Anand Revealed!!!

Section ends with importance of reading Mahabharata

2010-05-01T11:34:00.004+05:30

MAHA-P010

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"Rishi Sauti said, 'Dhritarashtra, lamenting his fate in these words, was overcome with extreme anguish and for a time became numb; After recovering, he addressed Sanjaya in the following words:

"After this Sanjaya, I wish to put an end to my life without delay; I do not find the least advantage in cherishing it any longer."

"Muni Sauti said, 'The wise son of Gavalgana (Sanjaya) then addressed the distressed emperor (Dhritarashtra) while thus talking and bewailing, sighing like a serpent.

"You have heard, O King, of the greatly powerful men, spoken of by Vyasa and the wise Narada; men born of great royal families, resplendent with worthy qualities, versed in the science of celestial arms, and in glory emblems of Indra; men who having conquered the world by justice and performed sacrifices with worthy offerings (to the Brahmins), obtained renown in this world and at last succumbed to the sway of time.

[The above text and the following paragraph show names of kings who were indomitable supreme emperors. We must ask ourselves, why is it important for me to know all these kings? Why are these names presented in an epic of great spiritual value? Yes there is a bit of History that all of us must know!! But the most important thing to note in the above paragraph is ‘at last succumbed to the sway of time’. All of these supreme rulers, who enjoyed vast riches, made enormous effort to expand their kingdom and wealth. They were waging epic wars and were toiling to achieve their ‘supreme position’. Yet all of them were defeated in one single battle by Time. All these emperors perished and all their efforts wasted.

When we compare ourselves with these emperors, our effort and riches will certainly be meager? It will definitely be lost one day or the other. Of course!! We all know this. But we never ask ourselves this question, ‘What are we trying to achieve in this life?’

I won’t try to answer this question as it is your problem. But certainly I will tell you this, ‘If you find this answer, you will never have any problem in life. Problems are created by confusion or ignorance. If you have a meaning for your life, you will never get confused at any point of life. No confusion means!! No problem!!’

Of course!! Mahabharata contains answers to your problem. But like a blind man cannot see the bright sun that is shining in his face, our own ignorance blinds our eye from finding simple answers that stand naked in this great epic.]

Such were Saivya; the valiant Maharatha; Srinjaya, great amongst conquerors. Suhotra; Rantideva, and Kakshivanta, great in glory; Valhika, Damana, Saryati, Ajita, and Nala; Viswamitra the destroyer of foes; Amvarisha, great in strength; Marutta, Manu, Ikshaku, Gaya, and Bharata; Rama the son of Dasaratha; Sasavindu, and Bhagiratha; Kritavirya, the greatly fortunate, and Janamejaya; and Yayati of good deeds. These kings performed sacrifices and they were blessed by the celestials. These kings marked their presence all over the world.

These twenty-four Rajas were formerly spoken of by the celestial Rishi Narada unto Saivya when much afflicted for the loss of his children. Besides these, other Rajas had gone before, still more powerful than they, mighty charioteers noble in mind, and resplendent with every worthy quality. These were Puru, Kuru, Yadu, Sura and Viswasrawa of great glory; Anuha, Yuvanaswu, Kakutstha, Vikrami, and Raghu; Vijava, Virihorta, Anga, Bhava, Sweta, and Vripadguru; Usinara, Sata-ratha, Kanka, Duliduha, and Druma; Dambhodbhava, Para, Vena, Sagara, Sankriti, and Nimi; Ajeya, Parasu, Pundra, Sambhu, and holy Deva-Vridha; Devahuya, Supratika, and Vrihad-ratha; Mahatsaha, Vinitatma, Sukratu, and Nala, the king of the Nishadas; Satyavrata, Santabhaya, Sumitra, and the chief Subala; Janujangha, Anaranya, Arka, Priyabhritya, Chuchi-vrata, Balabandhu, Nirmardda, Ketusringa, and Brhidbala; Dhrishtaketu, Brihatketu, Driptaketu, and Niramaya; Abikshit, Chapala, Dhurta, Kritbandhu, and Dridhe-shudhi; Mahapurana-sambhavya, Pratyanga, Paraha and Sruti.

These, chief, and other Rajas, enumerated by hundreds and by thousands, and still others by millions, princes of great power and wisdom, quitting very abundant enjoyments met death as thy sons have done! Their heavenly deeds, valour, and generosity, their magnanimity, faith, truth, purity, simplicity and mercy, are published to the world in the records of former times by sacred bards of great learning. Though endued with every noble virtue, these have yielded up their lives.

Your (Dhritarashtra’s) sons were malevolent, inflamed with passion, avaricious, and of very evil-disposition. You are well versed in the Sastras, O king, and you are intelligent and wise; they never sink under misfortunes whose understandings are guided by the Sastras. You are acquainted with the lenity and severity of fate; this anxiety therefore for the safety of your children is unbecoming.

You must not grieve for what has happened: for who can avert, by his wisdom, the decrees of fate? No one can leave the way marked out for him by Providence. Existence and non-existence, pleasure and pain all have Time for their root. Time creates all things and Time destroys all creatures. It is Time that burns creatures and it is Time that extinguishes the fire. All states, the good and the evil, in the three worlds, are caused by Time. Time cuts short all things and creates them anew. Time alone is awake when all things are asleep: indeed, Time is incapable of being overcome. Time passes over all things without being retarded. As you know that, all things of past and of future and all things that exist at the present moment are the offspring of Time. So, it is behooves you not to throw away thy reason.'

"Muni Sauti said, 'The son of Gavalgana(Sanjeya, the chariot driver) having in this manner administered comfort to the royal Dhritarashtra overwhelmed with grief for his sons, then restored his mind to peace.”

Taking these facts for his subject, Rishi Dwaipayana (Vyasa) composed a holy Upanishad that has been published to the world by learned and sacred bards in the Puranas composed by them.

[The following paragraph describes the fruits of learning Mahabharata. But I must warn you not to take these benefits too figuratively. If you cannot understand the text given in red, don’t worry. It is the motto of this book to take you a step onward towards the meaning of that and thus help you attain salvation. Yet for people who understand this text, I will make a short blog soon, to explain it further.]

"The study of the Bharata is an act of piety. He that reads even one sentence, with belief, has his sins entirely purged away. In this Devas, Devarshis, and immaculate Brahmarshis of good deeds, have been spoken of; and likewise Yakshas (Demi gods) and great Uragas (Nagas). Herein also hath been described the eternal Vasudeva (Lord Krishna) possessing the six attributes. He is the true and just, the pure and holy, the eternal Brahman (Not to be confused with the creator Brahma), the supreme soul, the true constant light, whose divine deeds wise and learned recount; from whom has proceeded the non-existent and existent-non-existent universe with principles of generation and progression, and birth, death and re-birth. That also hath been treated of which is called Adhyatma (the superintending spirit of nature) that part takes of the attributes of the five elements. That also has been described, who is purusha being above such epithets as 'undisplayed' and the like; also that which the foremost yatis(self realized men) exempt from the common destiny and endued with the power of meditation and Tapas behold dwelling in their hearts as a reflected image in the mirror.

"The man of faith, devoted to piety, and constant in the exercise of virtue, on reading this section is freed from sin. The believer that constantly hears recited this section of the Mahabharata, called the Introduction does not fall into difficulties. The man repeating any part of the introduction in the two twilights is freed from the sins contracted during the day or the night. This section is the body of the Mahabharata. It is the essence of truth.

As butter is in curd, King Bharata among bipeds, the Aranyaka (section of vedas) among the Vedas, and Elixir among medicines; as the sea is eminent among receptacles of water, and the cow among quadrupeds; As the above mentioned things are superlatives of their respective classes so is the Mahabharata is said to be the greatest among the histories and epics.

"He that makes even a single foot of Mahabharata to be recited to Brahmins during a Sradha (A ritual performed in memory of a departed soul), his offerings of food and drink to the manes of his ancestors become inexhaustible.”

"By the aid of history and the Puranas, the Veda may be expounded; the learned man who recites to other this Veda of Rishi Vyasa (The Mahabharata) reaps many fruits. It may without doubt destroy even the sin of killing the embryo and the like. He who reads this chapter of Mahabharata and understands it has attains the benefit of reading the entire Mahabharata. The man who with reverence daily listens to this sacred work acquires long life and renown and ascends to heaven.”

"In former days, having placed the four Vedas on one side and the Mahabharata on the other, these were weighed in the balance by the celestials assembled for that purpose. And as the latter weighed heavier than the four Vedas with their mysteries, from that period it has been called in the world Mahabharata (the great Bharata). Being esteemed superior both in substance and gravity of its content, it is denominated Mahabharata (the great Bharata). He that knows its meaning is saved from all his sins.

'Tapas (Meditation) is innocent, study is harmless, the ordinance of the Vedas prescribed for all the tribes are harmless, the acquisition of wealth by exertion is harmless; but when they are abused in their practices it is then that they become sources of evil.'"

Many of the paragraphs given above may be absurd to you. You may be plagued with questions. I purposefully ill explained the above paragraphs. I want you to think a little and come up with a few questions. I want you to ask ‘Why?’ Hinduism gives authority to its followers to ask any question. No question desecrates the values Hinduism as it is rooted in sanity. This is confirmed in the italicized sentence in the above paragraph. I will start with a few general questions to help you get started. Why do we get the above said benefits by merely reading Mahabharata? Why should we get the above said benefits if the Mahabharata in itself propounds that all worldly benefits are of vain?

If you know answers to any of these questions, you can comment your answers. If you have more questions, you can comment them too….As mentioned before, I shall soon write a small explanatory blog to throw some light on the above mentioned issues and questions. People!! Pls comment….I won’t know what you understand from the blog unless you respond.

----------Anand Hariharan.

Dhritarashtra continues.......

2010-04-07T01:35:00.006+05:30

MAHA-P009
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When I heard that the king of Matsya, had offered his virtuous daughter Uttara to Arjuna and that Arjuna had accepted her for his son, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. [Illustrates the allies that Pandavas gained.]

When I heard that Yudhishthira, beaten at dice, deprived of wealth, exiled and separated from his connections, had assembled yet an army of seven Akshauhinis**, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. [Illustrates the capability of the Pandavas.]

**Akshauhini was an ancient battle formation that consisted of 21,870 chariots; 21,870 elephants; 65,610 horse-mounted warriors and 109,350 infantry. (The ratio is 1 chariot: 1 elephant: 3 horse-mounted warriors: 5 infantry soldiers)

When I heard Narada, declare that Krishna and Arjuna were Nara and Narayana and Narada had seen them together in the regions of Brahma, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. [Emphasizes that Krishna and Arjuna are divine and are born to win.]

Nara-Narayana is the twin-brother incarnation of the god Vishnu on earth, to preserve dharma (righteousness). The philosophy is that the human mind is the Nara with the athma being the Divine Narayana.

When I heard that Krishna, anxious to bring about peace, for the welfare of mankind tried to form a armistice with the Kurus, and went away without having been able to effect his purpose, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success.

When I heard that Karna and Duryodhana resolved upon imprisoning Krishna, who displayed in himself the whole universe, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. [Illustrates the foolishness of kurus, trying to defeat the divine.]

Then I heard that at the time of his departure, Pritha (Kunti) standing, full of sorrow, near his chariot received consolation from Krishna, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. [Exemplifies the divine blessings on Pandavas.]

When I heard that Vasudeva and Bhishma the son of Santanu were the counselors of the Pandavas and Drona the son of Bharadwaja pronounced blessings on them, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. [Exemplifies the elderly blessings on Pandavas.]

When Karna said unto Bhishma--I will not fight when thou art fighting--and, quitting the army, went away, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. [Exemplifies the lack of unity among the Kurus.]

When I heard that Vasudeva and Arjuna and the bow Gandiva of immeasurable prowess, these three of dreadful energy had come together, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success.
The Gandiva is the bow of Arjuna. Lord Shiva had it first for a thousand years. Afterwards, Prajapati, the protector of life had it for five hundred and three years. Then, King of demigod Indra, had it for five and eighty years. Afterwards, Soma (Moon) had it for five hundred years. And after that Varuna (God of wind) had it for a hundred years. Varuna gave it to Arjuna along with a chariot and two inexhaustible quivers, as requested by Agni (God of fire).

When I heard that upon Arjuna having been seized with scruple on his chariot and ready to sink, Krishna showed him all the worlds within his body, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. [The narration of Bhagavad-Gita.]

When I heard that Bhishma, the desolator of foes, killing ten thousand charioteers every day in the field of battle, had not slain any amongst the Pandavas then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. [Exemplifies Bhishma’s love for Pandavas.]

When I heard that Bhishma, the righteous son of Ganga, had himself indicated the means of his defeat in the field of battle and that the same were accomplished by the Pandavas with joyfulness, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. When I heard that Arjuna, having placed Sikhandin ♠ before himself in his chariot, had wounded Bhishma of infinite courage and invincible in battle, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success.

♠ Jitu Shikhandi was originally born as a girl child named Shikhandini to King Drupada of Panchala. He had been born in an earlier lifetime as a woman named Amba, who was rejected by Bhishma for marriage due to his oath of lifelong celibacy. Feeling deeply humiliated and wanting revenge, Amba carried out great penance with the desire to be the cause of Bhishma's death. Amba was then reborn as Jitu. In the battle of Kurukshetra, Bhishma recognises Shikhandi as Amba reborn, and lowers his weapons as she is a woman. Knowing that Bhishma would react thus to Shikhandi Arjuna hides behind Shikhandi and attacks Bhishma with a destructive shower of arrows.

When I heard that the aged hero Bhishma, having reduced the numbers of the race of shomaka to a few, overcome with various wounds was lying on a bed of arrows, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. [The defeat of one of the greatest warriors of Kuru dynasty only haunts the defeat of kurus.]

When I heard that upon Bhishma's lying on the ground with thirst for water, Arjuna, being requested, had pierced the ground and allayed his thirst, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success.

When Vayu together with Indra and Surya (all Demi gods) united as allies for the success of the sons of Kunti, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success.

When the wonderful warrior Drona, displaying various modes of fight in the field, did not slay any of the superior Pandavas, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success.

When I heard that the Maharatha Sansaptakas## of our army appointed for the overthrow of Arjuna were all slain by Arjuna himself, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success.

## Maharatha Sansaptakas – The seven chariot warriors of Kauravas (Brahadala, Jayatsena, Rukamratha, princes Vinda and Anuvinda of Avanti, Sudakshina of Kamboja and Jayadratha of Sindhudesa)

When I heard that our disposition of forces, impenetrable by others, and defended by Bharadwaja (Dhrona) himself well-armed, had been singly forced and entered by the brave son of Subhadra (Abhimanyu), then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. When I heard that our Maharathas, unable to overcome Arjuna, with jubilant faces after having jointly surrounded and slain the boy Abhimanyu, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. When I heard that the blind Kauravas were shouting for joy after having slain Abhimanyu and that thereupon Arjuna in anger made his celebrated speech referring to Saindhava (Jayadratha), then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. When I heard that Arjuna had vowed the death of Saindhava (Jayadratha) and fulfilled his vow in the presence of his enemies, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success.

When I heard that upon the horses of Arjuna being fatigued, Vasudeva releasing them made them drink water and bringing them back and continued to guide them as before, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. When I heard that while his horses were fatigued, Arjuna staying in his chariot checked all his assailants, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. [Exemplifies the competence of Arjuna.]

When I heard that Yuyudhana$$ of the race of Vrishni, after having thrown into confusion the army of Drona rendered unbearable in prowess owing to the presence of elephants, retired to where Krishna and Arjuna were, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success.

$$Satyaki also called Yuyudhana, was born in the linage of Shini of the Vrishni clan. He was the son of Satyaka. Satyaki was devoted to Krishna. He trained in military arts under Guru Dronacharya along with his best friend Arjuna. Drona was stunned when Satyaki broke his bow for 101 times successively.

When I heard that Karna even though he had got Bhima within his power allowed him to escape after only addressing him in contemptuous terms and dragging him with the end of his bow, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success.

When I heard that Drona, Kritavarma, Kripa, Karna, the son of Drona, and the valiant king of Madra (Salya) suffered Saindhava to be slain, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success.

When I heard that the celestial Sakti (Which could be used only once) given by Indra to Karna was by Lord Krishna's intrigues caused to be hurled upon Rakshasa Ghatotkacha (Son of Bhima) of frightful countenance, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. When I heard that in the encounter between Karna and Ghatotkacha, that Sakti was hurled against Ghatotkacha by Karna, the same which was certainly to have slain Arjuna in battle, then, Sanjaya I had no hope of success.

I won’t explain the following events in detail. They require other details from the epic which are part of later chapters. But note them as important events that happened. We will deal with them in detail later.

When I heard that Dhristadyumna, transgressing the laws of battle, slew Drona while alone in his chariot and resolved on death, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success.

When I heard that Nakula, the son of Madri, having in the presence of the whole army engaged in single combat with the son of Drona and showing himself equal to him drove his chariot in circles around, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success.

When upon the death of Drona, his son (Aswatthaman) misused the weapon called Narayana but failed to achieve the destruction of the Pandavas, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success.

When I heard that Bhimasena drank the blood of his brother Duhsasana in the field of battle without anybody being able to prevent him, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success.

When I heard that the infinitely brave Karna, invincible in battle, was slain by Arjuna in that war of brothers mysterious even to the gods, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success.

When I heard that Yudhishthira, the Just, overcame the heroic son of Drona, Duhsasana, and the fierce Kritavarman, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success.

When I heard that the brave king of Madra who ever dared Krishna in battle was slain by Yudhishthira, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success.

When I heard that the wicked Suvala (Shakuni) of magic power, the root of the gaming and the feud, was slain in battle by Sahadeva, the son of Pandu, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success.

When I heard that Duryodhana, spent with fatigue, having gone to a lake and made a refuge for himself within its waters, was lying there alone, his strength gone and without a chariot, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. When I heard that the Pandavas having gone to that lake accompanied by Vasudeva and standing on its beach began to address contemptuously my son who was incapable of putting up with affronts, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success.
When I heard that while, displaying in circles a variety of curious modes (of attack and defence) in an encounter with clubs, he (Duryodhana) was unfairly slain according to the counsels of Krishna, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success.
When I heard the son of Drona (Aswatthaman) and others by slaying the Panchalas and the sons of Draupadi in their sleep perpetrated a horrible and infamous deed, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success.

When I heard that Aswatthaman while being pursued by Bhimasena had discharged the first of weapons called Aishika, by which the embryo in the womb (of Uttara) was wounded, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. When I heard that the weapon Brahmashira (discharged by Aswatthaman) was repelled by Arjuna with another weapon over which he had pronounced the word "Sasti" and that Aswatthaman had to give up the jewel-like excrescence on his head, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success.

When I heard that upon the embryo in the womb of Virata's daughter being wounded by Aswatthaman with a mighty weapon, Dwaipayana and Krishna pronounced curses on him, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success.

'Alas! Gandhari, destitute of children, grand-children, parents, brothers, and kindred, is to be pitied. Difficult is the task that hath been performed by the Pandavas: by them a kingdom been recovered without a rival.

'Alas! I have heard that the war hath left only ten alive: three of our side, and the Pandavas, seven, in that dreadful conflict eighteen Akshauhinis of Kshatriyas have been slain! All around me is utter darkness, and a fit of swoon assailed me: consciousness leaves me and my mind is distracted."

A small portion of this section is still pending. But it blends into the next section. So, let me put it in the next blog that I shall write…..
Hope you people like it!!!
I strongly encourage you to offer your views on the subject as comments.
----------Anand Hariharan.

Dhritarashtra Speaks.....Turning points in Mahabharata

2010-03-16T06:23:00.001+05:30

MAHA-P008

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Dhritarashtra continues to narrate the main events of the Mahabharata that led to the defeat of Kauravas...

'Hear, O Sanjaya, all that happened thereupon and came to my knowledge. And when you hear all that I say, you shall then know me for one with a prophetic eye.

When I heard that Arjuna, having bent the bow, had pierced with his arrows the curious mark (A difficult to target object) and brought it down to the ground, and bore away in triumph the maiden Krishna ( here means Draupadi), in the sight of the assembled princes, then, Sanjaya I had no hope of success. [Illustrates the archery skill of Arjuna]

When I heard that Subhadra of the race of Madhu had, after forcible seizure been married by Arjuna in the city of Dwaraka, and that the two heroes of the race of Vrishni (Krishna and Balarama the brothers of Subhadra) without resenting it had entered Indraprastha (The Kingdome of Pandavas) as friends, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. [Emphasizes the fact that Lord Krishna had a infallible relation with Pandavas.]

When I heard that Arjuna, by his celestial arrow preventing the downpour by Indra the king of the gods, had gratified Agni by making over to him the forest of Khandava, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. [This demonstrates the divine favor & blessings of Devas (Demigods) on Pandavas.]

When I heard that the five Pandavas with their mother Kunti had escaped from the house of lac, and that Vidura was engaged in the accomplishment of their designs, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. [This stresses the vigil that the Pandavas would have nurtured after the Kauravas used treacherous methods to kill Pandavas. It also reveals the vengeance that some Pandavas would have developed against Kauravas]

When I heard that Arjuna, after having pierced the mark in the arena had won Draupadi, and that the brave Panchalas had joined the Pandavas, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. [Again, illustrates the archery skill of Arjuna]

When I heard that Jarasandha*, the foremost of the royal line of Magadha, and blazing in the midst of the Kshatriyas, had been slain by Bhima with his bare arms alone, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. [Illustrates the Valor of Bhima]

* Jarasandha was a great and powerful king of Magadha, and son of Brihadratha, a Vedic king. He is generally held in negative light owing to his enmity with the Yadav clan in the Mahabharata.

When I heard that in their general campaign the sons of Pandu had conquered the chiefs of the land and performed the grand sacrifice of the Rajasuya (As explained in MAHA-P006), then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. [This illustrates the might of Pandavas who complete the hard Rajasuya yaga. This yaga makes the performer of the yaga or sacrifice the emperor. ]

When I heard that Draupadi, her voice choked with tears and heart full of agony, with but one raiment on, had been dragged into court and was ill-treated, I had no hope of success. [This illustrates the wicked nature of Kauravas and also the wrath that they earned from Pandavas by ill-treating their wife.]

When I heard that the wicked wretch Duhsasana was striving to strip her of that single garment, had only drawn from her person a large heap of cloth without being able to arrive at its end, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. [When Duhsasana started stripping Draupadi, by the grace of Lord Krishna he could not remove her clothes. This illustrates the divine favor that Draupadi had and also the curse that Kauravas would have earned while trying to strip her of her clothes.]

When I heard that Yudhishthira, beaten by Saubala** at the game of dice and deprived of his kingdom as a consequence thereof, had still been attended upon by his brothers of incomparable prowess, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success.

**Saubala here means Shakuni.

When I heard that the virtuous Pandavas weeping with affliction had followed their elder brother (Yudhishtra) to the wilderness and exerted themselves for the mitigation of his discomforts, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. [This illustrates the might of the affection that Pandavas had on his brother Yudhishtra.]

'When I heard that Yudhishthira had been followed into the wilderness by Snatakas## and noble-minded Brahmins who live upon alms, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. [This illustrates the support that the virtuous Pandavas gained from noble men.]

##Snatakas- A Brahmin who, after performing the ceremonial lustrations(To purify by means of ceremony) required on his finishing his studentship (Brahmachari) under a teacher, returns home and begins the second period of his life as a Householder (Grihasthashrami).

When I heard that Arjuna, having, in combat, pleased the god of gods, Tryambaka$ (the three-eyed) in the disguise of a hunter, obtained the great weapon Pasupata¢, then Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. [This emphasizes that the Kauravas had no chance of victory as Pashupatastra makes one undefeatable in battle.]

$Tryambaka- Lord Shiva :)

¢Pasupata (or) Pashupatastra is the irresistible and most destructive personal weapon of Lord Shiva. The Pashupata astra is capable of destroying creation and vanquishing all beings. The Pashupatastra was used in the Kurukshetra war by Arjuna to kill Jayadratha.

When I heard that the just and renowned Arjuna after having been to the celestial regions, had there obtained celestial weapons from Indra himself then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. [Again, this demonstrates the divine favor & blessings of Devas (Demigods) on Pandavas.]

When I heard that afterwards Arjuna had vanquished the Kalakeyas and the Paulomas♠proud with the boon they had obtained and which had rendered them invulnerable even to the celestials, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. [This illustrates the indomitable nature of Arjuna.]

♠The Kalakeyas and Paulomas – Ferocious demons.

When I heard that Arjuna, the chastiser of enemies, having gone to the regions of Indra for the destruction of the Asuras, had returned successful, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success.

When I heard that Bhima and the other sons of Pritha (Kunti) accompanied by Vaisravana♥[Again, this demonstrates the divine favor & blessings of Devas (Demigods) on Pandavas.] had arrived at that country which is inaccessible to man then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success.

♥Vaisravana – Kubera (A demigod) is the king of wealth.

When I heard that my sons, guided by the counsels of Karna, while on their journey of Ghoshayatra (walk or procession to the stations of the herdsmen), had been taken prisoners by the Gandharvas (Celestial beings) and were set free by Arjuna, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. [The superiority of Arjuna over Kauravas and Karna is illustrated here.]

When I heard that Dharma (Yama, the god of death & justice) having come under the form of a Yaksha (A divine being) had proposed certain questions to Yudhishthira then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. [This exemplifies the judicious nature of Yudhishtra.]

When I heard that my sons had failed to discover the Pandavas under their disguise while residing with Draupadi in the dominions of Virata§, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success.

§Virata was a king in whose court the Pandavas spent a year in concealment during their exile. He was married to Queen Sudeshna and was the father of Prince Uttara and Princess Uttara.

When I heard that the principal men of my side had all been vanquished by the noble Arjuna with a single chariot while residing in the dominions of Virata, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. [This illustrates the indomitable nature of Arjuna.]

Towards the end of the year that the Pandavas spent at the Matsya kingdom in hiding as per their agreement with Kauravas, Duryodhana attacked Matsya and brought the army of Hastinapura to their borders. King Virata had already taken his entire army to another battle, so Uttar, son of Virata went to confront Duryodhana's army with Arjuna (disguised as the eunuch dancer Brihannala, due to a curse) as his charioteer. While initially Uttar was confident of his abilities, he panicked upon seeing the legendary warriors at the head of Duryodhana's forces, particularly Bhishma, Drona, Kripa, Karna, and Asvatthama. Uttar dismounted the chariot and ran for his life, but Arjun gave chase and caught him, chiding him for his cowardice. Arjuna then revealed his true identity to Uttar who was skeptical and believed Arjuna only when he uttered his ten aliases. Arjuna then took charge and single-handedly and defeated the entire Hastinapura army in a spectacular show of his masterful archery. After this war he was called as Mahabahu (meaning – One with mighty arms i.e., mighty warrior.)

When I heard that Vasudeva (Lord Krishna) of the race of Madhu, who covered this whole earth by one foot, was heartily interested in the welfare of the Pandavas, then, Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. [This explains the Divine favor for Pandavas.]

This gist of Mahabharata containing the important events will continue..... :) :) :)

Hope you people like it!!!

I strongly encourage you to offer your views on the subject as comments.

And for people, who are skeptical about me becoming a Sanyasi.....

I am not destined to become one and I accept that with equanimity. I am well aware of my karma and I shall execute them with style & elegance :P :P :P

----------Anand Hariharan.

Dhritarashtra Speaks

2010-03-03T01:52:00.000+05:30

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The story continues with Dhritarashtra on hearing the defeat of his sons in the hands of Pandavas narrates to his charioteer Sanjaya the different events in Mahabharata that hints the wicked nature of his sons which lead to their defeat.

Sanjaya (means "victory") is Dhritarashtra's (the father of the Kauravas) advisor and also his charioteer. Sanjaya, had the gift of seeing events at a distance granted by the sage Vyasa, narrates to Dhritarashtra the events in the battle of Kurukshetra, including the Bhagavad-Gita. He is brutally frank in his recital of battle events with his own opinions, predicting the destruction of the Kauravas at the hands of Pandavas and Krishna.

Shakuni was the personification of Dvapara Yuga (a period of time), was the brother of Gandhari. He was portrayed as an extremely intelligent but devious old man, who was very fond of his nephew Duryodhana, yet wished the destruction of the entire Kuru family. He won the kingdom of the Pandavas' for his nephew, as a wager in a rigged game of dice. The dice that were used were made with Shakuni's father's thigh bones and would always do his bidding.

Karna is one of the central characters in Mahabharata. He was made the King of Anga by Duryodhana. Karna is considered to be one of the greatest warriors of Mahabharata by authorities including Krishna and Bhishma, as stated in the original text by Rishi Vyasa. He was the son of Surya (the Sun god) and Kunti. He was born to Kunti, before her marriage with Pandu. He is the closest friend of Duryodhana. Karna fought on his behalf against his own brothers the Pandavas at the Kurukshetra war. He was considered as the epitome of generosity.

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"And Dhritarashtra hearing the ill news of the success of the Pandavas and recollecting the resolutions of Duryodhana, Karna, and Shakuni, pondered for a while and addressed to Sanjaya the following speech:-

‘Sanjaya, hear all that I have to say and don’t treat me with contempt. You are well-versed in the shastras, intelligent and endowed with wisdom. My inclination was never to war, nor did I delight in the destruction of my race. I made no distinction between my own children and the children of Pandu. My own sons were prone to willfulness and despised me because I am old. My miserable plight and through paternal affection, blinded my wisdom. I was foolish not to correct the thoughtless Duryodhana ever growing in madness. Having been a spectator of the riches of the mighty sons of Pandu, my son was derided for his discomfiture while ascending the hall. Duryodhana was unable to bear it all and unable himself to overcome the sons of Pandu in the field. Though being a warrior by birth (Ruling cast), Duryodhana was not willing to gain wealth by his own exertion. Duryodhana getting the help of the king of Gandhara (Shakuni) concerted an unfair game at dice and cheated Pandavas.

----------Anand Hariharan.

Mahabharata Charecters brief

2010-02-27T02:46:00.003+05:30

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Since there are a lot of characters in Mahabharata, I will add a brief description of the characters for your reference. I will add a short note on characters as and when their name comes, till the point that they seem very familiar. You can also access this page and get a brief description on them. I will be adding about characters as and when they appear in the text.

Kunti is the mother of the eldest three of the Pandava brothers (actually considered mother by all five pandavas) from the Indian epic Mahābhārata. Her story is also told within the Bhagavata Purana, wherein she speaks on the philosophy of devotion of Krishna, known as Bhakti yoga. Kunti is a figure of great importance.

Her father was Śũrasena of the Yadav clan, and she was named Pritha by him. She was the sister of Vasudeva, Lord Krishna's father. She was given in adoption to the childless King Kuntibhoja, after which she was known as Kunti. After her arrival, King Kuntibhoja was blessed with children. He considered her his lucky charm and took care of her until her marriage.

When she was young, the rishi Durvasa told her a mantra with which Kunti could summon any deva and have a child by him. When Kunti asked why he gave her this mantra, he told her that it would be useful to her later in life.

Pandu is the son of Ambalika and Rishi Ved Vyasa. He is the father of the Pandavas.

Dhritarashtra was the son born to Vichitravirya's first wife Ambika. He was the blind king of Hastinapura. He was father to a hundred children by his wife Gandhari. These children are known as the Kauravas. Duryodhana and Dushasana were the prominent among them.

The Pandava are the five sons of Pandu, by his two wives Kunti and Madri. They are Yudhishtira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva.

Together, the brothers fought and won in a great war against their cousins i.e., the Kauravas, which is known as the Battle of Kurukshetra. Their half-brother Karna fought against them and was eventually slain by Arjuna.

Draupadi, also known as draupadī is the daughter of King Drupada of Panchāla and the wife of the five Pandavas. When Yudhisthira becomes the king of Hastinapura at the end of the war, Draupadi becomes his queen. She is sometimes called Krishnaa, which means dark complexioned. She is also known by her demonym Pānchālī, the one from the kingdom of Panchāla.

Vidura was half-brother to Dhritarashtra and Pandu. He was the son of a maid-servant who served Ambika and Ambalika (The queens of Hastinapura)and sage Vyasa. As neither of his parents were of royal blood, Vidura was never considered for, or had any chance of obtaining the throne of the kingdom. He served as a chancellor to his brothers(who were kings).

Bhishma was the grandfather of both the Pandavas and the Kauravas. He was a prime charecter in the epic. Bhishma was born as the youngest son of the illustrious King Shantanu and Ganga. He was known as 'Bhishma Pitamaha' (Pitamaha meaning the grandfather or grandsire) among the Pandavas and the Kauravas. He was one of the Ashtavasus (The eight prime demigods, who were attendents in court of Indra- The Lord of Devas or demigods).

Drona or Dronacharya is the royal guru to both the Kauravas and the Pandavas. He was a adept master in advanced military arts, including the devastras. Arjuna was his favored student. Drona's love for Arjuna was second only to his love for his son Ashwatthama. He was a partial incarnation of Brihaspathi(The Guru of Devas). Drona implies that he was not gestated in a womb, but outside the human body in a droon (vessel).

Kripa or Kripacharya or Krupacharya, was the chief priest at the royal court of Hastinapura, in the Mahābhārata. He was the son of Sharadvan and Janapadi. His twin sister Kripi married Drona. He fought in the great battle of Kurukshetra for the Kaurava side. He was appointed to be the teacher and preceptor of Parikshit, the grandson of Arjuna. He is one of the seven Chiranjivin(Immortals, who will live till the end of time, ofcourse have to die at the end of time!!).

Sanjaya (means "victory") is Dhritarashtra’s (the father of the Kauravas) advisor and also his charioteer. Sanjaya, had the gift of seeing events at a distance granted by the sage Vyasa, narrates to Dhritarashtra the events in the battle of Kurukshetra, including the Bhagavad-Gita. He is brutally frank in his recital of battle events with his own opinions, predicting the destruction of the Kauravas at the hands of Pandavas and Krishna.

Jarasandha was a great and powerful king of Magadha, and son of Brihadratha, a Vedic king. He is generally held in negative light owing to his enmity with the Yadav clan in the Mahabharata.

Virata was a king in whose court the Pandavas spent a year in concealment during their exile. He was married to Queen Sudeshna and was the father of Prince Uttara and Princess Uttara.

Discription of different version of Mahabharata and the whole story in brief.......

2010-02-27T02:33:00.006+05:30

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Since there are a lot of characters that will be introduced from this point, I am going to start an index page for detailing the characters. I need not repeat it again and again. Yet will give you a brief note on the same.

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Vyasa hath fully represented the greatness of the house of Kuru, the virtuous principles of Gandhari, the wisdom of Vidura, and the constancy of Kunti. The noble Rishi hath also described the divinity of Vasudeva, the rectitude of the sons of Pandu, and the evil practices of the sons and partisans of Dhritarashtra.

Kunti(Mother of Pandavas)

Kuru(A Kingdome during the Vedic period)- An excerpt from Wikipedia –

Kuru was the name of an Indo-Aryan Kshatriya tribe and their kingdom in the Vedic period of India, and later a republican Mahajanapada state. Their kingdom was located in the area of modern Haryana and Delhi. They formed the first political center of the Indo-Aryans after the Rigvedic period, and after their emergence from the Punjab, and it was there that the codification and redaction of the Vedic texts began.

Pandu is the son of Ambalika and Rishi Ved Vyasa. He is the father of the Pandavas.

Dhritarashtra was the blind king of Hastinapura. He was the father of the Kauravas. Duryodhana and Dushasana were the prominent among them.

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A description of the different versions of the Mahabharata is explained in these verses. Also a discription of the availablity of the different verses at different places are discribed.

Vyasa compiled the Bharata, exclusive of the episodes originally in twenty-four thousand verses; and so much only is called by the learned as the Bharata. Afterwards, he composed an epitome in one hundred and fifty verses, consisting of the introduction with the chapter of contents. This he first taught to his son Suka; and afterwards he gave it to others of his disciples who were possessed of the same qualifications.

After that he executed another compilation, consisting of six hundred thousand verses. Of those, thirty hundred thousand are known in the world of the Devas; fifteen hundred thousand in the world of the Pitris: fourteen hundred thousand among the Gandharvas, and one hundred thousand in the regions of mankind. Narada recited them to the Devas, Devala to the Pitris, and Suka published them to the Gandharvas, Yakshas, and Rakshasas: and in this world they were recited by Vaisampayana, one of the disciples of Vyasa, a man of just principles and the first among all those acquainted with the Vedas. Know that I, Sauti, have also repeated one hundred thousand verses.

In the Mahabharata, the Ramayana and other Puranas refer to many tribes, describing them as other than human (superhuman or subhuman). These tribes include the following: Gandharvas, Yakshas, Kinnaras, Kimpurushas, Rakshasas, Nagas, Suparnas, Vanaras, Vidyadharas, Valikilyas, Pisachas, Devas (within them Vasus, Rudras, Maruts, Adityas) and Asuras (within them Danavas, Daityas and Kalakeyas.)

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The Pandava brothers are described as a tree. The importance of different people can be inferred from the importance of different part of the tree.

Yudhishthira is a vast tree, formed of religion and virtue; Arjuna is its trunk; Bhimasena, its branches; the two sons of Madri (Nakula and Sahadeva) are its full-grown fruit and flowers; and its roots are Krishna, Brahma (or is it Bishma, I am not sure!), and the Brahmanas.

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The beginning of the story of Mahabharata.........(A short description of the entire story.)

Pandu, after having subdued many countries by his wisdom and prowess, took up his abode with the Munis in a certain forest [1] as a sportsman, where he brought upon himself a very severe misfortune (Cursed) for having killed a stag coupling with its mate, which served as a warning for the conduct of the princes of his house as long as they lived. [2]

Their mothers (Mothers of Pandavas - The wives of king pandu), in order that the ordinances of the law (Dharma, vedic law) might be fulfilled, admitted to bear child with the gods Dharma, Vayu (God, air personified), Sakra (Indra, King of Devas), and the divinities the twin Aswins (Devas).

When their offspring grew up, under the care of their two mothers, in the society of ascetics, in the midst of sacred groves and holy recluse-abodes of religious men, they were conducted by Rishis into the presence of Dhritarashtra and his sons (The kauravas), following as students in the habit of Brahmacharis[1], having their hair tied in knots on their heads. 'These our pupils', said they, 'are as your sons, your brothers, and your friends; they are Pandavas.' Saying this, the Munis disappeared.

[1] - A Vanaprastha is a person who is living in the forest as a hermit after partially giving up material desires. This is one of the four stages of life, preceded by the life of a married man and followed by becoming an ascetic. Brahmacharis, the life of a student precede the married man.

[2] – Pandu was cursed for not his misdeed. The curse was that, if he tries to bear a child, he will die the very moment.

When the Kauravas saw them introduced as the sons of Pandu, the distinguished class of citizens shouted exceedingly for joy. Some, however, said, they were not the sons of Pandu; others said, they were; while a few asked how they could be his offspring, seeing he had been so long dead. Still on all sides voices were heard crying, 'They are on all accounts welcome! Through divine Providence we behold the family of Pandu! Let their welcome be proclaimed!' As these acclamations ceased, the plaudits of invisible spirits, causing every point of the heavens to resound, were tremendous. (The enthusiastic mood of the people is illustrated) There were showers of sweet-scented flowers, and the sound of shells and kettle-drums. Such were the wonders that happened on the arrival of the young princes. The joyful noise of all the citizens, in expression of their satisfaction on the occasion, was so great that it reached the very heavens in magnifying plaudits.

Having studied the whole of the Vedas and diverse other shastras, the Pandavas resided there, respected by all and without apprehension from any one.

(The vast knowledge of Pandavas can be inferred from the above line.)

The principal men were pleased with the purity of Yudhishthira, the courage of Arjuna, the submissive attention of Kunti to her superiors, and the humility of the twins, Nakula and Sahadeva; and all the people rejoiced in their heroic virtues.

(The characteristic of the individual Panadava and also that of kunti can be inferred from the above lines.)

After a while, Arjuna obtained the virgin Krishna [*] at the swayamvara[#], in the midst of a concourse of Rajas, by performing a very difficult feat of archery. And from this time he became very much respected in this world among all bowmen; and in fields of battle also, like the sun, he was hard to behold by foe-men. And having vanquished all the neighbouring princes and every considerable tribe, he accomplished all that was necessary for the Raja (his eldest brother) to perform the great sacrifice called Rajasuya[**].

[*] Actually means Draupathi. Not to be mistaken to Lord Krishna. Krishna means one with dark complexion.

[#] Swayamvara was a practice of choosing a life partner, from among a list of suitors, by a girl of marriageable age. This was followed in in ancient India. Swayam in Sanskrit means Self and Vara means choosing or wanting.

[**]Rajasuya was a type of sacrifice ordained for the Kings, was performed by the ancient kings of India who considered themselves powerful enough to be an emperor. Rajasuya would be performed after the return of generals of the king, (in most cases his own kinsmen, like his brother or son) from a successful military campaign. After conquering the kings of other kingdoms and collecting tribute from them (the tribute that will be used for the sacrifice), the general would invite the vanquished kings to attend the sacrifice ceremony. All the vanquished kings, would consider the performer of these sacrifices as an emperor. Rajasuya sacrifices were one of the rarer sacrifices among the kings, since it was more risky and costlier.

The prime even that led to the war of kurushetra is described in the following section.

Yudhishthira, after having, through the wise counsels of Vasudeva and by the valour of Bhimasena and Arjuna, slain Jarasandha (the king of Magadha) and the proud Chaidya, acquired the right to perform the grand sacrifice of Rajasuya abounding in provisions and offering and fraught with transcendent merits. And Duryodhana came to this sacrifice; and when he beheld the vast wealth of the Pandavas scattered all around, the offerings, the precious stones, gold and jewels; the wealth in cows, elephants, and horses; the curious textures, garments, and mantles; the precious shawls and furs and carpets made of the skin of the Ranku (Probably a dear); he was filled with envy and became exceedingly displeased. And when he beheld the hall of assembly elegantly constructed by Maya (the Asura architect) after the fashion of a celestial court, he was inflamed with rage. And having started in confusion at certain architectural deceptions within this building, he was derided by Bhimasena in the presence of Vasudeva, like one of mean descent.

Initially the entire kingdom of Kuru was split between the Pandavas and the Kauravas.

And it was represented to Dhritarashtra that his son, while partaking of various objects of enjoyment and diverse precious things, was becoming meagre, wan, and pale. And Dhritarashtra, some time after, out of affection for his son, gave his consent to their playing (with the Pandavas) at dice. And Vasudeva coming to know of about this became exceedingly wroth. And being dissatisfied, he did nothing to prevent the disputes, but overlooked the gaming and sundry other horrid unjustifiable transactions arising there from: and in spite of Vidura[*], Bhishma[**], Drona[***], and Kripa (the son of Saradwan) [#], he made the Kshatriyas (warriors and kings) kill each other in the terrific war that ensued.'

[*]Vidura was half-brother to Dhritarashtra and Pandu. He was the son of a maid-servant who served Ambika and Ambalika (The queens of Hastinapura)and sage Vyasa. As neither of his parents were of royal blood, Vidura was never considered for, or had any chance of obtaining the throne of the kingdom. He served as a chancellor to his brothers(who were kings).

[**]Bhishma was the grandfather of both the Pandavas and the Kauravas. He was a prime charecter in the epic. Bhishma was born as the youngest son of the illustrious King Shantanu and Ganga. He was known as 'Bhishma Pitamaha' (Pitamaha meaning the grandfather or grandsire) among the Pandavas and the Kauravas. He was one of the Ashtavasus (The eight prime demigods, who were attendents in court of Indra- The Lord of Devas or demigods).

[***]Drona or Dronacharya is the royal guru to both the Kauravas and the Pandavas. He was a adept master in advanced military arts, including the devastras. Arjuna was his favored student. Drona's love for Arjuna was second only to his love for his son Ashwatthama. He was a partial incarnation of Brihaspathi(The Guru of Devas). Drona implies that he was not gestated in a womb, but outside the human body in a droon (vessel).

[#]Kripa or Kripacharya or Krupacharya, was the chief priest at the royal court of Hastinapura, in the Mahābhārata. He was the son of Sharadvan and Janapadi. His twin sister Kripi married Drona. He fought in the great battle of Kurukshetra for the Kaurava side. He was appointed to be the teacher and preceptor of Parikshit, the grandson of Arjuna. He is one of the seven Chiranjivin(Immortals, who will live till the end of time, ofcourse have to die at the end of time!!).

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That was a long one.....stays tuned for the description of the Kuru war as described by Dhritarashtra.

----------Anand Hariharan.

The arrival of Brahma, Lord Ganesha becomes the writer, and other important details

2010-02-26T01:30:00.003+05:30

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I heard from some of you ppl that this initial stuff is boring.....And some want me to skip it.....well...I am not going to skip them...but...Let me go through them in a faster pace........But its gud to know this detail.....If you go to the story in a haphazard fashion there are a lot of characters in the story that will confuse you.....so its best to go head-on.....But let me make it a bit faster and sweeter for u..............Also note that in these texts...I will embed them with little details that i know about them...So for ppl who wish to know a bit more about Hindu Philosophy you should consider not to overlook and skip paragraphs.....

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The plot is that...Bhrama comes and blesses vyasa to write the Mahabharata. Also Vyasa narrates, about the subjects and sciences that can be found in the Mahabharata. Vyasa says that Mahabharata is a explanation of vedas in detail.

The Rishi Vyasa made available this mass of knowledge about the universe in both a detailed and an abridged form. It is the wish to know the text both in the detailed and abridged from. Some read the Bharata beginning with the initial mantra (invocation), others with the story of Astika, others with Uparichara, while some Brahmanas study the whole. Some are skilful in explaining it, while others, in remembering its contents, while others are good at commenting the text.

The son of Satyavati (Rishi Vyasa) having, by penance and meditation, analyzed the eternal Veda afterwards composed this holy history, when that learned Brahmarshi of strict vows, the noble Dwaipayana Vyasa (Rishi Vyasa, This is his name.), offspring of Parasara, had finished this greatest of narrations, he began to consider how he might teach it to his disciples.

And the possessor of the six attributes, Brahma, the world's preceptor, knowing of the anxiety of the Rishi Dwaipayana, came in person to the place where the latter was, for gratifying the saint, and benefiting the people. And when Vyasa, surrounded by all the tribes of Munis, saw him, he was surprised; and, standing with joined palms, he bowed and ordered a seat to be brought. And Vyasa having gone round him who is called Hiranyagarbha seated on that distinguished seat stood near it; and being commanded by Brahma Parameshthi, he sat down near the seat, full of affection and smiling in joy. Then the greatly glorious Vyasa, addressing Brahma Parameshthi, said, "O divine Brahma, a poem has been composed by me which is greatly respected.

The mystery of the Veda, and what other subjects have been explained by me; the various rituals of the Upanishads with the Angas; the compilation of the Puranas and history formed by me and named after the three divisions of time, past, present, and future; the determination of the nature of decay, fear, disease, existence, and non-existence, a description of creeds and of the various modes of life; rule for the four castes, and the import of all the Puranas; An account of asceticism and of the duties of a religious student; the dimensions of the sun and moon, the planets, constellations, and stars, together with the duration of the four ages; the Rik, Sama and Yajur Vedas; also the Adhyatma;

The sciences called Nyaya, Orthœphy and Treatment of diseases; charity and Pasupatadharma; birth celestial and human, for particular purposes; also a description of places of pilgrimage and other holy places of rivers, mountains, forests, the ocean, of heavenly cities and the kalpas (A very long period of time); the art of war; the different kinds of nations and languages: the nature of the manners of the people; and the all-pervading spirit;--all these have been represented. But, after all, no writer of this work is to be found on earth.'

Eternal Veda (What does this thing mean?? eternal Vedas?? people know about Vedas assacred texts but here something called eternal Vedas are mentioned. Actually Veda is but one name of the Supreme god...I am not going to dwell on detail....Let me try to keep it as simple as I can....)

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An explanation of Lord Ganesha becoming the writer for the Mahabharata is explained below.

"Brahma said.’I esteem you for your knowledge of divine mysteries, before the whole body of celebrated Munis distinguished for the sanctity of their lives. I know you have revealed the divine word, even from its first utterance, in the language of truth. You have called your present work a poem, wherefore it shall be a poem. There shall be no poets whose works may equal the descriptions of this poem, even, as the three other modes called Asrama are ever unequal in merit to the domestic Asrama. Let Ganesa be thought of, O Muni, for the purpose of writing the poem.'

"Sauti said, 'Brahma having thus spoken to Vyasa, retired to his own abode. Then Vyasa began to call to mind Ganesa. And Ganesa, obviator of obstacles, ready to fulfill the desires of his votaries, was no sooner thought of, than he repaired to the place where Vyasa was seated. And when he had been saluted, and was seated, Vyasa addressed him thus, 'O guide of the Ganas! be thou the writer of the Bharata which I have formed in my imagination, and which I am about to repeat."

"Ganesa, upon hearing this address, thus answered, 'I will become the writer of your work, provided my pen do not for moment cease writing." And Vyasa said unto that divinity, 'Wherever there is anything that you do not comprehend, cease to continue writing.' Ganesa having signified his assent, by repeating the word Om! Proceeded to write; and Vyasa began; and by way of diversion, he knit the knots of composition exceeding close;

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I am (continued Sauti) acquainted with eight thousand and eight hundred verses, and so is Suka (Son of Rishi Vyasa), and perhaps Sanjaya(A character in the Mahabharata that you will later get to know). From the mysteriousness of their meaning, O Muni, no one is able, to this day; penetrate those closely knit difficult slokas. Even the omniscient Ganesa took a moment to consider; while Vyasa, however, continued to compose other verses in great abundance.

This text is very important. The following text explains why one should read Mahabharata.

The wisdom of this work, like unto an instrument of applying collyrium, hath opened the eyes of the inquisitive world blinded by the darkness of ignorance. As the sun dispels the darkness, so do the Bharata by its discourses on religion, profit, pleasure and final release, dispel the ignorance of men. As the full-moon by its mild light expanded the buds of the water-lily, so this Purana, by exposing the light of the Sruti hath expanded the human intellect. By the lamp of history, which destroyed the darkness of ignorance, the whole mansion of nature is properly and completely illuminated.

When we hear these stories we must try to delve on the chain of events that happen and try to understand their meaning. We can try to relate some events with our life or relate a character in this epic with us and try to investigate on, what happened to their life. Also, we must try to investigate on what is happening in our life or what are we doing in our life? Thus we can save ourselves from choosing a meaning less life, which will be a life of misery and a path of ignorance.

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The Mahabharata is compared to a tree, with various chapters and characters as its parts. You can get a feel of the importance of different characters in this epic by reading this comparison.

This work is a tree, of which the chapter of contents is the seed; the divisions called Pauloma and Astika are the root; the part called Sambhava is the trunk; the books called Sabha and Aranya are the roosting perches; the books called Arani is the knitting knots; the books called Virata and Udyoga the pith; the book named Bhishma, the main branch; the book called Drona, the leaves; the book called Karna, the fair flowers; the book named Salya, their sweet smell; the books entitled StriAishika, the refreshing shade; the book called Santi, the mighty fruit; the book called Aswamedha, the immortal sap; the denominated Asramavasika, the spot where it grows; and the book called Mausala, is an epitome of the Vedas and held in great respect by the virtuous Brahmanas. The tree of the Bharata, inexhaustible to mankind as the clouds, shall be as a source of livelihood to all distinguished poets." and

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The following text is important for you to read. It gives some very important details on the characters of Mahabharata.

"Sauti continued, 'I will now speak of the undying flowery and fruitful productions of this tree, possessed of pure and pleasant taste, and not to be destroyed even by the immortals. Formerly, the spirited and virtuous Krishna-Dwaipayana (Sage Vyasa), by the orders of Bhishma, the wise son of Ganga and of his own mother (Satyavati, Mother of Vyasa), became the father of three boys who were like the three fires by the two wives of Vichitra-virya; and having thus raised up Dhritarashtra, Pandu and Vidura, he returned to his recluse abode to prosecute his religious exercise.

It was not till after these were born, grown up, and departed on the supreme journey (died or attained salvation. I am not clear which one they mean.), that the great Rishi Vyasa published the Bharata in this region of mankind; when being solicited by Janamejaya (Grandson of Pandavas) and thousands of Brahmins, he instructed his disciple Vaisampayana, who was seated near him; and he, sitting together with the Sadasyas, recited the Bharata, during the intervals of the ceremonies of the sacrifice, being repeatedly urged to proceed.

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Lot of detail about ancient Indian life is not understood by us or remain unknown to us. We don’t know about some systems that are not explained in detail in the Mahabharata. I will try to find more information on those things and present it to you.

In this connection, It is important for me to post this excerpt from Wikipedia for your reference. It talks about the system by which Rishi Vyasa became the father of Dhritarashtra, Pandu and Vidura.

Niyoga is an ancient Hindu tradition, in which a woman (whose husband is either incapable of fatherhood or has died without having a child) would request and appoint a person for helping her bear a child. According to this Hindu tradition the man who was appointed must be or would most likely be a revered person. There were various clauses associated with this process, as follows:

The woman would agree for this only for the sake of rightfully having a child and not for pleasure.
The appointed man would do this for Dharma, considering it as his duty to help the woman bear a child and not for pleasure.
The child thus born would be considered the child of the husband-wife and not that of the appointed man.
The appointed man would not seek any paternal relationship or attachment to this child in the future.
To avoid misuse, a man was allowed a maximum of three times in his life time to be appointed in such a way.
The act will be seen as that of Dharma and while doing so, the man and the wife will have only Dharma in their mind and not passion nor lust. The man will do it as a help to the woman in the name of the GOD, whereas the woman will accept it only to bear the child for herself and her husband.

In Niyoga, the bodies were to be covered with "ghee" (so that lust may not take root in the minds of participants but actual act may take place for conception).

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Next chapter we will be starting with the real events in Mahabharata....So don’t miss it........

---------Anand Hariharan.

Cretaion of the cosmos continued

2010-02-24T00:49:00.001+05:30

Maha.P004

I received comments that the original translation, was not very much well constructed and hard to understand. So I have decided to narrate this epic in simple language (except at certain portions where such narration is not required) while taking care that I don’t miss much in terms of details during narration. So,

The entire cosmological process was unfolded in the previous blog. This is further continued in the following......

Whatever universe that is perceived through the senses animate or inanimate entities will be obliterated at the end of the yuga (period of time). They will be resurrected and renovated for the commencement of the next yuga. This is a perpetual process. This wheel of time revolves.

[Your queries on this section is welcomed!! Don’t take anything given above in a literal sense. Try to question why this is happening? Why there is no cessation of time? Or is there really a cessation of time that is not spoken here? I am not confusing you. I am only hinting you to view the subject in a logical manner so that you don’t take anything in their face value.]

The lineage of all human beings is recorded. This can be considered as a record maintained by the ancestors. I am not going to rewrite it but just give the original translation. You can skim through this if you are interested. It is worthy to note that Dharma, Artha, and Kama are considered as activities that will lead you to Moksha (Liberation).

In simple terms (Don’t assume that the following is the entire meaning of these words and dont worry if you dont know much about these. Just know them as words with their corresponding English meaning):

The term dharma (Sanskrit: dhárma) is an Indian spiritual and religious term that means one's righteous duty, or any virtuous path. Artha is a Sanskrit term meaning "purpose, cause, motive, meaning, and notion". Kāma is a Sanskrit term meaning pleasure, sensual gratification, and sexual fulfillment, pleasure of the senses, desire, eros and the aesthetic enjoyment of life. In Sanathana Dharma or Hinduism, Moksha or Mukti literally "release" (both from a root muc "to let loose, let go"), is the liberation from samsara, the cycle of death and rebirth or reincarnation and all of the suffering.

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The generation of Devas, in brief, was thirty-three thousand, thirty-three hundred and thirty-three. The sons of Div were Brihadbhanu, Chakshus, Atma Vibhavasu, Savita, Richika, Arka, Bhanu, Asavaha, and Ravi. Of these Vivaswans of old, Mahya was the youngest whose son was Deva-vrata. The latter had for his son, Su-vrata who, we learn, had three sons,--Dasa-jyoti, Sata-jyoti, and Sahasra-jyoti, each of them producing numerous offspring. The illustrious Dasa-jyoti had ten thousand, Sata-jyoti ten times that number, and Sahasra-jyoti ten times the number of Sata-jyoti's offspring. From these are descended the family of the Kurus, of the Yadus, and of Bharata; the family of Yayati and of Ikshwaku; also of all the Rajarshis. Numerous also were the generations produced, and very abundant were the creatures and their places of abode. The mystery which is threefold--the Vedas, Yoga, and Vijnana Dharma, Artha, and Kama--also various books upon the subject of Dharma, Artha, and Kama; also rules for the conduct of mankind; also histories and discourses with various srutis; all of which having been seen by the Rishi Vyasa are here in due order mentioned as a specimen of the book.

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------Anand Hariharan.

Sauta Muni Starts to Narrate

2010-02-23T00:24:00.002+05:30

Maha.P003

"The Rishi replied, 'The Purana, first promulgated by the great Rishi Dwaipayana, and which after having been heard both by the gods and the Brahmarshis was highly esteemed, being the most eminent narrative that exists, diversified both in diction and division, possessing subtile meanings logically combined, and gleaned from the Vedas, is a sacred work. Composed in elegant language, it includeth the subjects of other books. It is elucidated by other Shastras, and comprehendeth the sense of the four Vedas. We are desirous of hearing that history also called Bharata, the holy composition of the wonderful Vyasa, which dispelleth the fear of evil, just as it was cheerfully recited by the Rishi Vaisampayana, under the direction of Dwaipayana himself, at the snake-sacrifice of Raja Janamejaya?'

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The saunakathi munis are expressing their wish to hear the story of Bharata. They are praising the epic and explain its significance. The epic explains in detail of the philosophies prescribed by the Vedas, thus helping us understand the teaching of the indiscernible Vedas.

The other particulars as explained in the previous blog.

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"Sauti then said, 'Having bowed down to the primordial being Isana, to whom multitudes make offerings, and who is adored by the multitude; who is the true incorruptible one, Brahma, perceptible, imperceptible, eternal; who is both a non-existing and an existing-non-existing being; who is the universe and also distinct from the existing and non-existing universe; who is the creator of high and low; the ancient, exalted, inexhaustible one; who is Vishnu, beneficent and the beneficence itself, worthy of all preference, pure and immaculate; who is Hari, the ruler of the faculties, the guide of all things moveable and immoveable; I will declare the sacred thoughts of the illustrious sage Vyasa, of marvellous deeds and worshipped here by all. Some bards have already published this history, some are now teaching it, and others, in like manner, will hereafter promulgate it upon the earth. It is a great source of knowledge, established throughout the three regions of the world. It is possessed by the twice-born both in detailed and compendious forms. It is the delight of the learned for being embellished with elegant expressions, conversations human and divine, and a variety of poetical measures.

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Sautha Muni after worshiping the god, declares his wish to narrate Bharata.

The words Marked in orange might seem unclear. Brahma must actually be Brahman. This might be a typographic error. The later part describes the Nature of the Brahman (The supreme god). As the text is a crude translation from Sanskrit, it might seem vague and at times it is a wrong translation like, ‘both a non-existing and an existing-non-existing being’. Logically how can something be like that? It should not be so. We need not delve too much into higher philosophies as of now. We can consider it as just a prayer offered by the maharishi to the primordial god.

Sautha muni explains that the epic is taught widely and is a great source of knowledge. Here, we must ask ourselves, ‘How are we going to get knowledge from a story?’ The answer is that, ‘we must analyze the content of the story, if possible try to relate the events with our lives and try to understand the significance of events described. Then we must peruse on the meaning of our life. Then we can gain some knowledge of Life.

In the text Twice born means the Brahmins.

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In this world, when it was destitute of brightness and light, and enveloped all around in total darkness, there came into being, as the primal cause of creation, a mighty egg, the one inexhaustible seed of all created beings. It is called Mahadivya, and was formed at the beginning of the Yuga, in which we are told, was the true light Brahma,(Should be Brahman) the eternal one, the wonderful and inconceivable being present alike in all places; the invisible and subtile cause, whose nature partaketh of entity and non-entity. From this egg came out the lord Pitamaha Brahma, the one only Prajapati; with Suraguru and Sthanu. Then appeared the twenty-one Prajapatis, viz., Manu, Vasishtha and Parameshthi; ten Prachetas, Daksha, and the seven sons of Daksha. Then appeared the man of inconceivable nature whom all the Rishis know and so the Viswe-devas, the Adityas, the Vasus, and the twin Aswins; the Yakshas, the Sadhyas, the Pisachas, the Guhyakas, and the Pitris. After these were produced the wise and most holy Brahmarshis, and the numerous Rajarshis distinguished by every noble quality. So the water, the heavens, the earth, the air, the sky, the points of the heavens, the years, the seasons, the months, the fortnights, called Pakshas, with day and night in due succession. And thus were produced all things which are known to mankind.

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The creation of the world is explained in short form. It is very important that must not take the above text in a very literal sense. In order to keep it very simple and not to peruse the contents in a deep philosophical fashion, we can take a simple stand point here. The stand point is that the world originated from something and there was some evolution process. We need not speculate at this point, if this world came from one god or many gods or from multitude of philosophical perspectives (Advita or Dvita .....). Let us keep things simple. But it is very logical to say something came from something rather than saying something came out of nothing.

Again we need not compel ourselves to accept the text presented in the text that we dont understand. The beauty of sanathana dharma i.e., Hindu philosophy is that it does not force you to take something that you don’t understand as a rule.

An excerpt from Wikipedia:

Swami Vivekananda, the Hindu revivalist of the 19th century interpreted the Advaita Vedantic understanding of evolution to be in harmony with Darwinian theory.[dubious - discuss] In his commentary on Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, he writes:[9]

"There seems to be a great difference between modern science and all religions at this point. Every religion has the idea that the universe comes out of intelligence. The theory of God, taking it in its psychological significance, apart from all ideas of personality, is that intelligence is first in the order of creation, and that out of intelligence comes what we call gross matter. Modern philosophers say that intelligence is the last to come. They say that unintelligent things slowly evolve into animals, and from animals into men. They claim that instead of everything coming out of intelligence, intelligence itself is the last to come. Both the religious and the scientific statements, though seeming directly opposed to each other are true. Take an infinite series, A-B-A-B -A-B. etc. The question is - which is first, A or B? If you take the series as A-B. you will say that A is first, but if you take it as B-A, you will say that B is first. It depends upon the way we look at it. Intelligence undergoes modification and becomes the gross matter, this again merges into intelligence, and thus the process goes on. The Sankhyas, and other religionists, put intelligence first, and the series becomes intelligence, then matter. The scientific man puts his finger on matter, and says matter, then intelligence. They both indicate the same chain. Indian philosophy, however, goes beyond both intelligence and matter, and finds a Purusha, or Self, which is beyond intelligence, of which intelligence is but the borrowed light."

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--------------Anand Hariharan

Sutha munis visit - the prologue

2010-02-22T10:57:00.006+05:30

Image Source: Wikipedia

Note: This post is preceded by an introduction in the label Mahabharata perused.

THE MAHABHARATA - ADI PARVA [SECTION I]

[What You can expect in this first section is: How the Mahabharata came to be narrated by Sauti (Sutha muni) to the assembled rishis at Naimisharanya (a holy place). The recital of the Mahabharata at thesarpasattra of Janamejaya by Vaishampayana at Takṣaśila. The history of the Bharata race is told in detail and the parva also traces history of the Bhrigu race. The birth and early life of the Kuru princes.]

The translation is a bit pathetic..But understand that the text is from 19th century. I will give my interpretation of some of the text to my best knowledge. If anyone of you know more about something, please comment.

Om! Having bowed down to Narayana and Nara, the most exalted male being, and also to the goddess Saraswati, must the word Jaya be uttered.

Ugrasrava, the son of Lomaharshana, surnamed Sauti, well-versed in the Puranas, bending with humility, one day approached the great sages of rigid vows, sitting at their ease, who had attended the twelve years' sacrifice of Saunaka, surnamed Kulapati, in the forest of Naimisha. Those ascetics, wishing to hear his wonderful narrations, presently began to address him who had thus arrived at that recluse abode of the inhabitants of the forest of Naimisha. Having been entertained with due respect by those holy men, he saluted those Munis (sages) with joined palms, even all of them, and inquired about the progress of their asceticism. Then all the ascetics being again seated, the son of Lomaharshana humbly occupied the seat that was assigned to him. Seeing that he was comfortably seated, and recovered from fatigue, one of the Rishis beginning the conversation, asked him, 'Whence comest thou, O lotus-eyed Sauti, and where hast thou spent the time? Tell me, who ask thee, in detail.'

Accomplished in speech, Sauti, thus questioned, gave in the midst of that big assemblage of contemplative Munis a full and proper answer in words consonant with their mode of life.

"Sauti said, 'Having heard the diverse sacred and wonderful stories which were composed in his Mahabharata by Krishna-Dwaipayana, and which were recited in full by Vaisampayana at the Snake-sacrifice of the high-souled royal sage Janamejaya and in the presence also of that chief of Princes, the son of Parikshit, and having wandered about, visiting many sacred waters and holy shrines, I journeyed to the country venerated by the Dwijas (twice-born) and called Samantapanchaka where formerly was fought the battle between the children of Kuru and Pandu, and all the chiefs of the land ranged on either side. Thence, anxious to see you, I am come into your presence. Ye reverend sages, all of whom are to me as Brahma; ye greatly blessed who shine in this place of sacrifice with the splendour of the solar fire: ye who have concluded the silent meditations and have fed the holy fire; and yet who are sitting--without care, what, O ye Dwijas (twice-born), shall I repeat, shall I recount the sacred stories collected in the Puranas containing precepts of religious duty and of worldly profit, or the acts of illustrious saints and sovereigns of mankind?"

The epic starts as a narration of the story by sutha to saunakathi munis, who reside in a sacred place called naimisaranya.(The map shows the place called saunaka, probably this place is near that. I think it is near Ayodhya.)

I guess Vaisampayana means the Suka acharya and Krishna-Dwaipayana refers to vyasa acharya. Ofcourse Suka acharya was the son of vyasa acharya.

The reference given to sacrifice of janamejaya:

Janamejaya was the son of parikshith who was the son abhimanyu and uttara, again abhimanyu was the son of Arjuna (One among the Pandavas) and Subadhra (The sister of Lord Krishna).

Well a short note on Janamejaya's sacrifice: Parikshith was bit by a snake called Dakshaka and of course he died!!(due to a curse) His son janamejaya enraged by this wanted to exterminate all snakes. So he started performing a sacrifice in which he burnt a lot of snakes. To prevent him and to enlighten him, Suka acharya narrated to him the puranas. I knew that the narration was devi-baghavatham purana, but dint know if others were included. It sounds like so here. The information in these vedic texts will be little fuzzy, the rishis might refer some text with some name, that might be common to other things also. Maybe its something to do with the sanskrit, which delves on the primal meaning....or rather say the inferred meaning of the author rather than the meaning of the text he employed to communicate that meaning.

And the sons of Kuru (The kingdom illustrated in the map) are the Kauravas and sons of pandu were the Pandavas. We shall properly introduce these people later, if you dont know. But there is one interesting thing here. The Kauravas who where the sons of Dhritarashtra, who was the brother of Pandu. Both can be considered as the grandsons of Kuru. The details of the eccentric circumstances of their birth will come later in the text. But we must keep in mind the question, 'why the sons of Dhritarashtra were called the sons of kuru and why not the sons of pandu?' If any of you know an answer for this, please comment.

I guess Dwijas (twice-born) in the text means the Brahmins who are twice born, one their natural birth the other at the initiation into vedas i.e, the Upanayana.

-----Anand Hariharan.

Maha.P002

Mahabharata Perused!!!!

2010-02-22T09:51:00.010+05:30

Once again.....I am back.........This time it will be nothing abstract........its Mahabharata....

You won't be seeing a collection of small stories from Mahabharata. We are going to take the original abridged translation of the text and peruse on that. My mother recited with great patience most of the stories from Mahabharata (actually much more than Mahabharata). Hey amma! Thank you!! So I feel like, I know Mahabharata in great detail than many others of my age. We might have a fair idea of the story. But do we know, ‘What happened to Pandavas and others after the kuru war?’ or at least ‘The Mahabharata doesn’t end on Pandava’s victory?’ It’s the biggest epic. All I wish to say is that, there is much more to this epic than what we know.

(To give citations to text is much fussed upon here in America...Maybe we in India are not that egotistic and pardon the writer for that!! But anyway it’s good to cite the person who did the work. That is the least we can do to show our mark of respect. I believe, even when Vedic mantras are invoked the name of the mantras author (the rishi’s name) is uttered.)

The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa BOOK 1 ADI PARVA Translated into English Prose from the Original Sanskrit Text by Kisari Mohan Ganguli [1883-1896]NOTICE OF ATTRIBUTION Scanned at sacred-texts.com, 2003. Proofed at Distributed Proofing, Juliet Sutherland, Project Manager. Additional proofing and formatting at sacred-texts.com, by J. B. Hare. This text is in the public domain. These files may be used for any non-commercial purpose, provided this notice of attribution is left intact.

Well this is an old English translation, so the language will be a little confusing. But, this is the only available full translation of the text online. So, we will try to get the story as best as we can and use our logic to guide us towards its full meaning and interpretations. Well, doing this has its advantages.

We can find texts in Hinduism or rightly called the Sanathana-dharma, very intangible. Does it mean people who wrote this text dint want us to understand its meaning? Then logically there is no purpose for writing it down. The people who wrote these texts were really intelligent, we can infer this from the logical explanations presented in these works (I mean when they are presented) and the grammatical excellence of these texts (the same texts could give different interpretations from different perspectives and all these interpretations will concur with the authors true objective). So these men purposefully want us to delve in these topics to understand its content. I won’t bother explaining why they wish to do so. It will be too digressing from our objective.

So we will delve on one small section of Mahabharata on every blog (I wish to keep this every day, but let us see what happens). I will add a small section with my interpretations. I wish people to comment on what they think about that section. It will.....kind of.... make it interactive and help us understand the text better.

I am doing this so that I can constantly enquire into this subject. When I write I process that information and when others comment I can ponder on that subject from a different perspective. May be I am very selfish. I believe there is no human who is not selfish or to put it more precisely, there should not be any human who is not selfish (Of course not in the literal sense, but in the philosophical sense!!!). If you think that you will learn something from this great epic, its mutually beneficial. Stories of Mahabharata are more interesting than Ramayana, as later is a reflection of a yuga (period of time, for more about this...Google it pls!!!) that is too ideal for us to understand and relate to. Mahabharata is great for kids as it not only helps their cognition but also imbibes them with great cultural values. This can be very useful for all of those prospective parents who might read this blog. ;)

Considering us being blessed by the Parameshwara to study the greatest epic Mahabharata (Just a sankalapam (assumption)!!! And a reminder of what we are going to do)......Let us begin!!!!

- Anand Hariharan

Maha-P001

Attrition of knowledge

2009-03-19T19:12:00.008+05:30

Note: I wrote this a long time back and dont know/dont wish to read what is in it....But just publishing it for now.....

AHAB-002

Knowledge......we use this term a lot...but what does it really mean?.. My perception of knowledge: Knowledge is understanding of an entity derived out of unblemished logic. So how do we gain knowledge?....Through a teacher...This teacher can be you, another person, a product of another person (say a book). When we ourselves try to understand something, we will reach knowledge only if our logical flow takes us to that. else we wont gain knowlege or gain some knowlege that is not universal (This is because )

Post your comments...People with controversies do mail me at harananand@gmail.com...

And know this.......Tatvamasi....

A.H
Aham brahmasmi

Avaricious? Enjoy a cyclic journey in pleasure and pain

2009-03-17T11:30:00.049+05:30

This is a loose topic....I am going to put this in a new Label called.......Assorted Basket....

AHAB-001

There cannot be a better time to write this topic.....Global recession I mean......All of us want money..more money......and still more.... but non of us (Including you and me) understand what money is........In days of yore man exchanged his goods for his needs among fellow beings....This is called barter system....Remembering your history classes again..But there came a problem...Let us take an Example....

There are Three People Mr. Farmer, Mr. Fisherman and Mr. Builder.... (May be I took the theme form AOE....was an addict!)...One interesting thing here is, Mr.Z is a Vegetarian...So Mr. Farmer can trade his grains and veges with the Fisherman, for his Fish....and he can do the same with the Builder for his work...but the problem is.....If the fisherman wants the Builder to work for him....he cant get him...Why? because The Builder don't need fish as he is a vegetarian.....So to overcome this problem..The unknown father of Economics invented money.....It is like a general commodity a token.....Its value is not what that is printed or embossed in it...but our own work....if you are the fisherman... your toiling in waves...you risking your life in a Storm...that is its value...Who determine the value of your commodity...its you you...But you cannot overprice yourselves as others may not wish to buy your product.... So this went fine for the

olden days.....now let us come back to the present....

There are many complications in economics today...I am not an economist and will not mess up with that....But I will tell what I need to... The commodities and services available today are humongous....and then there is monopoly....It is like, if you are the only one in the planet producing a like saving drug....Everyone will be forced to get it from you..And you can fix any price and everyone is bound to pay you...Yes there are other stuff in this hypothetical consideration..like the government which will play its role....But I am putting this for you to understand an actual scenario....You can put the price you want...But you should ask, is that worth the price....We should have this responsibility...Why? Not because of a sacred law that has no explanation......Anything that has no reason is the product of ignorance and how can you consider that Sacred...Now for a little distraction from the main topic.....

When religious systems created the sacred laws they had in mind the logic behind it...But as people can't understand it...yes many of us are dumb...or many don't wish to understand reality..because it sucks....Men started following these laws...and The men who made religion were no dumb..(Human evolution is pretty slow..So just consider your ancestors having the same potential as you do.) So They didn't want their logic to be forgotten...So they created the roles of religious heads...They will be the sacred guardians of these principles.....But there was a problem in this and the Religious masters knew them.....It is what I call attrition of knowledge...This is Knowledge that is not transferred from the teacher to a student because of various factors........These Masters may also have made some mistakes.

(I will write a separate blog for this..as it is yet another problem)

So over time we started following things blindly.....Then owing to our ignorance..we and the religious guardians started mutilating the laws for the sake our convenience... It is like initially there was 2+3=5. Then we blindly thought 2+1=5. Then some gained a little sanity and saw 2+1=5 and said it is wrong...yes it is wrong....But the problem is..they are so overwhelmed with their discovery and did not look the above regression. Then there are the few glitches of religious masters or their initial disciples.......Thanks to all of the above, The men of partial sanity think that they have made victory.....But I am asking them..What did you really get? Yes you men are blessed with intelligence....You are better than the ignorant ones (Fools will be your language) who blindly follow the equation 2+1=5....I don't generally wish to quote as people blindly hate others...just without reason...but here the quote Will be beautiful..

I quote and paraphrase Swami Vivekananda "One rational non believer is better than a million irrational believers"...Hold on..Don't just smile.... there is more.... "But no amount of rational non believers can equate the value of one rational believer" So why don't you try and find a better explanation for existence..who knows you could disprove the men of yore...But there is no value if you just sit and mock others and gain cynical pleasure out of that...you are no better than them as you don't do anything to distinguish yourselves...If you get 100% in exam and look down upon who got a 20% it is OK...but you are not writing the exam and still mock the one getting the 20%..It seems he is a better person..he at least wrote the exam and got what he could get.....

Wow.....that was a little toooo..much for a distraction....So coming to our problem in economics....We actually see such a scenario in this world...everyone wants money for which they don't want their effort....Companies sucking the life force out of employees for peanuts..and employees asking salaries that they don't deserve......Politicians trying to loot public money and Citizens trying to cheat government laws and gain more money..YES...you can gain pleasure out of the money you got by selling ethical values or by selling your fundamental needs..like sleep, food, rest ....But surely you have to experience pain....May be you are a lucky soul escaping this scenario..There may be some reason behind that...But what I am saying fits to many...Why pain? again no Sacred law!.......When you change a few terms in an equation....others will change so that there is balance.....here whatever is the result of a logical flow is what I call Balance....I will explain....Take the employer who is sucking your worth.....The money he gained out of that had some of his effort..so for that he will experience happiness...for others he will experience pleasure or he wont....1) If he experiences physical pleasure..he has exerted little physical effort so his body will be stuffed with more than what it wants...and so the system out of balance will result in physical deformation of some kind for which he will suffer...this can be extended to other forms of pleasure...(people u can think....Just think..and understand all possibilities....i will not explain everything...I ask you to supplement knowledge attrition by your own effort....) 2) If he is not indulging in pleasure he will start feeling a Void..a Hollowness in life...

So understand your needs...rationalise them....understand your potential....maximise them and workout a plan for life surely you will experience Happiness out of it....Yes you may not be very ideal..who is...well again I hate to put this here...people just cant take some things..but to those who take...and only to those...Everything that has a name or a form has a character and is not ideal....it will change is what i mean....so just understand your shortcomings..and change for the better......

Post your comments...People with controversies do mail me at harananand@gmail.com...

And know this.......Tatvamasi....

A.H

Aham brahmasmi

Gearing up!

2009-03-15T22:09:00.013+05:30

AHPHI-002

Before we continue our journey, we need to fill ourselves with certain qualities and also should understand few things...These will give us energy to move on.......What are the underlying facts based on which we take our decisions....why do we get angry? Why do we crave for pleasure? Why are we afraid of the pain?

All beings wish to protect their body....When there is a danger to this body it is manifested as pain...Pain in body or pressure build up in mind caused by expecting an occurrence of pain(physical or mental)...It is termed as fear..All this are just a perception in our brain done by chemical reaction...yes..even if you know this pain will be no different from what you experienced before...And pleasure is also a perception caused by chemical reaction....This is the manifestation of preservation of our body and mind....Example..... we get pleasure by eating(just like me!) as it preserves the body....we get pleasure when our desires are satisfied this satisfies our mind...Then there are lesser degrees of these things...

Happiness we gain from seeing beauty or by gaining a friend.....Then there is the minor embarrassment.....But when the brain signals stop so too these pleasure or pain...But we have made some reactions or there is no harm in assuming them as actions...Which will cause further changes, which will give more pleasure or pain.....

So God (Well if you have any reservations against the term "God" you are free to use nature or any other thing) (I have seen people..Specifically, one will be reading this....who just don't want to accept the term because He/She finds it hard to accept that He/She was an ignorant worshipper once, ignorance that is too embarrassing.....Then there is also a bit of reluctance...these condition applies to many..)..ok so god, do you think was cynical in making us feel pleasure or pain....No....Ask CIPA patients, who are insensible to pain...Life is so difficult without pain or pleasure...But we must understand that these are mental perceptions and not be enraptured in pleasure or pain....so what else is there as alternative...There is peace..Which is not an alternative to these as it is not a perception.....but a reality...It is not very easy to define the peace that I cite in mind.... we may experience this later....

As of now it is enough if we understand what pleasure, pain, anger or joy are.....and not be engrossed in them....We just need to move on after understanding them...yes it is Very very easier said than done...but there is no harm in practising.....Every small step wont bring giant leaps but nonetheless they move us forward....

Believe me...(Actually I don't like the word Belief very much as it is based on ignorance, as I rationally believe in reasoning)..But here there is no other go...as in mathematics..we have to proceed with assumptions and solve for an answer.....So Believe me you feel more happiness and not Pain by following the above..Actually it is the peace that we have not experienced all our lives.....

One more important note...People who practise are prone to downfall....so to save ourselves from this do things that you percieve will give you peace...dont worry mind is a big cheater...if it percieves something you a zombie controlled by it will think the same...ideally if you are a believer you can go to religious places, read religious or philosophical books, listen to melodious music, or just sit in some lonely place and observe your mind......A fickle minded person like me can be easily carried away from peace...but dont worry...just like an industrious spider which builds its web after many failed attempts..so will we be rewarded with victory.....

We are still toddling..but we will gain confidende to walk if we follow the above......

Post your comments...People with controversies do mail me at harananand@gmail.com...

And know this.......Tatvamasi....

A.H

Aham brahmasmi

The start

2009-03-15T15:40:00.009+05:30

AHPHI-001

(I give names to drawings at work.... So just my habit..but it will help...If you want to comment just quote the above code.)

So Where do we start? Philosophy is one thing were we don't know where to start and we will just waste time wondering this..... pick your road(I mean your path of life)....

Well...Whatever be it is(even the one that is not here)...u can go from there...all I meant was you can start from anywhere and travel...Its like all roads lead to Rome...But here all roads lead to Truth..even if its falsehood...

Well...Its not prudent to analyse every walk of life as we will soon find everything starts to repeat at some point..We will see some pattern....We humans are designed to see patterns and exploit them.....So don't worry if you are based by the term "Pattern"....you will see it...So what is the principle behind these patterns...

Life is a complex equation made of 'n' number of simple terms.......What you just need to do is follow the paths of the Ingenious Fourier and apply his concept to life or anything you want...See and understand that this complex life is made of simple things.....differentiate the various factors that make a integrated life...analyse them and you will start to see its beauty....yes only start...there is lots more....So life in itself is very simple once we understand it....

Let us jump to an example..Let us consider a small part of life, of person Mr.Sloth ...How? Let us take that he is a lazy subordinate who works under you... First it has no meaning for him to be lazy and we are angry.....Then we start to differentiate his life....He might lack interest in the job...may be his life's ambition is different, but he still needs to have this job as he needs the money....he might wish to work for the money but as he is a human he would be worrying and he would not be in a position to apply his mind in the job......If we find this we will not be angry....but will be clear and can take a easy decision about him..may be our circumstances will necessitate that we fire him not because we are cruel but because we are ourselves in a dire situation.....We may wish people don't see us as cruel...but we wont understand the nature of another human...we will turn angry and hurt ourselves and others.....Our reactions need not change but our attitude should change...All our actions....no..no...(well I think all of us just react to circumstances....now let me put simply as nature that started the first action...as people find certain terms very repulsive) reactions should be based on understanding and not assumptions or crude ignorance...

Let us look at a better example....There is a Criminal...If we look back in his life...it was hard....filled with tribulation...If we look at the men around him, they were no different than what he is now....even his parents were like him....He had no opportunity to go towards sanity.......So don't be mad at him...understand this...yet punish him....for you give him the opportunity by doing so and also maintain the social order.....

Yes even after understanding we might get rage...don't be disheartened...just try to understand your rage and let go of it......We must reach a level where our anger has meaning...and just like a slave does what we want to do.......

So we are now toddling..Hurray..this marks the beginning of our long journey...Give yourself a pat......ya ya just do it...Trust me....We will feel much better if we congratulate ourselves....only thing..don't start this as a irrational routine as people often do....

Don't forget to comment...If you find this repulsive do mail me....we can discuss.....

And know this.......Tatvamasi....

A.H

Aham brahmasmi

So what is this all about?

2009-03-14T23:56:00.001+05:30

I am thinking....and thinking....... and thinking...well....after all this thinking...... I got a lot of ideas....Well all these ideas remain as fragmented information in my brain(filling my Brains memory space and not allowing me to make new thoughts faster)...I wanted to Defragment it....I mean organise them..and most importantly flaunt them to you...Yes Y.O.U......just kidding....

Whats the use of keeping them inside my brain. I wish to throw my cards on the table and let everyone see....and....dont just go away.....comment on them..if you like it ok...nice...i wont be abashed by your compliments....if you think I have no logic in my ideas...great.....we can talk...I am looking for you....Any way all of you can mail me at harananand@gmail.com..

Now...what will I talk about....I am a fickle minded fellow...I think about a lot of non related things....So expect anything and accept everything....Most probably I may talk about Philosophy, Religion, Science, Engineering, Non-Controversial Social Issues(I dont like non productive work of any sort!)..... and....as I am planning to do an MS in USA..I may help others with related information.....So keep Reading...Keep Mailing..and most importantly Be happy....

And know this.......Tatvamasi....

A.H

Aham brahmasmi