CHAPTER « The Vedas, « The Upanishads, e The Epics—Ramayana and Mahabharata, e The Puranas 6.1 THE VEDAS The Vedas contain the divine wisdom and knowledge of things directly seen by the Rishis or seers of hoary antiquity by intuition and are called Shrutis, i.e., what is directly heard or experienced by intuition. The Vedas are the earliest books of mankind and occupy a unique position in world literature. All Indian law givers regard | the Vedas as the principal source of Dharma and all Hindus look upon the Vedas as the supreme authority in all matters concerning religion, laws and social conduct. Authors of the Veda: The hymns of the Rig Veda were composed by the members of Rishi famnilieslike the Kanvas, Angirases, Agastyas, Grisamadas, Atris, Viswamitras, Vasishtas, Kasyapas, Bharatas and Bhrgus. Some women Rishis who composed the Rigvedic hymns were Aditi, Apaalaa, Godhaa, Indraanii, Lopamudra, Romashaa, Urvashi, Yami, Sikataa, Nivaavari and Aatreyi Tose Ancient Religious Texts in Action Gee Classification of the Vedas: In ancient times Vedas meant ‘only one collection of all the mantras numbering about 25,000 or more. Later, for the purpose of study and preservation, the single collection was divided by Veda Vyasa inte four overlapping collections of mantras as Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda and Atharva Veda. Contents of the Four Vedas (a) Rig Veda ‘The Rig Veda samhita is in Rik or hymn form. A number of Riks constitute a Sookta The Rig Veda has 1028 sooktas containing 10,552 mantras, A mantra is a poetic revelation received by a human sage (Rishi) during the state of deep concentration. The Rig Veda Consists of hymns mainly in praise of different gods and form the immediate source of theIrv 6] RTT tmospherle and ® 5 ; ified as terrestrial, a Vedas. These gods may be FOURDIY Fr eaed to Into followed by a A The largest number of Pe ie oath 2000 mantras and Soma with Ss thera "i ada ben cased ing the praises of the Rig Vedic dete, some . ys that sin i : ies fe ee deity and the king ie He bales nae aa ae is enemy Vatra, Agni- the , Soma, en Be a nail uhieh was a fundamental er of the Vedic or i eae si Sarat the supreme god (just to LS a — ine kas which constitute the philosophy behind th is a i ee which in-turn has the commentary of the ancient sacred rituals, (ii) the Bral and ot the one that focuses on worship. . : ee see he Ris Veda which are ten in number and were composed by poets Dee oc groups over a period of seve ral centuries are structured based on ae Sonlline ah begins with a small book addressed to Agni, Indra, and other lear pri - ods, singing the praises of the Lord es derived from the root Yaj which means warship, The word Yajna Sat i Ye ans those Vedic mantras that are (sacrificial worship) is also derived from it.( jus mei f aaNet ie eee cree hem eae whe fori of yajna or varing in the form of hymns) a in the form of Seip The he Veda contains i addition to the verses from Rig Veda. This Veda called the book of sacrificial prayers. eda ancient Vedic text, it is a compilation of ritual offering formulas a cs mantras to be chanted or muttered repeatedly by a priest while an individual (| . seein or jajmaan) performs the ascertained ritual actions before the sacrificial fire or he oie Since the Vedic times, it has been, the primary source of information about sacrifices an associated rituals, more importantly, it has served as a practical guidebook for the priest, or the Purohits, as referred to as in Hindu dharma who execute religious ceremonies. The earliest and most ancient layer of Yajur Veda, the Samhita includes about 1,875 verses that are distinct yet borrowed from and built upon the foundation of verses in Rigveda. The middle layer includes the Satapatha Brahmana, one of the largest Brahmane texts in the Vedic collection. The youngest layer of Yajur Veda text includes the largest collection of primary Upanishads six in number, influential to various schools of Hind philosophy. These include the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, the Isha Upanishad: the Taittiriva Upanishad, just to name a few. he Yajur Veda is divided into Shukla Yajur Veda and Krishna Yajur Veda. The Shukla Yajur Veda is also known as Vaajasaneya Samhita as Rishi Yajnavallv? is believed to have learnt this knowledge from the sun god, n Tradition, Coy Ancient Religious Texts Samhita of the Taittiriya bra: Samhita has a total of 4773 mant Of these rik mantras, 862 can be (c) Sama Veda Sama means to bring ‘shanti’ or stanzas distributed into two books, Except 75 verses, all other verses of this Ve been taken entirely from Rig Veda and are meant to be certaln fixed melodies during the Soma sacrifices Hene ‘book of chants’, According to Swart Dayananda Sara: of Gandharva (37) nch of Krishna Yajur Veda known as Taittiriya ras, of which 3244 are vajus and 1 25 are rik mantras traced to the existing edition of Rig veda sambita peace of mind. The Sama Veda consists of 1549 ida have recited by the Ugatri priest to @, this Veda may be called the iswathi, Sama Veda is the basis eda, the science of music The early sections of Sarna Veda typically begin with singing the hymns of Rig Vedic deities, Indra, a heroic deity and the king of the highest heaven called Saudharmakalpa who slew his enemy Vatra, Agni- the sacrificial fire which was a fundamental offering of the Vedic sac: just fo mention a few; but in the latter part shifts to abstract speculations and philosophy, the nature and existence of the universe and God himself are questioned and so are the social and religious duties of man in the society Soma, the sacred potion or the plant tifices and Ishwara, the supreme god Such has been the influence of Sama Veda on Indian classical music and dance. The essence of classical Indian music and dance tradition is rooted in the sonic and musical dimensions of the Sama Veda itself. In addition to singing and chanting, the Sama Veda, mentions instruments and also the specific rules and regulations of playing them, and to preserve the sanctity of those ancient instruments. If one were to summarize the significance of the Sama Veda in a single line, Sama Veda, in contemporary Hinduism, has been a reminder of the majestic ancient cultural heritage and a point of pride for Hindus; not to mention that it still finds its use in today’s society (d) Atharva Veda Atharva means a purohit and also a name of a rishi (Atharvana). This Veda has mostly rik mantras with a small number of yajusmantras. According to tradition, Atharva Veda is mainly a contribution of sages Atharvana and Angira. Atharva Veda contains references to various aspects of spiritual and temporal importance like Brahmavidya, kingship, marriage, treatment of ailments, poetics, etc, This Veda is also connected with subsequent development of Tantric system and mentions the significance of Japa or chanting of mantras to achieve material or other benefits which form an integral part of Indian religio- mysticism till today. Atharva Veda is the basis of Ayurveda, Kamashastra and Dandanithi. In popular context with being widely popular as the Veda of Magic formulas, Atharva Veda is a mixture of hymns, chants, spells, and prayers; and involves issues such as aee Indian Tradition, Culture and Society Gad i d as some cl healing of illnesses, prolonging life, an for removing maladies and anxieties. een aee onueanent aan However, many books i Saat itself asserting that the knowledge of Gog ophy, which is b ania a = Ses spiritual practice or intuition. eater Itis a collection of 730 hymns with about 6,000 mantras, divided into Oks, with pe ds embedded to it — the Mundaka Upanishad, Mandukya Upanishad, poe ae = bad Like other three Vedas, the believers of the Hindu dharma ae LS NES too as Apauruseya; (meaning, not of a man) or impersona} ae t belonging to a particular author. The hymns and the verses were written Sete (sages) and perhaps the revered Lord himself who taught the Vedic hymns fs re sages, who then handed them down through generations by the word of mouth, The Samhitas in the Atharva Veda have written ee of Surgical and medical speculations; it includes mantras and verses for treating a variety of ailments. For instance, the verses in hymn 4.15 of the recently discovered Paippalada version of the Atharva Veda, it discusses how to deal with an open fracture, and how to wrap the wound with Rohini plant (FicusInfectoria, native to India), Speculations have also been made about remedy from herbal medicines, on the nature of man, life, good and evil and even spells and prayers to gain a lover. And some hymns were even ab out peaceful prayers and philosophical speculations, the origin of the universe, and the existence of God himself. It is indeed a collection of all sorts of speculations that quite often leave us bewildered. laim, also the black magic and rituals 6.1.1 Parts of the Vedas The Brahmanas: Each Veda consists of samhitas which are collections of hymns called mantras. To each Veda are attached a treatise called Brahmanas written in prose. They are the primary source of information about sacrifices, rituals and priests. The Aaranyakas: As a further development of the Brahmanas we get the Aaranyakas or forest treatises. These works were probably composed for old men who had retired into forests and were thus unable to perform elaborate sacrifices requiring multitude of accessories and articles which could not be procured in the forest. These texts gave Prominence to meditation on certain symbols for obtaining merit. The Upanishads: The Rishis of a much later age attempted to acquire the spiritual knowledge independently by means of tapas (meditation). The philosophical truths and occult knowledge acquired by the Rishis are contained in the Upanishads. There is a list of 108 Upanishads compiled in the Muktika Upanishad. But the famous 13 Upanishads which are associated with a Brahmana book or. Aaranyaka book typically constituting the" ending chapter or chapters are quoted by Baadaraayana in his book ‘Brahma Sutras Ancient Religious Texts + two to Shukla Yajur Ve u ; da (Isha and Brihad: 5 Krishna Yajur Veda ( Katha and Taittiriya): sefd) See Rial Kersten Cramaace iva); one to Rig Veda (Aitareya) and two to Sama | Topically arranged, these Upanishads mi i ; ight be classified thus — 39 belong to th dnanakanda and 62 to Karmakanda while seven deal with see aces with miscellaneous topies associated 6.1.2 Vedangas—Limbs of the Veda The six subjects commonly comprehended under the title of Vedangas are: 1. Shiksha or the science of Pronunciation of letters and accents. The doctrine of shiksha arose out ofa religious need. As inaccurate Pronunciation of Vedic texts was thought to bring disaster to the sacrificer, 2. Chandas is metre. 3. Vyakarana means grammar, words. 4. Nirukta— words. the purpose of its study is to avoid incorrect use of Etymology, the object of which was to explain or interpret difficult Vedic dyotishya— Astronomy; its object was to convey such knowledge of the heavenly bodies as is necessary for fixing the days and hours of the Vedic sacrifices. . Kalpa or ceremonial- The Kalpa deals with matters, such as * How a particular ritual should be done What functions or karma should be performed by men of different castes, and in which stage (ashrama), Which ritual involves which mantra, which materials and which devata How many Rithviks (priests) should be employed What vessels of what shape and size should be used The Kalpa shaastra has been compiled by a number of sages. Six sages, Aapasthamba, Bodhaayana, Vaikhaanasa, Satyaashaada, Bharadwaja and Agnivesa have written Kalpa Sutra for Krishna Yajur Veda which is mostly prevalent in south India. The Kalpa shastra has been composed by different sages, as — sage Aaswalayana for Rig Veda, sage Katayanana for Shukle Yajur Veda, sage Jamini for Sama Veda. Purpose of the Vedas According to Purvamimamsa, the whole Veda is concerned with wails Pa we Vedic religion is considered first and foremost a liturgy and only secondarily a mythologi pe enIndian Tradition, Culture and Society CaeJt : Yajur Veda are mentioned togeth, re Rig Veda, Sama Veda and Yajur ther = ee ees i conform to ancient hieraticism. But apart from yajnag as the triple Veda .s also mention many methods of meditation and Prayers vorship, the Veda: a ee The RisVega contains over ten thousand mantras, hardly one-thid of ther (uy ites, the rest are employed in japa. Several hymns and verses S i ae Ser cosmological, mystic and speculative. The Vedas ‘also deal with various kinds of medical treatment to ensure bodily health and shantis (o, methods) to pacify enemies and to avert the harm contemplated by them. According to Sri Aurobindo the Vedas framed in exquisite poetry are not books of rituals but books of wisdom valid for all times, particularly modern times. 6.2 THE UPANISHADS The last part of the Vedas are the Upanishads. The Upanishads come towards the end of the Aranyakas. If the Samhita is likened to a tree, the Brahmanas are its flowers and the Aranyakas are its fruit yet not ripened, whereas the Upanishads are the ripe fruits. Nature of Upanishads The Vedas are generally considered to have two portions viz., Karma-Kanda (portion dealing with action or rituals) and Jnana-Kanda (portion dealing with knowledge). The Samhita and the Brahmanas represent mainly the Karma-Kanda, while the Upanishads chiefly represent the Jnana-Kanda or the knowledge portion, The Upanishads, however, are included in the Shruti. They are at present, the most popular and extensively read Vedic texts. The Upanishads are often called Vedanta. Literally, Vedanta means the end of Veda, Vedasyaantah, the conclusion (Anta) as wellas the goal (Anta) of the Vedas. Chronologically, they came at the end of the Vedic period. As Upanishads contain difficult discussions of ultimate philosophical problems, they were taught to the pupils at about the end of their course. The chief reason why the Upanishads are called the end of the Vedas is that they represent the central aim of the Veda and contain the highest and ultimate goal of the Veda as they deal with Moksha or Supreme Bliss. Meaning of the Word “Upanishad” The word ‘Upanishad” has been derived from the root word Sad (to sit), to which are added two prefixes: Upaand Ni. The prefix Upadenotes nearness and Ni totality. Thus, this word means ‘sitting near by devotedly’. This no doubt refers to the pupils sitting down near his teacher at the time of instruction, The word in course of time gathered round it the sense of secret teaching or secret doctrine (Rahasya) which was imparted at such sittings. Upanishads are frequently spoken of as Rahasya (secret) or Guhya (mystery) also. We find in Upanishads, that due to secrecy and mystery of the teachings, a teacher could refuse t0 impart instruction to a pupil who had not proved his worthiness to receive the instruction. Ancient Religious Texts Through another definitioy the word also refers to the book that eoreiie tetas knowledge, yet by implication it e. Number of the Upanishads There isa good deal ofsy i Peculation concern Mei s £ Icerning the i the ald Westin had their place in the Brohmanas an Arata Toa, a Samhita ‘containing Upanishad — the Vaj ee jae oe Ishavasya Upanishad forming the 40th book. Sree Seite i In later times, the Upanishads obtained a i | Division of the Upanishads According to the Multikopanishad 108 Upanishads that are divided according to four Vedas are as follows: 10 Upanishads from the Rigveda. 19 Upanishads from the ShuklaYajurveda 32. Upanishads from the Krishna Yajur Veda 16 Upanishads from the Sama Veda and 31 Upanishads from the Atharva Veda, The thirteen principal Upanishads, related to the Vedas are: (A) Upanishads of the Rig Veda : 1. Aitareya Upanishad, 2. Kaushitaki Upanishad. (B) Upanishads of the Shukla-Yajur Veda: 1. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, 2. Isha Upanishad.Indian Tradition, Culture and Society Yajur Veda: (C) Upanishads of the Krishna: fajur 1, Taittiriya Upanishad, 2. Katha Upanishad, 3, Shvetashvatara Upal 4, Maitrayaniya Upanishad. (D) Upanishads of the Sama Veda: 4, Chandogya Upanishad, 2. Kena Upanishad (E) Upanishads of the Atharva Veda: 1, Mundaka Upanishad. 2. Manduky a Upanishad, hna Upanishad. ce eae Upanishads were composed from the middle of the 5th century i ugh the 2nd century BCE. fm i on first five of these—Brihadaranyaka, Chandogya, Taittiriva, Aitareya, and Kaushitaki—were composed in prose, interspersed with verse. The middle five—Kena, Katha, Isa, Svetasvatara, and Mundaka—were composed primarily in verse form. The last three—Prasna, Mandukya, and Maitri—were composed in prose form. Major Theme of the Upanishads The Upanishads are religious and philosophical treatises. They constitute the last phase of the Vedic revelation. They represent the knowledge of Brahman (Brahma-Vidya). What is this world? Who am I? What becomes of me after death? - Such questions are asked and answered in these Upanishads. The essential theme of the Upanshads is the nature of the world and God. Already in the hymns of the Rig Veda, we notice here and there a shift of emphasis from the innumerable gods to the one Infinite as in the famous passage. ‘Ekam sad vipra bahudha vadanti’. This becomes more pronounced in the Upanishads and is very well illustrated here. The doctrine of true knowledge and salvation are the major subjects of the Upanishadic philosophy. These treatises mark the culmination of the earlier line of investigation into the nature of ultimate reality. In the Upanishads, we get an intelligible body of verified and verifiable spiritual insights mixed with a mass of myths and legends and cosmological speculations relating to the nature and origin of the Universe. Besides, Brahman and His creation, are also discussed in these texts. nishad, The principal contents of the Upanishads are philosophical speculations. The spitit of their content is anti-ritualistic. Although the subject-matter of most of the Upanishads is Ancient Religious Texts La) 43 almost the same, each Upanishad has iis own unique idea or ideas and its own method m of enquiry. Importance of the Upanishads 1. The Upanishads occupy a unique thought. They contain the high philosophy in India rest. So, the Upanishads. Not only the Vedai and objects of the Veda, but the philosophers, all pretend to find it Place in the development of Indian hile i lest authority on which the wae ey Philosophy of Vedanta is directly related to the inta philosopher professes his faith in the ends Sankhya, the Vaisheshika, the Nyaya and Yoga in the Upanishads some warranty for their tenets. . The Upanishads are associated with the Vedas and make the entire range of Vedic knowledge as complete, The Upanishads generally mention the Vedas and their study with respect. Certain verses from the Vedas, such as the Gayatri, form the subject of meditation here. 3. Brahmavidya, or the knowledge of Brahman, the Supreme Reality is the great kingdom of the principal Upanishads. They give importance to ‘Knowledge’ alone. Anyone having knowledge may be the Guru or Acharya. Even kings approached them for attainment of knowledge. The story of Satyakama Jabala, who though did not know his father's name, was yet initiated into spiritual life, shows this fact. In the Chandogya Upanishad (4.1-3) Raikva, a Brahmana not by caste but by his knowledge, instructed King Janashruti. In the same Upanishad (5.3), the King Pravahana instructed the Brahmana Gautama in the new doctrine of transmigration. This story together with the one in which King Ashvapati Kaikeya instructed five Brahmanas in the doctrine of Atman (Chan. Up. 5.11) shows that for Upanishads knowledgeable person is the most important and not the Brahmana, Kshatriya or anyone else. 4. Each of the Vedas has many Mahavakvas or great sayings. But four Mahavakyas found in the Upanishads related to four Vedas are very important, thought- provoking and powerful. These spell out the non-duality of the jiva and the Brahman-Prajnanam Brahma — Rigveda Aham Brahmasm — Yajurveda Tattvamasi — Samveda Ayamatma Brahma - Aharvaveda. 5. Without understanding the Upanishads, it is impossible to get an insight into Indian history and culture. Every subsequent development of philosophy and religion in India has drawn heavily on the Upanishads. iN) 6.3 THE EPICS—RAMAYANA AND MAHABHARATA (a) Ramayana Ramayana was the work of Valmiki. It contains 24,000 shlokas and is divided into je parts. According to Valmiki himself, he wanted to carty the essence of the lessons of theone chandra. Rama Te by singing the virtuous ey Daseralhas Wiegts Vedas to the common peop! son of the king ee on throne, Rama deci i: his second qu, is father’s promise to Queep, certo fulfil his and made, her own for fourteen years in ord { Rama to forest and made, Son to go to forest had aa the SS cea for Rama's depariire; ing; death of king Dasara! ities unger brother Laxman Went Rama accompanied by his devoted wife send ae but on Rama's refusal he shocked Bharata went to bring on behalf of his elg, puey, 0 lowest on throne and to rule the country E Ns elder brought his foot-wear to aa Chitrakoota to Dandakaranya and staying there in a hut brother, departure of Rama of Sita by the demon king of Lanka, Ravana; Constructin, at Panchavati forest, abduction of S ion of Lanka; rescue of Sita after destruction of the a bridge over sea. = ae Laxman to Ayodhya; after fourteen years of exile, demons; return of Ram tion of his people; the suspicion expressed by a subject about Rama's Ne ee custody; on report of the matter to Rama by a spy ae = Sone to abandon Sita in a forest even though she was pregnant; Sita’s ae Se, Tapovan where her two sons Kusha and Lava were born; taught ang fae by Veli he royalsons pew up as heroic boys; vist of Valmiki to Avodhva one Husha and Lave; Kusha and Lava's melodious song of Valmiki's Ramayana in front of the assembled gathering, on demands of all Sita’s retum; in order to prove her purity before all, her prayer to mother earth to take her back and her disappearance when the earth split itself to absorb her; and at last, giving Koshala to Kusha and North Koshala to Lava to rule as kings ; Rama's abandonment of his mortal body in the river Sarayu. This is the story of the great epic Ramayana. Valmiki described every episode of Rama's life in great details. Side by side he added Many instructive stories to give the epic a vast shape. The Purpose was to keep mankind on a virtuous path. This epic has influenced and regulated the Indian way of life like a social and moral constitution, Ramayana depicts the values of truthfulness, morality and nobility as supreme ideals of life. Tralso reflects the spirit of that fime, the spirit of the people, the nature of ideal monarchy, Patriotism towards motherland and human relations in perfect form. For thousands of foe eee a India have derived inspiration from the lessons of the Ramayana to ive a nobler ligher life. Se Ancient Religious Texts _ ts) that set the stage for the unfolding of the story, including the conversation between Dasaratha and Kaikeyi and the exile of Rama. 3. Aranya kanda: The Book of the Forest, life in the forest d the f exile and the abduction of Sita by Ravana. poppe - Kishkindhya kanda: The Book of The Emy in Kishkindhya, the quest for Sita, and th 5. Sundara kanda: The Book of the Beautiful (Hanuman), sundara means beautiful, and this portion of the book has passages of lyrical beauty; description of the landscapes over which Rama roams, and the arrival of Rama and his allies in Lanka. 6. Yuddha kanda: The Book of War, the return to Ayodhya, pire of Holy Monkeys, Rama's residence ie slaying of Bali. the defeat of Ravan: and the coronation of Rama. Uttara kanda: The Book Beyond, the later section, detailing Rama's life in Ayodhya, the banishment of Sita, the birth of Lava and Kusa, the reconciliation of Rama and Sita, her engulfment into the mother earth, and Rama's ascent into heaven, 1a, the recovery of Sita, The Lessons Ramayana: teaches us This Hindu epic has given us a number of lessons that we must not forget. These lessons help us better oursel ves and emerge as refined and reformed human beings with each passing day. 1. Truth Triumphs The basic teaching of Ramayana is that no matter how powerful the evil is, it will always be defeated by the Good. Truth always wins, no matter how vicious or Poisonous the lie is because even bitter truth oozes with positivity and the sweetest lie has the darkest agenda behind it. The win of ‘good over evil is a universal fate. A person should always have a noble heart and good values. That is how Lord Rama defeated Ravana, the most knowledgeable person in history, 2. Respecting elders and being duty-bound towards parents Ram left for vanvas after his step-mother expressed her desire to see the biological son Bharata as the future king of Ayodhya. 3. Remaining united with siblings even during the toughest of times Bharata refused to accept the throne after his father's demise and waited for Rama to Teturn from his vanvas. Lakshmana accompanied his brother Rama for the 14-year-long vanvas. 4. Being deeply committed to one’s duty Besides being Sita's husband, Rama was also the King of Ayodhya. And the duty of the king is to keep his subjects happy. Hence, he had to abandon his wife for the sake of eethe masses after they qu iestioned her chastity. As @ husband, he was duty-bound tow; ' eae * latds his wife. But as a king, he had to think of his subjects’ wishes above of his persor ; is wife. . a osing the path of righteousness eos 5. ae a younger brother of Ravana chose to not support his sibling in the ts a Raina He knew that his brother had committed a sin by abducting a married lady. Indian Tradition, Culture and Society erful you become 6. Remaining humble no matter how pow! : ’ Hanuman could have easily rescued Sita from Ravana’s Ashoka Vatika. He had the power to singlehandedly fight against Ravane’s army. But he chose to surrender to Lorg Ram's divinity and let him do the needful. 7. Not considering others inferior ; The mighty prince Rama took the help of Vanarsena. (monkey army) to build a bridge (Rama Setu) so that he could reach Lanka to free Sita. The little monkeys not just helped him build the setu but also took part in the war against Ravana. 8. All that glitters is not gold Sita got attracted toa spotted deer that Jooked incredibly beautiful. She wanted Rama to get the deer for her from the jungle. Actually, it wasn't a deer, but Mareech, a demon and Ravana’s accomplice in disguise of the animal. 9. Embracing all irrespective ‘of caste, creed or colour Prince Rama ate fruits that were already sampled by Shabri, a poor ‘old woman who had nothing much to offer but pure love. 10. Being loyal to your spouse Ravana tried to lure Sita after abducting her. But Sita never let him succeed in his attempts. Rama didn't remarry after Sita was forcefully abandoned by him even after conducting the ‘Agni Pariksha’. Being a king, he enjoyed the privilege of having many queens, but he chose to remain loyal to his beloved wife — Sita. 11. Abandon the following Kama (lust), Krodha (anger), Moha (desire), Lobha (greed), Mada (pride), Abankar (ego), Irshya (jealousy), Jaddata (insensitivity), Ghrina (hatred), Bhaya (fear). (b) The Mahabharata Great and glorious is the land of Bharata. To describe the deeds of the dynasty of Bharata that Vyasa wrote The Mahabharata. Nowhere on the earth is to be seen such long poetic work as the Mahabharata. It contains 1,10,000 shlokas. Mahabharata was viewed in those days as a (religious) text of history. According 1° some authorities, the essence of different philosophies of the Vedas and Upanishads were presented in shape of interesting themes, episodes and stories for the understanding a the common people. As a store-house of knowledge Vyasa’'s Mahabharata has influenced Ancient Religious Texts the Indian thought through centuries. Man at at e nd wor the illiterate, all sections of people ofthe Indian sub-eo eae eee Mahabharata since time immemorial, continent have known the theme of ‘Vyasa’'s Mahabharata begins wi gins with the story of th ‘ . : eT 7 ; pu = Beclsad A virtuous monarch of that aa a sisal g a Pee ri ig - ma, who was ever truthful and ever valorous. King shanti id fae sons from his another queen named Satyavati. They were Vichitravirya aad ee True to his vow Bhishma did not a t .ccept the throne after th remained celebrate for life. The kingdom, therefore, a na Se es This king had two sonsnamed Dhrutarashtra it was blind by birth, his younger brother Pandu emi iereenne ee father. Pandu had five sons named as Yudhishthir, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula ea sda “They were known as the Pandavas. On the other hand, the hundred sons of Dhntarechira were known as the Kauravas as the descendants of the former king of the dynasty named Kuru, Duryodhana was the eldest among the sons of Dhrutarashtra. After the death of king Pandu his five sons were given one portion of the kingdom to rule, Inside a forest called Khandava, the Pandava brothers built their capital and named it Indraprastha. This caused envy in the minds of the Kaurava brothers. With the evil aim of usurping Pandavas miracle kingdom they invited the Pandava brothers to play the game of dice with them with bet over victory or defeat Playing with trick, the Kauravas defeated the Pandava king ‘Yudhishthira again and again. According to the bet the defeated brothers agreed to live the life of exile in forests for twelve years, and thereafter to spend one more year in disquise to escape detection. As per the terms the Pandavas underwent the exile. At the end of their ordeal for thirteen years the Pandava brothers returned and asked the Kauravas their kingdom back. But Duryodhana refused to give back their territory saying that he would not give even a tip of a needle of earth without battle. Because of this injustice a fierce battle was fought between the Pandavas and Kauravas in the field of Kurukshetra. ‘Many kings of the Indian joined either of the Kauravas or the Pandavas to take part in the war. The field of Kurukshetra was also described as the Dharmakshetra because it saw the eternal conflict between virtue and vice, righteousness and wrong-doing, between the just and the unjust. At the end of the battle itwas seen that all the Kaurava brothers were killed along with most of their supporters. The Pandava side also lost many relations, including Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna, the greatest warrior of the battle. Winning the Kurukshetra battle, the Pandavas got the whole kingdom for themselves and Yudhishthira became the king But, in deep repentance over the death of his kith and in and in order to do penance, Yudhishthira left the throne int the hands of Parikshita, the son of dead Abhimanyu, and left for the Himalayas with his four brothers and a With this central theme Vyasa added many legends, traditions, Paurante is os accounts of other royal dynasties, as well as descriptions of prevailing sodo1ehgIndian Tradition, Culture and Society aditions of war falues, political conditions, tre war ang apes, eos and MARES, Toop The Mahabharata desctbed te ite diplomacy and i ie oe ee higher deals ofthe Hie like truthfulness ang on ara vances \Wasa included deeper philosophies and spiritual thought. 3 aa : cee awareness about man's divine existence. co ; the Indian humanity has derived from the Mahabharata mu inspirations Feehan epic have enabled man to overcome sorrows, sufferings, distress snd misfortunes inhis worldly existence. In the entire world literature there is no other work a es comparable to the Mahabharata. 18 Parvas of the Mahabharata ‘ narrated by Sauti to the assembled rishis at Naimisharanya. The recital of the . Mahabharata at the sarpasattra of Janmejaya by Vaishampayana at Takshashila. The history of the Bharata race is told in detail and the parva also traces history of the Bhrigu race. The birth and early life of the Kuru princes. Sabha parva (The Book of the Assembly Hall) Maya Danava erects the palace and court (sabha), at Indraprastha. Life at the court, Ancient Religious Texts Te — Drona parva (The Book of Drona) The battle continues, with Drona as 20-28 | Yudhishthire’s rajasooya yaina, the game of dice, and the eventual exile of the Pandavas. all S| 3. | Vana parva also The twelve years of exilein the forest (aranya) Aranyaka-parva, ‘Aranyo-paroa (The Book] 27 of the Forest) 4. | Virata parva (The Book 15-48 ~ |The year in incognito spent at the court of of Virata) ts Virata, 5. |Udyoga parva (The ~ | Preparations for war and efforts to bring about Book of the Effort) 49.9 _ |Peace between the Kauravas and Pandavas which eventually fail (udyoga means effort or work) 6. |Bhishma parva (The ‘The firstpartof the great battle, with Bhshra| Book of Bhishma) 60-64 Pat z ‘as commander for the Kauravas and his fall 65.72 | Commander, This is the major baok of the war. Most of the great warriors on both sides == are dead by the end of this book. Karna parva (The Book Rasy 13 The battle again, with Karna as commander, . | Shi = 9. a ae (The Book The last day of the battle, with Shalya y as commander. Also told in detail is the pilgrimage of Balarama to the fords of the 74-77 river Saraswati and the mace fight between Bhima and Duryodhana which ends the war since Bhima kills Duryodhana by smashing him on the thighs with his mace 10. | Sauptika parva (The Ashvatthama, Kripa and Kritavarma kill the Book of the Sleeping 7e-g0_|femaining Pandava army in ther sleep. Only Warriors) 7 warriors remain on the Pandava side and 3 on the Kaurava side. 11, [Sti parva (The Book of ‘Gandhari, Kunti and the women (sti) ofthe 81.85 the Women) Kurus and Pandavas lament the dead 12, | Shanti parva (The Book “The crowning of Yudhishthira as king of ‘of Peace) Hastinapura, and instructions from Bhishma 86-88 _| for the newly anointed king on society, ‘economics and politics. This is the longest book of the Mahabharata 13, [Anushasana parva (The | [Link] |The final insuetions (anushosana) from Boak of the Instructions) Bhishma 4. ieee parva The royal ceremony of the Ashvamedha (The Book of the Horse | 91.99 _| (Horse sacrifice) conducted by Yuchishthira Sacrifice) i ‘The world conquest by Arjuna. The Anugita is told by Krishna to Arjuna. 7] oe The eventual deaths of Dhritarashtra, (The Book of the Gandhari and Kuntiin forest fre when they elemaiteae) are living in a hermitage in the Himalayas. 93-95 Vidura predeceases them and Sanjaya on Dhritarashtra’s bidding goes to live in the higher Himalayas. ighting between the Yadavas with Mausala parva (The The infighting tual destruction 16. | Book of the Clubs) 96 ‘maces (mausala) and the event of the Yadavas. .Indian Tradition, Culture and Society (el The great journey of Yudhishthira and jj) brothers across the whole country and finay their ascent of the great Himalayas wh Pandava falls except for Yudhishthirg Mahaprasthanika Parva (The Book of the Great 17. | Journey) each Svargarohana parva 18. | (The Book of Ascent to the Heaven) Lessons From The Mahabharata That Are Relevant Even Today i i ould read at least once in jj ic tale Mahabharata is something everyone SP t once in life ane a into mythology and religion, this book will still hold great value in his/her life. There are plenty of life lessons one can Jearn from the Mahabharata. YYudhishthire’s final test and the return of ‘the Pandavas to the spiritual world {svarga), 1. Being kind, humble and generous is not enough to live life. The way Karne's life moved, we realised, more often than not, that the world is an eyj place to survive in. And to ace it, we must understand how it really works. 2. Bad company can ruin your life beyond imagination. We all hate Shakuni mama, don't we? He literally destroyed everything that the Kauravas owned, and he influenced them to be negative. If it weren't for him, the war wouldn't have happened at all. 3, Unconditional support and loyal friends can take you places. The Pandavas had Lord Krishna, and the Kauravas had Karna. Both of them always backed the two parties, no matter what. In fact, Duryodhana was really weak without Karna. 4. You need to fight for what you think belongs to you. The Pandavas never stopped fighting for what rightfully belonged to them. Their courage and determination is definitely something to admire and learn from. 5. Being too emotional can be a bad idea. Dhritarashtra's love for his son was blind. Throughout the epic, he remained tom between his principles and keeping his son happy. Somehow this made Duryodhana eve) more evil than what he already was, leading to awful consequences and the war. 6. Learning throughout life is the best gift you can give yourself. Arjuna grasped whatever came his way. Not only did he learn the best of miltay science from Drona, but he was also interested in leaning about divine weapons for Indra. He learnt about Pashupatastra from Mahadeva as well. Additionally, he treated Yudhishthiara and Krishna as his mentors too, and continued leaming whatever they b=! to offer. Ancient Religious Texts in the for Although the Kauravas were more in ni bets ae of them. Bheeshma, Vidura and Drona serene who was the ultimate guide in everything the Kauravas fae Pandavas. Especially Vidura, id, 8. Respect Women Draupadi had five husbands. The . They were str helpless when she was diseraced by other men, They hd DiseeNaeee courage. Draupadi’s anger and desire for revenge led to th ner pases 1 war and downfall of the 9. Half knowledge can be more dangerous than no knowledge Abhimanyu wouldn't have died. Althou igh we adi i ; courage Re ultimately losthi fe becatseof half one imac 10. You cannot be stopped if you are passionate about what you do. Most of us know that Arjuna was the a : greatest archer in the world. But Ekia even better than him. He hid himself behind the trees and grasped everything feat Dna taught Arjuna. His passion for archery and hunger for knowledge made him an even better archer than Arjuna, ’ 11. A good strategy is what you need to sail your boat. Had Pandavas not have Krishna and his master plan, they wouldn't have seen the victory they did. Always have a plan. The Bhagavad Gita Bhagavad Gita is one of the greatest religious spiritual books, Considered to be a doctrine of universal truth, it has long been influencing people not only of India but also overseas. As sage Veda Vyasa is known for writing the Mahabharata, Gita being part of it is also ascribed to him. In the epic Mahabharata, when cousin brothers Pandava and Kaurava stand face to face, ready to fight among themselves for the throne of Hastinapur, the Pandava prince Arjuna feels weak in the battleground as he sees his relatives, teachers and friends in the opposition, And, when the supreme personality of Godhead, Lord Krishna sees him losing strength and willingness to fight, he gives him what is known as —Gita gyan. Teachings of Bhagavad Gita are stil applicable in modern times, perhaps even after about 5040 thousand years after it was written. These teachings are considered to be ultimate. It encompasses each and every aspect of life. One surely can lead @ peaceful life if the teachings of Bhagavad Gita are followed. Bhagavd Gita shows the path to the lost, answer to. the confused and wisdom to all Itis considenad to be one of the greatest spritual books the workd has ever known. The Primary