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The Mahabharata of Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 1 by or: Kisari Mohan Ganguli

o >> or: Kisari Mohan Ganguli >> The Mahabharata of Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 1




"The Valakhilyas said, 'O Prajapati, this sacrifice of us all is for an
Indra! Indeed this hath also been meant for a son being born unto thee!
Let this task be now left to thee. And in this matter do whatsoever thou
seest to be good and proper.'

"Sauti continued, 'Meanwhile, moved by the desire of offspring, the good
daughter of Daksha, the vow-observing, amiable, and fortunate Vinata, her
ascetic penances over, having purified herself with a bath in that season
when connubial companionship might prove fruitful, approached her lord.
And Kasyapa spake unto her, 'Respected one, the sacrifice commenced by me
hath borne fruit. What hath been desired by thee shall come to pass. Two
heroic sons, shall be born unto thee, who shall be the lords of the three
worlds. By the penances of the Valakhilyas and by virtue of the desire
with which I commenced my sacrifice, those sons shall be of exceedingly
good fortune and worshipped in the three worlds!' And the illustrious
Kasyapa spake unto her again, 'Bear thou these auspicious seeds with
great care. These two will be the lords of all winged creatures. These
heroic rangers of the skies will be respected in all the worlds, and
capable of assuming any form at will.

"And the Prajapati, gratified with all that took place, then addressed
Indra of a hundred sacrifices, saying, 'Thou shalt have two brothers of
great energy and prowess, who shall be to thee even as the helpmates.
From them no injury shall result unto thee. Let thy sorrow cease; thou
shalt continue as the lord of all. Let not, however, the utterers of the
name of Brahma be ever again slighted by thee. Nor let the very wrathful
ones, whose words are even the thunderbolt, be ever again insulted by
thee. Indra, thus addressed, went to heaven, his fears dispelled. And
Vinata also, her purpose fulfilled, was exceedingly glad. And she gave
birth to two sons, Aruna and Garuda. And Aruna, of undeveloped body,
became the fore-runner of the Sun. And Garuda was vested with the
lordship over the birds. O thou of Bhrigu's race, hearken now to the
mighty achievement of Garuda.'"

"So ends the thirty-first section in the Astika Parva of the Adi Parva.



SECTION XXXII

(Astika Parva continued)

"Sauti said, 'O foremost of Brahmanas, the gods having prepared for
battle in that way, Garuda, the king of birds, soon came upon those wise
ones. And the gods beholding him of excessive strength began to quake
with fear, and strike one another with all their weapons. And amongst
those that guarded the Soma was Brahmana (the celestial architect), of
measureless might, effulgent as the electric fire and of great energy.
And after a terrific encounter lasting only a moment, managed by the lord
of birds with his talons, beak, and wings, he lay as dead on the fields.
And the ranger of the skies making the worlds dark with the dust raised
by the hurricane of his wings, overwhelmed the celestials with it. And
the latter, overwhelmed with that dust, swooned away. And the immortals
who guarded the amrita, blinded by that dust, could no longer see Garuda.
Even thus did Garuda agitate the region of the heavens. And even thus he
mangled the gods with the wounds inflicted by his wings and beak.

"Then the god of a thousand eyes commanded Vayu (the god of wind),
saying, 'Dispel thou this shower of dust soon. O Maruta, this is indeed,
thy task. Then the mighty Vayu soon drove away that dust. And when the
darkness had disappeared, the celestials attacked Garuda. And as he of
great might was attacked by the gods, he began to roar aloud, like the
great cloud that appeareth in the sky at the end of the Yuga, frightening
every creature. And that king of birds, of great energy, that slayer of
hostile heroes, then rose on his wings. All the wise ones (the
celestials) with Indra amongst them armed with double-edged broad swords,
iron maces furnished with sharp spikes, pointed lances, maces, bright
arrows, and many a discus of the form of the sun, saw him over head. And
the king of birds, attacked them on all sides with showers of various
weapons and fought exceedingly hard without wavering for a moment. And
the son of Vinata, of great prowess blazing in the sky, attacked the gods
on all sides with his wings and breast. And blood began to flow copiously
from the bodies of the gods mangled by the talons and the beak of Garuda.
Overcome by the lord of birds, the Sadhyas with the Gandharvas fled
eastwards, the Vasus with the Rudras towards the south, the Adityas
towards the west, and the twin Aswins towards the north. Gifted with
great energy, they retreated fighting, looking back every moment on their
enemy.

"And Garuda had encounters with the Yakshas, Aswakranda of great courage,
Rainuka, the bold Krathanaka, Tapana, Uluka, Swasanaka, Nimesha, Praruja,
and Pulina. And the son of Vinata mangled them with his wings, talons,
and beak, like Siva himself, that chastiser of enemies, and the holder of
Pinaka in rage at the end of the Yuga. And those Yakshas of great might
and courage, mangled all over by that ranger of the skies, looked like
masses of black clouds dropping thick showers of blood.

"And Garuda, depriving them of life, and then went to where the amrita
was. And he saw that it was surrounded on all sides by fire. And the
terrible flames of that fire covered the entire sky. And moved by violent
winds, they seemed bent on burning the Sun himself. The illustrious
Garuda then assumed ninety times ninety mouths and quickly drinking the
waters of many rivers with those mouths and returning with great speed,
that chastiser of enemies, having wings for his vehicle extinguished that
fire with that water. And extinguishing that fire, he assumed a very
small form, desirous of entering into (the place where the Soma was).'"

So ends the thirty-second section in the Astika Parva of the Adi Parva.



SECTION XXXIII

(Astika Parva continued)

"Santi said, 'And that bird, assuming a golden body bright as the rays of
the Sun, entered with great force (the region where the Soma was), like a
torrent entering the ocean. And he saw, placed near the Soma, a wheel of
steel keen-edged, and sharp as the razor, revolving incessantly. And that
fierce instrument, of the splendour of the blazing sun and of terrible
form, had been devised by the gods for cutting in pieces all robbers of
the Soma. Garuda, seeing a passage through it, stopped there for a
moment. Diminishing his body, in an instant he passed through the spokes
of that wheel. Within the line of the wheel, he beheld, stationed there
for guarding the Soma two great snakes of the effulgence of blazing fire,
with tongues bright as the lightning-flash, of great energy, with mouth
emitting fire, with blazing eyes, containing poison, very terrible,
always in anger, and of great activity. Their eyes were ceaselessly
inflamed with rage and were also winkless. He who may be seen by even one
of the two would instantly be reduced to ashes. The bird of fair feathers
suddenly covered their eyes with dust. And unseen by them he attacked
them from all sides. And the son of Vinata, that ranger of the skies,
attacking their bodies, mangled them into pieces. He then approached the
Soma without loss of time. Then the mighty son of Vinata, taking up the
Amrita from the place where it was kept, rose on his wings with great
speed, breaking into pieces the machine that had surrounded it. And the
bird soon came out, taking the Amrita but without drinking it himself.
And he then wended on his way without the least fatigue, darkening the
splendour of the Sun.

"And the son of Vinata then met Vishnu on his way along the sky. And
Narayana was gratified at that act of self-denial on the part of Garuda.
And that deity, knowing no deterioration, said unto the ranger of the
skies, 'O, I am inclined to grant thee a boon.' The ranger of the skies
thereupon said, 'I shall stay above thee.' And he again spake unto
Narayana these words, 'I shall be immortal and free from disease without
(drinking) Amrita.' Vishnu said unto the son of Vinata, 'Be it so.'
Garuda, receiving those two boons, told Vishnu, 'I also shall grant thee
a boon; therefore, let the possessor of the six attributes ask of me.'
Vishnu then asked the mighty Garuda to become his carrier. And he made
the bird sit on the flagstaff of his car, saying, 'Even thus thou shalt
stay above me.' And the ranger of the skies, of great speed, saying unto
Narayana, 'Be it so,' swiftly wended on his way, mocking the wind with
his fleetness.

"And while that foremost of all rangers of the skies, that first of
winged creatures, Garuda, was coursing through the air after wresting the
Amrita, Indra hurled at him his thunderbolt. Then Garuda, the lord of
birds, struck with thunderbolt, spake laughingly unto Indra engaged in
the encounter, in sweet words, saying, 'I shall respect the Rishi
(Dadhichi) of whose bone the Vajra hath been made. I shall also respect
the Vajra, and thee also of a thousand sacrifices. I cast this feather of
mine whose end thou shalt not attain. Struck with thy thunder I have not
felt the slightest pain.' And having said this, the king of birds cast a
feather of his. And all creatures became exceedingly glad, beholding that
excellent feather of Garuda so cast off. And seeing that the feather was
very beautiful, they said, 'Let this bird be called Suparna (having fair
feathers). And Purandara of a thousand eyes, witnessing this wonderful
incident, thought that bird to be some great being and addressed him
thus.'

"And Indra said, 'O best of birds, I desire to know the limit of thy
great strength. I also desire eternal friendship with thee.'"

So ends the thirty-third section in the Astika Parva of the Adi Parva.



SECTION XXXIV

(Astika Parva continued)

'Sauti continued, 'Garuda then said, 'O Purandara, let there be
friendship between thee and me as thou desirest. My strength, know thou,
is hard to bear. O thou of a thousand sacrifices, the good never approve
of speaking highly of their own strength, nor do they speak of their own
merits. But being made a friend, and asked by thee, O friend, I will
answer thee, although self-praise without reason is ever improper. I can
bear, on a single feather of mine, O Sakra, this Earth, with her
mountains and forests and with the waters of the ocean, and with thee
also stationed thereon. Know thou, my strength is such that I can bear
without fatigue even all the worlds put together, with their mobile and
immobile objects.'

"Sauti continued, 'O Saunaka, after Garuda of great courage had thus
spoken, Indra the chief of the gods, the wearer of the (celestial) crown,
ever bent upon the good of the worlds, replied, saying, 'It is as thou
sayest. Everything is possible in thee. Accept now my sincere and hearty
friendship. And if thou hast no concern with the Soma, return it to me.
Those to whom thou wouldst give it would always oppose us.' Garuda
answered, 'There is a certain reason for which the Soma is being carried
by me. I shall not give the Soma to any one for drink. But, O thou of a
thousand eyes, after I have placed it down, thou, O lord of the heavens,
canst then, taking it up, instantly bring it away.' Indra then said, 'O
oviparous one, I am highly gratified with these words now spoken by thee.
O best of all rangers of the skies; accept from me any boon that thou
desirest.'

"Sauti continued, 'Then Garuda, recollecting the sons of Kadru and
remembering also the bondage of his mother caused by an act of deception
owing to the well-known reason (viz., the curse of Aruna), said,
'Although I have power over all creatures, yet I shall do your bidding.
Let, O Sakra, the mighty snakes become my food.' The slayer of the
Danavas having said unto him, 'Be it so,' then went to Hari, the god of
gods, of great soul, and the lord of Yogins. And the latter sanctioned
everything that had been said by Garuda. And the illustrious lord of
heaven again said unto Garuda, 'I shall bring away the Soma when thou
placest it down.' And having said so, he bade farewell to Garuda. And the
bird of fair feathers then went to the presence of his mother with great
speed.

"And Garuda in joy then spake unto all the snakes, 'Here have I brought
the Amrita. Let me place it on some Kusa grass. O ye snakes, sitting
here, drink of it after ye have performed your ablutions and religious
rites. As said by you, let my mother become, from this day, free, for I
have accomplished your bidding.' The snakes having said unto Garuda, 'Be
it so,' then went to perform their ablutions. Meanwhile, Sakra taking up
the Amrita, wended back to heaven. The snakes after performing their
ablutions, their daily devotions, and other sacred rites, returned in
joy, desirous of drinking the Amrita. They saw that the bed of kusa grass
whereon the Amrita had been placed was empty, the Amrita itself having
been taken away by a counter-act of deception. And they began to lick
with their tongues the kusa grass, as the Amrita had been placed thereon.
And the tongues of the snakes by that act became divided in twain. And
the kusa grass, too, from the contact with Amrita, became sacred
thenceforth. Thus did the illustrious Garuda bring Amrita (from the
heavens) for the snakes, and thus were the tongues of snakes divided by
what Garuda did.

"Then the bird of fair feathers, very much delighted, enjoyed himself in
those woods accompanied by his mother. Of grand achievements, and deeply
reverenced by all rangers of the skies, he gratified his mother by
devouring the snakes.

"That man who would listen to this story, or read it out to an assembly
of good Brahmanas, must surely go to heaven, acquiring great merit from
the recitation of (the feats of) Garuda.'"

And so ends the thirty-fourth section in the Astika Parva of the Adi
Parva.



SECTION XXXV

(Astika Parva continued)

"Saunaka said, 'O son of Suta, thou hast told us the reason why the
snakes were cursed by their mother, and why Vinata also was cursed by her
son. Thou hast also told us about the bestowal of boons, by their
husband, on Kadru and Vinata. Thou hast likewise told us the names of
Vinata's sons. But thou hast not yet recited to us the names of the
snakes. We are anxious to hear the names of the principal ones.'

"Sauti said, O thou whose wealth is asceticism, from fear of being
lengthy, I shall not mention the names of all the snakes. But I will
recite the names of the chief ones. Listen to me!

"Sesha was born first, and then Vasuki. (Then were born) Airavata,
Takshaka, Karkotaka, Dhananjaya, Kalakeya, the serpent Mani, Purana,
Pinjaraka, and Elapatra, Vamana, Nila, Anila, Kalmasha, Savala, Aryaka,
Ugra, Kalasapotaka, Suramukha, Dadhimukha, Vimalapindaka, Apta, Karotaka,
Samkha, Valisikha, Nisthanaka, Hemaguha, Nahusha, Pingala, Vahyakarna,
Hastipada, Mudgarapindaka, Kamvala Aswatara, Kaliyaka, Vritta,
Samvartaka, Padma, Mahapadma, Sankhamukha, Kushmandaka, Kshemaka,
Pindaraka, Karavira, Pushpadanshtraka, Vilwaka, Vilwapandara, Mushikada,
Sankhasiras, Purnabhadra, Haridraka, Aparajita, Jyotika, Srivaha,
Kauravya, Dhritarashtra, Sankhapinda, Virajas, Suvahu, Salipinda,
Prabhakara, Hastipinda, Pitharaka, Sumuksha, Kaunapashana, Kuthara,
Kunjara, Kumuda, Kumudaksha, Tittri, Halika, Kardama, Vahumulaka,
Karkara, Akarkara, Kundodara, and Mahodara.

"Thus, O best of regenerate ones, have I said the names of the principal
serpents. From fear of being tedious I do not give names of the rest. O
thou whose wealth is asceticism, the sons of these snakes, with their
grandsons, are innumerable. Reflecting upon this, I shall not name them
to thee. O best ascetics, in this world the number of snakes baffles
calculation, there being many thousands and millions of them.'"

So ends the thirty-fifth section in the Astika Parva of the Adi Parva.



SECTION XXXVI

(Astika Parva continued)

"Saunaka said, 'O child, thou hast named many of the serpents gifted with
great energy and incapable of being easily overcome. What did they do
after hearing of that curse?'

"Sauti said, 'The illustrious Sesha amongst them, of great renown,
leaving his mother practised hard penances, living upon air and rigidly
observing his vows. He practised these ascetic devotions, repairing to
Gandhamadana, Vadri, Gokarna, the woods of Pushkara, and the foot of
Himavat. And he passed his days in those sacred regions, some of which
were sacred for their water and others for their soil in the rigid
observance of his vows, with singleness of aim, and his passions under
complete control. And the Grandsire of all, Brahma, saw that ascetic with
knotted hair, clad in rags, and his flesh, skin, and sinews dried up
owing to the hard penances he was practising. And the Grandsire
addressing him, that penance-practising one of great fortitude, said,
'What is that thorn doest, O Sesha? Let the welfare of the creatures of
the worlds also engage thy thoughts. O sinless one, thou art afflicting
all creatures by thy hard penances. O Sesha, tell me the desire implanted
in thy breast.'

"And Sesha replied, 'My uterine brothers are all of wicked hearts. I do
not desire to live amongst them. Let this be sanctioned by thee. Like
enemies they are always jealous of one another. I am, therefore, engaged
in ascetic devotions. I will not see them even. They never show any
kindness for Vinata and her son. Indeed, Vinata's son capable of ranging
through the skies, is another brother of ours. They always envy him. And
he, too, is much stronger owing to the bestowal of that boon by our
father, the high-souled Kasyapa. For these, I engaged in ascetic
penances, and I will cast off this body of mine, so that I may avoid
companionship with them, even in another state of life.'

"Unto Sesha who had said so, the Grandsire said, 'O Sesha, I know the
behaviour of all thy brothers and their great danger owing to their
offence against their mother. But O Snake, a remedy (for this) hath been
provided by me even beforehand. It behoveth thee not to grieve for thy
brothers. O Sesha, ask of me the boon thou desirest. I have been highly
gratified with thee and I will grant thee today a boon. O best of snakes,
it is fortunate that thy heart hath been set on virtue. Let thy heart be
more and more firmly set on virtue.'

"Then Sesha replied, 'O divine Grandsire, this is the boon desired by me;
viz., may my heart always delight in virtue and in blessed ascetic
penances, O Lord of all!'

"Brahman said, 'O Sesha, I am exceedingly gratified with this thy
self-denial and love of peace. But, at my command, let this act be done
by thee for the good of my creatures. Bear thou, O Sesha, properly and
well this Earth so unsteady with her mountains and forests, her seas and
towns and retreats, so that she may be steady.'

"Sesha said, 'O divine Lord of all creatures, O bestower of boons, O lord
of the Earth, lord of every created thing, lord of the universe, I will,
even as thou sayest hold the Earth steady. Therefore, O lord of all
creatures, place her on my head.'

"Brahman said, 'O best of snakes, go underneath the Earth. She will
herself give thee a crevice to pass through. And, O Sesha, by holding the
Earth, thou shalt certainly do what is prized by me very greatly.'

"Sauti continued, 'Then the elder brother of the king of the snakes,
entering a hole, passed to the other side of the Earth, and holding her,
supported with his head that goddess with her belt of seas passing all
round.'

"Brahman said, 'O Sesha, O best of snakes, thou art the god Dharma,
because alone, with thy huge body, thou supportest the Earth with
everything on her, even as I myself, or Valavit (Indra), can.'

"Sauti continued, 'The snake, Sesha, the lord Ananta, of great prowess,
lives underneath the Earth, alone supporting the world at the command of
Brahman. And the illustrious Grandsire, the best of the immortals, then
gave unto Ananta the bird of fair feathers, viz., the son of Vinata, for
Ananta's help.'"

So ends the thirty-sixth section in the Astika Parva of the Adi Parva.



SECTION XXXVII

(Astika Parva continued)

"Sauti said, 'That best of snakes, viz., Vasuki, hearing the curse of his
mother, reflected how to render it abortive. He held a consultation with
all his brothers, Airavata and others, intent upon doing what they deemed
best for themselves.'

"And Vasuki said, 'O ye sinless ones, the object of this curse is known
to you. It behoveth us to strive to neutralise it. Remedies certainly
exist for all curses, but no remedy can avail those cursed by their
mother. Hearing that this curse hath been uttered in the presence of the
Immutable, the Infinite, and the True one, my heart trembleth. Surely,
our annihilation hath come. Otherwise why should not the Immutable Lord
prevent our mother while uttering the curse? Therefore, let us consult
today how we may secure the safety of the snakes. Let us not waste time.
All of you are wise and discerning. We will consult together and find out
the means of deliverance as (did) the gods of yore to regain lost Agni
who had concealed himself within a cave, so that Janamejaya's sacrifice
for the destruction of the snakes may not take place, and so that we may
not meet with destruction.'

"Sauti continued, 'Thus addressed all the offspring of Kadru assembled
together, and, wise in counsels, submitted their opinions to one another.
One party of the serpents said, 'We should assume the guise of superior
Brahmanas, and beseech Janamejaya, saying, 'This (intended) sacrifice of
yours ought not to take place.' Other snakes thinking themselves wise,
said, 'We should all become his favourite counsellors. He will then
certainly ask for our advice in all projects. And we will then give him
such advice that the sacrifice may be obstructed. The king, the foremost
of wise men, thinking us of sterling worth will certainly ask us about
his sacrifice. We will say, 'It must not be!' And pointing to many
serious evils in this and the next worlds, we will take care that the
sacrifice may not take place. Or, let one of the snakes, approaching,
bite the person who, intending the monarch's good, and well-acquainted
with the rites of the snake-sacrifice, may be appointed as the
sacrificial priest, so that he will die. The sacrificial priest dying,
the sacrifice will not be completed. We will also bite all those who,
acquainted with the rites of the snake-sacrifice, may be appointed
Ritwiks of the sacrifice, and by that means attain our object.' Other
snakes, more virtuous and kind, said, 'O, this counsel of yours is evil.
It is not meet to kill Brahmanas. In danger, that remedy is proper, which
is blessed on the practices of the righteous. Unrighteousness finally
destroyeth the world.' Other serpents said, 'We will extinguish the
blazing sacrificial fire by ourselves becoming clouds luminous with
lightning and pouring down showers.' Other snakes, the best of their
kind, proposed, 'Going, by night, let us steal away the vessel of Soma
juice. That will disturb the rite. Or, at that sacrifice, let the snakes,
by hundreds and thousands, bite the people, and spread terror around. Or,
let the serpents defile the pure food with their food-defiling urine and
dung.' Others said, 'Let us become the king's Ritwiks, and obstruct his
sacrifice by saying at the outset, 'Give us the sacrificial fee.' He (the
king), being placed in our power, will do whatever we like.' Others there
said, 'When the king will sport in the waters, we will carry him to our
home and bind him, so that that sacrifice will not take place!' Other
serpents who deemed themselves wise, said, 'Approaching the king, let us
bite him, so that our object will be accomplished. By his death the root
of all evil will be torn up. This is the final deliberation of us all, O
thou who hearest with thy eyes! Then, do speedily what thou deemest
proper.' Having said this, they looked intently at Vasuki, that best of
snakes. And Vasuki also, after reflecting, answered saying, 'Ye snakes,
this final determination of you doth not seem worthy of adoption. The
advice of you all is not to my liking. What shall I say which would be
for your good? I think the grace of the illustrious Kasyapa (our father)
can alone do us good. Ye snakes, my heart doth not know which of all your
suggestions is to be adopted for the welfare of my race as also of me.
That must be done by me which would be to your weal. It is this that
makes me so anxious, for the credit or the discredit (of the measure) is
mine alone.'"

So ends the thirty-seventh section in the Astika Parva of the Adi Parva.



SECTION XXXVIII

(Astika Parva continued)

"Sauti said, 'Hearing the respective speeches of all the snakes, and
hearing also the words of Vasuki, Elapatra began to address them, saying,
'That sacrifice is not one that can be prevented. Nor is king Janamejaya
of the Pandava race from whom this fear proceedeth, such that he can be
hindered. The person, O king, who is afflicted by fate hath recourse to
fate alone; nothing else can be his refuge. Ye best of snakes, this fear
of ours hath fate for its root. Fate alone must be our refuge in this.
Listen to what I say. When that curse was uttered, ye best of snakes, in
fear I lay crouching on the lap of our mother. Ye best of snakes, and O
lord (Vasuki) of great splendour, from that place I heard the words the
sorrowing gods spake unto the Grandsire. The gods said, 'O Grandsire,
thou god of gods who else than the cruel Kadru could thus, after getting
such dear children, curse them so, even in thy presence? And, O
Grandsire, by thee also hath been spoken, with reference to those words
of hers, 'Be it so.' We wish to know the reason why thou didst not
prevent her.' Brahman replied, 'The snakes have multiplied. They are
cruel, terrible in form and highly poisonous. From desire of the good of
my creatures, I did not prevent Kadru then. Those poisonous serpents and
others who are sinful, biting others for no faults, shall, indeed, be
destroyed, but not they who are harmless and virtuous. And hear also,
how, when the hour comes, the snakes may escape this dreadful calamity.
There shall be born in the race of the Yayavaras a great Rishi known by
the name of Jaratkaru, intelligent, with passions under complete control.
That Jaratkaru shall have a son of the name of Astika. He shall put a
stop to that sacrifice. And those snakes who shall be virtuous shall
escape therefrom. The gods said, 'O thou truth-knowing one, on whom will
Jaratkaru, that foremost Muni, gifted with great energy and asceticism,
beget that illustrious son?' Brahma answered, 'Gifted with great energy,
that best Brahmana shall beget a son possessed of great energy on a wife
of the same name as his. Vasuki, the king of the snakes, hath a sister of
the name of Jaratkaru; the son, of whom I speak, shall be born of her,
and he shall liberate the snakes.'

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Sylvia Plath's only play was never intended for the stage, being broadcast instead on BBC radio in August 1962. Less than six months later, Plath killed herself, but not before the burst of astonishing creative energy that produced her extraordinary, terrifying Ariel poems.

Anyone who knows Plath's poetry will see the connection between Three Women and Plath's subsequent poems, particularly in the way she talks about the agony of childbirth, the rush of love for this tiny alien being, and both the wonder and wounded rawness of motherhood. It is a beautiful piece, full of startling imagery that draws you in through the sheer intensity of its femaleness, and because it so precisely articulates the emotions that are often thought but seldom voiced by women - certainly not in the early 1960s - about men, motherhood and our relationship to our bodies.

It's been 20 years since there has been an attempt at a professional stage version and - in a theatre world that happily accepts the poetic offerings of Sarah Kane and Debbie Tucker Green, or the staged possibilities of The Waves, one of Plath's own inspirations for the piece, I see no reason why it shouldn't be brought to life. Sadly, it doesn't breathe here, in a production by Robert Shaw that is clearly a labour of love, but which never finds a way to give the internal a physical reality. Plath's poetry, like most babies, is more robust than it appears - and won't break if treated with a little less reverence and considerably more grit.

Instead, what we are offered is tinkling piano music, mournful mood lighting, an innocuous pale setting, as well as three perfectly good but indisputably ladylike performances that capture none of the wounded redness of Plath's poetry, and do her the disservice of making her sound bleached and somewhat prissy. It's a pity. What might have been a wonder ends up a mere curiosity.

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