SOME BEAUTIFUL WOMEN
FROM MYTH TO REALITY
SARASIJ MAJUMDER
Introduction:- First, we should have an acceptable definition of a beautiful ‘WOMAN’. And here comes Kalidas, who described it in ‘MEGHDUTAM:
तन्वी श्यामा शिखरि दशना पक्व बिम्बाधरोष्ठी,
मध्ये क्षामा चकित हरिणी प्रेक्षणा निम्ननाभि।
श्रोणीभारादलसगमना स्तोकनम्रा स्तनाभ्यां;
या तत्रा स्याद्युवतिविषये सृष्टिराद्येव धातुः।|
English translation ( by me) of above is as follows: (The Woman is) ‘Well-formed and elegantly slim, soft, but radiant in complexion, with small and evenly formed white rows of teeth, smiling with leaps thin and like pomegranate in colour, narrow at waist, and looks deeply with Deer like eyes, deep Naval exposed, moving slowly due to abundantly proportioned buttock, and lightly bent forward due to weight of well-formed large but erect breasts’—if God created any such most beautiful women—she is ‘यक्षिणी’—a holy guardian angel, and heroine of the ‘MEGHDUTAM’.
Applying above—we will try to find out some women of beauty. We will start with ‘Mythology’.
GREEK MYTHOLOGY:
The most beautiful goddess in Greek mythology was Aphrodite, who was chosen by the mortal Prince Paris as the fairest of the three goddesses, a decision that led to the Trojan War. The other two goddesses, Hera and Athena, also participated in this “Judgement of Paris” contest, along with Aphrodite.
Aphrodite: The goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation. In the Judgement of Paris, she promised the most beautiful mortal woman, Helen of Troy, to Paris, securing her victory.
Roman goddess Venus is the counterpart to the Greek goddess Aphrodite. Botticelli painted ‘Venus-Di-Milo’ modelling “La Sans Par”, a noble women lived in renaissance period at Florence —and we will talk about her later. Image is Furnished.
Hera: The queen of the gods, wife of Zeus, and goddess of marriage, women, childbirth, and family. She offered Paris political power in exchange for her favour.
Athena: The goddess of wisdom, courage, civilization, strategic warfare, mathematics, inspiration, strength, skill, and the arts. She offered Paris wisdom in return for his judgment.
Paris declared his selection with ‘FATAL CONSEQUENCE’.
HINDU MYTHOLOGY:
In ancient text of India, we can find three beautiful women—Urvashi, Tilottama and Shri Maha Laxmi.
Maha Laxmi:- From ‘Sagar Manthan’ she came out right from sea. Shri Vishnu got mesmerized, and married her. She is the goddess of Wealth, and lives in ‘Vaikuntha’ abode with Shri Vishnu.
Urvashi: Urvashi, mentioned as the most beautiful apsara immortalized in Kalidasa’s ‘VIKRAMORVASHIYAM’ whose performances would enchant even Indra, the king of GODS.
Tilottama: “Tilottama Devi” also refer to Tilottama, the celestial nymph (Apsara) from Hindu mythology created by Vishwakarma on the advice of ‘BRAHMA’ to destroy the demon brothers Sunda and Upasunda, in a mutual duel.
FROM HISTORY OF INDIA:
Draupadi: — Comes closest to Kalidas’s description. She needs no introduction. She is one of the ‘PANCHA SATI’. I will correct some mis-conceptions here about her, based on my detailed study.
Draupadi never called Duryodhana “Andha ka Putra Andha” (A blind man’s son is blind too). Draupadi didn’t reject Karna at Swayam Vara. According to all authentic versions, Karna failed to string the bow. So, the popular phrase “I won’t marry a Sutpurta” (I won’t marry a charioteer’s son) is nothing but the brainchild of modern day authors and soap opera directors. She had no right to reject anyone as she was a “Viryashulka”. Polygamy and polyandry were acceptable practices back then. Draupadi never cursed the Kuru clan after her humiliation at the dice hall. Draupadi didn’t take any oath of washing her hair with Dushasana’s blood. Neither did she leave her hair open. Draupadi didn’t laugh at Bhishma on his death bed. And, she didn’t love Karna as was told in some versions. And lastly—she was not a ‘MYTH’. Image furnished.
Rani Padmavati:–The main source, the Padmavatpoem, was written over 200 years after Alauddin Khilji’s 1303 siege of Chittorgarh. Some historians argue the story is an allegory for lust versus wisdom, rather than a factual historical account. But she must have been the most beautiful queen of her time, a Sinhalese Princess, married to Rana Rawal Ratan Singh.
Lieutenant-Colonel James Todd presented a different account of ‘Padmavati’ in his historical writings, and some accounts name Ghiyas Uddin Khilji instead of Alauddin Khilji. Todd has erred in many other places, in his book.
Rani Rupamati:-Rupamati was a beautiful Dame, and gifted singer from Malwa, so beautiful and musical that forest animals would gather to hear her. While on a hunt, Sultan Baz Bahadur encountered her by the Narmada River and was captivated by her voice, leading to their romance. A Palace Built for Her, besides Narmada where they used to meet.
Emperor Akbar ordered the invasion of Mandu and sent his general, Adham Khan, to capture her alive. Baj Bahadur died in the battle, and Rani Rupmati ended her life by taking poison.
From Mughal Harem:
1.0 Anarkali alias Sharf-un-Nissa: There isn’t one single “ancient” book that definitively refers in details to Anarkali, but rather her story appears in historical texts from the 19th century and later, with the earliest known mention in the 1849 publication Tehqiqat–i–Chishti by Noor Ahmad Chishti, followed by the 1892 work Tareekh-e-Lahore by Sayed Abdul Latif, which also provides her name as Sharf-un-Nissa. The popular romance story with Prince Salim, however, was popularized much later by the 1922 Urdu play Anarkali by Sayed Imtiaz Ali Taj. Her Maqbara is located near Lahore Fort and serves as the testament.
2.0 Noorjahan alias Meher-Un-Nisa—She was widow of Sher Afghan, a Mughal jagirdar of Burdwan, and was taken to Mughal Harem. She became third wife, principal consort of Badshah Jahangir, and got the name—NOOR-JAHAN for her exceptional beauty. Nur Jahan was a powerful and influential Mughal Empress, who acted as the de facto ruler of the Mughal Empire for much of his reign due to her husband’s incapacitation from alcohol and opium addiction. Her accomplishments included influencing state affairs, art, and culture, even having coins minted with her name.
3.0 Mamataj Begam alias Arjumand Banu—Wife of Shah-Jahan. She was related to Noor-Jahan. Perhaps the most beautiful woman of Mughal Empire, died early during child birth. Image furnished.
She is immortalised by the ‘MAQBARA’ built and dedicated to her and named ‘TAJMAHAL’ by Shah-Jahan. This is 7th wonder of world.
FROM EUROPE—MIDDLE AGES:
Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122–1204)
Duchess of Aquitaine and Queen of France and later Queen of England. Frequently cited as one of the most beautiful women of her time, her beauty was as legendary as her power and intelligence.
Simonetta Cattaneo (1453–1476)
An Italian noblewoman from Genoa who became an icon of the Florentine Renaissance. Celebrated by poets and artists, she was dubbed “la sans par” (the one without parallel) by Lorenzo de’ Medici. Her beauty is believed to have inspired Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus, making her a key influence on the ideal of Neoplatonic beauty.
Isabella of England (1214–1241)
Daughter of King John of England, she became Holy Roman Empress as the fourth wife of Emperor Frederick II. She was considered a great beauty, continuing the legacy of her beautiful mother, Isabelle of Angouleme.
From Abroad, Recent Past:-
- Merline Monroe: Most famous actress from HOLLYWOOD. She needs no introduction. What many people don’t know that this most beautiful BLONDE was also very intelligent, with very high IQ and an accomplished personality. It remained a mystery why she committed suicide at her prime.
- Rosemary Dexter—The heroine of the famous film ‘BLOW HOT BLOW COLD’. She acted in quite a few other Italian Films, before retiring in 1970.
- Elizabeth Taylor: Dame Elizabeth Taylor was a celebrated English-American actress, known for her classic Hollywood films, unique beauty, and two Academy Awards for films like Butterfield 8 and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. She was a cultural icon for her personal life, philanthropic work, particularly her activism against the HIV/AIDSepidemic, co-founded amfAR and founding The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. And her pioneering business ventures in fragrances and perfume were also successful. Taylor was also a savvy businesswoman who negotiated the first million-dollar film contract and was famous for her personal jewellery collection, most notably the Krupp Diamond, which was renamed as the Elizabeth Taylor Diamond after her death. She was noted for her unique beauty and striking features, which were enhanced by a genetic condition called distichiasis, causing double rows of eyelashes.
INDIAN WOMEN OF RECENT PAST:-
1.Maharani Gayatri Devi: The Rajmata of Jaipur, educated in Shantiniketan, famous for her classical beauty and impeccable style, even being named as one of the Most Beautiful Women In The World By Vogue. Imprisoned during ‘Emergency’ for her political association, She purchased back her freedom on condition of quitting politics.
2.0 Madhubala alias Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi: What a beauty! A perfect combination of “OOMPH” with perfect elegance, and excellent figure! And what a smile! It is sad that she died early—but delivered ‘ANARKALI’ before. Could play sweet romantic roles with elan, and elegance!
3.0 Suchitra Sen:- Heart Throb of 1950-1970 of most of Bengali Youngs—she was Heroine of many block-buster cinemas in Bengali, and a few Hindi film. I consider ‘DEVDAS’ in Hindi, and ‘Sat Pake Bandha’ are her two best films. She was perhaps most suitable for the Romantic Roles. I would have liked her to play the role of ‘CHARULATA’, directed by Mr. Ray. This I concluded after seeing her portrayal of ‘PARU’ in Devdas, directed by Late Bimal Roy.
CONFESSION: — I met one of my many heartthrobs, Sofia Loren, a few feet from me, in 1991, at the island “Ana-Capri,” flanked by Carlo Ponti, and Omar Shariff. I looked at her, mesmerized, and she presented me a Billion Dollar smile before moving ahead.
