Mahabharata Orginals! #13. Uttanka's Journey!

                        Uttanka's Journey!                                                                                                       Last blog - Uttanka by command of his Guru-Patni (Teachers wife) sets out on a journey to get kundals (ear-rings) for her as Guru-Dakshina from king Paushya's wife.                                                                                                       As commanded by Guru-Patni who instructs him to come within 4 days as she needed to wear the Kundals on an auspicious occasion , Uttanka at once leaves his teacher's abode.  On the way he saw a very huge bull and similarly a very huge man sitting on it.  That person said   " Uttanka you should eat this bull's manure " but Uttanka did not feel like eating it.  Again that person insisted  " Uttanka don't think too much , eat it , your Guru also ate it earlier".  After hearing this Uttanka without hesitation ate the dung and drank the bull's urine.  He had washed his face and hands while standing and walking as he was in a hurry.  Once he reached King Paushya's palace he saw him sitting on his throne , and said  " My king , I have come here today with a request".  King Paushya said " My Lord , I am your servant Paushya, please tell me what can I do for you?". Uttanka said " King , I have come here today with a task at hand to complete in order to fullfill my Guru-Dakshina.  I would like to borrow the 2 kundals your queen is wearing now for my Guru-Patni."  King Paushya said  " Please help yourself by going into the queens chamber and ask her yourself ".                                                  As Uttanka went inside he could not see anyone.  Furious he came out and said    " It's not right for a king to lie and please just with words.  I could not see anyone in the queens chamber!".  After hearing this king Paushya thought exactly for a second and said  " Definitely you are lying , remember that my wife is very pure and is dedicated , she has the boon that an impure and unclean person cannot see her!. You are unclean so is the cause that you are unable to see her!" Uttanka said " Yes I remember! I had washed my face and hands while walking on my way here".  Paushya said  " Brahman, hence you have broken the rules of cleanliness as washing of face and hands while walking is prohibited and it's similar to not having washed at all!" So Uttanka said very well and went to a nearby well. He cleansed himself thoroughly three times. Dried himself up and then visited the queens chamber. He then saw the queen who greeted him and asked him what can she do for him? He narrated his story to which the queen replied " I'm impressed with you devotion towards your Guru. Hence you can take my kundals . But beware , Naag-raaj Takshak (king of snakes)  is also searching for these kundals!". Uttanka said  " My queen do not worry as Naag-raaj takshak will not dare to confront me".  Saying so Uttanka went to king Paushya and said " I am pleased with your service , give me permission to leave as I am in a hurry." King Paushya said " Please stay here for sometime , have shudh (pure) food and then resume your journey."   Very well said Uttanka and sat to eat. When food was brought he noticed that it had hairs and was cold , hence concluded that it was impure. So in anger he said to king Paushya " You served me impure food! You will become blind! ".  King Paushya replied in anger  " You are calling perfectly pure food - impure on purpose. Hence you will be Santana-heen" ( that is not have any children).  To this Uttanka said " King , first you give impure food and then you curse ! This is not appropriate for a king. At least have a look at this food!".  Then king Paushya saw the impure food and got to know that the hair was there because a women cooked it with her hairs open and as it was made earlier and had became stale. He said to Uttanka " Bhagwan , I apologize for my behavior , please do something so that I may not go blind!".  Uttanka said " I never lie , you will become blind but after a few days your vision will be restored , now please take your curse back too". To this king Paushya said " I am unable to subside my curse as my anger is still not subsided , being a Kshatriya I cannot calm myself so I am unable to take my curse back".  To this Uttanka replied " Your curse holds no importance as you said that you will become impotent as you are saying impure to perfectly pure food. But it turned out impure so your curse has irrelevant base and will not take effect.". Saying this Uttanka left.                                                                             On the way he saw a Kshapanak ( a nude person/sadhu - in Jain philosophy a Digambar Muni) who followed him and used to hide whenever Uttanka tried to look at him. He stopped by the river side to take bath and put his clothes and the kubdals on the bank of river and went in the river. Then from his hiding the Kshapanak came running and took the kundals with him. Sage Uttanka completed his bathing and ran behind Kshapanak swiftly. In reality it was Naag raaj Takshak. As Uttanka caught him he changed into his real form and pushed Uttanka aside and disappeared into a big hole in the earth nearby. He went to Naag- loka his home. Uttanka tried to dig his way down with a wooden stick but with no success so Indra-dev watching all this asked his weapon Vajra to help the Brahmin. It made a big hole leading a way directly into the Paatal loka. So he went deep down in the earth and reached Naag loka and was amazed! It had no boundaries , had many temples , palaces with many doors decorated with gems. So to please the snakes sage Uttanka said " Ayeraavat - the one who is your king , whose glory is far known , like the lightening and wind which makes the cloud pour rains , similar is your achievement. I salute you". Further he said   " Snakes born in Ayeraavat clan look beautiful and wear kundals. Have aura similar to Surya-dev (Sun-God). The big snakes living near the river Ganga , I salute you!. The one who always stays in Kurukshetra and Khandav -van(forest) that Naag raaj Takshak  I request you to give back my kundals. Takshak and Ashwasen you two always roam together. You both stayed in Kurukshetra near the banks of the river Ikshumati.  Shrutasen who is younger brother of Takshak and is always praying to Surya-dev, I salute you too!". Thus after praying so much he did not get his kundals then he got worried.                                                                                                                                  #Next Blog - Will Sage Uttanka get his kundals back in time ? What awaits for Sage Uttanka at the end of this event? 

Mahabharata Originals! #12. Guru Ved And Uttanka.

                  The Right Decision!                                                                                          # Last blog we saw how Guru Ayoddhoumya's student Ved was blessed. Now let's witness the story of Guru Ved's student - Uttanka.                                                                                                     Once upon a time Acharya Ved was visited by two Kshatriyas Janamejaya and Paushya. They requested Acharya Ved to become their chief advisor and spiritual teacher.  Then one day Acharya Ved had to go to the Himalayas . He called one of his most brilliant student whose name was Uttanka.  Acharya Ved said " Son I  am giving you the responsibility of  Agnihotra and other Vedic practices , in my absence. Also whatever is needed in my absence at my home , that should be provided by you."  Thus giving these instructions Acharya Ved left for his journey.  Thus Uttanka started staying in his Guru Ved's abode and started to take care of his Ashrama.  One day all the women staying in the Ashrama summoned Uttanka and said  " Your Guru-patni (Guru's wife) is in her ovulatory phase ( fertile period after menstrual cycle) and Guru Ved is absent , do the needful so that this fertile period is not wasted. Because Acharya Ved is not present , she is in much worry! " After hearing this Uttanka answered  " I cannot listen to women and do this ayogya ( not right/ false) karma , my Guru did not say that you are allowed to do ayogya karma!"                                After a few days when Acharya Ved returned from his journey he came to know about Uttanka's story and his decision and became very happy!  Acharya Ved said  " Son , you have served me by abiding to the laws of Dharma. Because of this our respect and love towards each other has grown exponentially! I now say that you should return to your native place as you have gained all the knowledge I have taught  you , Bless you Son!"  Uttanka said "Bhagwan , it is written in Vedas that -                                      "यश्च अधर्मेण वै ब्रूयाद्  यश्च अधर्मेण पृच्छति।                  तयोरन्यतरः प्रैति विद्वेषं  चाधिगच्छति॥९१॥ "                The one , who's teachings and advices are stained with ADHARMA (can be translated as chaos , disharmony , distrust in accordance with individual and the society) or similarly who's questions , queries and study is stained with ADHARMA , any one of them ,( guru or his student) are destined for destruction! But neither your teachings had even a spot of Adharma nor my study is stained with it!   With your permission I would like to offer you a Guru-Dakshina ( a offering made to teacher out of gratitude for his teachings)" Guru Ved said " Son Uttanka please stay here for a few more days."  After a few days Uttanka again asked his Guru Ved       " My teacher , What Guru-Dakshina should I offer?"  Acharya Ved said  " Son you keep asking what should I offer , hence go and ask your Guru-Patni (my wife) , whatever she says - you may offer as Guru Dakshina"  Uttanka asked Acharya Ved's wife  " Blessed one , what should I offer as my Guru-Dakshina in order to express my gratitude towards my Guru and his teachings?".  Guru -Patni said  " Son , go to King Paushya and bring me the Kundals (Ear-Rings) which his wife is wearing now".                                                                                     # Next Blog - Will Uttanka bring the Kundals for his Guru's wife? What challenges would he be facing in accomplishing this simple looking task? 

Mahabharata Originals! #11. Upamanyu's devotion!

               Upamanyu's Devotion!                                                                                                                     # Last blog we saw how Upamanyu's Guru Ayoddhoumya instructed Upamanyu to offer all his food to him , not to ask for Bhiksha again , neither to drink milk given by the cows , nor to drink drops of milk coming out of the mouth of calves!                                                                                                                       After agreeing to his teacher's command he then returned to his work. But now as he had no source of food , he soon became hungry , in this state he needed to eat so he ate leaves of  - Arka                              Arka ( Arka - Calotropis gigantea)                                                                                                                                                     (The milky sap is know to cause keratoconjunctivitis and reversible vision loss.)                                                                              Leaves of Arka are alkaline , bitter and spicy , and very rough in nature. Thus after eating its leaves his vision became weak and in few hours he became blind.                                             " स तैर अर्कपत्रैर्भक्षितैः क्षारतिक्तकटुरूक्षैस्तीक्ष्णविपाकैश्चक्षुष्युपहतोअन्धो बभूव "॥ ५१॥ महा.पौष्यपर्व.५१.                                                    As the Arka Patra blinded him , he roamed in despair and fell into a big well . After a few days , as Upamanyu did not return to his guru , Ayoddhoumya called his disciples and asked " Where is Upamanyu?" His students said " Gurudev you sent him to take care of our cows a fews days ago but we did not see him since then." Guru  Ayoddhoumya said " Maybe he is upset with  me as I instructed him not to eat anything. Let's go and check on him." Thus Ayoddhoumya with his disciples went out to look for Upamanyu. Ayoddhoumya called out Upamanyu's name and said " Son Upamanyu , where are you? Please come here!" After hearing his teachers voice , Upamanyu said shouting loudly " Teacher I fell in this well. I'm in here!" So Ayoddhoumya asked " Son how did you fell in this well?" Upamanyu answered " Gurudev I accidentally ate Arka Patra (leaves of Arka) and became blind. And I fell in this well as I could not see".  Guru Ayoddhoumya said " Son Upamanyu , pray to lords Ashwinikumars (Twin God's) . They are the vaidyas (doctors) of Gods. They will cure your blindness." So Upamanyu started to meditate and prayed to Lord Ashwinikumars with mantras written in Rigveda. After meditating for sometime the twin gods Ashwinikumars came and said " Upamanyu we are very pleased with your prayers , we bought this rice preparation for you , please eat." Upamanyu said " Lords I must apologize but without the permission of my teacher I cannot use this as food"  Ashwinikumars said " Son , earlier your Guru Ayoddhoumya upon calling us  for help , we gave similar rice preparation to him and he without the consent of his teacher, ate it. You should do the same."  Upamanyu said           " I appreciate your blessings to my guru Ayoddhoumya but I must take permission from him to accept your rice preparation as food!"  Thus Ashwinikumars became very happy and said " Son, we are very happy to see your devotion towards your teacher , your Guru Ayoddhoumya is strong as iron , we bless you to become as strong as gold. Also your blindness will go away with our treatment. "  All this incident was narrated to guru Ayoddhoumya who also blessed Upamanyu with boon of understanding the Shastra (Dharma Shastra) and blessed him with everlasting knowledge.                                    Similarly his third student Ved was blessed as he for many days stayed with his Guru and served him with devotion. Hence he too was blessed with everlasting knowledge of Vedas. But when Ved himself became a Guru ( Teacher) he did not ask his students to do his household work as he knew the troubles the students undergo while doing such chores!                                       # Next blog - Story of Ved's student - Uttanka

Mahabharata Originals! #10. Story of Aaruni and Upamanyu

     Story of  Aaruni and Upamanyu!                                                                                                                           #  Last blog- We saw a brief information about Kurukshetra. This blog gives us more information about the same and events which took place on kurukshetra earlier to the great war.                                  Paushya Parva - Trutiya adhyayam (Third chapter).                                                                                        There was a great sage named Ayoddhoumya who had three students namely Upamanyu , Aaruni panchal and Veda.                                                                         Story 1 # One day the guru called his student Aaruni who was from panchal desha (land) and said to him " Son , go and repair the bunds of the paddy field." After giving instructions to his student ,the guru went in his hut for meditation. Aaruni went to repair the bund of the paddy field , he tried but could not repair it. After some thinking he had an idea to stop the flow of water  , he himself lied down in place of bund and the flowing water stopped! After sometime that day his guru Ayoddhoumya asked his students " Where is Aaruni? " , his students replied " teacher , you had instructed him to go and repair the bunds of paddy field."  Ayoddhoumya said " Then let's go and check on Aaruni " , so Ayoddhoumya along with his 2 students went to the place and called out " Panchal Aaruni , son where are you? Please come here." After hearing his teacher's voice he got up from the field and stood in front of his guru. He said " Bhagwan ( a form of respect given to a highly learned person ) , I am here , the essential water flowing out the field had to be stopped , so I myself lied down in place of the bund to stop it. After hearing your voice I got up and came in front of you . I offer my prayers to you! Please give me further instructions." Ayoddhoumya said " You have followed my instructions despite the difficulties and obstacles which no one would have tried to overcome. I bless you with everlasting knowledge , you will be blessed with Vedas and Dharma Shastra (Science of Dharma)" After saying this the student Aaruni went to his homeland - Panchal.                                                  Story 2 # Ayoddhoumya had another student named Upamanyu. The teacher instructed him " Upamanyu go and protect our cows." So as instructed he went to look after the cows in the morning and at night came back to his guru's abode and offered his respect by bowing down to him. After a few days his guru observed that Upamanyu is getting healthier and lofty. He asked "Son , you are looking much healthier, what do you eat the whole day while out there protecting the cows?" He said " Gurudev, I ask for Bhiksha ( Bhiksha signifies a Hindu tradition of begging for alms with the purpose of self - effacement or ego conquering.) Guru Ayoddhoumya said " Son , without offering your teacher you should not bring the food to your personal use." Thus Upamanyu said " yes teacher" and started following his advice by offering Bhiksha to his guru. Guru Ayoddhoumya used to take all of his food and Upamanyu then again resumed his duty of protecting the cows. After a few days again the guru saw that Upamanyu is much healthier and asked him " Son , even in this condition and after taking all your food , how do you survive?" Upamanyu said " After offering you all my Bhiksha , I again ask for Bhiksha and in this manner I survive." Guru said " This is not a right and just way of behavior. By asking for Bhiksha the second time you are creating difficulties for other monks who survive on Bhiksha. Thus you shouldn't ask for Bhiksha the second time." Thus Upamanyu said "yes teacher" and returned to protecting and feeding fodder to cows. After a few days again when Upamanyu came to his guru's abode in the evening , Ayoddhoumya asked " Son , I take all your food as offering and you do not ask for Bhiksha again. Still you look fat! What do you eat to survive?" He said " Bhagwan I drink the milk of cows." On hearing this the guru said " Son , I did not give you the permission to drink milk. Thus using milk for food is not right!" Upamanyu said "yes teacher" and become busy in GAW-PALAN ( taking care of cows). Again after a fews days , one evening when Upamanyu returned from the fields , Ayoddhoumya asked " Son , you do not eat food obtained from asking  Bhiksha and offer everything to me , nor do you ask for bhiksha again , and neither do you drink cow's milk , but still are looking fat! what do you eat for food? " Upamanyu answered " Bhagwan , when calves drink their mother's milk , the remaining drops which fall from their mouth is collected by me and later I drink it." On this guru Ayoddhoumya said " These calves surely are innocent and drink less milk in order to provide you more , they surely give more drops of milk to be collected and swallow less amount of milk themselves! Hence from today you will not drink the drops of milk which spill from their mouths!" Upamanyu said "yes teacher" and returned to the fields.                                                                                                                                                          # Next blog- Will Upamanyu pass the test of his teacher ? What next will he do to survive? And story of third student of guru Ayoddhoumya.

Mahabharata Originals! #9. About Kurukshetra!!

                       About Kurukshetra!                                #Last blog- We saw the most important part of Mahabharata , the first chapter! Now we move forward in this great epic! Chapter 2 -Parvasangraha Dwitiyam adhyayam.                                                                                                           Sage Shounak and his disciples asked "  Sutanandana Ugrashrava , in the starting of this great history you mentioned a place called Samanta-panchak-shetra (Kurukshetra) , we all want to know more that place and everything related to it As It Is!"    Sage Ugrashrava said. " Now I will narrate the history , stories and incidences in which you will come to know about Samanta-panchak-shetra , Listen carefully!".                                 In the end of Tretayuga and commencement of Dwapaaryuga , the greatest in warriors - Parshuram had killed many Kshtriya kings because of his anger towards them. Glowing like a raging fire Parshuram killed almost every Kshtriya and made Five Lakes from their blood in samanta-panchak-shetra. He then in anger conducted a ritual for his forefathers by dedicating the blood lakes to them. The Ruschik and other forefathers descended from heaven and said " Great Ram, the abled Bhruguvanshi Parshuram , we are amazed with your bravery and dedication towards your forefathers! U may ask for anything you wish for!"  Parshuram said " Then let me ask you to forgive me for my sin of killing the Kshtriya kings and bless these 5 lakes for becoming a place of spirituality in future." So it shall be said his forefathers and again went to their abode! Also they adviced Parshuram to forgive the remaining Kshtriya's and stop the bloodshed. Thus Parshuram became calm once again! The lands near the 5 lakes were know as samanta-panchak and is a place with spiritual influence. The land which is famous for a particular thing or for a particular sign that land should be named according to that sign ,thus is said by the experts. Then when Dwapaaryuga ended and Kaliyuga was about to commence , the great war was fought between the Pandavas and Kauravas in Samanta-panchak-shetra. A total of 18 akshohini army gathered in that spiritual place for war. And all were destroyed on that land itself, hence it was called samanta (* SUMANT meaning destruction of everything gathered). Then Shounak and other sages said " We would like to know more about the word akshohini. In an akshohini sena (army) how many soldiers on foot , horses , chariots and elephants troops are there? Please explain to us in detail" Sage Ugrashrava said " 1 chariot , 1 elephant , 5 soldiers and three horses are together called as 1 Patti! Experts say three times of this Patti is called as 1 Senamukh and three times of this Senamukh is called as 1 Gulma , three times of this gulma  is called 1 Gana. 3 Ganas make 1 Vahini and 3 Vahini's make 1 Prutana. Three times of Prutana is 1 Chamu and three times of Chamu is 1 Aneekini. And finally 10 Anikeeni's make 1 Akshohini!!!. The great mathematician's have thus calculated that one Akshohini army has 21,870 chariots , 21,870 elephants , number of soldiers are total of 1,09,350 in one akshohini army and horses are 65,610 in number! According to the experts this is the precise calculation of one akshohini army which I said to you. Thus Pandavas and kauravas had a total of 18 akshohini army with them. Thus in time this much army gathered in Samanta-panchak-shetra and also were destroyed there itself! " Further Sage Ugrashrava says " Warrior Bhisma fought for 10 days and Acharya Drona fought for a total of 5 days and protected the Kaurava army.  Great archer Karna fought for 2 days and King Shalya fought for half a day. After that Bheem and Duryodhana's fought for half a day. After 18 complete days , Ashwathama , Krutavarma and Krupacharya attacked at night and killed sleeping soldiers of King Yudhisthir's camp. This great history which I am narrating right now was narrated by Vedvyas's brilliant disciple Sage Vaishmapayan in King Janamejaya's Sarpasatra. As body cannot work without food and is dependent on it so is every story on earth is dependent on Mahabharata , no story is independent from it. Every poem serves Mahabharata. Every reason , logic and intellectual concepts are described in this Mahabharata. There are a total of 100 parvas (sections) in Mahabharata each containing a particular number of chapters. Within Mahabharata itself there are those 18 Purana's , just like on this earth itself there are various species of living organisms. When a person wants to travel the ocean, he is in need of a ship, thus one who wants to understand this great ocean of knowledge "The Mahabharata" , one requires this 1st and 2nd chapter the same way. "                                                                             " श्रुत्वादौ भवति नृणां सुखावगाहं विस्तीर्णं                           लवणजलं यथा प्लवेन ॥३९६॥ "                                                                                                                    #Next blog - 3rd adhyaya Paushya parva and start of the first story from this great epic!! 

Mahabharata Orginals! #8 Sanjay's Advice!!

                         Sanjay's Advice!                                #Last blog we saw how King Dhritarashtra expressed his sorrows to Sanjay. And after regaining his consciousness was adviced by Sanjay thereafter.                                                                                                                    Dhritarashtra says " By seeing what has happened in this war I at this very moment is willing to leave this body and leave the mortal world!! "  

                                                                                                     And thus Sanjay said the words of truth , He said " My king , you yourself  have listened to the great history of superior men and kings from the great sage Narada and Vedvyas himself ! Futher Sanjay said " You have listened to the great deeds of many great kings , vessels of all good guna's (qualities) , who held great weapons , equivalent to Devraj Indra himself , those that fought a great many dharma yuddha's (holy wars) , great charities done by them , who became famous , but ultimately had to surrender to time! Kings like Shaibya , warrior Srujjay , Suhotra , Rantideva , Kakshivan , Aushij , Bahalik , Daman , Chaidya , Shairyaati , undefeated Nala , slayer Vishwamitra , mahabali Ambreesh , Marut, Manu , Ikshwaku , Gaya , Bharat , Dashrath's son SHRI RAM , Sashabindu , Bhagirath , the blessed Krutavirya , Janmejaya , and Yayati who through their karma and yajna had given this land a long-lasting name in the world history ! These 24 kings were described by the great sage Narada to king Shwetyaka who was lost in sadness after his son died , to end his grief.  Sanjay says " In previous yuga's (there are 4 yugas) , apart from above said 24 there were many other great sages , warriors , kings , men of honours , list which is very long starting from Puru to Shruti which comprises of 61 more mahapurusha's (great men) from mahapurana's and many more such men who have been described many times, their great deeds told and retold. Have also left this world just like your sons. Those men whose deeds were great, sacrifice , love for humanity , truth , purity , forgiveness , simplicity have been described by great poet's in great many poems and scriptures also left this world!! Your son's duryodhana and rest were Dur-Atma (corrupt soul) , angry , and greedy and also indulged in bad karma's !! You should not be saddened by their deaths. My king you have listened to your Guru's who taught the great Shastra's (sciences)  , you have a sharp memory , a strong intellect , and are respected by the learned , you are Bharat Vansha shiromani ( jewel of Bharat clan/family) , and your thinking is according to Shastra , not influenced by Moha (attachment) and Shoka (sadness) but My King you have shown more partiality towards your sons and had abandoned the Pandavas , that is your mistake undoubtedly! Hence do not become sad for your son's death . We have to experience the fruits of our deeds - thus is written ! No one can be free from it , birth-death _ happiness-sadness are the products of KALA (TIME) and it is the root cause of the above said things! KALA is responsible for the world all living things , and also for its destruction ! Then it is pacified by the great Mahakaal himself.  IN ALL THE UNIVERSE IT IS THIS KAAL WHICH IS THE DOER OF ALL GOOD AND BAD THINGS , IT IS THE DESTROYER AS WELL AS THE CREATOR !                                                                                                                                 "कालो हि कुरूते भावान् सर्व लोके शुभानाशुभान्।

                          कालः संक्षिपते सर्वा प्रजा विसृजते पुनः॥२४८॥"                                                                                                                         When all the senses and with it the mind sleeps , it is this KAAL which is awake. No one can disturb its speed and direction . It does its action equally on every living creature without interference. Whatever that existed in the past , is existing now and will exist in future all are created by this KAAL. By understanding this my great king you should not abandon your senses in grief!   Thus great Ugrashrava says " This is how Sanjay comforted king Dhritarashtra when he was in grief. Thus based on this history the great sage Vedvyas narrated this history of Mahabharata. Thus great scholars and great poet's have been mentioning it in puranas since ancient times!                                                                                                                               Thus by doing Adhyayan (STUDY) of Mahabharata , which purifies the thoughts! One who studies this great history with faith and belief , even if one studies only a single shloka it will destroy the roots of corrupted thoughts entirely!  In this Grantham - the devtas , devrushi , pure brahmarushi's , yaksha's and maha-nagas and other doers of good deeds are mentioned.  In this Grantham - the main topic is Shri Krushna himself , one who is truth , pure , and divine. He is avinashi (non-destructible) , birth-death-rebirth are from him. Satwa-Raja-Tama and Panchamahabhuta (the 5 elements) and their actions are him.                                                                      Also one who studies the first adhyaya of Mahabharata every single day is free from Raja-Tama-Paap-Taap ! (Aggression- Darkness-Bad deeds-Diseases) . One who studies the Anukramanika Adhaya everyday does not have fear even in fearful events.  Even if one reads this chapter's  part in day , in evening or in noon , gets relief from thoughts of fear , Bad deeds and anger. The Anukramanika Adhyaya (1st chapter) is the Root of this Mahabharata Grantham. This is the truth and the ambrosia (drink of immortality) , like butter from curd , Brahmins (educated) in humans ,upanishads in Vedas , ambrosia in medicines , sea in water bodies and cow in four-legged !                                                                    Only through History and Science one has to explain and make understand the Vedas , one who has none of these..Even the Vedas are afraid of such people !!! But the one who studies this first chapter 1st thing in the morning he/she will get the benefits of reading the entire Mahabharata thus is written! That is long-lasting life , purity of thoughts and deeds and will experience heaven here on earth!                                                                                There is a short story which says that - All the God's and goddesses , sages , learned men and women gathered together to compare the Vedas and upanishads in qualities of ideal Grantham       ( book of science) , they put all the four Vedas on the one end of weighing scale and Mahabharata on other! But when Mahabharata weighted more in qualities of deeper knowledge , justice, popularity among scholars and divinity on weighing scale of truth at that time it was given the name MAHA-BHARATA which earlier was called ADYA-BHARATA .                                                                                    Meditation is pure , studing of sciences is also pure , also wealth acquired through hard work and dedication is pure! , but same things done with greed , anger , ego and injustice gives rise to fruits which created by bad karmas.Hence while studing Mahabharata one should have clean thoughts in order to cherish its fruits!!!!.                                                                                                                                                                                                           #This blog marks the end of Adiparva - Anukramanika Adhyaya . Next blog- commencement of  Parvasangraha Parav's - Adhyaya 2!!! Please do comment and share your views on Mahabharata's Adhyaya 1 which is entirely shared through blogs Mahabharata Originals 1-8 !!

Mahabharata Originals!#7. Dhritarashtra and Sanjay!

                  Dhritarashtra and Sanjay!          #Last blog we saw how Dhritarashtra knew that he lost the war to Pandavas by giving 30 reasons of Defeat to his charioteer Sanjay!.                                                                                     Dhritarashtra said " 31. When I heard that out great warriors could not stand in challenge to Arjuna , but instead killed his son Abhimanyu in Chakravyuh and were celebrating it, that moment I had left the hope of our victory!  32. When I heard that my son's have killed their our cousin Abhimanyu who was a great warrior and were happy about it and Arjun in his rage of anger had decided to kill Jayadrath , that moment I had left the hope of our victory!     33. When I heard that Arjuna has finally fulfilled his promise of killing Jayadrath who was surrounded by his great warriors , that moment I had left the hope of our victory!                              34. When I heard that in the battlefield when Arjuna's horses were thirsty , Shri Krushna himself let them free and satisfied their thirst with water and then himself tied the horses again to Arjuna's Rath , that moment I had lost all my hope for victory!  35. When I heard that Satyaki himself had defeated Guru Dronacharya's army which even an army of elephants could not Defeat , that moment I lost my hope for victory!                                              36. When I heard that Bheem was trapped by Karna but instead of killing bheem he only insulted him and pricked with his arrow on his chest as a sign of insult and that Bheem had escaped death nearly! That moment I lost the hope of our victory!         37. When I heard that Dronacharya , Karna , Krutavarma , Krupacharya , Ashwathama , and even great Shalya did not interfere when Arjuna killed Jayadrath , that moment I had left the hope of our victory!                   38. When I heard that Shri Krushna had cleverly made Karna use a deadly weapon on monstrous Ghatotkach which was meant for Arjuna and would have caused his death , weapon given to Karna by Lord Indra in exchange for his Kawach ( Karna's strongest armour, which he was born with) , that moment I had left the hope of our victory!     39. When I heard that Dronacharya has let down all his weapons in sadness over his son Ashwathama's death and sat on ground near his Rath in meditation till death , but Dhristyadhumna had crossed all the boundaries of Dharma yudh (war of Dharma and all warriors following a certain set of rules) and killed Dronacharya in meditation , that moment I had left the hope of our victory! ( At that time if a warrior had dropped his weapon , other warrior would not kill him as the other person is defenseless! - a moral code of conduct in war)     40. When I heard that Madri's son Nakul was all alone in front of brave Ashwathama and his troop but they could not Defeat him , that moment I had left the hope of our victory!    41. When I heard that Ashwathama in rage of his father Dronacharya's death has unleashed the powerful weapon called " Narayana Astra" but could not kill Pandavas , that moment I had left the hope of our victory!                                 42. When I heard that Bheem has killed his brother Dushasana and drank his blood as promised that moment I had left the hope of our victory!               43. When I heard that the brave undefeated warrior Karna was killed in the battlefield by Arjuna , that moment I had left the hope of our victory!   44. When I heard that Dharma Raj Yudishtir was single handedly confronting warrior Ashwathama, brave Dushasana and aggressive Krutavarma with ease , that moment I had left the hope of our victory!    45. When I heard that King Yudishtir has killed the great king Shalya who was the only match for Lord Krushna's charioteering , that moment I had left the hope of our victory!      46. When I heard that Shakuni (the reason of the infamous Dice Game) who lived his life in deceiving others and playing political games has been killed by brave Pandava Sahadev , that moment I had left the hope of our victory!     47. When I heard that Duryodhana was very tired , had lost his strength in battle , he alone went near a lake and slept at the bottom of it, that moment I had left the hope of our victory!      48.  When I heard that on that same lake Shri Krushna and Pandavas were standing and hurling abuse and mean remarks just to provoke Duryodhana to come out , that moment I had left the hope of our victory!                            49. When I heard that my son was displaying his skills in Gadhah yudh ( Gadhah a particular type of weapon used for displaying strength and fighting a war) and by Shri Krushna's advice Bheem broke the rule of Gadhah yudh to attack Duryodhana on his thighs and killed him, that moment I had left the hope of our victory!     50. When I heard that Ashwathama and his troop had attacked at night and killed the innocent people of Panchal kingdom and Draupadi's son's  against the rules of war , that moment I had left the hope of our victory!     51. Sanjay when I heard that on being chased by Bheem, Ashwathama has used the ultimate weapon  " Brahmastra" which killed all the kin and kith of Pandavas , that moment I had left the hope of our victory!                                  52. When I heard that the dreaded weapon Brahmastra used by Ashwathama was subsided by Arjuna's chant of Swasti-Swasti and his weapon ,and Ashwathama had to give his precious stone (Maniratna) away , that moment I had left the hope of our victory!                                              53. When I heard that Ashwathama was planning to kill Uttara's child which was still in her womb by using his divine weapons , but Shri Krushna and Ved Vyas himself cursed him , and at this time Gandhari was in a depressed state as she had lost all her kith and kin , sons , brother's and cousin's in war , Pandavas won and had their kingdom back, that moment I had left the hope of our victory!                                                             Oooo Sanjay it is thus so sad that only 10 people were alive on the battlefield - Three from our side that is Ashwathama, Krupacharya and Krutavarma and remaining 7 that is - Shri Krushna , Satyaki and 5 Pandavas! In this great battle of Kshatriyas total of 18 akshohini army was destroyed ( 1 akshohini army is 1,96,830 soldiers including horsemen and light infantry , elephants troops etc - so 18 akshohini is 35,42,940 soldiers) thus seeing this there spreads a great darkness in front of my mind, overwhelmed by all this destruction! Saying this he expressed extreme sadness and fell unconscious on the ground!!!                                                               #Next blog - Sanjay's advice to Dhritarashtra! And benefits of reading this great Grantham to individual and his/her family!

The Reason's of Defeat! Mahabharata Originals! #6

  Reason's of Defeat - by Dhritarashtra.                       # Last blog we saw how Pandavas came to Dhritarashtra's kingdom and Duryodhana's growing anger towards them.             

Dhritarashtra said " By listening to my logical explanations you Sanjay will surely understand how much far-sighted I am!" He continued 1." Sanjay when I heard that Arjun has completed the impossible task of of aiming the fish's eye just by looking at its reflection in mirror below! And took Draupadi by hand in front of several powerful King's present there to marry her. That moment I had left the hope of our victory.".            2. " Sanjay when I heard that Arjun has by consent of Lord Krushna and his brother Balram has married Lord Krushna's sister Subhadra and brought her to Indraprastha. That moment I had left hope of our victory.  3. Sanjay when I heard that during the burning of Khandava forest , Lord Indra himself wanted to make rain to save the forest but Arjun had stopped him from doing so with his power of bow and arrow in order to satisfy the Lord of Fire - Agni deva. That moment I had left the hope of our victory!     4. Sanjay when I heard that Pandavas escaped the burning of their palace (Laksha Bhavana dahan) along with their mother Kunti and Vidhur himself was helping them. That moment I had left the hope of our victory!.    5. Sanjay when I heard that because of Arjuna's bravery he had married Draupadi and due to that Pandavas and Panchals ( Draupadi's kingdom) were now related. That moment I had left the hope of our victory!.     6. Sanjay when I heard that the powerful warrior Jarasandh was killed by Bheem without any use of weapons (Bheem killed him with his bare hands) in his own kingdom Magadha's capital! (Same kingdom in which Ashoka Samrat was king). That moment I had left the hope of our victory!   7. When I heard that Pandavas have completed the mahayajna 'Rajasuya' by conquering distant lands and kingdoms. That moment I had left the hope of our victory!.     8. When I heard that Draupadi in her mensrtual period was brought to council hall in a single piece of cloth (on her body) pulled by her hairs and draged on floor with tear filled eyes in spite of Pandavas present! That moment I had left the hope of our victory!  9. When I heard that devious and stupid Dushasana pulled Draupadi clothes of but couldn't do so because he kept on pulling but miraculously it couldn't get over and Dushasana became tired of pulling the clothes and a big pile of clothes was formed! That moment I had left the hope of our victory!                    10. When I heard that mischievous Shakuni had striped of all kingdom of King Yudishtir in the game of Dice but still his brother's supported his decisions and were standing strong with him! That moment I had left the hope of our victory!    11. When I heard that King Yudishtir himself living in the forest had the company of many sages and tribal people and all of them were provided by King Yudishtir! That moment I became sad as our victory was not possible!     12. Sanjay when I heard that Arjuna displayed his courage and skills in battle with Lord Shiva disguised as a sage and obtained from him a great weapon named " PASHUPAT" ,that moment I had left the hope of our victory!.        13. Sanjay when I heard that the great sages , brahmins , and other scholars were residing with the Pandavas in forest and were their friends , when I heard that Arjuna himself was being trained by Lord Indra in weaponry and warcraft in "Swarga Loka"  and other celestial beings were in awe of Arjuna's skills, that moment I had left the hope of our victory!           14. Sanjay when I heard that Arjuna easily Defeated 2 demons named "Kalikeya" and "Paulom" who were not defeated by God's themselves! That moment I had left the hope of our victory.       15. When I heard that King Yudishtir has embarked on a spiritual journey with sage Lomash and heard from himself that Arjuna has obtained celestial weapons from Swarga Loka. And my son Duryodhana having belief on Karna had visited the Gandharva's but instead we're held captive by them , so Arjuna had defeated the Gandharva's and bought Kauravas back home! That moment I had left the hope of our victory!       16.  When I heard that Lord Dharma himself disguised as a yaksha questioned King Yudishtir about the ultimate truth , Yudishtir satisfactorily answered his each and every question that moment I had left the hope of our victory! .     17. When Draupadi and Pandavas were living in disguise in king Viraat's kingdom but my son and his well wishers were unable to find them , that moment I had left the hope of our victory!       18. When I heard that the great Dhananjay in king Viraat's kingdom had defeated all our warriors who had gone there to steal holy cow (at that time it was a sport to prove the might ), that moment I had left the hope of our victory!.    19. When I heard that King Viraat had offered his daughter Uttara for marriage to Arjuna, he instead said that it would be appropriate if she marries his son and King graciously agreed, that moment I had left the hope of our victory!      20. When I heard that King Yudishtir who has lost his kingdom ,has no wealth, lost everything in the game of Dice , separated from his relatives and teacher's has gathered 7 akshohini army ( 1 akshohini army is precisely 1,96,830 soldiers including horsemen and light infantry. So 7 akshohini is 13,77,810 ) , that moment I had left the hope of our victory!  21. When I heard that Lord Krushna himself was helping the Pandavas wholeheartedly for their victory , that moment I had left the hope of our victory!   22. When Dev Rushi Narada told me that Lord Krushna and Arjuna are Nara and Narayana themselves and I have seen them in Brahma Loka (abode of Brahma) , that moment I had left the hope of our victory!  23. When I heard that Lord Krushna himself came with the Peace proposal for Kaurava -  Pandava war but returned without success, that moment I had left the hope of our victory!.     24. When I heard that Duryodhana and Karna have decided to hold Lord Krushna captive and Lord showed his universal form or many forms, that moment I had left the hope of our victory!.       25. When I heard that Shri Krushna is Pandavas minister and Shantanu's son Bhishma and Bharadwaj Dronacharya gave their blessings to Pandavas , that moment I had left the hope of our victory!.        26. When Karna said to Bhishma that till the time you are fighting I won't participate in the battle and he left his army on battlefield all by itself, that time I had no hopes for victory!.                27. When I heard that Bhishma is killing 10,000 warriors per day of Pandavas still non of their prominent warriors or generals were killed , I had no hopes left for our victory! .      28. When I heard that Bhishma himself gave Pandavas the clue to kill him and Pandavas accepted his order with respect , that moment I had left the hope of our victory!.     29. When I heard that Bhishma when lying on bed of arrow's had indicated to Arjuna that he was thirsty and Arjuna with his arrow had pierced the earth and made a stream of water come out from earth to satisfy the thirst of Bhishma, that moment I had left the hope of our victory!.      30. When I heard that Acharya Dronacharya himself  was defending the "Chakravyuh" (strategic positioning of King so that no one could reach him) ,the great Abhimanyu (Arjuna's son) had broken it to enter , that moment I had left the hope of our victory!.                                                                                                         # Thus King Dhritarashtra had said the following reasons for Defeat of Kauravas. Next blog - a few more important reasons given by King Dhritarashtra and final words of adviceto Dhritarashtra by Sanjay! 

Mahabharata Originals! #5. The insult!

                  The Insult of Duryodhana!                #Last blog we saw how the young Pandavas were born and brought up by the sages in a jungle.                                                                                                                Ugra-shrava says" After King Pandu died, the sages themselves took Pandavas to then King Dhritarashtra and his sons. Sages said " King Dhritarashtra these are your son's, brother's, student and well wishers. These five are indeed the son's of your brother Pandu!" Saying this the sages went away. Every Kaurava, soldier, ministers and common public present over there were happy and cheering for the Pandavas. Some would say "these are not King Pandu's son's" , some would say " they are definitely Pandu's son's" and some would say " much time has passed since King Pandu died, how then can these 5 be his son's?" . But eventually everyone said "We welcome the son's of King Pandu! We are lucky to be in their presence." And everyone cheerfully welcomed them. Then suddenly a loud sound was heard ,it's direction was definitely from above, the gods and celestial beings appeared and said "These definitely are the son's of King Pandu!" As time passed ,the Pandavas were growing through learning warcraft and politics and economics of their region, everyone respected them. Everyone in the kingdom praised young Yudishtir's truth and political council , Bheem's strength , Arjuna's bravery ,and Nakul-Sahadev's obedience towards their brother's and teacher's. Then Arjun through his valiant act impressed King's Drupad's daughter Krushnaa (Draupadi) who herself selected Arjun as her consort. Under Shri Krushna's political advice and Arjun - Bheem's military leadership they became unbeatable and King's from other regions offered them gold , valuable goods and jewels ,all these gifts and valuables were kept in security under Duryodhana! And as time passed , seeing Pandavas increasing wealth and respect Duryodhana's jealousy and anger towards them increased.                                                                                   

Once a celestial being called "  Maya-daanav" gifted Pandavas a palace which was similar to a shape of a big ship and it was called the "house of illusions". Seeing this Duryodhana became more angry as it was better than his own palace. Duryodhana visited the palace , as soon as he entered , he slipped and fell down in water as it was illusion that surface was land, that time in front of Lord Krushna Bheem called Duryodhana uneducated and insulted him and laughed at him! As days passed Duryodhana due to his ill feelings for Pandavas fell sick and even medicine's were of no use, so the helpers informed King Dhritarashtra about Duryodhana's health. As he was too attached to his son , he gave Duryodhana permission to play the infamous "Dice Game" with Pandavas, upon knowing this Lord Krushna became angry on King Dhritarashtra. Dhritarashtra knew that he was wrong but due to love for his son's he ignored the voice's which came from his soul.                                                                                            When Pandavas were winning the battle and Dhritarashtra upon hearing the evil schemes of Duryodhana , Karna and  Shakuni became sad. Then he said to Sanjay " Listen to everything I have to say , for then you will not blame me for this battle and destruction which is caused. You are intelligent , learned and respected by scholars!. I did not give my consent for this battle. And I am not at all happy for destruction of my land and that of my kins. I had no ill feelings for my brother Pandu's son's and treated them as my own. But what would I do? My son in his anger did not listen to me. I am blind , sometimes because of my bad luck and sometimes because I loved my son too much to see what he was becoming. When Duryodhana became sad , I felt that sadness. Also Pandavas growing wealth and prosperity and insult by Bheem was too much for Duryodhana to bear. He definitely did not have the strength to defeat the Pandavas in battle and being a soldier he did not possess bravery. Instead with his uncle Shakuni he planned "The Dice Game" in order to obtain all their wealth and property. Hence incidences such as these which led to belief that I cannot win against Pandavas are as follows , listen to them carefully Sanjay".                                                                                                                                         #Next blog- King Dhritarashtra explains the  incidences in chronological order to Sanjay which happened throughout Mahabharata which led him to belief that his son's would not win against the Pandavas.

Mahabharata Originals! #4.

The Story!

 After explaining the importance of the Parva's of Mahabharata in a beautifully elaborative way ,      Ugra-shrava started to narrate the Great History to Maharushi Shounak and others!                                           हर्षस्थान सहस्र्ताणि भयस्थान शतानि च।.                  दिवसे दिवसे मुदम् आविष्यन्ति न पण्डितम्।।         A Ignorant person experiences hundreds of moment's of happiness and thousands that of sadness and fear everyday! But a knowledgeable one is neither affected by both thus keeping his/her mind stable and calm both in moments of joy as well as of fear!                                                                                    Ugra-shrava said "A long time ago, Maharushi Vedvyas with permission of his mother Satyavati and Gangaputra (son of river Ganges) Bhishma, granted a boon to Vichitravirya's three wife's for having son's and thus the great Kuru's ( Kauravas) Dhritarashtra , Pandu and Vidhur were born blessed with appearance that of glowing fire! After granting the boon Maharushi Vedvyas returned to his abode. And when these three grew in age and strength , Maharushi Vedvyas started to narrate this great Epic on earth. After questioning done by King Janmejaya and several other Brahmins and other people , Vedvyas gave permission to his student Vaishmapayan to narrate this great story to them." Further Ugra-shrava says "In this Mahabharata, Vedvyas has explained the family tree of Kauravas, Queen Gandhari's Dharmasheelta ( following of Dharma towards her husband) , Vidhur's incredible sense of administration of the kingdom and Kunti's patience and resilience. Lord Krushna's "कृष्ण" (yes it's actually krushna, and not Krishna ( क्रिष्ना) , as Krushna in Sanskrit means dark coloured)  knowledge of enlightenment, Dharma of Pandavas, Dhritarashtra's son's Duryodhana and other's Adharma has been clearly mentioned by Vedvyas. Originally this Grantham of 1 lakh shlokas is known as "Adya Bharat" that is Mahabharata. Vedvyas first taught his son Shukdev this great history. Originally Vedvyas wrote 24,000 shlokas and named it "Bharat" and then sectioned it and wrote more 150 shlokas. After teaching this to Shukdev, Vedvyas taught it to other intellectuals and wrote another Grantham of 60 lakh shlokas ,out of which 30 lakh shlokas are learned by God's residing in heaven, 15 lakh shlokas in Pitruloka (in which the souls with mixed good and bad deeds exist as an intermediate between good and bad), 14 lakh shlokas in Gandharva loka ( the residing place of celestial beings) and 1 lakh shlokas are recited in Manushya Loka ( abode of human beings), Dev Rushi (God sage) Narada has taught Mahabharata in heaven to God's and Asit Deval has taught it in Pitruloka. Shukdev has taught it to Gandharva's , Rakshasa's and Yaksha's but on Earth this great history was taught by Vaishmapayan student of Maharushi Vedvyas who had excellent knowledge of Scriptures and Veda's. Thus I will narrate to you this Mahabharata of 1 lakh shlokas taught by Vaishmapayan and written by Vedvyas!" said Ugra-shrava.                                             " Duryodhana is a big tree of anger and rage , Karna it's trunk , Shakuni it's branches and Dushasan it's flowers and fruits. Ignorant king Dhritarashtra is its root. King Yudishtir is a big tree of Dharma , Arjun it's trunk, Bheem it's branches, Nakul-Sahadev it's flowers and fruits. Shri Krushna , Vedas and Brahma it's root."                                                                                                                                                                            Story of King Pandu.                              King Pandu with his bravery and wits had conquered many lands and because of his hunting habit, he used to stay in jungle with sages in small huts in disguise. One day he accidentally killed a sage who was cursed to animal form in time of his mating. But before dying he cursed King Pandu that he would die if he tried to mate with his wife or any other women. Even after so , Pandavas were born in that same jungle and we're brought up by sages who taught them about good deeds and character. Even though King Pandu had been cursed , the secret of having children was that his wife Kunti and Madri had a boon given by sage Durvasa that gods - Dharma , Vayu , Indra , and both Ashiwinikumars would grant them a son each. Thus Yudishtir , Bheem , Arjun and Nakul-Sahadev were born respectively. Loving wife Kunti first learned from her husband the values of Dharma and then used the boon to call upon the gods to grant her a son , she called upon Dharma , Vayu and Indra respectively. As instructed Madri called upon the twin god Ashiwinikumars to grant her a son. Thus the five Pandavas were born. As they were growing in age and strength the Pandavas learned the Vedas and Scriptures from sages in jungle. After a brief time after birth of Pandavas , King Pandu died.                                                                                                       #next blog- entry of Pandavas in kingdom of Dhritarashtra after his brother Pandu's death. And introduction of important events in Mahabharata.

Short series #1.3

                             Shadaj Geeta.           

Short series #1.2

                                         Shadaj Geeta.                                                             

Short series #1.

                       Shadaj Geeta!                           

#Last blog we saw that the purpose of life revolves around - Dharma,Artha,Kama and Moksha. Below is a short story in Mahabharata's Shanti Parva which expands our thoughts on the same! The reason it's called Shadaj (meaning 6) is that it's a discussion between the five Pandavas and the intelligent Vidhur ( uncle of Pandavas) which focuses on comparison between the above given four purposes of life and ultimately says which is the most important of them all.                                                                                                                           
                      Sage Vaishmapayan (pupil of Maharushi Vedvyas) thus said " King Janamejaya! Thus after speaking to Bhishma , Yudishtir summoned his 4 brothers and uncle Vidhur and asked the following question!".                                                                                                Yudishtir said " People's lives revolves around Dharma,Artha and Kama. Out of these 3 which one is good , which one is better and which one is the best? Also please explain which qualities should one develop to overcome all these three factors ? Speak of words which you truly believe!                                         Thus having knowledge of Dharmashastra   (science of Dharma) Vidvaan(intelligent) Vidhur said                      बाहुश्रुत्यं तपस्या त्यागः श्रद्धा यज्ञक्रिया क्षमा ।                                  भावशुद्धिः दया सत्यं संयमश्चात्मसंदः ।।                   Studying of various scriptures (science ,politics and other subjects), penance, sacrifice, faith,yajna(ritual-sacrifice), forgiveness, purification of thoughts, donations, truth and patience respectively are the wealth of Atma(soul)".                            Further he says       "Yudishtir you try to achieve the above said qualities! Your mind should not stray away from this. Roots of Dharma and Artha are these. In my opinion these are the thoughts of highest value. Only through Dharma one can cross this world which is vast and deep with materialism like a sea , Dharma is the root on which civilizations of people stand, Dharma is the base of all religions even god has achieved through Dharma and Dharma is the root of Artha. Yudishtir in my opinion Kama is good , Artha is better but Dharma is the best and its above all others! The ultimate aim should be to control our mind and follow Dharma and to treat others as we treat ourselves!                                 

                 तस्माद् धर्म प्रधानेन भवितव्यं यतात्मना।                                          तथा च सर्व भूतेषु वर्तितव्यं यथात्मनि।।.                               Sage Vaishmapayan said " King Janamejaya , after  listening to Vidhur , Arjun who had knowledge of Dharma and Arthashastra (science of wealth and meaning) took permission of his elder brother Yudishtir and gave his true thoughts in following manner".                        Arjun said " My king (Yudishtir) , this is a land of Action (karma bhumi), here tongue's are used to praise the actions (karma), farming- trade- animal care- and other professions are the tools of gaining Artha(wealth). Through wealth one can achieve all karma's (actions) , without wealth one cannot follow Dharma and Kama as Artha helps as a tool for achieving both. A wealthy person can help others and easily follow Dharma as wealth makes it easy for that person to achieve all kind of actions required for Dharma. Dharma and Kama both are parts of Artha and with it both are achieved thus is said by various intellectuals!"   Further Arjun says " As people always praise God so do they praise a wealthy man. Every human is trying to earn wealth and for that purpose he goes from places to places and profession to profession. Even the learned have deep desire for wealth.                                                                                                                                         आस्तिका नास्तिकाश्चैव नियताः संयमे परे।                                       अप्रज्ञानं तमोभूतं प्रज्ञानं तु प्रकाशिता।।                   Even those who believe in God or those who are Atheist have desire for wealth. Rejecting the importance of wealth is ignorance , accepting it's importance is illumination. Thus I give my true thoughts and request my brother's to contribute further".                                                                                  #Next we will see what Nakul and Sahadev have to say about Dharma, Artha and Kaam and Bheem's contribution to this discussion and ultimately the essence of discussion given by King Yudishtir.

Mahabharata Originals! #3.

                         The Conversation!                             

                   .              After inviting Lord Ganesha into the cave , Vedvyas says "लेखको भारतस्यास्य भव त्वं गणनायक।" "please be the writer of this great poem created by me! I will recite the poem as I have created it in my mind."  Ganesha replied " I'll only write it if you promise that my writing won't stop even for a single second, then I'll surely become your writer!".                                                    Vedvyas requested " without understanding don't even write a single letter!" To this Ganesha said "OM" and started writing....... Maharushi Vedvyas used to say such shloka (sutra) that it's meaning would be perceived different from superficial reading and something different if properly read with deeper understanding. In this context Maharushi Vedvyas says "In this poem out of all shlokas there are 8800 shlokas which are fully understood by me, shukdev and Sanjay. Also it is created with such complex Grammer that it's true meaning is difficult to understand and thus its application is confusing."so much that even all knowing Lord Ganesha used to take a moment to understand it but in that moment itself Vedvyas used to create thousand shlokas more!                                                                         To fully understand the purpose of life the four principles of Dharma (the eternal law of the cosmos, inherent in the very nature of things/truth), Artha (meaning, sense, goal, purpose or essence, or wealth/property) , Kama (desire, wish or longing) and Moksha (the transcendent state attained as a result of being released from the cycle of rebirth.) are described by Vedvyas in this epic poem.                                 Maharushi Vedvyas says" Bharata history's seed is its Sangraha Adhyay , It's roots are Paulom and Asthik Parva , Sambhava Parva is its trunk and branches are Sabha & Aranya Parva. Arani Parva joins everything and Viraat and Udyog Parva are contents inside the trees structure, Bhishma Parva is the biggest branch of all and Drona Parva are leaves of this great tree. Karna Parva are the white flowers and its sweet smell is Shalya Parva. Stree Parva and Aeshi Parva is the great shadow and Shanti  Parva is its Fruit! Ashvamegh Parva is the essence of this fruit and Ashramvasik Parva is the support for us to sit under this great tree. Mausal Parva is skin of this tree.                                           All great scholars thus consume this great tree of knowledge ,no poem is independent of this Mahakavya and as clouds bring life to barren lands so thus Mahabharata to living beings!

Mahabharata Originals #2

Mahabharata Originals #2                                    Somewhere in the Himalayan mountains , in a cave Maharushi Vedvyas after taking bath in pure waters of Himalayan river and morning prayers , spread out a carpet made of grass and thus seated comfortably, started meditating.                                        During meditation he went into " dhyan yoga " ( a deeper concentration of the mind) and thought about the "dharma"( the eternal law of the cosmos, inherent in the very nature of things.) and through his divine concentration visualized the whole history of mahabharata from start to end and thus created this great epic!.....further more Vedvyas visualized:-                                                           Before our universe there was nothing in structure or name. To every extent there was only darkness , not even a single speck of light to be seen. It is during this period that a big egg shaped structure appeared which was Avinashi Beej ( a seed which cannot be destroyed) of all living things. This structure was the cause of all living things which were to come from it. In this big egg the pure energy "Brahma" entered.
           अद्भुतं चाप्यचिन्त्यं च सर्वत्र समतां गतम्।.       
        अव्यक्तं कारणं सुक्ष्मं यत् तत् सदसदात्मकम्।।३१।।     
   This Brahma is very minute, it's extent is everywhere, has no particular structure , it's unthinkable, and acts as a "Cause" and is the reason of everything. Everything which is available in form of truth and false both , is "Brahma."                                                                 From that seed came Brahma Dev who had structure,  Rudra , Manu ( refers to the archetypal man, or to the first man, progenitor of humanity) , Prajapathi (Lord of creatures) , Parameshthi  ("five supreme beings in Jainism are a fivefold hierarchy of religious authorities), many Pracheta's and their children, Daksh and his seven sons, after that came 21 Prajapathi's (Sapta rishi's (7) + 14 Manu's) , Vishnu , Aditya (sun),  Vasu ( They are eight elemental gods) and Ashiwinikumar (twin brothers , they are the doctors of gods and are Devas of Ayurvedic medicine). After that appeared the yaksh (broad class of nature-spirits) , sadhya , pishaach (flesh-eating demons) , gruhak , pitrr , and rishi gana ( council of intellectuals).                                                    All the above said living entities were blessed with highest form of virtues.                                               
         आपौ द्योः पृथिवी वायुः अन्तरीक्षं दिशस्तथा।।३६।।     
      From that universe itself came water, fire, earth, sky, space and disha(directions). Seasons, months , days, day and night , and whatever which is perceived by us all came from that Big Egg!                                   
"Everything which is living and nonliving seen by us, at time of PRALAY Kala -(Dissolution, judgement day) returns to its Cause.". Same way as in specific season a tree bears fruits and flowers and when the season ends, it sheds of its flowers and its fruits fall.... That way in specific Time Frame a specific thing appears and when that Time Frame ends we see the लय that is destruction of that specific thing!  And this goes on and on like a cycle (काल चक्र - time cycle), in this cycle- things are created and people are born and they die in an unending fashion!  This cycle never ends!!!!!                                                                          Seeing that this knowledge was well understood by Maharushi Vedvyas and his wish to give it to his disciples and to common people , Lord Brahma and many sages visited him in that cave. Vedvyas was surprised , he stood up and did "namaskaar" to everyone and arranged for everyone to sit. On a high rise stone Lord Brahma was sitting and Vedvyas was standing beside him with his hands folded. His joy was profound for he was standing beside the Almighty , The Cause of everything! Including his!.     
       Vedvyas said " Bhagwan I have created a Mahakavya ( a great poem) and in that I have inculcated all the secrets and essence of every known Vedas also I have described in full length all other Upavedas and Upanishads in this great poem".  It is filled with great HISTORY of mankind. As well as the past , present ,and future has been mentioned.     In this great epic- Aging, Death, Fear, Disease and all such thing's truth and false has been described! And authority wise - work and civilizations are described. Like Brahmin , Kshatriya , Vaishya and Shudra and has roots of all Purana's and other scientific and religious works , the earth, the sun, the moon , the planets, constellations of stars, Satyuga - Tretayuga -Dwaparyuga -Kaliyuga all of these in content -measure -concept and effects have been told. Rig-Veda, yajurveda , saamveda have been discussed at length in this great poem. Justice, Education , Medicinal and Surgical treatment and procedure,Donations , and also " Why a we take birth as a human being ?" or cause of birth in any other species is described.  Rivers , places of worship , countries and their land , mountains , large forests and seas are described. Peculiarities of different languages and religions and products to lead a successful life are told by me in this great poem.".  He said " I have only one worry which causes unrest in my mind . There is no human being on earth who can write this great HISTORY".                                              Lord Brahma said " Vedvyas , you are the most knowledgeable among sages , all your life you have spoken nothing but only the truth. And you said that this was a great poem so it will in future be famous as a poem. No poet in this world can ever create a poem like you have created. In order to write down this great poem you pray to Lord Ganesha." Having said this Lord Brahma went back to Brahma loka       ( abode of Brahma)."Thus hey Shounak -  the great Vedvyas remembered and prayed to Lord Ganesha and Lord visited Vedvyas in his cave" said Ugra-shrava.                                                                       
                                                                                      Note :-  please remember this is a conversation going on or rather a story is being told by Ugra-shrava to Sage Shounak and his disciples! ........nxt blog - writing of Mahabharata by Lord Ganesha and birth of Kauravas and Pandavas.