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Some interpretations of the Mahabharat
Mahabharat : Some interpretations
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Vyasa's Mahabharat is one of our noblest heritages, and it is has been
a elevated influence for thousands of years. Its strengthens the soul
and drives home, as nothing else does, the vanity if ambition and evil
and the futility of of anger and hatred. The Mahabharat is not merely
an "epic"; it is a romance, telling the tale of heroic men and women
and some who were divine. It is a whole literature in itself, contain-
ing a code of life; a philosophy of social and ethical relations, a
speculative thought of human problems that is hard to rival; but above
all - it has for its core the Bhagavad Geeta, which is as the world is
beginning to find out, the noblest of scriptures and the grandest of
the sagas in which the climax is reached in the wonderous Apocalypse
in the Eleventh Canto! The "epic" has been an unfailing and perenial
source of spiritual strength.
The philosophical essense of the Mahabharat is only one interpreta-
tion. Ludwig called it an analogy of cycle of seasons - Pandu, Dhru-
tarashtra, Krishna etc. being different shades of the Sun. One another
scholar, Ho, considers it to be a tussle between the Vaishnav and
Shaivite sects. Maxmuller addressed the Mahabharat to be a reflection
of Greek civilization as it contains customs and practices prevelant
among Greek people. Buhler considers the Mahabharat to be a 'Dharma-
Shastra'. Wrangler Chandratreya interprets the volumnous treatise as
the ocean of ethical principles spread out over a vast expanse...
Yet another scholar, Dr.Prema, views the treatise from a medical per-
spective, 100 diseases (Kaurav) being treated by 5 medicines (Pandav).
He refers to the allegorical equations of Teriyar - a 'Siddha', a
mystic-cum-medical man, which are quite fascinating :
a. Kichaka is equated to venereal diseases and his younger brothers
are represented as the diseases like ulcer, impotency, nervous debil-
ity and for which Bheema acts as an antidote. He is represented as the
mercurial preparation for the treatment of the above diseases. Drau-
padi acts as the sulpher and by this system of characterization of
person and formulation of medicine, it is explained how to cure
diseases.
b. Arjuna is catagorized as the copper containing medicine and his
triumphal march against his enemies is equated in terms of his victory
over inummerable diseases. His conquests reflect nothing but the
forceful and scientific treatment of diseases.
c. Yudhisthira is called as the embodiment of iron component of the
medicine who victory over Drona is equated as his victory over
titanus.
Some believe that it is long poem and contains mythical characters and
events. How could a source of cultural-spiritual-political-ethical-
art- literature-etc. been a reality ? How could 'one book' incorporate
the faculties of ethics-polity-statecraft-economics-therapeutics at
the same time ? Therefore the 'book' must have evovled over centuries
with all the knowledge added slowly. The 'poetic idealism' is too good
to be a reality ! And how is that such a 'primitive' civilization,
when computers were not developed, even ponder about nuclear missiles
and biological weapons ? It cannot be true...However, " There is more
suspense in the Truth and only the Truth delivers more thrill than the
imaginative will" !
Mahabharat is not just a story, but the detailed account of a event
occured in the past. It has been written in the epic from time to time
that Mahabharat is a "itihas" which exclusively means "thus occured".
The words "Puraan" and "Itihas" were specifically coined by the Arya
people to catagorize the "ancient" and "recent" events. Both the words
denote history that has occured at different times. A number of dynas-
ties with their long lineage of kings have been presented in the work.
More than 50 kings from King Barhi to the Pandava King have been
recorded. Additional information about the King, his wife, his scions,
his relations, etc. have been accounted in great detail. If it were
just fiction, only 4-5 kings would have sufficed to build the story
on. Then why such mind-boggling details ?
Mahabharat is of a later date than the Ramayan. Why would the author
of the Mahabharat borrow the same ideas and characters as those of the
author of Ramayan ? Archaeological excations has discovered the sub-
merged city of Dwaraka. This is the same Dwaraka as mentioned in the
Mahabharat. The astronomical recordings in the Mahabharat "epic" and
other scriptures (Bhagwat), given the correct positions of the planets
and stars during that time. How could a work of fiction be proved
using mathematical tools ?
A historian, however, percieves it as a historical reality that
occured about 5000 years ago! The Mahabharat represents a reference to
dileanate a continuous record of events, before and after the War, and
to trace back the antiquity of human civilization, in Bharat as well
as in the rest of the world....
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