related to Hinduism, notably as contained in Sanskrit literature, such as the Sanskrit epics and the Puranas. As such, it is a subset of Nepali and Indian culture...
, Tumburu , also spelt Tumbaru (तुम्बरु) and Tumbara (तुम्बर) is the best among Gandharvas or celestial musician and is sometimes described as the best of singers. He is described to perform in the courts of gods Kubera
Kubera
Kubera , also spelt Kuber, is the Lord of wealth and the god-king of the semi-divine Yakshas in Hindu mythology. He is regarded as the regent of the North , and a protector of the world His many epithets extol him as the overlord of numerous semi-divine species and the owner of the treasures of...
and Indra
Indra
' or is the King of the demi-gods or Devas and Lord of Heaven or Svargaloka in Hindu mythology. He is also the God of War, Storms, and Rainfall.Indra is one of the chief deities in the Rigveda...
as well as sing praises of god Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
. He leads the Gandharvas in their singing.
Birth and role
Tumburu is described the son of sage Kashyapa and his wife Pradha. Among the sons of Kashayapa, his four Gandharva sons Tumburu, Bahu, Haha and Huhu were renowned for their sweet and pleasant speech.Tumburu often described as the best among Gandharvas or celestial musicians. A "mighty singer and musician", he sings in presence of gods. Besides Narada
Narada
Narada or Narada Muni is a divine sage from the Vaisnava tradition, who plays a prominent role in a number of the Puranic texts, especially in the Bhagavata Purana, and in the Ramayana...
and Gopa, he is regarded the king of songs. Bhagavata Purana
Bhagavata purana
The Bhāgavata Purāṇa is one of the "Maha" Puranic texts of Hindu literature, with its primary focus on bhakti to the incarnations of Vishnu, particularly Krishna...
considers Narada to be the teacher of Tumburu. The scripture mentions that Tumburu accompanied him on a visit to the court of Yudhishtira (See Mahabharata section). Narada and Tumburu are said to sing the glories of god Vishnu, the Unborn One. Adbhuta Ramayana
Adbhuta Ramayana
Adbhuta Ramayana a Sanskrit work traditionally attributed to the sage Valmiki. It is considerably more obscure than both the Valmiki Ramayana—generally considered the original version—as well as Tulsidas’ awadhi version entitled Ramacharitamanasa, northern India’s most popular version of the...
mentions that Tumburu was the best of all singers and was rewarded by god Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
. Narada, a devotee of Vishnu, became jealous of Tumburu. Vishnu tells Narada that Tumburu was dearer to him as he loved songs of praise, rather than austerities that were performed by Narada and sent Narada to an owl named Ganabandhu, to learn music. After learning from the owl, Narada sets to conquer Tumburu. When he reaches Tumburus's house, he sees Tumburu surrounded by wounded men and women, who he discovers are musical Raga
Raga
A raga is one of the melodic modes used in Indian classical music.It is a series of five or more musical notes upon which a melody is made...
s and Raginis, injured by his bad singing. Humiliated, Narada leaves and finally learns proper singing from god Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
's wives.
Tumburu is mentioned as the courtier of Indra
Indra
' or is the King of the demi-gods or Devas and Lord of Heaven or Svargaloka in Hindu mythology. He is also the God of War, Storms, and Rainfall.Indra is one of the chief deities in the Rigveda...
- the god-king of heaven - as well as of Kubera
Kubera
Kubera , also spelt Kuber, is the Lord of wealth and the god-king of the semi-divine Yakshas in Hindu mythology. He is regarded as the regent of the North , and a protector of the world His many epithets extol him as the overlord of numerous semi-divine species and the owner of the treasures of...
, the god of riches. He is described as a follower of Kubera; his songs usually heard when passing Kubera's abode on Gandhamandana mountain. Tumburu is described as the special friend of Kubera and leads the Gandharavas in music and singing, which is performed by Gandharvas and Kinnaras. Tumburu is described as a "lord of Gandharvas", along with other lords like Haha-Huhu, Parvata, Citraratha. Tumburu is sometimes mentioned as a Muni (sage), rather than a Gandharva. Tumburu is also described to lead Gandharvas to watch the battles of men and goes to Mount Meru to worship with the divine sage Narada and other Gandharvas.
Tumburu is also described as the preceptor of the apsara
Apsara
An Apsara , also known as Vidhya Dhari or Tep Apsar in Khmer, Accharā or A Bố Sa La Tư , Bidadari , Biradali , Widodari and Apson , is a female spirit of the clouds and waters in...
- divine dancer - Rambha. He is sometimes described as wedded to her. He only suffers a curse due to Rambha (See Ramayana section). Though thought to be as "the martial hero" of the Gandharvas, "yet one of the few yielding to love". In another reference, he is described to have two daughters Manovati and Sukesha, called Pancacudas collectively and who ride the Sun's chariot in the months of Chaitra
Chaitra
Chaitra is a month of the Hindu calendar....
and Madhu (Vaisakha
Vaisakha
Vaishakha or Baisakha is a month of the Hindu calendar. It is the first month of the Nepalese calendar and the Bengali calendar . In the Indian national calendar Vaisakha is the second month of the year, beginning on April 21 and ending on May 20.In the Hindu solar calendar, Vaisakha begins in...
). Tumburu is said to preside over months Madhu and Madhava (Magha
Maagha
Maagha is a month of the Hindu calendar. In India's national civil calendar, Maagh is the eleventh month of the year, beginning in January and ending in February....
).
In South India, Tumburu is often portrayed horse-faced. He holds the instrument vina
Vina
-People:* Vina Bovy , Belgian operatic soprano* Vina Mazumdar , Indian academic and feminist* Vina Morales , Filipina singer, actress-Places:*Vina, Alabama, USA*Vina, California, USA*Vina , Serbia...
that he plays as he sings. In another hand, he holds wooden cymbals, that he beats to maintain the rhythm. A South Indian legend records that Tumburu performed severe austerities and pleased god Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
. Tumburu asked Shiva to grant him a horse-face, immortality, liberty to travel the universe, skill in music and singing and ability to reside with and serve Shiva. Shiva blessed him and granted the boons that he sought.
In the Mahabharata
In the Hindu epic MahabharataMahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
, Tumburu appears in many instances related with the Pandava
Pandava
In the Hindu epic Mahābhārata, the Pandava are the five acknowledged sons of Pandu , by his two wives Kunti and Madri. Their names are Yudhisthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva. Although, Karna is told by Lord Krishna that according to the laws and ethics he is the first son of Kunti making...
brothers - the heroes of the epic. Tumburu once gifted Yudhisthira
Yudhisthira
In the great Hindu epic Mahabharata, Yudhisthira , the eldest son of King Pandu and Queen Kunti, was king of Indraprastha and later of Hastinapura. He was the leader of the Pandava side in the Kurukshetra War...
a hundred horses and also attended his Ashvamedha
Ashvamedha
The Ashvamedha was one of the most important royal rituals of Vedic religion, described in detail in the Yajurveda...
yagna ("horse-sacrifice"). He also stayed in Yudhisthira's court for some days.
Tumburu also attended the birth celebrations of the middle Pandava, Arjuna
Arjuna
Arjuna in Indian mythology is the greatest warrior on earth and is one of the Pandavas, the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahābhārata. Arjuna, whose name means 'bright', 'shining', 'white' or 'silver' Arjuna (Devanagari: अर्जुन, Thai: อรชุน, Orachun, Tamil: Arjunan, Indonesian and Javanese: Harjuna,...
and welcomed him in Svarga
Svarga
In Hinduism, Svarga is a set of heavenly worlds located on and above Mt. Meru. It is a heaven where the righteous live in a paradise before their next reincarnation...
(heaven) when he came to meet his father, Indra. "A friend of Arjuna", Tumburu also keenly watched Arjuna's battle fought against the Kauravas - the villains of the epic and cousins of the Pandavas - on the side of Virata
Virata
Virata , in the Hindu epic Mahabharata, was a king in whose court the Pandavas spent a year in concealment during their exile. Virata was married to Queen Sudeshna and was the father of Prince Uttara and Princess Uttarā, who married Abhimanyu son of Arjuna. Their son Parikshit succeeded...
. Tumburu also granted Arjuna his Gandharva weapon.
Tumburu also granted Shikhandi
Shikhandi
Shikhandi is a character in the Hindu epic, the Mahābhārata. He was originally born as a girl child named 'Shikhandini' to Drupada, the king of Panchala...
-an ally of the Pandavas- his war-horses.
In the Ramayana: Viradha
The RamayanaRamayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
mentions that Rama
Rama
Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...
- the Avatar
Avatar
In Hinduism, an avatar is a deliberate descent of a deity to earth, or a descent of the Supreme Being and is mostly translated into English as "incarnation," but more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation"....
of god Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
and his brother Lakshmana
Lakshmana
Lakshmana was the brother and close companion of Rama, and himself a hero in the famous epic Ramayana...
encountered a demon called Viradha
Viradha
Virādha is minor character from the Aranya Kanda of the Ramayana. He is rakshasa living in Dandaka forest who briefly kidnaps Sita in an episode that has been described as "strongly [prefiguring Sita's] later abduction by Ravana, the central event of the book and the pivotal event of the epic." ...
, while in exile in the forest. This demon was the cursed Tumburu. Tumburu once offended Kubera by not bringing Rambha before Kubera at the stipulated time. Enraged, Kubera cursed him to be born as a demon (Rakshasa
Rakshasa
A Rakshasa or alternatively rakshas, is a race of mythological humanoid beings or unrighteous spirit in Hindu and Buddhist religion...
). Kubera also decreed that Tumburu would be freed from the curse when Rama would slay him. Accordingly, Tumburu was born as Viradha, the son of giant Jaya and his wife Shatahrada. Viradha had two long arms and a fierce appearance. He rushed at Sita
SITA
SITA is a multinational information technology company specialising in providing IT and telecommunication services to the air transport industry...
, Rama's wife and caught hold of her and starting running again. Rama and Lakshamana followed him, compelling him to set Sita down. Then, they sat on the demon's shoulders and chopped off his arms. As Viradha was still alive, the brothers decided to bury him alive. Viradha then told his story to Rama and acquired the form of Tumburu, liberated from the curse and returned the home of the Gandharvas.
Other legends
The KathasaritsagaraKathasaritsagara
Kathasaritsagara is a famous 11th-century collection of Indian legends, fairy tales and folk tales as retold by a Saivite Brahmin named Somadeva....
mentions that Tumburu's curse was responsible for the separation of the couple - king Pururavas
Pururavas
Pururavas was the first king of the Aila dynasty or the Somavamsha. According to the Vedas, he is a mythological entity associated with the Surya and Usha , and is believed to resided in the middle region of the cosmos. The Rig Veda states that he was a son of Ila and was a pious king...
and the apsara Urvashi. Pururavas was once visiting heaven, when Rambha was performing before her preceptor Tumburu. Pururavas insulted her by finding a fault in her dance. When Tumburu questioned Pururavas's knowledge of the divine dances of heaven, the king responded that his wife Uravashi had taught him more than what Tumburu knew about the subject. Agitated, Tumburu cursed the king that he would be separated from Urvashi till he performs penance to Vishnu. The Gandharvas then kidnapped Urvashi, resulting in the curse to come true.