11.MAHAA BHAARATHAA !

WITH THE GREAT

Scene at Tirukkazhukkunram. Many of us have seen the eagles being fed by the priest daily around 11.30 am. The eagles are no more coming.  This is a photo of 1906.

11. MAHAA BHAARATAA!

Most Indians have no clear idea of  what ITIHASA means. The popular English usage renders it as 'epic'. Like most English words used to express Indian religious and philosophical ideas, this word too is inadequate. There are many senses in which this English word is used, one of them being old legend or oral history. Modern usage includes  such senses as beyond the usual or ordinary, momentous, great, etc. Even movies are called epics! In the more formal usage, it means a long narrative poem in elevated or dignified language. Its subjects may include legends, historical personalities or mythological stories. Home's "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey" are the most famous epics of the West. Milton's  "Paradise Lost" is regarded as an English epic, though it is mythological.Till the late 19th century, Homer's epics were regarded as mainly fictional. Since then,extensive archaeological excavations have established that the old city of Troy existed!

Indians have had a distinct sense of usage.Thus we have:

Veda----which means just knowledge. It contains no theology                or philosophy, but plain universal ideas. Any                            number of theological and philosophical systems                    have been derived from it. Veda transcends all.

.Shruti:  What is 'heard'. In Tamil, they call it எழுதாக்கிளவி .
Smriti  : What is remembered. These are rules framed on the basis of the interpretation of Veda.
Itihasa:  History. It is derived as: iti-ha-asa: so indeed it was,                 thus verily it happened.
Purana: Old, ancient, very remote legend,chronicle, oral                      traditions,etc. Many of the stories are clearly                            allegorical.

Thus, Itihas has a distinct flavour. In course of time many things get added, but the core remains the same. 

Ramayana and Mahabharata are our only itihasas.

Under the influence of colonial and foreign elements ( I would not call them scholars) we have tended to treat them as religious stories. True, Rama and Krishna are Avatars- but Avatars that happened in India!

The Ramayana and the Mahabharata contain lot of   astronomical references. 

Both the above from: https://bharatgyanblog.wordpress.com

Thanks.

The Mahabharata alone has more than a hundred references.. If these are analysed with an open mind, we get to learn the precise date of those events. One old Tamil Scholar L.D.Swamikannu Pillai did some such work . With computer technology, more is possible, but our slavish mentality has not left us. The white skin still commands a premium in India!

From: Art of Living. Work of Prof.Narahari Achar, Memphis University, USA.

It is true different scholars may arrive a different dates, based on the system adopted. It is nothing more than two doctors or economists giving different prescriptions, or two judges differing on the verdict.

If Tamilians gave up their fixation with the fabrication of Aryan Invasion, and studied objectively, they would find that the date of submersion of Dwaraka in the sea, and the loss of Kumari Kandam are more or less the same. (c.3100 BC). Recent marine archaeology efforts have indeed revealed the old submerged Dwaraka.

Some of the under-water structures off the coast of Dwarka being investigated in 2007.This picture is taken from The Hindu dated 23 February 2007.Whether it is Ayodhya or Dwarka, or Saraswati, mainline English language newspapers in India do not report much.

Satellite photo Landsat 7 by NASA of the Rama-Setu!

Ancient Tamil literature (Sangam age) contains many references to our Itihas. Though the modern tendency under the Dravidian influence is to suppress these facts, they are there for the serious student to see. As against all the claims that Muruga alone is the God of the Tamils, we find Indra, Varuna, Vishnu (Tirumal) were also worshipped by the Tamils, with separate land areas assigned for them. 

Arunagirinatha has dealt with extensively and delightfully with almost all the important incidents recorded in the itihas, providing his own insights. There are two stunning passages dealing with Mahabharata.

பகைகொள்துரி யோத னன்பி றந்து
     படைபொருத பார தந்தெ ரிந்து
          பரியதொரு கோடு கொண்டு சண்ட ...... வரைமீதே

பழுதறவி யாச னன்றி யம்ப
     எழுதியவி நாய கன்சி வந்த
          பவளமத யானை 

(குகையில் நவ நாதருஞ்) 

Duryodhana was born with enmity, as a burden to the earth.He fought with many weapons in the great war. Seeing this with his Yogic sight (jnana drishti), Vyasa narrated this in the ancient days, so that it would remove the impurities defects  (குற்றம் ) of  the world. This was taken down by Vinayaka on the  big (Meru) mountain with the strong and matchless tusk- that Vinayaka of the red complexion like the ruby, with the face of the elephant. (He goes on to say that Kumara is born as his younger brother.)

பாரதத்தை மேரு வெளீ வெளீ திகழ்
     கோடொடித்த நாளில் வரைஇ வரைஇ பவர்
          பானிறக்க ணேசர் குவா குவா கனர் ...... இளையோனே

( சீர் சிறக்கு மேனி)

O the younger brother of Ganesa! Who, of the golden complexion of the Sun, and riding the rat as his mount, wrote the Mahabharata on the extensive ranges of Meru mountain, with the broken tusk.

( பானிறக் கணேசர் = பானு நிறக் கணேசர்) Ganesa of the colour of the Sun.

These are the words of our Arunagiri who was inspired and ordered to sing by the Lord himself!

Ganesa writing the Mahabharata. Rajasthani painting. Wikimedia Commons.


And now comes the verse which chronicles the entire Mahabharata story,almost!

        சூது பொருதரும னாடு தோற்றிரு
     வாறு வருஷம்வன வாச மேற்றியல்
          தோகை யுடனுமெவி ராட ராச்சிய ...... முறைநாளிற்

சூறை நிரைகொடவ ரேக மீட்டெதி
     ராளு முரிமைதரு மாறு கேட்டொரு
          தூது செலஅடுவ லாண்மை தாக்குவ ...... னெனமீள

வாது சமர்திருத ரான ராட்டிர
     ராஜ குமரர்துரி யோத னாற்பிறர்
          மாள நிருபரொடு சேனை தூட்பட ...... வரிசாப

வாகை விஜயனடல் வாசி பூட்டிய
     தேரை முடுகுநெடு மால்ப ராக்ரம
          மாயன் 


This is so important that it requires a word for word rendering before we see the deeper insights.

Soodhu pore dharma=  Dharmaputra who fought the evil game

Naadu thotra == lost his kingdom

Iru aaru varusham vana vaasam yaetru=  after living in the forest for twelve years, accepting the vanavasa imposed

Iyial thokai yudanum = accompanied by the ever virtuous Draupadi

Viraata rajyam vurai naalil = in the days they stayed in the kingdom of Viraata

Nirai kurai kodu=  stealing the cows

Avar yaeka == they ( ie Duryodhana's group) left

Ethir meettu=  recovering them

Aalum vurimai tharumaaru kaettu = demanding their right to their own rule (kingdom)

Oru thoodhu chela=  matchless Krishna went as their ambassador

Aduval aanmai thaakkuvaen yena= Dhuryaodhana saying "no, I will fight with them and stop their manliness, and kill them"

Meela = Krishna returned

Vaadhu samar dhirutharaana raattira raja kumaarar= the sons of Dhritarashtra , fighting, after the arguments

Duryothananaal pirar= along with them the other kings, for the sake of (on account of) Duryodhana

Maala=  courting death

Niruparodu saenai thoolpada= the whole armies along with the kings getting destroyed (falling to the dust- thool)

Vari chaapa vaagai Vijayan= Victorious Arjuna with the decorated bow Kaandiva

Adal vaasi thaerai mudugu = piloting  fast his chariot drawn by strong horses

Nedumaal= the tall Krishna (Vishnu)

Paraakrama maayan= the valorous, strong Krishna (Vishnu)

What a graphic, step by step description our Master has given! We see the events taking place before our very eyes!

We know that Dharmaputra entered the game of dice, even though he knew he did not know the game well. Arunagirinatha is calling it " soodhu pore" the evil or treacherous war which Dharmaputra entered..

From: ramarajyam.blogspot.in

 But why?

The story is that when the Pandavas were in Indraprasta, Narada visited them once. One day he took Dharmaputra aside and revealed to him a vision he had seen: Dharmaputra would be the cause of destruction of most of the kings in a big war. Dharmaputra was disturbed and enquired when it would happen. Narada told him that he would have a particular dream and in the thirteenth year after that it would happen.  Dharmaputra was upset and determined to prevent it. He called all the brothers and told them about it. And he said that to prevent such destruction, they should not get provoked by anything, no matter how serious it was. They all agreed. That is why we see them standing dumb even when Draupadi was dragged! Dharmaputra agreed for the game as he feared that his refusal would provoke further enmity, while if he agreed, it might please them and col tempers.

Arunagirinatha has packed so much material in just two words: soodhu pore. 
But it requires a thorough study to understand this.

Shakuni rolling the dice!
From:indonesiawayang.com.

There is a reference here to stealing the cows( nirai kurai kodu). In the Hindu system of war, capturing the cows of another kingdom while the graze is an indication of the war intention. It is celebrated in the Tamil Classic Purananooru as aanirai kavarthal. ஆனிரை கவர்தல். . We should remember that the whole of India that was Bharat had one dharma for war, as for weal.

Above all, we see the good intentions of Dharmaputra frustrated. The world is inscrutable. The hand of destiny seems unstoppable. But here, Krishna was there! Men became instruments, and decisions and incidents steps towards the destined end.  As Tiruvalluvar said:

குறள் 380
ஊழிற் பெருவலி யாவுள மற்றொன்று
சூழினுந் தான்முந் துறும்

What is there that is mightier than Destiny? Even if one contrives a plan to overcome it, it forestalls him.

(But who can know in advance what is destiny? As Shakeel Badayuni, the celluloid poet wrote: Manzil pe hoga faisla kismat ke khel ka. Only at the destination we would know what was the destiny!)

Arunagirinatha does not  just narrate the story. He recreates it before our eyes!

An 18/19th century painting. Public domain.

NOTE:

Tamil text of Tiruppugazh taken from kaumaram.org.Gratefully acknowledged.