Shishupala
In the Mahabharata, the later of the two
great Hindu epics, Shishupala is the son
of the king of Cedi. He is also described
as a reincarnation of Jaya—one of the
gatekeepers of the god Vishnu’sheavenly
dwelling, Vaikuntha—who has been
cursed by the sages to be born three
times as a demonand killed by the god
Vishnu each time. Shishupala is born
with three eyes and four hands, but as
his horrified parents are about to aban-
don him, a celestial voice informs them
that the child will grow up into a power-
ful king. The heavenly voice also says
that Shishupala can be killed by only
one person on earth, that Shishupala’s
third eye will disappear when he sees
that person, and that two of his hands
will disappear when the person takes
him in his lap. After some time the god
Krishnapays a visit to Cedi, and when
the signs take place as foretold,
Shishupala’s parents know that Krishna
is the only person who can kill their son.
Shishupala’s mother is Krishna’s aunt,
and when she begs him not to kill her
son, Krishna promises to forgive
Shishupala’s misdeeds one hundred
times. Krishna sticks to his word, but
such forbearance only makes Shish-
upala more reckless, and after the one
hundred and first insult, Krishna
throws his discus and cuts off
Shishupala’s head.
Shishupala-Vadha
(“Slaughter of Shishupala”) Sanskrit
drama written by the seventh-century
poet Magha, which is traditionally reck-
oned as one of the six mahakavyas. The
play’s theme is the death of the mythic
figure Shishupala, whose mother has
been promised by Krishnathat he will
forgive her son one hundred times. This
promise only makes Shishupala more
reckless, and after the one hundred and
first insult, Krishna throws his discus
and cuts off Shishupala’s head. Aside
from its mythic theme, the play
is notable for a number of unusual
verses, such as verses that are perfect
palindromes (verses that are the same
when read backward or forward), or that
use only one or two consonants, as a
sign of the poet’s skill.Shishya
(“to be taught”) A word that in its literal
meaning can refer to any student but in
its most common sense refers to the dis-
ciple of a religious instructor (guru).Shitala
Hindu goddesswho is both worshiped
and feared. Shitala was traditionally
believed to be the physical representa-
tion of smallpox, a deadly virus, and a
person infected with the disease was
thought to be possessed by the goddess,
a notion reinforced by the fever and
delirium that often accompany this dis-
ease. Shitala is also associated with
heat—both because of the fever caused
by smallpox and because her major
religious observance, Shitalashtami,
comes near the advent of the hot sea-
son. Shitala is considered a jealous,
spiteful goddess whose wrath is visited
upon those who ignore and displease
her. The literal meaning of her name,
“Cool One,” can be seen as an attempt to
appease her wrath through flattery.
Shitala has retained prominence even
though the World Health Organization
has declared that smallpox has been
completely eradicated. In a fascinating
example of religious change, one writer
details how Shitala has shifted the dis-
ease through which she shows herself,
and now appears in the guise of tuber-
culosis. See Margaret Thrice Egnor, “The
Changed Mother, or What the Smallpox
Goddess Did when There Was No More
Smallpox,” Contributions to Asian
Studies XVIII, 1984.Shitalashtami
Religious observance celebrated on the
eighth day of the bright (waxing) half
of the lunar month of Baisakh
(April–May), in honor of the goddess
Shitala. In northern India this festivalShishupala