Imagine a land with lush jungles blooming fruit, flowers, and weeds providing a cool shade from the scolding sun and calming breeze flowing from the turbulent Ganges River. The Ganges River you say? Your mind start churning like a rusted bicycle belonging to adult who long ago stop greasing the gears as he transitioned out of a child, trying to remember your countless spoonfuls of geography from K-12 you realize I am talking about northern India and henceforth this is where our epic The Mahabharata
INTRODUCTION: - Translations have always been of paramount importance since the acceptance of history, archaeology and fields alike as individual subjects. The subjects that work in the present trying to unravel the mysterious happenings of the past often need to go through the literature of the era concerned as literature always has been the true mirror to society. The literature of any civilization is a transcriber of the happenings and experiences of contemporary people into the word written
When it comes to literature the world has a lot to offer. From novels to poems history has given us plenty to read and learn from. Some literary works are more than just for reading purposes such as the great epic of Mahabharata. In Hinduism Mahabharata is one of two major factors that led to the creation of the religion, the other being Ramayana. Around 3000 BC Mahabharata was told in the form of stories or gossip between gods, kings, and common people. “It presents sweeping visions of the cosmos
The final facet of boundaries that I would like to discuss is the boundaries that are placed on self. Such boundaries possess the potential to have both positive and negative effects. Harmfully, one can place limits on what they believe they are capable of, when, on most occasions, these boundaries are unrealistic and unnecessary. These boundaries can stem from fear, low self-image, or discouragement. In contrast to the harmful aspects of boundaries that we place on ourselves, there are many positive
Arjuna, “But if I kill them, even in this world, all my enjoyment of wealth and desires will be stained with blood. And indeed I can scarcely tell which will be better, that we should conquer them, or that they should conquer us. The very sons of Dhritarâshtra,—after slaying whom we should not care to live,—stand facing us” (Srimad). As if The Blessed Lord finally realized the true nature of Arjuna’s distress said “Thou hast been mourning for them who should not be mourned for. Yet thou speakest words
The Indus Valley now known as the modern day border between Pakistan and India has been found to have the earliest form of Hinduism in about 3000 BCE. We don’t know too much about the culture but we do know is that this civilization was religion based, non violent, and vegetarian by choice. They were advanced enough to have planned city that was placed in grid formation that was all the same size and their culture did not have the same characteristics of any other civilization in that time period
against the Kauravas. The final archetype, “The Magic Weapon,” represents Gandiva, the weapon used by Arjuna to trump the Kauravas and win the war. This bow combats evil, to continue a journey, or to prove one’s identity as a chosen individual. Dhritarashtra speaks of Arjuna, “who has defeated the very gods: with Gandiva for his bow (303).” Gandiva equips Arjuna with supernatural abilities, such as simply amplifying the strength of a normal arrow by a thousand times. With the help of this extravagant
secrets of defeating them .Bheesma told Yudhishtir how to stop him. He is also know as Dharamraj . His calmness made him a good leader but on the otherside these trait made him lose his Kingdom. VIDUR: Vidur was the half-brother to the kings Dhritarashtra and Pandu of Hastinapura , born the son of the sage Vyasaand Parishrami, the maid to the queens Ambika and Ambalika . He was an incarnation of the god of death and Yama Dharma Raja, who had been cursed by the sage Mandavya for punishing the
After the death of Constantine in 337, Eusebius started writing the biography of this great Roman emperor who first adopted Christianity as the official religion of the state. The Bhagavad-Gita is believed to be completed between 4th century BCE and 4th century CE, basically from King Ashoka’s unification of India to the reign of Gupta Empire. Why did religious leaders write these texts during that time? What is their true intention? Although one may assume that Eusebius and the Bhagavad-Gita were
The struggle to instill justice, honor, and morality within society has been occurring since the dawn of humankind. Whether man is innately evil or not has long been the subject of debate. The epic poem, the Mahabharata, explores this argument by examining treachery, family ties, and righteousness in the setting of an epic conflict between two royal families, the Pandavas and the Kauravas. Within the Mahabharata is the Bhagavad Gita. Spoken by Lord Krishna to Prince Arjuna, this holy narrative, Lord
The Conception of Time in William Buck's Mahabharata In Hindu philosophy, there is no absolute beginning to the universe and no absolute ending. Therefore, time is not conceived of in a linear fashion as is common in western philosophy. Instead, time is seen as a wheel turning within a larger wheel, and moksha, or the release from this wheel is one of the goals of of the Hindu devotee. In William Buck's Mahabharata, time is viewed by the characters as an enemy of sorts, a personified entity
Kunti’s life is beset with sadness because of the curse that her husband has to live with, and then his death. Even though she gives birth to the Pandavas as a result of the boon of Sage Durvasa, the same boon causes the birth of Karna as well which brings her immense grief. Caste and social values were balanced in Ram-Rajya. Nishadraj, Kevat, Shabari and other persons of lower caste have beenreferred in the Ramayana in a decent manner, but in the Mahabharata, the caste issue became very serious
Since humans are mortal, the sensation of pain is integral to the human condition. On one hand, pain alerts the body of a danger that is threatening its overall well-being; however, pain can be used as a means of torture to break the psyche or willpower of someone. As Lancelot races to save his queen from the evil Méléagant, he encounters the Sword Bridge. This Bridge is notorious for its slender construction, making it impossible for one to walk across the bridge safely. Underneath the bridge,
Vishnu is the Supreme form of God in the Hindu sect known as Vaishnavism. This means that, while there are other gods and demigods, Vishnu reigns supreme above all. He, in the minds of the Vaishnavites, is the lord of all creation. Vishnu has taken many forms throughout the eons, known as his avatars, whenever the dharmic balance on the earthly plains requires direct intervention in order to be set right. The ten most recognizable of these avatars are called the Daśāvatāra, among them such heroes
The Bhagavad-Gita begins with the preparation of battle between the two opposing sides: on the left stands the collected armies of the one hundred sons of Dhritarashtra and on the right lies the soldiers of the Pandava brothers. Warring relatives feuding over the right to govern the land of Kurukshetra, both forces stand poised and ready to slaughter one another. The warrior Arjuna, leader of the Pandava armies, readies himself as his charioteer, the god Krishna, steers toward the opposition when
The Bhagavad Gita is a powerful religious text of ancient India due to its rich elements, ideas, and themes, particularly that of dharma. According to the Ancient History Encyclopedia, “It was written around 400 B.C.E and 200 C.E. Although we do not know who the true author is, credit is given to a man named Vyasa. It was written during a time of social transformation in India. Monarchies were increasing in size, trade grew rapidly with various countries, and there was an emphasis on spirituality
“Dharma is the knowledge prominently directed towards the achievement of desired happiness here (i.e., in this life) and hereafter by means of appropriate actions” (Khan, Benjamin. The Concept of Dharma in Valmiki). Rama and Krishna have been set as perfect exemplars of Dharma in the texts of Ramayana and Mahabharata, respectively. They are considered to be the reincarnations of God Vishnu, a Supreme Being, and supposedly lived their lives according to the Dharmic (or right) way of life. However