Kubja is a legendary hunchbacked woman from
Mathura
Mathura () is a city and the administrative headquarters of Mathura district in the states and union territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located south-east of Delhi; and about from the town of Vrindavan. In ancient ti ...
, who the Hindu god
Krishna
Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...
is described to have rescued and made beautiful.
The episode is described in the ''
Bhagavata Purana
The ''Bhagavata Purana'' (; ), also known as the ''Srimad Bhagavatam (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam)'', ''Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana'' () or simply ''Bhagavata (Bhāgavata)'', is one of Hinduism's eighteen major Puranas (''Mahapuranas'') and one ...
'', ''
Brahmavaivarta Purana
The ''Brahmavaivarta Purana'' (; ) is a voluminous Sanskrit text and one of the major Puranas (''Maha-purana'') of Hinduism. It is an important Vaishnava text. This Purana majorly centers around the Hindu deities Radha and Krishna.
Although ...
'' and the ''Sur sagar'' by
Surdas
Surdas was a 16th-century blind Hindu devotional poet and singing, singer, who was known for his works written in praise of Krishna. His compositions captured his devotion towards Krishna. Most of his poems were written in the Braj language, ...
.
Background
The ''Bhagavata Purana'' narrates that after meeting his friend
Sudama
Sudama (), also known as Kuchela (), is a childhood friend of the Hindu deity Krishna. The story of his visit to Dvaraka to meet his friend is featured in the Bhagavata Purana.
In their legend, Sudama and Krishna study together as children ...
, Krishna and his elder brother
Balarama
Balarama (, ) is a Hindu god, and the elder brother of Krishna. He is particularly significant in the Jagannath tradition, as one of the triad deities. He is also known as Haladhara, Halayudha, Baladeva, Balabhadra, and Sankarshana.
The fir ...
walked through the streets of Mathura and encountered Kubja, a young hunchback maidservant of king
Kamsa
Kamsa (, ) was the tyrant ruler of the Vrishni kingdom, with its capital at Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, Mathura. He is variously described in Hindu texts, Hindu literature as either a human or an asura; The Puranas describe him as an asura, while ...
. She had a beautiful face and carried a plate of ointment. Krishna praises her beauty and asks for ointment in return for a boon. She introduces herself as Trivakra, one who is bent in three places.
Mesmerized by Krishna's charm, she grants him the ointment that she was taking to the king. Pleased, Krishna presses his toes on her feet and places a finger from both his hands under her chin and raises the fingers. This straightened her body. Kubja is overcome with desire for her saviour and pulls the upper garment of Krishna, inviting him to her house. However, Krishna politely declines and promises to return to her after fulfilling the purpose of his visit.
Surdas's poetry mentions the episode in a passing reference, however the focus in that text is the saving grace of God, who does not discriminate in devotees and helps even a low class maidservant. After slaying Kamsa, Krishna visits Kubja with
Uddhava
Uddhava () is a character from the Puranic texts of Hinduism, described to be the friend and counsellor of Krishna. He plays a significant role in the Bhagavata Purana, being taught the processes of yoga and bhakti directly by Krishna. The principl ...
as promised. Kubja worships Krishna with her companions and offers him a seat of honour. As Kubja readies herself for Krishna, Krishna made himself comfortable in Kubja's bed in the inner chambers. By embracing him, Kubja's desire is fulfilled. She requests Krishna to stay with her, however Krishna left for Uddhava's residence, promising he will fulfil her desires again.
Surdas talks about the second meeting of Kubja and Krishna in more detail. He mentions that Kubja's fortune is due to her virtue in a previous life. After killing Kamsa, Krishna hurries to Kubja's house to fulfil her desire.
In the ''Brahma Vaivarta Purana'', Kubja is the reincarnation of
Shurpanakha
Shurpanakha (Sanskrit: शूर्पणखा, , ), is a ''rakshasi'' (demoness) in Hindu epic. Her legends are mainly narrated in the epic ''Ramayana'' and its other versions. She was the sister of Lanka's king, Ravana, and the daughter o ...
, a demoness who vied for
Rama
Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda' ...
, Krishna's previous birth on earth. Surpanaka's penance is rewarded in her birth as Kubja, when her desire to unite with Rama is fulfilled. Hence she receives Krishna (reincarnation of Rama) as husband (spiritually). After the union with Krishna she received Goloka and became a cowherdess named Candramukhi.
Classical works like the ''
Vishnu Purana
The Vishnu Purana () is one of the eighteen Mahapuranas, a genre of ancient and medieval texts of Hinduism. It is an important Pancharatra text in the Vaishnavism literature corpus.
The manuscripts of ''Vishnu Purana'' have survived into ...
'' do not record the visit of Krishna to Kubja's house.
In popular culture
The story of Kubja appears in the beginning and the end of the 2019 film ''
Bala
Bala may refer to:
Films
* ''Bala'' (1976 film), an English-language dance documentary
* ''Bala'' (2002 film), a Tamil-language action film
* ''Bala'' (2019 film), a Hindi-language black comedy
Life forms
*Bala shark (''Balantiocheilos melano ...
'', in the form of a school play.
The reference is made in relation to an underlying theme of
colorism
Discrimination based on skin tone, also known as colorism or shadeism, is a form of prejudice and discrimination in which individuals of the same race receive benefits or disadvantages based on the color of their skin. More specifcally, coloris ...
in the film.
See also
*
Ashtavakra
Ashtavakra (, ) is a revered Vedic sage in Hinduism. His maternal grandfather was the Vedic sage Aruni, his parents were both Vedic students at Aruni's school. Ashtavakra studied, became a sage and a celebrated character of the Hindu Itihasa ...
, a Vedic sage in Hinduism, who was deformed at eight places.
Notes
References
* {{cite book, first=Heidi R.M. , last=Pauwels, title=The Goddess as Role Model, date=11 September 2008, publisher=Oxford University Press, isbn=978-0-19-970857-4, chapter=The Threat of the Other Woman: Free-Spirited Surpanaka and Sosphisticated Kubja
People related to Krishna
Fictional hunchbacks