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My Impressions on the Mahabharata_Essay - 4
By vatsayan
Paushya Parva and the Upakhyanas:
The Upakhyanas are similar to short stories. They are stories complete in themselves. However, they may be read in conjunction with and sometimes give rise to the main story. In the Paushya Parva, the Upakhyana of Udanka is dealt with which I shall summarize below:
The Upakhyana of Udanka is narrated in the context of explaining why Emperor Janamejaya had intended to perform the great snake sacrifice. Janamejaya was attending a long yagya (a ritual of sacrifice) with his three brothers, named respectively Srutasena, Ugrasena and Bhimasena. While they were doing so, a puppy, a son of celestial bitch (female dog) goddess called Sarama arrived at the place. The three brothers chased him away and tormented him. He went back to his mother and complained. Sarama came to Janamejaya and asked him the reason why the brothers had to anguish her son. Neither Janamejaya nor his brothers could deliver a proper reply to Sarama – as they had indeed beleaguered the boy without reason. Then Sarama became very angry and cursed the brothers that they would face a malevolent fate when they least expected it.
Emperor Janamejaya immediately became worried and began to take great pains in searching for a Purohita (Purohita, or family priest - The Brahman family priest (Purohita) officiates at weddings, funerals, and other ceremonial occasions – Encyclopedia Britannica), who could by procuring absolution for his sin, neutralize the effect of the curse of Sarama.
He approached a Brahman called Srutasrava and appealed to him to be his priest. However Srutasrava, who was engaged otherwise, suggested that Janamejaya employ his son Somasrava that was equally competent and well versed as he himself. However, Srutasrava informed the king that his son Somasrava had one weakness. He would grant any wish to any Brahman that approached him. Thus he warned Janamejaya to put up with Somasrava’s one eccentricity and not to antagonize him in anyway. Then Janamejaya accepted Somasrava for his Purohita. He returned to his capital; and he then addressed his brothers saying, ‘This is the person I have chosen for my spiritual master; whatsoever he may say must be complied with by you without question.’ Having directed his brothers thus, Janamejaya went on a conquest of Takshasila .
The Story of Aruni or Uddalaka:
Around this time a Rishi called Ayoda – Dharma was living in the forest. He had three disciples called Upamanyu, Aruni and Udanka. One day there was a breach to the water barrier that was supplying Ayoda – Dharma’s fields. Ayoda – Dharma requested Aruni to go and plug the breach. However, when Aruni reached the spot of the breach he found that there was no material to stem the crevice. So he himself lay in the path of the water break like a dam. Thus he was able to stem the rift. Since Aruni lay down at the spot he could not return to his guru’s abode in time. Ayoda – Dharma got worried and went in search of Aruni. He found him face down positioned to block the water flow. Having come to know the reason for Aruni’s posture level to the ground, Ayoda – Dharma became extremely pleased. He blessed Aruni by saying, “Because in getting up from the ditch thou hast opened the water-course, thenceforth shall you be called Uddalaka as a mark of your preceptor’s favor. And because my words have been obeyed by thee, you shall obtain good fortune. And all the Vedas shall shine in you and all the Dharmasastras also.’ Aruni having thus mastered all knowledge through his guru’s blessing, left his teacher’s abode.
The Story of Upamanyu:
Upamanyu was the second disciple of Ayoda – Dharma. The guru bid him to look after his cattle. After tending to the cattle for the whole day he returned to his teacher’s abode in the evening. Ayoda – Dharma enquired of Upamanyu how he had intended to satisfy his hunger during the day. Upamanyu replied that he would eat the food that was supplied to him by good hearted people when he begged them. Ayoda – Dharma then replied that it was not appropriate for a student to eat without offering something first to his guru, even if what the pupil had to eat were merely alms got from begging. Therefore Upamanyu offered the food he had obtained to Ayoda – Dharma. The teacher then took the whole food, without proffering even a morsel to Upamanyu.
The next day once again, Upamanyu took the cattle for grazing as per his teacher’s instructions. In the evening when he returned, seeing that his student was not afflicted with hunger – for Upamanyu would have eaten nothing the previous day had he followed his guru’s instructions, Ayoda – Dharma inquired how Upamanyu had supported himself that day. Upamanyu replied that having given away all his food to his guru, he went once again went begging, and having procured alms a second time, had eaten them. Ayoda – Dharma then said, “This is not the way in which you should obey the preceptor. By your deed you had diminished the support of others that live by begging (i.e. deprived other brahmacharins like yourself). Truly having supported yourself so, you have proved yourself covetous.”
Commentary:
India has a unique culture of renunciation. It makes poverty a virtue. Perhaps this is the reason that India could not grow, in spite of having been endowed with excellent and ample natural resources. There is mindset in India, that people who use their hands in order to make a living are inferior to the people who pursue knowledge - as it was perceived then – for its own sake. This is a consequence perhaps of the Brahmanical mindset. As it is well known, Brahmans were considered the highest in the social hierarchy.
All Brahmans undergo a sacred thread ceremony called Upanayanam . In this ceremony an introduction is made into the study of the ancient texts by making a student recite a sacred Gayatri Mantra . During this ceremony besides having been made to repeat the Gayatri or Savitri Mantra the student is made to beg and eat what had been ritually bestowed upon him. See Upanayanam under Encyclopedia Britannica below – “After a ritual bath the boy is dressed as an ascetic and brought before his guru (personal spiritual guide), who invests him with a deerskin to use as an upper garment, a staff, and the sacred thread yagnopavita, or yajnopavita). The thread, consisting of a loop made of three symbolically knotted and twisted strands of cotton cord, is replaced regularly so that it is worn throughout the lifetime of the owner, normally over the left shoulder and diagonally across the chest to the right hip. It identifies the wearer as dwija, or “twice-born,” the second birth understood as having taken place with the imparting by the guru to the student of the “Gayatri” mantra, a sacred verse of the Rig-Veda. The initiation ceremony concludes with the student’s kindling of the sacrificial fire and his begging of alms, symbolic of his dependence on others during his brahmacharin period”. Thus the act of begging is not considered below dignity, indeed it is glorified.
The reasoning, at least so far as I understand it; is that a Brahman’s life is dedicated to contemplation and study. Initially at least, study meant secular studies, such as the forecasting of monsoon (a vexing affair even for today’s scientists), studying seasons and predicting good days for sowing crops, harvesting activities etc., which play a very important role in the well being of the Indian Economy. Indian Economy even today is dependant on a good monsoon. Therefore its forecast played a very important role in the social fabric of Indian Society. Since Brahmans were entrusted with this unenviable task, they were accorded the highest position in the social hierarchy. Besides, it was conceived that they should not be distracted from this all important task by having to worry about mundane things like how to support themselves and their family. The rest of the Society took care of their needs. It was believed that great difficulties beset upon any person that denied a Brahman his alms and other necessities of life.
However, as time passed the secular tradition implied in Brahmanism changed. Emphasis moved to rituals to propitiate the gods and nature and sacrifices to gratify them. I suspect the Brahman class themselves were instrumental in perpetuating these irrational beliefs for selfish motives. Please note above how Ayoda – Dharma belittles the covetousness and desire in his disciple Upamanyu, even if it was merely to satisfy a natural instinct called hunger! Now let us return:
The Story of Upamanyu (continued):
Then Upamanyu, having signified his assent to all that his preceptor said, went away to tend to the cattle as he had done before. The third day, the guru noticed that Upamanyu was not hungry as he expected and questioned him how he had overcome his hunger. Upamanyu replied that he had taken some milk from the cows, among the cattle that he was tending. The guru again replied that Upamanyu was not entitled to drink the milk, as the cows belonged to someone else.
Upamanyu again acquiesced in his teachers words. The next day, while tending to the cattle, Upamanyu could not bear with his hunger and ate some wild leaves of the forest. His eyes were affected by the pungent, acrimonious, crude, and saline properties of the leaves which he had eaten and he became blind. He fell into a well and did not return that day to his teacher’s abode. Ayoda – Dharma worried about his disciple and went into the forest in search of him. He found his disciple in the well and inquired how he happened to be in the well. Upamanyu informed him that having felt hungry; he ate some wild leaves that caused blindness. Then Ayoda – Dharma instructed Upamanyu to pray to twin Ashwin Gods – the gods of medicine healing and Ayurveda.
Commentary:
I do not understand the whole point of the story! What is the author trying to tell us? Why should he order Upamanyu not to eat in the first place and he falls ill, why order him to implore the Ashwins? Perhaps this Upakhyana was a later insertion! However the author himself calls it trial of Upamanyu. Some trial! Anyway the prayer of Upamanyu to the Ashwins is an interesting piece of literature. I quote below only a part of the prayer in which the Hindu calendar is described; which is remarkably similar to the modern calendar. I quote:
“You (the Ashwins) prevail over time! Having created the Sun, you wove the wondrous cloth of the year by means of the white thread of the day and the black thread of the night! And with the cloth so woven, you have established two courses of action appertaining respectively to the Devas and the Pitris (forefathers). The bird of Life seized by Time which represents the strength of the Infinite soul, you set free for delivering her unto great happiness! They that are in deep ignorance, as long as they are under delusions of their senses, suppose you, who are independent of the attributes of matter, to be gifted with form! Three hundred and sixty cows represented by three hundred and sixty days produce one calf between them which is the year. That calf is the creator and destroyer of all. Seekers of truth following different routes, draw the milk of true knowledge with its help. You Ashwins, you are the creators of that calf! “The year is but the nave of a wheel to which is attached seven hundred and twenty (three hundred sixty full days, ancient calendar is remarkably similar to the modern version) spokes representing as many days and nights. The circumference of this wheel represented by twelve months is without end. This wheel is full of delusions and knows no deterioration. It affects all creatures whether to this or of the other worlds. You Ashwins, this wheel of time is set in motion by you! “The wheel of Time as represented by the year has a nave represented by the six seasons. The number of spokes attached to that nave is twelve as represented by the twelve signs of the Zodiac. This wheel of Time mani Bitch goddess: Main Entry: bitch goddess. Function: noun. Date: 1906 : success; especially : material or worldly success (Entry in Encyclopedia Britannica)
Taxila: Sanskrit Takshasila, ancient city of northwestern India, the ruins of which are about 22 miles (35 kilometers) northwest of Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Its prosperity in ancient times resulted from its position at the junction of three great trade routes: one from eastern India described by a Greek writer, Megasthenes, as the “Royal Highway,” the second from western Asia, and the third from Kashmir and Central Asia. When these routes ceased to be important the city sank into insignificance and was finally destroyed by the Huns in the 5th century AD. (Entry in Encyclopedia Britannica under Taxila)
Ud-dA4laka: Entry Uddalaka Meaning = {Uddalaka} above Sanskrit. ; N. a kind of honey L. (Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon). Entry: Uddalaka: Meaning m. Name of a man (literally Up-tearer). (Cappeller Sanskrit English Dictionary). Link: http://www.alkhemy.com/sanskrit/dict/
Upanayanam: Hindu ritual of initiation, restricted to the three upper varnas, or social classes; it marks the male child's entrance upon the life of a student (brahmacharin) and his acceptance as a full member of his religious community. The ceremony is performed between the ages of 5 and 24, the wide variance reflecting the classical notions of the different educational requirements of the three upper classes— Brahmans (priests and teachers), Kshatriyas (warriors and rulers), and Vaishyas (merchants and tradesmen).
After a ritual bath the boy is dressed as an ascetic and brought before his guru (personal spiritual guide), who invests him with a deerskin to use as an upper garment, a staff, and the sacred thread yajnopavita, or yajnopavita). The thread, consisting of a loop made of three symbolically knotted and twisted strands of cotton cord, is replaced regularly so that it is worn throughout the lifetime of the owner, normally over the left shoulder and diagonally across the chest to the right hip. It identifies the wearer as dwija, or “twice-born,” the second birth understood as having taken place with the imparting by the guru to the student of the “Gayatri” mantra, a sacred verse of the Rig-Veda. The initiation ceremony concludes with the student's kindling of the sacrificial fire and his begging of alms, symbolic of his dependence on others during his brahmacharin period.
The actual observance of Upanayana is increasingly confined to more orthodox Hindus, particularly those of the Brahman caste. As a prerequisite to marriage, it is sometimes replaced by a simpler ceremony, which takes place on the day of marriage; often both initiation ceremonies are omitted altogether.
A corresponding rite among Parsis (whose ancient homeland was Iran) is called nowzad (Persian: “new birth”); it invests both six-year-old boys and girls with a thread worn around the waist. Some scholars suggest that this indicates a common and ancient Indo-Iranian origin of the two ceremonies. (Encyclopedia Britannica)
The Upanayana (q.v.; initiation) confers the sacred thread on male children of the three upper social classes; the vedarambha signals the beginning of the student's study of the Vedas (sacred scriptures); the kesanta, or godana or mundana (first shaving of the beard), marks the approach of manhood; and the samaavartana (returning home from the house of the guru) or snana (“bathing”), the completion of his student life. (Encyclopedia Britannica – entry under samskara)
Hinduism - Rituals, social practices, and institutions - Sacrifice and worship - Domestic rites - Other private rites: The morning and evening adorations sandhya, being a very important duty of the traditional householder, are mainly Vedic in character, but they have, by the addition of Puranic and Tantric elements, become lengthy rituals. If not shortened, the morning ceremonies consist of self-purification, bathing, prayers, and recitation of mantras, especially the Gayatri mantra (Rig-Veda 3.62.10), a prayer for spiritual stimulation addressed to the Sun. The accompanying ritual includes (1) the application of marks on the forehead, characterizing the adherents of a particular religious community, (2) the presentation of offerings (water, flowers) to the Sun, and (3) meditative concentration. There are Shaiva and Vaishnava variants, and some elements are optional. The observance of the daily obligations, including the care of bodily purity and professional duties, leads to mundane reward and helps to preserve the state of sanctity required to enter into contact with the divine. (Encyclopedia Britannica)
Mantra: in Hinduism and Buddhism, a sacred utterance (syllable, word, or verse) that is considered to possess mystical or spiritual efficacy. Various mantras are either spoken aloud or merely sounded internally in one's thoughts, and they are either repeated continuously for some time or just sounded once. Most mantras are without any apparent verbal meaning, but they are thought to have a profound underlying significance and are in effect distillations of spiritual wisdom. Thus, repetition of or meditation on a particular mantra can induce a trancelike state in the participant and can lead him to a higher level of spiritual awareness. Besides bringing spiritual enlightenment, different kinds of mantras are used to work other psychic or spiritual purposes, such as protecting oneself from evil psychic powers. One of the most powerful and widely used mantras in Hinduism is the sacred syllable Om. The principal mantra in Buddhism is Om Mapi Padme Hum.
Mantras continue to be an important feature of Hindu religious rites and domestic ceremonies. Initiation into many Hindu sects involves the whispering of a secret mantra into the ear of the initiate by the guru (spiritual teacher). Indeed, mantras are thought to be truly efficacious only when they are received verbally from one's guru or other spiritual preceptor. (Encyclopedia Britannica)
Ashwini: A lunar constellation in Indian astrology. Situated between 0° - 13°20’ and belonging to Aries Constellation of the Western Sky. Symbol: the head of a horse. Deities: Ashwini Kumaras, the doctors of the gods. Keywords: healing, having an eye for the needs of people, swiftness. Translation: the horsewoman.
The Ashwini Kumaras are twins born as a result of Sandhya (the time span at Sunrise or Sunset – when the Indian Sky turns into a lovely orange bright) and Surya (the sun) being together. At the moment of impregnation Sandhya had assumed the shape of a horse. That is why this lunar constellation is called horse woman. The twins appeared to have healing powers. They have cured many mythological characters who needed medical help. Therefore this constellation has to do with healing, with putting a halt to the ageing process and with eternal youth. A doctor has to be on the spot quickly. A good doctor travels at high speed to the place where he has to help sick people or has to assist in case of an accident. Good ways of transportation are indispensable for this purpose. Because of the relationship between doctors, swiftness and good ways of transportation, this constellation deals with means of transport and rapid actions.
A person, for whom the Ashwini constellation plays an important role, is open to the needs of others and wants to do something about these needs in a preferably quick and efficient way. This may result in heroic acts and as a consequence in a growing popularity of the person. In this case the ego has to be strong enough to handle this popularity.
The spiritual path belonging to Ashwini is that of a healer or shaman. This is the reason why practicing shamanism is a good method for this constellation.
Link: http://www.dirah.org/lunarzodiac.htm#ZO AND http://www.dirah.demon.nl/lunarzodiac.htm
About the Author
vatsayan
* *Age*: 51
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Tamilnadu AP, : India
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