The Mahabharata

Bhagvan Ved Vyas the celebrated compiler of the Vedas was the son of the great Sage Parashara. It was he who gave to the world the divine epic of the Mahabharata.

Having conceived the Mahabharata he thought of the means of giving the sacred story of the World. He meditated on Brahma, the creator, who manifested himself before him, Vyas saluted him with bowed head and folded hands and prayed.

“Lord I have conceived an excellent work, but cannot think at one who can take it down to my dictation.”

Brahma extolled Vyas and said, “O Sage invoke Ganapati. Who appeared before him? Vyasa received him with due respect and sought his aid.

“Lord Ganapati, I shall dictate the story of Mahabharata and I pray you to be graciously pleased to write it down.

Ganapati replied “Very well, I shall do as you wish. But my pen must not stop while I am writing. So you must dictate without pause or hesitation. I can only write on this condition. Ved Vyas acceded to the terms of Lord Ganesha but with his own terms consequently “Be it so, but you must first grasp the meaning of what I dictate before you write it down. Terms were accepted and the scribing of Mahabharata began.

The first stanza, being the praise of Lord Ganesa, was easily assimilated. But difficulty arose from the next stanzas to understand the real meaning of which, the Lord of knowledge had to abandon his pen, pause, and then begin to scribe when he fully understood the real meaning of the Mahabharata stanza. Leaving apart other difficulties such as an eternal existed like Lord Ganesha accepting the request of Vyas to become his writer, one in not able to understand why Ganesha the Lord of Knowledge could not easily understood the meaning of the Vyas stanzas which is easily understood by child even today. This clearly means that the great poet Vyas wants to convey us through this story that the real meaning of his immortal work is not so easy to understand unless and until a person elevates himself to the level of Lord Ganesha, the Lord of knowledge, a knowledge itself.

It was before the days of printing, when the memory of the learned was the sole repository of books. Vyas first thought the great epic to his son the sage Suka, later; he expounded it to many other disciples. Were it not so, the book might have been lost to future generations. Tradition has it that Narada told the story of the Mahabharata to the Devas while Suka taught it to the Gandharvas, the Rakshasas and the Yakshas.

The chief disciples of Vyas “Vaisampayana” revealed the epic for the benefit of humanity. Janamejaya, the son of the great king Parikshit, conducted a great sacrifice in the course of which Vaisampayana narrated the story at the request of the Janmanjaya. Afterwards this story was recited by suta to the assembly of sages, to teach humanity dharma and the other ends of life.

The real meaning of Mahabharata and consequently of Gita is something else than what we think normally.

The Bhagvad Gita

The most important part of the Mahabharata is the Bhagavad-Gita. It is a marvellous dialogue between Lord Krishna and Arjuna on the battlefield, before the commencement of the Great War. Bhagavan Sri Krishna became the charioteer of Arjuna. Sri Krishna explained the essentials of Hindu religion to Arjuna. Just as the Upanishads contain the cream of the Vedas, so does the Gita contain the cream of the Upanishads.

Arjuna saw before him his dear relatives and teachers in the battlefield. He fainted and refused to fight against them. Then Lord Krishna imparted knowledge of the Self to Arjuna and convinced him that it was his duty to fight regardless of the consequences. Afterwards Arjuna gave up his Moha, or delusion. All his doubts were cleared. He fought against the Kauravas and achieved victory.

Message delivered by God himself removes vacillation from the minds of many who are unsteady and who feel lost in the world. The Gita is in corporate in the Mahabharata which in itself is a masterpiece containing valuable doctrine applicable for all time to come.

The epic reflected the firmness of the five brothers (The Pandavas) is declining to deviate from the path of virtue even in the maker of the worst adversities. Their zeal to uphold righteousness will install faith in the modern man that where one follows the normal codes, he is bound to succeed. Secondly, it is God’s story as we find him acting as a guide to the good souls. Devotion will spring in us when we see how the Lord extended his support to these men wedded to the good cause. The third aspect of this monumental poem relates to the behaviour of evil men. Those causing hindrance to the Pandavas were their cousins- the Kaurvas who symbolize evil. The story refers to the constant confrontation between the right and the wrong. The humble and the arrogant, the pious and the malicious.

We shall be required to ascend the highest ladders of the deep science of Yoga to understand the reality about Mahabharata and Bhagad-Gita. Let us preview the very first stanza of Bhavad-Gita under this Ganesh aspect of knowledge.

Mine and the sons of Pandu have gathered with the urge of fighting and Dharmashetra a land of personal religion and also a Kurukshetra a land of action thereto, O Sanjaya, what happened thence? Said Dhritrashtra

The meaning of stanza is simple if we encounter the same as a historical record. But one is not able to understand, why poet Vyas has given two proper nouns to one and the same battlefield. The reason should be somewhat deeper. First we shall have to know who is Dhritrashtra and his family members, here we shall have to take the help of Eshvasypanished which reveals us the meaning of Dhritrashtra and others.

Dhritrastra

Dhritrastra has been shown as the nominal king of Hastinapur (Physical Frame). But he is all the while dominated by his elder son Duryodhan here “Duha” means bad, “Yodha” means adamant fighting tendency. Duryodhan means an adamant, bad tendency, ready to fight with one’s won good impulses, and his brothers too such as Dushsana, Durvishaka, Durmata, Dushvarna, Durmarsha, Dussaha, Durdhava etc. “Rastra” means our body while “Ehrit” means the owner. In this way every person is Dhritrastra. But the Dhritrastra of Gita is blind to his own spiritual gains and is dominated by his Duryodhana tendencies. Not to have settlement of his own, Pandva. That means higher impulses. The struggle for existence of impulses begins on the field of tendencies, which is termed as “Dharmakshetra” by Ved Vyasa. Tendencies are the outcome of continued cultivation’s on a person who begets them through prone deeds helped by alike interests. The field of deeds is also our body. Hence Vyas calls the same battlefield as Dharmakshetra as well as Kurukshetra. Dharma means permanent mould of cultivation while ‘Kuru’ means to do deeds. Thus the fight begins on Dharmakshetra and Kurukshetra, ‘Kuru’ the forefather of Kauravas, has been shown as the king of ‘Kurudesh’, where he used to till his land himself. Will a king till his own land instead of asking his servants to do the same? But every ‘Kuru’ has to till his own land or farm. Gita tells about this ‘Keshetra’ or farm in the first stanza of chapter thirteen as follows:

‘O’ Kanteya this physical frame is called as Kshetra’ or farm and the owner of this field is called as “Kshetrajnya.”

King Kuru was thus the tiller of his physical body and the kaurvas were his descenders.

Literally a “Kurukshetra” war takes place daily in our minds. When we desire to undertake a noble deed. There will be forces to prevent us from carrying out the same. For instance we may be inclined to observe the compulsory daily religious austerities but suddenly, lethargy may force us to postpone them on the plea that nothing will be loss if they are observed after a day or two. This is a tussle between virtue and vice. Ultimately the latter perishes.

Gandhari -has been shown as the wife of Dhritrashtra, the blind king of Hastinapur. Gandhari was very loyal to her husband and hence she also covered her eyes with a band, not to see alike her husband. The eshawasyopnishad again says about Gandhari.

Those who follow others blindly go to deeper stages of darkness and remain there long. Thus Gandhari was following her blind husband tendency under the grabs of loyalty and refuse to see the light of knowledge given to her through the eyes of reason.

Hundred Kaurwas – Kaurwas, the sons of blind Dhritrashtra have been shown hundred in number of which the names begin with bad adjective ‘Duhu’ bad tendencies are in numerous that means hundred. Like Dushasana, Durvishaka, Durmata, Dusherna, Durmarsha, Dussaha, and Duryodhana.

The down fall of unbalanced person occurs through hundred channels such hundred channels of downfall are the bad impulses or sons of Dritrashtra, the blind father of the Kaurwas.

Pandvas - Pandvas are the five sons of ‘Pandu’ which means good arrangement of knowledge. The word Pandit has been derived from this word Pandu. And who is Pandit Gita says “Panditah samdarshirah” such were the good balanced son-impulses of Pandu which were five in number, Why five? Five ‘Paranas’ of which ‘Dharma’ (yudhishtirar) is the eldest. Dharma means the mould of cumulative good impulses prone to evolution. ‘Bhim’ was the second, Bhim means strength, intelligence, & valour we in case terrible strength. If we are loyal to our own Dharma. Bhim was the strongest. Then comes ‘Arjuna’ he was the best archer who know where to shoot his arrow. Again the Upanishads say about such divine archers like Ram and Arjuna…. pranawa is the bow while Atman is the arrow to be radiated at the target of Brahma. Personal efforts and dedication were with Arjuna Nakul and Sahdeva stands for integrity & humility.

Lord Krishna – The Upanishads again elevates out intelligence to the stage of Bhagwan Gopal Krishna who readily accepts to drive the chariot of Arjun on the battle.

The Atman is the owner of the chariot, the body is the chariot, intelligence is the charioteer, and mind is the rein. Lord Krishna is therefore the guide of the Pandwas who are definite to get victory in the eternal way of tendencies. Gita says about such victory.

Divine wealth and victory is definitely to that side in which Yogeshwar Krishna, the intelligence super, skilfully drives the chariot of Arjuna, the divine archer, shooting his arrow of Atman, towards the final target of Brahma.