Mahabharata-28

By 

Sankar Mukherjee

 &

Dr. Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya
                                       

 Adi Parva   CHAPTER III
            Aapoda Dhaumya & Veda

Veda is there at the preceptor’s house. He plays the role of an obedient servant. Rather he lives there as an Ox & carries all the loads through winter & summer, in hunger & thirst without any complaint. After a long passage of time the preceptor is satisfied with Veda & blesses him. Veda is now destined to attain omniscience & good fortune.
In the context, the notion of Sudra as portrayed in Manu comes to our mind.A sudra is born to serve the upper cast the Brahman in the main . A sudra is often compared to a beast but here it should be noted that people in ancient India did not look upon a beast as subhuman.They
worshipped the cow & the Ox. And mind you Veda labored heard at the preceptor’s house like an Ox. In other words a person aspiring to omniscience must play the role of a sudra for a time .
After the convocation & when Veda’s studentship ends, Veda goes back home ,at the command of his master. He enters the family life. And he also starts teaching his disciples.The latter live in his household.
He remembers how he had to toil hard at his preceptor’s house. So he does not want his disciples to toil & suffer at his place.
                    Veda & Utanka
In the mean time King Janamejaya & king Paushya appoint Veda as their priest. Consequently Veda has to leave his house for a time to observe the sacrificial rites at a king’s  place.  He engages  one of his disciples Utanka by name to look after his household during his absence. Utanka performs his assignment  with great devotion. Now the ladies of the house come to Utanka & request him to share the bed of his preceptor’s wife in absence of his preceptor .Because the wife of the preceptor is now passing through the phase of physical excitement, which should be gratified by Utanka himself in absence of Veda,the preceptor of Utanka . But Utanka says no to it. After a passage of time Veda returns & Utanka informs his preceptor everything that has happened  during the absence of Veda. Veda is beyond himself in
happiness. He blesses Utanka, so that Utanka gets omniscience & good fortune.Utanka's studentship is over,he can return home leaving the preceptor's house, but he will not. He tells his master that he must give some fees to the master. So he lingers at his teachers house.
Finally Veda asks him to approach Veda’s wife, Utanka should give her what she desires & curiously enough she tells that she wants the ear-rings of the royal wife of King Paushya in four days. So Utanka must set out to get that ear-rings from the queen of King Paushya &
bring it to the wife of preceptor in four days.

Mahabharata –29

By 

Sankar Mukherjee

&

Dr. Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya
                                                                             

Adi Parva   CHAPTER III
                                                      The Adventure’s of Utanka

Utanka & the Ox  -- Utanka sets out for the palace of King Paushya. On the road he finds a bull. The bull is as high as a hillock. And lo ! a titanic human   figure is mounted on the bull. The man riding the bull summons Utanka & asks him to eat the dung of the bull & drink the urine of the bull.At the outset Uttanka is not willing to take the dung & the urine .But the man mounted on the bull tells him that his preceptor Veda took the same in the past.Hearing this Utanka takes the dung of the bull & drinks the urine of the bull. Since he is in a hurry he washes his hands & mouth rather in a haste. Utanka now continues his journey.
There is a legitimation in this episode.Earlier we saw  how Upamanyu tended the cow & attained wisdom. Now it is said that the cow dung & urine of the cow is as sacred as anything. Hindus often use cow dung as well as the urine of the cow to do away  with pollution. They are
taken as medicine sometimes. They disinfect our houses, utensils, our bodies & so on.

Mahabharata –30

By 

Sankar Mukherjee

&

 Dr. Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya

                                                            

 Adi Parva  

                                                            CHAPTER II

                                                       Utanka & the King

Utanka reaches the palace of Paushya & tells him why he has come to visit him. He seeks the ear – rings of the queen of King Paushya, so that he can give it away to the wife of his preceptor as fees to his preceptor.

In those days the preceptor often asks for costly honorarium from their disciples. The disciples cannot earn that honararium overnight. So they go to the Kings & ask for gifts from the King, so that they can pay the honorarium to the preceptor. The Kings readily agree to offer what the discples want in order to pay the fees to their preceptors. Thus in a way the Kings accrue blessings by way of helping the disciples to pay their fees to their preceptor. On another level the Kings acquire merit by giving away to the preceptor who is a realized soul indirectly through the disciple of the preceptor.

So when asked for the ear-ring of the queen, the King Paushya readily asks Utanka to go inside the palace & ask for the ear-ring from the queen herself. Utanka complies with the King & goes indoor. But alas he does not find the queen anywhere. So he goes back to the King & tells him that he does not find the queen anywhere in the palace.The King in reply tells him that his wife is a very pious lady. She is not visible to people who are not properly clean. Here is a legitimation. We must cleanse ourselves before we visit any god whatever. Utanka remembers that he did not cleanse himself properly after having cow dung & the urine of the cow,because he washed his hands & mouth standing. But one must cleanse himself seated facing the east.So he cleanses himself properly. Now he goes inside the palace. The queen is visible before him. She readily gives away the ear-rings to Utanka. But she warns him that he should take the ear-ring to his preceptor house carefully. Because the great Snake King Takshaka is covetous of these ear-rings.

 Utanka receives the ear-rings of the Queen of Paushya.He tells the King that he is very happy to have received the gift from the queen. Paushya exclaims that after a long time he is meeting an honest person. Therefore he does desire to observe a ritual called Sraddha.Sraddha implies offering food with respect. Utanka tells the King that he is in a hurry. Hence the King should bring eatables if any, ready in the palace. Seeing the food cold & contaminated with hair Utanka flies into rage & curses the King that he will be blind. The King also presently curses Utanka & says Utanka will be without any child. Utanka shows the hair in the food offered to him. Now the King admits that some women with disheveled hair must have served the food. He adds that he did know this. So he is innocent. Thus Utanka pacified, tells the King that his curse will not fail. But the blindness of the King will linger for a short time. However, the King cannot withdraw his curse. The king says in his submission that a Brahman might be harsh in words, but he is mellow at heart. On the other hand a Kshatriya to which caste the King himself belong, might be mellow in his words & stern at heart. So his anger has not yet disappeared. Be that as it may Utanka tells the King that the King’s curse will not affect Utanka. Saying thus he bids farewell to the King & sets out for his preceptor’s house.

There is a legitimation - if hair is found in any food that is served, the food is deemed to be polluted.

Curiously enough at the outset Utanka was deemed to be polluted. During the parting of Utanka from the king Utanka finds the food offered by king as polluted. This is the antithesis in the narration of the present episode.

Mahabharata –31

By

 Sankar Mukherjee

& Dr. Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya

                                                            

 Adi Parva   CHAPTER III

                                                    Utanka & the Buddist Monk

On his way to the  preceptor’s  house Utanka come accross a Buddihist monk. He is naked. His movements might evoke suspicion. Utanka however does not suspect him. On the way he stops a while & goes for a bath.After having bath he performs his daily rituals. Right at the moment the Buddhiist monk steals the ear-rings from the place where the ear-rings were kept. Utanka runs after the Buddhidist monk. And when he is about to catch the Buddihist monk redhanded the monk turns into the Naga Takshaka. Takshaka wants to escape from the grips of Utanka.So he passes through a small hole in the earth & vanishes. But Utanka will not leave Takshaka at that. So he starts digging the hole,so that it becomes bigger & he can pass through it,into the entrails of the earth.

The episode is significant. On the surfaces, it might seem that a Buddhist monk has been maligned here. But that is not true, because if a monk can be suspected as false, why should Takshaka take his disguise? What seems to be a Buddhist monk could be in fact a Jain monk. Because, Digambara Jains often move about naked. Takshaka took the disguise of a Buddhist monk or a Jain monk because they were definitely venerated during the days of Mahabharata. Or else why should Takshaka take the disguise of a Buddhist or a Jain monk.

Mahabharata –32

By 

Sankar Mukherjee

 &

Dr. Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya

                                                             

Adi Parva   CHAPTER III

 

                                                    Utanka in the threshold  of Nagaloka

Takshaka went into the entrance of the earth through a very small hole. But Utanka is determined to follow Takshaka into the entrance of the earth. He seeks to make the hole bigger & wider, so that he could go through the same & pursue Takshaka. But that is a difficult job, Indra the King of the heaven summons thunder to work clandestinely on behalf of Utanka. So thunder enters into the tip of the stick with which Utanka tries to dig the hole & make it bigger.In a flash the hole becomes quite wide & Utanka enters into it. And lo ! he is in the  threshold of Nagaloka or the Nether world.

There is a vivid description of the Nagaloka. It has no bounds.It is littered with various Temples, Palaces,mansions of rich people & so on.There are strange places for games &wonderful play grounds. Knowing not what to do,Utanka at his wits’ end,then chants a hyme addressing the Nagas.

                            The Hymn

The hymn chanted by Utanka is very significant. The first sloka of the hymn addresses the serpents the subjects of Airavata the elephant which functions as the mount of Indra the King of heavens. Utanka says that these serpents look elegant when they are in battle aray.They resemble the clouds decked with lightening that bring about rain.Utanka observes that these serpents can don different shapes at their will. They are born in the race of Airavata. Thus Nagas here are not ordinary snakes. They are mythological beings. They are demi gods. Utanka says that other Nagas unless it is Airavata, dare to enter into the army of sun rays & fight with them. This suggests that the Nagas are dark clouds which eclipse the Sun at times. Dhritharastra the brother of Airavata rules the Nagas. Some twenty thousand eight hundred eighty  serpents pull his chariot drawn by horses.Utanka pays his homage to Dhritharastra. He also prays to the serpent king Takshaka who used to live on the banks of Ikkhumati river at Kurukshetra.Utanka also worships Srutasena the brother of Takshaka, who wanted predominance among snakes & worships Sun god to that end.

But alas! Despite this hymn Utanka does not find any trace of the lost ear – rings.

Mahabharata – 22

By

 Sankar Mukherjee

 &

Dr. Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya

Asramavasikaparva, Maushala , Mahaprasthanika , Svarga  Parva &Khilavansa

Next the fifteenth Parva or Asramavasikaparva.Here the King Dhritarashtra leaves the kingdom accompanied by Gandhari & Vidura for a life in the ashram or sylvan monastery, Kunti also follows him.Here they meet their sons, grandsons &  Kshatriya heroes who died in the battle. This reminds one of the meetings with the dead & ancestors as in classical western epic. Finally King Dhritarashtra achieves the highest stage of salvation along with Gandhari. The wise Sanjaya & Vidura also attain the blessed state. It is in this parva that  Yudhishthira learns from Narada the news of the extinction of the Yadava  clan.

The parva has forty sections  & eleven hundred eleven slokas.
The next is the Maushala  parva, Sauti observed that it is horrible one.Here in this parva the great  Yadava warriors kill  each other & are destroy at the curse of a brahmin.Both Krishna & Balaram see the destruction of their race. They can not prevent their clan from destruction. Arjuna is very upset at  this. He arranges the cremation of Krishna & Balaram & other Yadavas where the latter were drinking alcohol. Then Arjuna accompanied by children, women & the elderly people of theYadavas has to encounter dacoits. But his Gandiva does not operate. He perceives the loss of his memory. He can not any more use celestial weapons.

This parva has eight sections & three hundred twenty slokas.
Next comes the Mahaprasthanika Parva or seventeenth Parva. In this Parva Pandavas accompanied by Draupadi leave the Kingdom in quest of a celestial region. On arriving the bank of the Red Sea the Pandavas meet the fire God. Arjuna returns the weapons that earlier he received from the fire god. On the road to the celestial world the brothers drop dead one after another.Yudhishthira continues his journey. This Parva has three sections & one hundred twenty three slokas.
Next the most extraordinary eighteenth Parva or Svarga  Parva. A dog follows Yudhishthira along his road to the celestial world.A chariot comes to carry  Yudhishthira to heaven.But Yudhishthira refuses the chariot ride because he will not abandon the dog who accompanies him. The dog is in fact the incarnation of the god of Justice or Dharma. Reaching heaven Yudhishthira feels sad. Yudhishthira has a vision of the hell, where Bhima & others suffer. There Yudhishthira takes a bath in the celestial Ganges. There he drops his human body. Then by the grace of god of justice & Indra the god of the heaven, he meets his brothers. He attains heaven.

The eighteenth Parva contains five sections & three thousand thirteen slokas. Next the Khilabansa shows up.It is again divided into Harivamsa, Bhavishya & Pauskara. The Khilavamsha dwells on the incarnation of Lord Naryana on earth. Naryana is borne in the house of Vasudeva. Later on he is brought in the house of Nandagopa. His strange feats during the childhood & his extraordinarily way of life in the youth has been delineated here. He kills Kamsa. He gets Jarasandha killed.He carries off Rukmini & marries her. He builds the city of Dwaraka.He kills the
king of Kalinga. He also kills Dantavakra. He marries Satyabhama. Thereafter he kills Dhanuka, ogre Narakasura,Kaliya, Keshi, Kalayavan, & Kalanemi. He cuts off one thousand arms of King Bana. And he liberates Usha & Aniruddha. Harivamsha dwells on the race of Bharata & Yadu. The part that dwells on the future of Harivamsha is known as Khila.
The episodes of Varaha,Vamana & Puskara are narrated here.There are one thousand sections & ten thousand & two hundred slokas.
The person who knows the Upanishads & the Vedas is not educated enough.He must know the Mahabharata by heart. The Mahabharata is a text book of economics, religion & amour. One who listens to this Mahabharata does not like to hear any other narrative.Just as the five elements have created these three worlds, similarly poetic intelligence is generated by proper historical consciousness. He who listen to this illustrious Mahabharata uttered by Vedavyasa attains the purest form of truth.His sins are destroyed listening to the Mahabharata. It is  like a bathing in the sacred Puskara.Thus the chapter called Parvasangraha  ends.

Mahabharata –23

By 

Sankar Mukherjee

&

Dr. Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya


                               

Adi Parva   CHAPTER III

                                      Janamejaya & Sarama

Sauti said --- Janamejaya the son of Parikshit along with his brothers Srutasena, Ugrasena & Bhimasena were performing a time taking long sacrifice at Kurukshetra.A dog arrived there. The brothers of Janamejaya beat it & drove it away. On hearing this the mother of the dog Sarama went where Janamejaya was performing the sacrifice, in a rage Sarama asked Janamejaya why her son was beaten for no fault of his own. Janamejaya & others were not able to utter a single word in reply. Surama then pointed out that since they had beaten her child for no fault of his, They must face some unknown danger during the course of sacrifice.
This is the most interesting fable. A fable is that kind of story where plants & animals participate like human beings. The fable could be interpreted on many levels. Adi Parva of the Mahabharata takes us back when men & animals could communicate with one another & when a dog could lodge a complaint with the King & the complaint was against the King itself. Such a situation is beyond our imagination.When democracy in the air, the dog might stand for the have-nots in the society. But  can s/he raise his/her  voice against the authority? During the days of Mahabharata the so called meanest person among the have-nots go directly to the King himself to complain against his brothers. There must not be any place where entrance of the common man prohibited. Only thing is that the latter must not disturb the activities conducted in the prohibited place. But this is not all. True that the Kings might perform their activities in great glory, but even a dog might curse it & may be such curse of the meanest of the mean does not fall flat. That is why Janamejaya on hearing the curse of Sarama is full of anxiety, lest the curse become true.
We wish the democracy today had learnt a little from this story of the
Mahabharata  Adiparva.

Mahabharata –24

By

Sankar Mukherjee

&

Dr. Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya
                                       

Adi Parva   CHAPTER III
                                  Janamejaya appoints a priest

Sarama is a dog in the Adiparva of the Mahabharata, her curse upon the
King Janamajaya sang deep into the heart of the King. He was anxious
to get rid of the curse. This is significantly important, the king of the Mahabharata gives importance to the curse of the lowest of the lowly & the King needs a priest to get rid of the curse.  At once Janamejaya goes into the deep forest ahunting. He comes across a sage father & his sage son. Janamejaya takes fancy on the ascetic father & the son. Janamejaya approaches the father & prays for appointing his son as the priest.The father tells Janamejaya that his son was born in the womb of a snake. He is a very good ascetic & he can dispel curses, if  any, except those of Mahadeva God of the gods. But his son has a particular idiosyncracy. He does not refuse any Brahmin. If any Brahmin asks anything from him give he must. This Janamejaya should know. Janamejaya has no difficulty in appointing such a sage as his priest. So he returns to his palace & appoints the sage -- the son of a snake as his priest.
This is a significant fable where a snake figures. Commonly according to Manu Smriti anuloma marriage is not ideal. The child thereof is not at per with a child where parents belong to the same caste. But the Mahabharata acknowledges the child as consequence of some form of marriage between a saint & a snake. Thus the Mahabharata seems to defy Manu Smriti at certain points.
Be that it may, after appointing a priest after the heart, Janamejaya sets out for the conquest of Takshila. He occupies Takshila. Thus there is no doubt of the fact that the India of the Mahabharata included Takshila, which is now in Pakistan.

Mahabharata –25

By

Sankar Mukherjee

&

Dr. Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya
                                       

Adi Parva   CHAPTER III
             Aapoda Dhaumya &Aaruni
During the reign of Janamejaya there is a great  teacher named Apada
Dhaumya. He has three disciples namely Aaruni,Upamanyu,& Veda. The
teacher Dhaumyu has agricultural land. Since there has been a lot of
rains & a flood, the land is inundated under water. The earthen ridges
that divide the land into different sections are perhaps down razed due to the flood. Consequently Dhaumyu asked Aaruni to look after the ridges that might check that flooding waters. So Aaruni goes out from the preceptors house to obey the commands of his teacher, perhaps early in the morning. He does not return to the preceptor during the live long day.Evening descends upon the scene. Finally night shows up. The preceptor is anxious. What makes Aaruni come late? May be he is carried away by the current of the fierce water.So the preceptor goes out to find out Aaruni. It is dark all about & nothing can be espied.So the preceptor reaching the plot cries out calling the name of Aaruni. In the darkness a voice responds to the cry --- O Sir I am lying in the waters functioning as a ridge of raised earth to check the flow of the water. At this the preceptor is happy beyond measures. He asks Aaruni to get up from the waters & return to him. When Aaruni returns to his preceptor, the preceptor blesses him. By the grace of the preceptor Aaruni becomes a master of all the Vedas & of everything a man might aspire to learn. The teacher says that henceforth Aaruni will be known as by the name
Uddalak.
This story is highly educative. During the days of the Mahabharata mere learning by rote does not deliver goods. One must having insight into the text, that is possible only when the preceptor is happy with his student, that is why service to preceptor with body, mind & spirit on the part of disciple is a must. Aaruni dared to lie down to resist the flood waters with his own body, in the night when snakes & other things could kill him. This made the preceptor happy.
Indian teachers recount the story of Aapoda Dhaumyu & Aaruni, they learnt that the like of Aaruni are not found today. But the teachers better asks themselves whether they are as competent as Aapoda Dhaumyu. Can they kindle the inner light of wisdom in the hearts of
the disciples by simply saying -- you are now omniscient & you will
remain omniscient ever moving due to my blessings, Do the teachers of
today have such powerful words?

Mahabharata 26

By

Sankar Mukherjee

&

Dr. Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya
                        AdiParva   

              CHAPTER III
     Aapada Dhaumya & Upamanyu

We have learnt how playing the role of a labourer in firm obeying the arbitrary commands of the preceptor Dhaumya, Aaruni attained omniscience.

Now the story of Upamanyu.Dhaumya asks  Upamanyu  to look after his cows. Upamanyu goes out to look after the cows. After few days Dhaumya finds Upamanyu in good health. He is surprised & asks Upamnyu-- How do you maintain yourself?

Upamanyu answers --Sir,I beg once a day & feed myself with the alms that I receive. Dhaumya  -- But alms that you receive should belong to me. How dare you partake of the alms that are due to me?
From next day on, Upamanyu gives away all that he gets as alms to his preceptor. Despite that after a few days Dhaumya finds that Upamanyu is hale & hearty as ever.
So he asks --  Although you give me away the alms that you get, how come that you maintain yourself?
Upamanyu-- I beg twice. I maintain myself with the alms that I get during the begging second time a day. Dhaumya -- But this is not proper. Thereby you are depriving other beggars from getting alms.
Consequently Upamanyu stopped begging. But Upamanyu continued tending the cows. The preceptor finds that Upamanyu is as hale & hearty as ever,despite the fact his begging is stopped.
Dhaumya asks --  Now that you beg no longer how is it that you maintain yourself?
Upamanyu . The cows bestow milk on me on their own.
Dhaumya -- You must not take the milk of the cows.
Commanded thus, Upamanyu stops taking  milk. But he continues tending the cows. After a few days the preceptor finding that Upamanyu is hale & hearty as ever is astonished.
Dhaumya -- Now that you do not take cow milk any more, how do you maintain yourself?
Upamanyu-- the cows give me the froth of their mouth for me to feed on.
Dhaumya –that  you must not take.
Consequently, Upamanyu continues tending the cows, without eating anything whatever. Dhaumya finds that Upamanyu does not turn up at his place. He is deeply anxious as to what has happened to Upamanyu, Dhaumya rushes to the pasture & cries out calling the name of Upamanyu. Upamanyu answers his preceptor -- Sir,driven by hunger I have taken a poisonous
leaf of a tree unknowingly. At once I became blind & fell into a well.
Dhaumya is visibly happy perceiving the fortunes of Upamanyu. He asks Upamanyu to worship the physicians -- the twin gods Aswani kumaras.

Mahabharata 27

By 

Sankar Mukherjee

&

Dr. Ramesh Chansdra Mukhopadhyaya
              

Adi Parva   

              CHAPTER III
 Aapoda Dhaumya & Upamanyu

As commanded by the preceptor Upamanyu who has lost his eye sight & fallen into a well chants a prayer addressing the twin gods Aswini kumaras. Let us look at the outline of the prayer. Upamanyu says  Oh twin Lords Aswini Kumaras ,you are the elder of the gods. It is you at the front of when a sacrificial rite is observed, you are free from pride & your beauty is world winning, you are clad in gold; you are as fast as a bird. You save people from danger. But this is not all. You cure the ailing. Hence I seek your help recounting words of the Vedas. Just as a weaver replaces black threads with white threads, so do you replace the incurable black diseases called Leprosy with bright health. Those who suffer for long from the deficiency of eye sight are cured by you. When  a zygote forms in the womb, there is no life in it.
It is through your grace after some time the zygote vibrates. When the child is born, it is through your grace that child sucks its mother's breast. And I pray to both of you. Both of you together cure my eye sight.  This is the relevant part of the prayer which could cure one of the many diseases that are perhaps out to overwhelm the human body. And may be an ailing person could pray to the twin deities Aswini Kumaras in the selfsame way to get cured.
But there is another part of the prayer which is deeply philosophical. There are three hundred sixty days in a year. The  three hundred sixty days liken three hundred sixty cows. And we call a year is but a calf or the child of three hundred sixty cows. This is a curious imagery.
Upamanyu says that the twin gods Aswini Kumaras are responsible for the creation of the cow called the year.
On another level, each day, consists of a day & a night.Thus there are three hundred sixty days & three hundred sixty nights & those seven hundred twenty days & nights serve as the spoke of the wheel called time. There is a wheel inside the wheel, the twelve months constitute that. This wheel does not have any rim. It is indestructible. It revolves ceaselessly. Upamanyu says that twin gods Aswini have introduced the wheel of time.
In another context the prayer observes that everything in the existence is made of color. It travels along with sun rays. It wanders among sun rays. Sauti comments that the prayer in its language is a medley of the Vedic usage as well as Upamanyu's own parole. This is a very significant. It speaks aesthetics of the Mahabharata.The Mahabharata mingles the sublime & the trifle, the hyacinth & biscuit in its style of narration.This reminds us of the modernist poetry.Have we not read T.S.Eliot exclaiming  -- I shall measure life with coffee spoon?
The twin gods are pleased with Upamanyu. They offer him a sweet to take as medicine. But Upamanyu will not take the sweets without offering the same to the preceptor at the outset. The gods are visibly happy, at this Upamanyu is cured of his blindness. Upamanyu narrates everything to his teacher. The teacher blesses him with all his heart & says that by the grace of the twin gods Upamanyu will be wise & omniscient. Thus the Mahabharata seems to assert that true knowledge, wisdom & omniscience comes from within by god’s grace.

Mahabharata – 20

Sankar Mukherjee

&

Dr Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya

 Karnaparva, Salyaparva & Sauptikaparva
Next  Karna Parva. Karna becomes the Commander in chief of the Kauravas King Salya becomes his chariot driver.There is the exchange of harsh words between Karna & King Salya.Afterwards Karna recites the story of Swan & Crow.Aswatthama kills the King of Pandya.Next  in a single combat between Karna & Yudhishthira, Karna puts the life of Yudhishthira at stake. Yudhishthira & Arjuna quarrel. At the instance of Krishna they are calmed. Bhima drinks the blood of Dussaasana from his chest & thus he keeps his promise,that he had made earlier. Then Arjuna kills Karna the great warrior in a single combat.
Karnaparva is the eighth parva.It has sixty-nine sections & four thousand nine hundred & sixty-four slokas.
Then there is the Salya Parva. Salya becomes the leader of the Kaurava army. At the outset of the parva the earlier battles are telescoped. Yudhishthira kills Salya, Sahadeva kills Shakuni. Only a small number of soldiers remain alive. Duryodhana goes to the Lake Dvaipanyana & enters into its water with his yogic power. Bhima rushes to the lake. On hearing insulting words spoken by Yudhishthira, Duryodhana comes out from the lake with great anger.He fights with Bhima with club.
Balarama appears at the time of encounter. Thereafter the greatness of the Saraswati river & other sacred spots are recounted. There is a terrific battle of clubs. Bhima fractures the thigh of Duryodhana. This Parva has fifty nine sections & three thousand two hundred slokas.
Sauti says that he is now about to narrate  the most frightful Sauptika Parva.When Bhima & others depart from the neighborhood of the Lake, Kritavarma,Kripa & Aswatthama appear there. They find Duryodhana lying on the ground in a pool of blood. Then the great charioteer  Aswatthama angrily takes the vow to kill the Panchalas & Pandavas with their companions. Until he accomplishes this vow, he will not doff his armor. The three great warriors enter in a dense forest nearby during the evening.Seated under a large banyan tree in the night Aswatthama sees an owl killing countless crows. This sight reminds Aswaththama of his father’s death. In a rage he resolves to kill Panchalas. On arriving at the gate of the Pandava camp he finds a dreadful ogre. The head of the ogre reaches the sky. The ogre guards the entrance of the Pandava camp. Aswatthama flings weapons at the ogre.But the ogre simply eats them up. Consequently the three warriors worship Shiva. And in the night they kill the Panchalas including Dhristadyumna. They also kill the little children of Draupadi. They kill many other people of the Pandava  camp. Only the
five brothers or Pandavas & Satyaki remain alive by the grace of Lord Krishna.
The driver of the chariot of Dhristadyumna informs about the mass massacre. Draupadi distressed at the death of his sons,brothers & father resolvs to destroy herself by fasting. Then Bhima the terrible, takes up his Club & pursues Aswatthama.Aswatthama, the son of Drona, scared of Bhima angrily flings  a celestial weapon to kill all the Pandavas. Krishna asks him not to do so, Arjuna, however, neutralizes the weapon flung by Aswaththama. The wicked nature of
Aswaththama enrages the narrator Vedavyasa. Vedavyasa himself curses
Aswatthama, Aswatthama also curses the narrator.

These are curious instances. The narrative often defies the design of the narrator. The characters once forged might act on their own defying the intention of the narrator & very naturally any narrative whatever is a site where  a terrible struggle takes place  between the narrator & the narrative. The Pandavas bring the jewel that decked the forehead of Aswaththama to the sorrowing Drauoadi with great joy. The Sauti narrates the Sauptika parva or the tenth parva composed of eighteen sections & eight hundred seventy slokas.

Mahabharata –21

Sankar Mukherjee

 &

Dr Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya

Striparva, Santiparva, Anusasanaparva & Aswamedhikaparva
Next comes the most pathetic Striparva. The blind King Dhritharastra is mentally upset at the death of his children.He wants to take revenge upon Bhima. A statue of  Bhima made of iron is placed before him by Krishna as a substitute of Bhima. Dhritharastra breaks the statue of Bhima into pieces.Then Vidura seeks to console the mournful Dhritharastra. Dhritharastra along with Gandhari  & the ladies of the palace set out for the battle field.Then there is a poignant description of the lament of the wives of the dead heroes. The Kshatriya ladies see their heroes dead,their sons,brothers & fathers  dead.It was a fight to the finish.Gandhari is deeply depressed for the death of her sons & grandsons. Krishna seeks to pacify her. The funeral ceremony of the dead heroes are observed.

During the commencement of the offering of water to the dead, Kunti acknowledge Karna as her son borne in secret. This eleventh chapter or  Parva is composed of twenty seven sections & seven hundred seventy five slokas.
Next comes the Santiparva. It describes how Yudhishthira blames himself
for killing of his fathers,brothers, maternal uncle & matrimonial relations. This Parva also describes Bhisma lying on his bed of arrows. He annotates the duty of Kings. Also he dwells on how to act during emergencies. The understanding of these tenets lead one to salvation. This twelfth  Parva consists of three hundred thirty nine sections & fourteen thousand thirty two slokas.
Next   comes the Anusasanaparva. It dwells on how Yudhishthira becomes calm  & tranquil on  hearing the duties of a King from Bhisma, the son of Ganga. The Anusasanaparva gives a complete guide line regarding the practice of virtue & regarding wealth & charity.The Anusasanaparva narrates Bhisma’s ascent to heaven. It is the thirteenth parva. It has forty sections & eight thousand slokas.
Next, the Aswamedhikaparva or the fourteenth one. Here the stories of
sage Samvarta & Marutta are recounted. Yudhishthira discovers golden
treasury in the Himalayas. Pariksit is born. Parikshit was burnt by the celestial weapon of Aswatthama In the womb itself.But Lord Krishna revived him to life in  the womb only. The sacrificial horse is released to roam around the globe,as per its will, while following the sacrificial horse. Arjuna fights the Kings who seek to stop  its onward movement. Arjuna’s life is at risk when he encounters Vabhruvahana the son of Chitrangada & Arjuna himself.

This is curious & speaks of Oedipus complex. It is the son who outdoes his father or else the march of history would be stunned. Then there is the episode of mongoose. This  Aswamedhikaparva contains one hundred thirty sections & three thousand three hundred twenty slokas.

Mahabharata – 12

By

Sankar Mukherjee

&

Dr. Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya

Anukramika

In the chapter called Anukramika an abridged version of the Mahabharata has been told .The Adiparva contains Paushya,Paulamaa &Aasitaka,birth of Dhritarastra & others & so on.The Paushyaparva  describes the greatness of Utanka.The Paulamaaparva dwels on the genesis of Bhrigu family,the Aastikaparva dwels on the origin of snakes,the Garuda, the churning of the of the ocean & the discovery of nectar. Janamejaya organised a snake sacrifice ,where all the snakes should be killed.At the snake sacrifice of Janamejaya the  son of Parikshit, all these stories of the noble minded are retold.In the Sambhavaparva the genesis of different Kings are traced.The birth of the great sage Vedavyasa is also delineated.The origin of demons, giants, gandharvas & so on have been traced here. Then there is the story of the birth of Bharata the son of Shakuntala It was from the name Bharata that the name of the country known as Bhaaratavarsa has been derived.

The River goddess Gangaa gives birth to the noble minded Vasus. Presently seven of them ascend to the heaven.The eigth Vasu Bhisma continues in human body in the palace of the king Shantanu.Bhisma takes the vow of brahmacharya.He would not get in touch with any woman in his life time. He brings up Chtraangada .Chitraangada dies.Then Chitraangada’s brother Vichitravirya ascends the throne. Dharma incarnates as Vidura in consequence of the curse of Animaandavya.The very poet Vedavyasa is instrumental in bringing about Vidura.This is a very interesting point,The poet of the Mahabharata, Vedavyasa participates in the action of the epic Mahabharata & one wonders whether the story of the Mahabharata could be interpreted as an autobiography of the poet Vedavyasa himself.

We have already referred to the burning of Lac house  The Pandavas were sent to reside there,They did not know that their residence was made of lac & could be put to flames at any moment.Vidura however warns the Pandavas .In a strange tongue or Mlechcha language,so that no one could decode them other than the Pandavas.The Pandavas clandestinely escape from the lac house & set out for adventure in forest.In the forest Bhima kills an ogre & marries his sister Hidimbaa  Later they reside in the village named Ekachakra at the advice of Vedavyasa the poet.

Mahabharata – 13

By

Sankar Mukherjee

&

Dr.Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya  

Draupadi’s wedding

At Ekachakra Bhima kills the demon called Baka to the amazement of the locals of the city. At Ekachakra itself the Pandavas hear about the Swayamvara,gathering to be held.In swayamvara suitors from different countries gather for the hand of a princess.There is a test in the art of handling weapons, the princess commonly chooses the most valiant among them.Vedavyasa the poet appears  once again & advices the Pandavas to go to Paanchaala where the Swayamvara of Draupadi is to be held .On the way to Paanchaala there is a battle between Arjuna & Angaaraparna.Arjuna defeats Angaaraparna & becomes a friend of Angaaraparna.Thereafter they hear the episodes of Tapati,Vaishistha & Aurva.

Finally they reach the capital of Paanchal.There Arjuna out does all other suitors & wins the hand of Draupadi. A battle between the Kings claiming Draupadi on one side & Bhima &Arjuna on the other takes place Bhima & Arjuna become victorious,Seeing the heroics of the Pandavas Krishna & Balaram meet them.There is a serious disscussion at the court of Drupada regarding whether marrying Draupadi to five brothers or Pandavas is meet or not. At that time the episode of five Indras are

recounted Thereafter the unnatural marriage ceremony of Draupadi  with five brothers is  delineated .In the meantime Vidura turns up as an emissery of the King Dhritharastra . He meets Pandavas. At the same time they meets Krishna there.

Mahabharata –14

 By

Sankar Mukherjee

& Dr. Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhya

Arjuna’s Voluntary Exile

Vidura tells the Pandavas that they should rule over half of the Kingdom of Hastinaapur staying at Khandavaprastha.Narada appears,He tells the Pandavas the story of Sunda  & Upasunda.In this context the notion of Draupadi's common wife-hood is legitimated.

The five brothers earlier took a vow that each brother would stay with Draupadi for one year .At that time if any of the other brothers intrudes the privacy of Draupadi & the brother with her must voluntarily go on  exile. Arjuna intrudes into the privacy of the king Yudhishthira & Draupadi to take weapon with a view to fighting  for a Brahmin who is in a dire situation.So  Arjuna goes on voluntary exile. During the exile Arjuna marries Ulupi the daughter of a Naga. Then Arjuna visits many sacred places.His son Babhruvaahana is born.Arjuna rescues five  celestial nymph who turned into alligators because of the curse of a great Brahaman.

Arjuna meets Krishna at sacred Pravasha. Shubhadra is there. Arjuna & Subhadra fall in love with each other , Therefore Arjuna visits Dwarka to gain the hands of Subhadra .Krishna the son of Devaki, arrives at  Khandavaprashtha with gifts for Arjuna & the Pandavas.Subhadra carries the child of Arjuna who is to be named Abhimanyu.

Then there is the pleasure trip of Krishna & Arjuna  along the banks of Yamuna , There Krishna reiceives a Wheel & Arjuna receives a Bow.

Then there is the burning of Khandava forest .The demon Maya & the snake Ashwasen are however rescued from fire

Mahabharata – 15

By

Sankar Mukherjee

&

Dr. Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya

Sabhaparva and Vanaparva

The Adiparva has narrated how the great sage Mandapala begets a child in the womb of Sringi. The Adiparva contains eight thousand eight hundred & eighty four .They are divided into twenty seven sections.

The second Parva or Sabhaparva is loaded with numerous events, for example, the Pandavas build a great hall. Narada who is well acquainted with the many celestial halls in celestial regions praises the hall of the Pandavas. He asks the Pandavas to prepare for Rajasuya sacrifice.

In the meantime, King Jarasandha is killed .Jarasandha kept numerous Kings imprisoned  Now they are freed.The kings settled at Giribraja.Presently the Pandavas set out for the conquest of the world.The Kings  of the then world assemble at the Rajasuyayajna of the Pandavas with tributes .Yudhisthira the eldest son of the Pandavas facilitates Krishna at the Rajsuyayajna. Shisupal protests & is killed.

Duryodhna who was invited at the sacrifice is full of sorrow & envy at the sight of untold treasure of the Pandavas .Bhima pulls Duryodhana & ridicules him. This hurts Duryodhana.Consequently play of dice between Pandavas & Kauravas lies in the logic of affairs. During the dice play Draupadi the wife of Pandavas is being insulted,She is as it were a boat tossed by the stormy waves, Dhritarastra rescues her.

There is dice play again Yudhisthira is out done , he is to go on

exile .This Sabhaaparva contains two thousand and five hundred & seven slokas. It has eight sections.Then the third Parva called Vanaparva takes place This parva dwells on the adventures of Pandavas in the forest during their exile.Yudhisthira at the instance of Dhaumya, worships the Sun God .The Sun God blesses Yudhisthira .He can henceforth maintain the Brahamins, who accompany him, with food & drinks .

Vidura the brother of Dhritarastra always takes Dhritarastra to task for supporting the evil design of Duryodhana.That is why Dhritarastra drives away his brother Vidura.Vidura joins the Pandavas But Dhritharastra repents ,At his request Vidura returns to Dhritarastra.

Karna counsels Duryodhana to go & kill the Pandavas in the forest itself. Vedavysa the narrater shows up. Seeing into the intention of Duryodhana ,he seeks to disuade Duryodhana from the heinous design to kill the Pandavas  in the forest. Also the  Vanaparva  narrates the story of Surabhi.

Then the great sage Maitreya arrives &  curses Duryodhana . In the meantime Bhima kills the demon Kirmir. The  Yaadavas as well as the clan of Drupada meet the Pandavas .They are shocked to learn how the Pandavas have been dispossesed of their wealth & land because of the unfair dice play.Krishna becomes furious with anger ,Draupadi laments before Krishna.

Thereafter the episode of killing  of Saalva is recounted. Krishna takes Subhadra & her son Abhimanyu to Dwaraka, Dhristahdyumna takes the children  of Draupadi with him to the capital of Paanchaala.Thereafter the Pandavas enter the romantic Dvaitavana.

Mahabharata – 16

By

Sankar Mukherjee

 &

Dr. Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya

Vanaparva 2 and Virataparva

At Dvaitavana conversation between Yudhishthira & Draupadi ,as well as Bhima takes place .Vyasa the narrator shows up & imparts a special knowledge to Yudhisthira. Vyasa leaves Dvaitavana ,the  Pandavas  presently move to Kaamyaka forest. Arjuna at that time goes to the Himalayas to gain the Pashupata weapon.There is a terrible fight between the God of the  gods Mahaadeva in the guise of a hunter & Arjuna. Arjuna meets the deities of ten directions.Then finally he goes to the heaven ruled by Indra . He is blessed with weapons there also.  These incidents raise anxiety in the heart of Dhritarastra .

In the meantime the episode of the king Nala  is recounted. It is charged with the spirit of virtue .But it is drenched in pathos .The episode glories in the characters of its protagonist Nala & Damayanti.The sage Brihadaswa turns up & teaches the secret lore of playing dice .Right then the sage Lomasa comes from the heaven.And informs Yudhishthira as to the achievements of Arjuna .As per the message from Arjuna, the Pandavas set out  for pilgrimage. The merits of pilgrimage are dwelled on.

Karna gives away his earrings to Indra at this time. The great glory of sacrificial rites of Gayaasur are delineated.

Then the story of Agastya follows ,he devours up the Batapi. His marriage with Lopaamudraa is also noted with a view to begetting a child. Thereafter the calibacy & austerity of Rishyasringa since his childhood & the character of the great Parashurama & killing of Kaartaviryaarjuna  are narratedThen there is the rejuvenation of the sage Chavana. Next comes the episode of Mandhata & prince Jantu. Next a king Somaka sacrifices his only son to beget many children. Then thegods put King Shivi to test .The son of Varuna, the god of water outdoes Vandi in a debate. Astaavakra defeats Vandi & regains his father who was plunged into the deep sea.There after the Pandavas travel to the hill named Gandhamaadan ,They leave at Naaryana Ashrama .Draupadi sends Bhima to bring flowers from the Gandhamadan hills  Here Bhima meets  Hanumana of great velour,the son of Pavana .A fierce battle between Bhima & an ogre takes place.The ogre Jataasur is killed .The Pandavas now move to the Ashrama Arishtasena. There Drapadi encourages Bhima. Bhima ascends the hills of Kailasha & fights the mighty yakshas.Then the Pandavas meet  Kuvera the god of wealth.

On another plane there is fierce encounter between Nibatakabacha dwelling in Hiranyaparva & Arjuna Arjuna turns up on earth & he is about to display his newly acquired weapons before Yudhisthira. But Narada stops Arjuna from doing that. A huge mighty serpent looks like a mountain It attacks Bhima in a terrible forest, The snake poses a few questions before Yudhishthira.The  latter answers them four square.Consequently Bhima is released by the snake.

Mahabharata -- 17

by

Sankar Mukherjee

&

Dr. Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya

Virataparva 2

Pandavas reenter the Kamyaka forest.Here Krishna visits the Pandavas.Then the stories told by Markandeya  take place ,the episode Prithu the son of Vena  is retold. There is  the story of Saraswati &Tarkshya. Thereafter the episode of Indradyumna & Dhudnhumara takes place .Then the historical episode of the chaste wife is retold.Thereafter the conversation between Draupadi & Satyabhaama takes place .Pandavas return to the Daivtavana,in the mean time Duryodhana & others set out for Dvaidavana ,On the way a  Gandharva  king defeats Duryodhana & imprisons him. Arjuna however rescues Duryodhana from the Gandharvas at the instance of Yudhishthira.

Pandavas again enter the Kamyaka forest.Presently the story of Vrihidraunika is narrated .  The  story of Durvasa is also told. Thereafter Jayadratha steals Draupadi from the residence of Pandavas .Bhima follows Jayadratha as fast as wind & shaves the head of Jayadratha. Only five tufts of hair are left on his crown.Then there is the long history of Rama ,who killed Ravana with great valor .The story of

Savitri  is  retold. Indra in the disguise of a Brahmin begs the ear rings of Karna In return Indra  gives Karna the arrow named Ekaagni ---- a missile. Then Dharma the god of Justice  gives boon to the Pandavas. Pandavas now go west ward .This is the third stage of Vanaparva.   In this Vanaparva two hundred sixty nine chapters & eleven thousand six hundred sixty four slokas occur.

The extensive Parva that comes next is called Viratparva. The Pandavas reach the dominions of Virata. They find a cemetery in the out skirts of the city ,which is the capital of King Virata .There at the cemetery a large  Shami tree stands.The Pandavas hide their weapons in the tree. Then they enter the city of Virata in disguise They intend to stay incognito here.Right now the Pandavas must remain incognito for one year. Bhima kills the demon Kichaka. Duryodhana sends spies in all directions so that Pandavas could be detected. Thereafter cows of king  Virata are stolen.A  thrilling battle between the inhabitants of Trigarta takes place. King Virata is made a captive.But Bhima intervenes. ,He liberates the King. Yudhishthira, Nakula & Sahadeva rescue the cattle of Virata.

At this crucial moment the Kauravas steal the cattle of Virata coming from the North .Arjuna fights them with all his prowess & brings back the stolen cattle. The King Virata gives his daughter Uttara to Abhimanyu the child of Subhadraa out of gratitude.

These are the contents of the extensive fourth Parva or Viratparva. The great sage Vedavyasa has composed this Parva in sixty-seven sections ,there are two thousand fifty slokas in this Parva.