My Impressions on the Mahabharata - Essay – 3

By vatsayan

Ganesha1 – the World’s First Stenographer:

Now we come to a tale which I find most fascinating.
According to Hindu tradition Lord Ganesha is the Lord of
Obstacles. If he is not entreated before the commencement of
any deed the deed never gets completed, or so we believe. In
imploring Ganesha himself to be a stenographer, is Vyasa
putting obstacles in his own path? – So it would seem. Any
way Ganesha was approached and the story goes on:-
“Vyasa began to call to mind Ganesha. And Ganesha, obviator
of obstacles, ready to fulfill the desires of his votaries,
was no sooner thought of, than he repaired to the place
where Vyasa was seated. And when he had been saluted, and
was seated, Vyasa addressed him thus, ‘O guide of the
Ganas2! Be thou the writer of the Bharata (Mahabharata) which I
have formed in my imagination, and which I am about to
repeat.
Ganesha, upon hearing this address, thus answered, ‘I will
become the writer of thy work, provided my pen do not for
moment cease writing.” And Vyasa said unto that divinity,
‘Wherever there is anything thou dost not comprehend, cease
to continue writing.’ Ganesha having signified his assent,
by repeating the word Ohm! Proceeded to write; and Vyasa
began; And by way of diversion, he knit the knots of
composition exceeding close; by doing which, he dictated
this work according to his engagement.
I am (continued Sauti) acquainted with eight thousand and
eight hundred verses, and so is Maharishi Suka, and perhaps
Sanjaya. From the mysteriousness of their meaning, O Rishi,
no one is able, to this day, to penetrate those closely
knit difficult Shlokas (stanzas). Even the omniscient
Ganesha took a moment to consider; while Vyasa, however,
continued to compose other verses in great abundance.
The wisdom of this work, like unto an instrument of
applying collyrium3, hath opened the eyes of the
inquisitive world blinded by the darkness of ignorance. As
the sun dispels the darkness, so doth the Bharata
(Mahabharata) by its discourses on religion, profit,
pleasure and final release, dispel the ignorance of men. As
the full-moon by its mild light expands the buds of the
water-lily, so this Puräänä4, by exposing the light of the
Shruti hath expanded the human intellect. By the lamp of
history, which destroys the darkness of ignorance, the
whole mansion of nature is properly and completely
illuminated.” – Quoted from the English translation of
Kisari Mohan Ganguli.
Any way ignoring the old style and idiom used in the
translation, what I find fascinating is the audaciousness
of the prayer of Vyasa. He prayed to Ganesha, who was the
God of obstacles, not merely to refrain from creating
obstacles in his (Vyasa’s) path for the huge project which
he was contemplating but also to co operate with him by co-
authoring the text. Any obstacles that ought to have
resulted in would have been automatically nullified as the
Lord of Obstacles was himself co-authoring the text.
However Ganesha, being who he was, tells Vyasa that he
would do so if Vyasa dictated without pausing. The
dictation of such a vast amount of content, which
encompassed all the knowledge that was then known, in a
most comprehensive way, and that too without pausing would,
in the opinion of Ganesha, result in failure and Ganesha
would then have succeeded in his own mission – which was
creating obstacles. However Vyasa put an additional
condition in return – that is to say he implored Ganesha to
understand the narration before he committed the dictation
to record. Ganesha agreed. So whenever Vyasa felt he had to
slow down, or impart a prodigious amount of information, he
would couch it in such a way that it would be difficult to
comprehend. Such instances of the text are known as Vyasa
Ghattas in Telugu. According to narration of Sautin quoted
above, Sauti himself was acquainted with eight thousand and
eight hundred verses, and so were Maharishi Suka, and
perhaps Sanjaya. Rest was incomprehensible to mere mortals,
unless they were really blessed by God with the knowledge
to grasp them.
Now returning to preface by Vyasa himself, Sauti narrated
that Sri Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa fathered three children
to protect the ancient Empire of Hastinapura at the appeal
of Bhishma, a son of the River Ganga or the River Ganges as
it is now known. They were called Dhritarashtra, Pandu and
Vidura. Vyasa wrote their tale and the tale of their
descendants long after they had completed their life’s
sojourn.
At the Court of Janamejaya, who himself was a son of
Parikshat, the grandson of Arjuna (Arjuna himself being the
grandson of Vyasa - as he was a son of Pandu); - Vyasa
directed his disciple Vaisampayana to recite the tale.
“The study of the Bharata is an act of piety. He who had
read even an iota of the text, with belief, has his sins
entirely purged away. Herein Devas5, Deva Rishis, and
immaculate Brahma Rishis of good deeds, have been spoken
of; and likewise Yakshas6 and great Nagas7. Herein also
hath been described the eternal Vasudeva possessing the six
attributes. He is the true and just, the pure and holy, the
eternal Brahma, the supreme soul, the true constant light,
whose divine deeds wise and learned recount; from whom had
proceeded the non-existent and existent-non-existent
universe with principles of generation and progression, and
birth, death and re-birth. A subject had also been treated
of which is called Adhyatma (the superintending spirit of
nature) that partakes the attributes of the five elements.
Therein has also been described who is purusha being above
such epithets as ‘undisplayed’ and the like; also that
which the foremost yatis exempt from the common destiny and
endued with the power of meditation and Tapas behold
dwelling in their hearts as a reflected image in the
mirror.
“The man of faith, devoted to piety, and constant in the
exercise of virtue, on reading this section is freed from
sin. The believer that constantly hears recited this
section of the Bharata, called the Introduction (preface?),
from the beginning, does not fall into difficulties. The
man repeating any part of the introduction in the two
twilights is during such act freed from the sins contracted
during the day or the night. This section, the body of the
Bharata, is truth and nectar. As butter is in curd,
Brahmanas among bipeds, the Aranyakas among the Vedas, and
nectar among medicines; as the sea is eminent among
receptacles of water, and cow among quadrupeds; as are
these (among the things mentioned) so is the Bharata said
to be among histories.
“He that causes it, or even a portion thereof, to be
recited to
Brahmanas during a Sraddha8, his offerings of food and
drink to the manes of his ancestors become inexhaustible.
“By the aid of history and the Puräänäs, the Veda may be
expounded; but the person reciting the Veda is afraid of
the little information that he himself comprehends from it.
The learned man who recites to other this Veda of Vyasa
reaps advantage. It may without doubt destroy even the sin
of killing the embryo and the like (abortion?). He that
reads this holy chapter of the moon (i.e. the history of
the peoples that were said to have descended from the moon
- in other words the preface of the text alone), reads the
whole of the Bharata, in between. The man who with
reverence daily listens to this sacred work acquires long
life and renown and ascends to heaven. Whatever there is
ever required to be known in this world is contained
herein. Whatever is not contained herein is not worth
knowing. “In the former days, having placed the four Vedas
on one side and the text of Bharata on the other, these
were weighed in the balance by the celestials assembled for
that purpose. And as the latter weighed heavier than the
four Vedas with their mysteries, from that period it came
to be known as the Mahabharata (the great Bharata) in this
world. Being esteemed superior both in substance and
gravity of import it is denominated Mahabharata on account
of such substance and gravity of import. He that knows its
meaning is saved from all his sins.
‘Tapas9 (meditation) is innocent, study is harmless, the
ordinance of the Vedas prescribed for all the tribes are
harmless, the acquisition of wealth by exertion is
harmless; but when they are abused in their practices it is
then that they become sources of evil.’” (Quoted from the
English translation of Kisari Mohan Ganguli and rendered
into modern English to the extent possible).
As I have stated before I do not believe in the existence
of soul or doctrine of rebirth. However, the preface as
stated above I believe describes the greatness and the
spirit of the text of Mahabharata perfectly.
Sauti goes on: A great Brahman known as Rama, who is more
famous as Parashu – Rama (Rama the axe bearer) had, in the
interim between Treta and Dwapara Yugas10, massacred all the
Kshatriyas11. When he annihilated the entire tribe of the
Kshatriyas, he formed at Samanta -panchaka five lakes of
blood. In overpowering anger he offered oblations of blood
to the hair tresses of his ancestors, standing in the midst
of the sanguine waters of those lakes. His forefathers,
having been pleased at Parashu Rama’s obeisance blessed the
lakes to be holy as desired by him.
The region that lay near those lakes of bloody water, from
that time had been celebrated as Samanta-panchaka the holy.
In the interval between the Dwapara and the Kali Yugas,
i.e. nearly a Yuga later, there occurred at Samanta-
panchaka a great war between the armies of the Kauravas and
the Pandavas. During that war, Eighteen Akshauhinis12 of
soldiers fought battle. They were all slain on the spot.
Vyasa had originally composed it in 100 parts or parvas.
Sauti abridged them into eighteen parvas without losing any
of is substance, while narrating it to the Rishis in the
forest of Naimisa.
Then a list of parvas follows which I am not going into, as
they may be obtained from any standard translation or even
an abridged version of the text.
Vyasa of immeasurable intelligence has spoken of the
Mahabharata as a treatise on Dharma, on Artha, and on
Kääma13. Those who have listened to his history can never bear to
listen to others. No poet can surpass this poem.
The Bharata uttered by the lips of Dwaipayana is without a
parallel; it is virtue itself and sacred. It destroys sin
and produces well being. He that listens to it while it is
being recited need not have a bath in the sacred waters of
Pushkara. A Brahman, whatever sins he may commit during the
day through his senses, is freed from them all by reading
the Bharata in the evening. Whatever sins he may commit
also in the night by deeds, words, or mind, he is freed
from them all by reading Bharata in the first twilight
(morning). He that donates a hundred cows with horns
mounted with gold to a Brahman well-posted up in the Vedas
and all branches of learning, and he that daily listens to
the sacred narrations of the Bharata, acquire equal merit.
As the wide ocean is easily passable by men having ships,
so is this extensive history of great excellence and deep
import with the help of this chapter called Parva sangraha
(The Preface). (Quoted from the English translation of
Kisari Mohan Ganguli and rendered into modern English to
the extent possible).

_______________________________
1Ganesha: also spelled Ganesh also called Ganapati elephant-
headed Hindu god, the son of Shiva and Parvati. He is also
revered by Jains and important in the art, myth, and ritual
of Buddhist Asia.

Ganesha, considered the remover of obstacles, is the first
god invoked at the beginning of worship or of a new
enterprise, and he is often positioned near thresholds and
gateways. He is a patron of letters and learning, and he is
the legendary scribe who wrote down the Mahabharata (“Great
Epic of the Bharata Dynasty”) from Vyasa's dictation. He is
also called the chief of the ganas (attendants of Shiva).
Ganesha is usually depicted colored red; he is potbellied,
has one tusk broken, and has four arms that may hold a
noose, a goad or an axe, a pot of sweetmeats or jewels, and
his broken tusk or a book. Thus, he displays a thoroughgoing
mix of forbidding and welcoming traits, as is illustrated by
the fact that he is sometimes thought of as creating
obstacles and sometimes as removing them. Anomalously, he
rides on a rat.

One account of his birth is that Parvati formed him from the
rubbings of her body so that he might stand guard at the
door while she bathed. When Shiva approached (unaware that
this was Parvati's son), he was enraged at being kept away
from his wife and set his attendants against Ganesha, whose
head was cut off in the battle. To ease Parvati's grief,
Shiva promised to cut off the head of the first creature
that he came across and join it to the body. This was an
elephant.

Although technically a subsidiary figure in the Hindu
pantheon, Ganesha's importance has advanced markedly during
the 20th century. Ganesha- also spelled Ganesh, also called
Ganapati elephant-headed Hindu god, the son of Shiva and
Parvati. He is also revered by Jains and important in the
art, myth, and ritual of Buddhist Asia.

Ganesha, considered the remover of obstacles, is the first
god invoked at the beginning of worship or of a new
enterprise, and he is often positioned near thresholds and
gateways. He is a patron of letters and learning, and he is
the legendary scribe who wrote down the Mahabharata (“Great
Epic of the Bharata Dynasty”) from Vyasa's dictation. He is
also called the chief of the ganas (attendants of Shiva).
Ganesha is usually depicted colored red; he is potbellied,
has one tusk broken, and has four arms that may hold a
noose, a goad or an axe, a pot of sweetmeats or jewels, and
his broken tusk or a book. Thus, he displays a thoroughgoing
mix of forbidding and welcoming traits, as is illustrated by
the fact that he is sometimes thought of as creating
obstacles and sometimes as removing them. Anomalously, he
rides on a rat.

One account of his birth is that Parvati formed him from the
rubbings of her body so that he might stand guard at the
door while she bathed. When Shiva approached (unaware that
this was Parvati's son), he was enraged at being kept away
from his wife and set his attendants against Ganesha, whose
head was cut off in the battle. To ease Parvati's grief,
Shiva promised to cut off the head of the first creature
that he came across and join it to the body. This was an
elephant.

Although technically a subsidiary figure in the Hindu
pantheon, Ganesha's importance has advanced markedly during
the 20th century. Ganesha-Chaturthi, the festival
celebrating his birth, falling on the fourth day (Chaturthi)
of the lunar month Bhadrapada (August–September), was
championed by the Indian independence leader Balgangadhar
Tilak as a unifying public event. Ganesha's largely
nonsectarian identity has made him an appropriate focus for
other recent expressions of Hindu life, especially in the
Hindu Diaspora. (Entry under ‘Ganesha’ in the Encyclopedia
Britannica)
2 Ganas : attendants of Shiva (see under Ganesha above)
3 Main Entry: collyrium (col£lyr£i£um)
Pronunciation: k„-‚lir-‡-„m
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural col£lyr£ia \\-‡-„\\ ; or -i£ums
Etymology: Middle English collyrium, from Latin collyrium,
from Greek kollyrion pessary, eye salve, from diminutive of
kollyra roll of bread A paste worn as an eye decoration by
Indian women.
Date: 14th century: eyewash 1(Encyclopedia Britannica
Dictionary and Thesaurus)
4 Puräänä or Purana: (Sanskrit: “Ancient Lore”), in Hindu
sacred literature, any of a number of popular encyclopedic
collections of myth, legend, and genealogy, varying greatly
as to date and origin.
Traditionally a Purana treats five subjects: primary
creation of the universe, secondary creation after
periodical annihilation, genealogy of gods and saints, grand
epochs, and history of the royal dynasties. Puräänäs are
connected in subject with the Mahabharata (“Great Epic of
the Bharata Dynasty”) and have some relationship to the law
books (Dharmashastras). Around this central core has
amalgamated much other material of religious concern during
the period c. AD 400 to c. 1000, which describes such things
as customs, ceremonies, sacrifices, festivals, caste duties,
and donations, construction of temples and images, and
places of pilgrimage. Puräänäs are written almost entirely
in narrative couplets in much the same easy, flowing style
as the epic poems, though some scholars judge them
poetically inferior to the epics.

The 18 principal surviving Puräänäs are often grouped
loosely according to whether they exalt Vishnu, Siva
(Shiva), or Brahma, but each sect made an attempt to include
its own teaching in the popular Puräänäs as a way of
influencing the people, and they all deal with similar
material. The main Puräänäs are usually regarded as (1) the
Vishnu-, Naradiya-, Bhagavata-, Garuda, Padma, and Varaha,
(2) the Matsya, Kurma, Linga - Shaiva-, Skanda-, and Agni-;
and (3) the Brahmanda-, Brahmavaivarta-, Markandeya-,
Bhavishya-, Vamana, and Brahma-Puräänäs. By far the most
popular is the Bhagavata-Purana (q.v.), which in its
treatment of the early life of Krishna has had profound
influence on the religious beliefs of India. There are also
18 “lesser,” or Upa- Puräänäs, treating similar material,
and a large number of Sthala- Puräänäs, or Mahatmas,
glorifying temples or sacred places, which are recited in
the services of the temples. (Refer Encyclopedia
Britannica).
5Deva: Iranian Daeva in Vedic India, one of many divine
powers, roughly divided on the basis of their identification
with the forces of nature into sky, air, and earth
divinities (e.g., Varuna, Indra, Soma). In the later
monotheistic systems the devas became subordinate to the one
Supreme Being. During the Vedic period the gods were divided
into two classes, the devas and the asuras (in Iranian,
daevas and ahuras). In India the devas came to be more
powerful than the asuras, and the latter word eventually
took on the meaning of demon. In Iran the reverse took
place, and the daevas were denounced as demons by Zoroaster.
They still survive as such in the divs of Persian folklore,
especially through Ferdousi's epic, Shah-nama (1010; “Book
of Kings”). See also asura.
Asura: Iranian ahuras in Hindu mythology, a class of titans
or demons, the enemies of the gods and of men. In the Vedic
age the asuras and the devas were both considered classes of
gods, but gradually the two groups came to oppose each
other, a development that was reversed in Iran. (There
asura, or ahura, came to mean the supreme god and the devas,
or daevas, became demons.) In Hindu mythology, the asuras
and the devas together churned the milky ocean, in order to
extract from it the amrita, the elixir of immortality.
Strife arose over the possession of the amrita, a conflict
that is never ending. (Refer Encyclopedia Britannica – Deva
and asura).
6Yakshas: also spelled Yaksa, Sanskrit masculine singular
Yaksha, feminine singular Yakshi, or Yakshini, in the
mythology of India, a class of generally benevolent nature
spirits who are the custodians of treasures that are hidden
in the earth and in the roots of trees. Principal among the
Yakshas is Kubera (q.v.), who rules in the mythical
Himalayan kingdom called Alaka.

Yakshas were often given homage as tutelary deities of a
city, district, lake, or well. Their worship, together with
popular belief in nagas (serpent deities), feminine
fertility deities, and mother goddesses, probably had its
origin among the early Dravidian peoples of India. The
Yaksha cult coexisted with the priest-conducted sacrifices
of the Vedic period, and continued to flourish during the
Kushana period of Emperor Kanishka.

In art, sculptures of Yakshas were among the earliest of
deities, apparently preceding images of the bodhisattvas and
of Brahmanical deities, whose representation they
influenced. They were the prototypes also for the attendants
of later Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain art. (Refer Encyclopedia
Britannica – Yaksha).
7 Nagas: Sanskrit Naga (“serpent”), in Hindu and Buddhist
mythology, a member of a class of semi divine beings, half
human and half serpentine. They are considered to be a
strong, handsome race who can assume either human or wholly
serpentine form. They are regarded as being potentially
dangerous but in some ways are superior to humans. They live
in an underground kingdom called Naga -loka, or Patala-loka,
which is filled with resplendent palaces, beautifully
ornamented with precious gems. Brahma is said to have
relegated the nagas to the nether regions when they became
too populous on earth and to have commanded them to bite
only the truly evil or those destined to die prematurely.
They are also associated with waters—rivers, lakes, seas,
and wells—and are generally regarded as guardians of
treasures. Three notable nagas are Sesha (or Ananta), who in
the Hindu myth of creation is said to support Vishnu-
Näärääyana as he lies on the cosmic ocean and on whom the
created world rests; Vasuki, who was used as a churning rope
to churn the cosmic ocean of milk; and Takshaka, the tribal
chief of the snakes. In modern Hinduism the birth of the
serpents is celebrated on Naga-pañchami in the month of
Sravana (July–August).

The female nagas (or nagins), according to tradition, are
serpent princesses of striking beauty, and the dynasties of
Manipur in northeastern India, the Pallavas in southern
India, and the ruling family of Funan (ancient Indochina)
traced their origin to the union of a human being and a
nagin.

In Buddhism, nagas are often represented as door guardians
or, as in Tibet, as minor deities. The snake king Mucalinda,
who sheltered the Buddha from rain for seven days while he
was deep in meditation, is beautifully depicted in the
9th–13th century Mon-Khmer Buddhas of Siam and Cambodia. In
Jainism, the Jaina Savior (Tirthankara Parshwanatha) is
always shown with a canopy of snake hoods above his head.

In art, nagas are represented in a fully zoomorphic form, as
hooded cobras but with from one to seven or more heads; as
human beings with a many-hooded snake canopy over their
heads; or as half human, with the lower part of their body
below the navel coiled like a snake and a canopy of hoods
over their heads. Often they are shown in postures of
adoration as one of the major gods or heroes is shown
accomplishing some miraculous feat before their eyes. (Refer
Encyclopedia Britannica – Naga)
8Sraddha: Sanskrit Sraddha, also spelled Shraddha, in
Hinduism, a ceremony performed in honor of a dead ancestor.
The rite is both a social and a religious responsibility
enjoined on all male Hindus (with the exception of some
sanyasis, or ascetics). The importance given in India to the
birth of sons is to ensure that there will be a male
descendant to perform the Sraddha ceremony after one's
death.

The rite is performed for the deceased father, grandfather,
and great-grandfather and also for the mother, grandmother,
and great-grandmother. It is intended to nourish, protect,
and support the spirits of the dead in their pilgrimage from
the lower to higher realms, preceding their reincarnation
and reappearance on Earth. The rites are performed between
the 11th and 31st days after death, depending on caste
traditions, and at regular intervals thereafter. The first
annual death anniversary is observed by a Sraddha ceremony
that enables the deceased (preta – or spirit – or soul) to
be admitted into the assembly of forefathers (pit…).. (Refer
Encyclopedia Britannica –Sraddha)
9 Tapas: (Sanskrit: “heat,” or “ardor”), in Hinduism,
ascetic practice voluntarily carried out to achieve
spiritual power or purification. In the Vedas, Tapas refers
to the “inner heat” created by the practice of physical
austerities and figured in the creation myths, as a means by
which Prajapati (the main creator god) brought the world
into existence. In later Hinduism the practice of Tapas was
especially associated with yogic discipline as a way of
purifying the body in preparation for the more exacting
spiritual exercises leading to liberation (moksha). Among
the austerities mentioned in the sacred literature are
fasting, the holding of difficult and often painful bodily
postures, vigils kept in the presence of fires or extreme
cold, and breath control.

In the Jaina religion asceticism is seen as a way of
preventing new karma (effect of good or bad action) from
forming, as well as a way of getting rid of the old, and is
thus one of the central means of breaking the cycle of
rebirths. The Jains distinguish between external Tapas, such
as fasting (including the most severe form, fasting unto
death), restricting the intake of food, meditating, and
living in seclusion, and internal Tapas, such as
contemplation, confession, and repentance of sins.

In early Buddhism the monastic life of chastity and poverty
was regarded as the only path to enlightenment. Yet the
Buddha renounced the extremes of self-mortification as
strongly as he did self-indulgence, in his advocacy of the
“middle way.” (Refer Encyclopedia Britannica –Tapas)
10 Yuga: in Hindu cosmology, an age of mankind. Each Yuga is
progressively shorter than the preceding one, corresponding
to a decline in the moral and physical state of humanity.
Four such yugas (called Kritta, Treta, Dwapara, and Kali
after throws of an Indian game of dice) make up the maha
Yuga (“great yuga”), and 2,000 maha yugas make up the basic
cosmic cycle, the kalpa. The first Yuga (Kritta) was an age
of perfection, lasting 1,728,000 years. The fourth and most
degenerate Yuga (Kali) began in 3102 BC and will last
432,000years. At the close of the Kali Yuga, the world will
be destroyed, to be re-created after a period of quiescence
as the cycle resumes again. In Hindu astronomy, a Yuga is a
unit of time consisting of five solar years. .” (Refer
Encyclopedia Britannica –Yuga)
11 Kshatriya: also spelled Kshattriya, or Ksatriya, Sanskrit
Kshatriya, second highest in ritual status of the four
varnas, or social classes, of Hindu India, traditionally the
military or ruling class.
The earliest Vedic literature listed the Kshatriya (holders
of kshatra, or authority) as first in rank, then the
Brahmans (priests and teachers of law), next the Vaisyas
(merchant-traders), and finally the Sudra (artisans and
laborers). Movements of individuals and groups from one
class to another, both upward and downward, were not
uncommon; a rise in status even to the rank of Kshatriya was
a recognized reward for outstanding services to the rulers
of the day. The legend that the Kshatriya were destroyed by
Parashu Rama, the sixth reincarnation of Vishnu, as a
punishment for their tyranny is thought by some scholars to
reflect a long struggle for supremacy between priests and
rulers that ended in victory for the former. By the end of
the Vedic era, the Brahmans were supreme, and the Kshatriya
had fallen to second place. In modern times, the Kshatriya
Varna is held to include a broad class of caste groups,
differing considerably in status and headed by the
aristocratic Rajput lineages. See also Varna. (Refer
Encyclopedia Britannica)
12 Akshauhini: One chariot, one elephant, five foot-
soldiers, and three horses form one Patti; three pattis
make one Sena - mukha; three Sena - mukhas are called a
Gulma; three Gulmas, a Gana; three ganas, a Vauhini; three
Vauhinis together are called a Pritana; three Pritanas form
a Chamu; three Chamus, one Anikini; and an Anikini taken
ten times forms, as it is styled by those who know, an
Akshauhini. Arithmeticians have calculated that the number
of chariots in an Akshauhini is twenty-one thousand eight
hundred and seventy. The measure of elephants must be fixed
at the same number. The number of foot-soldiers is one
hundred and nine thousand, three hundred and fifty; the
number of horse is sixty-five thousand, six hundred and
ten. These are the numbers of an Akshauhini as said by
those acquainted with the principles of numbers. (Quoted
from the English translation of Kisari Mohan Ganguli and
rendered into modern English to the extent possible)
13 Dharma, Artha and Kääma:
1. Dharma: Sanskrit dharma, Pali dhamma key concept with
multiple meanings in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. In
Hinduism dharma is the religious and moral law governing
individual conduct and one of the four ends of life, to be
followed according to one's class, status, and station in
life. It constitutes the subject matter of the dharma
sutras, religious manuals that are the earliest source of
Hindu law and in the course of time has been extended into
lengthy compilations of law, the dharma shastra (q.v.).
In Buddhism, dharma is the doctrine, the universal
truth common to all individuals at all times,
proclaimed by the Buddha. Dharma, the Buddha, and the
sangha (community of believers) make up the tri ratna,
or “three jewels,” the primary statement of Buddhist
belief. In Buddhist metaphysics the term in the plural
(dharmas) is used to describe the interrelated elements
that make up the empirical world.
In Jaina philosophy, dharma, in addition to being
commonly understood as moral virtue, also has the
meaning—unique to Jainism—of an eternal “substance”
(dravya; q.v.), the medium that allows beings to move.
2. Artha: (Sanskrit: “wealth,” or “property”), in
Hinduism, the pursuit of wealth or material advantage, one
of the four traditional aims in life. The sanction for artha
rests on the assumption that—with the exclusion of the
exceptional few who can proceed directly to the final aim of
moksha, or spiritual release from life—material well-being
is a basic necessity of man and is his appropriate pursuit
while a householder, that is, during the second of the four
life stages. Furthermore, artha, as the pursuit of material
advantage, is closely tied to the activities of statecraft,
which maintains the general social order and prevents
anarchy. But,as the immoderate pursuit of material advantage
would lead to undesirable and ruinous excesses, artha must
always be regulated by the superior aim of dharma, or
righteousness.
3. Kääma: The term Kääma (Sanskrit Kääma) refers to one
of the proper pursuits of man in his role as a householder,
that of pleasure and love. A classic textbook on erotic and
other forms of human pleasure, the Kääma-sutra, is
attributed to the sage Vatsyayanah.
4. Moksha: also spelled Moksha, Sanskrit Moksha
(“release”), also called Mukti, or Apavarga, in Hinduism and
Jainism, the ultimate spiritual goal, designating the
individual soul's release from the bonds (bandha) of
transmigration. The soul, once entered upon a bodily
existence, remains trapped in a chain of successive rebirths
(samsara) until it has reached perfection or the
enlightenment that allows it release, or moksha. The methods
by which release is sought after and attained differ from
school to school, but most schools consider moksha to be a
person's highest purpose in life. (Source: Encyclopedia
Britannica) vatsayan
* *Age*: 51
* *Gender*: male
* *Astrological Sign:* Libra
* *Zodiac Year:*: Snake
* *Industry*: Accounting
* *Occupation*: Chartered Accountant
* *Location*: Vijayawada, Chennai
Tamilnadu AP, : India
About Me
A man without work
Interests
* Reading
* Philosophy
* Science
* Fiction
* Economics
* Classics in Sanskrit Greek and William Shakespeare