Tuesday, December 27, 2016
Monday, October 31, 2016
Voice to voiceless
By Pooja Pillai | The Indian Express – Sun 18 Oct, 2015
If you have read Until the Lions, Karthika Naïr’s virtuoso and polyphonic retelling of the Mahabharata, it is hard to believe that for nearly two decades, between the ages of 13 and 34, she wrote no poetry at all. “I wrote a lot of bad poetry when I was about 11. Then, I had a flash of realisation about how awful it was. Thankfully, we lived in Shillong at the time and there was a fireplace there, where I burned all of it,” the 42-year-old says with a laugh. With her father in the army, Naïr’s was a peripatetic childhood, marked by a series of hospitalisations and surgeries, due to a genetic condition called epidermolysis bullosa (EB). “I was sick very often, and stayed at home a lot when I was growing up. That’s how I picked up the reading habit, because my parents would buy me lots of books to keep me company.”
Around the age of 16, when she had a feeding tube attached to her stomach, Naïr couldn’t attend college and began to pursue a degree in sociology through the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). By that time, her father had taken voluntary requirement to come back to Kerala. Naïr says, “My parents realised that the long-distance course wouldn’t be enough, and that I would get depressed, so they enrolled me in a course at the Alliance Francaise in Trivandrum.” Around the same time, she also began contributing articles to newspapers.
It was learning French, however, that gave her life a new direction. She says, “The then director wanted to give Alliance Francaise in Trivandrum an image makeover. It was never going to be as big as the branches in Mumbai and Delhi, so he began positioning it as a vibrant cultural centre. Many French artistes came and performed with Kerala artistes. I began working with Alliance as a press attache, until my role grew to where I was handling all the line production.” The writing took a backseat, as Naïr got busy figuring out the turn that her life had taken. “I was sent on a ministry of culture scholarship to France for a short refresher course and it was there that I encountered the idea of arts management as a discipline,” she says. She returned to France to study arts management and settled down there to a career as dance producer/curator, which saw her work with leading lights such as Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Damien Jalet. She also served as principal scriptwriter for the Akram Khan production, DESH.
In all the years that she was living in France, Naïr craved the multiplicity of language one finds in India. That’s when she found her way back to poetry. “It was initially just a way for me to have a conversation with myself,” she says. Once rediscovered, poetry soon grew from a source of comfort to a creative exercise which resulted in Bearings, her first book of poetry, published in 2009. She also published a children’s book called The Honey Hunter in 2013.
Naïr was prompted to consider reimagining the Mahabharata when she read a bad fictional retelling of the epic; what especially irritated her was the use of an omniscient narrator. One of the great qualities of the epic, she says, is that its large cast of characters offers space for numerous points of view. As a reader, she may have been dissatisfied but the poet in her began to wonder whether she couldn’t do a better job.
What galvanised her into action was reading Arun Kolatkar’s Sarpa Satra, where the late poet retold the opening story of the Mahabharata — the snake sacrifice conducted by Janamejaya — through the perspective of a minor character, Jaratkuru, the sister of the Naga king Takshaka. “Jaratkuru is not a very important character, she appears after the main action of the Mahabharata is over. Using her the way he did, Kolatkar really upended my notions of chronology,” she says. She was also intrigued by the possibilities of using similar minor characters to add new perspectives to the Mahabharata.
Naïr began working on Until the Lions around April 2010 when she discussed with her publisher VK Karthika (at Harper Collins) about the possibility of retelling the Mahabharata using 18 different voices. “I had an initial list of about 30-33 characters, including Jaratkuru. I thought it would be a great tribute to Kolatkar to include her in the book, but I ended up having to drop her from the final list of 18 names since she didn’t fit into the cartography of the book,” she says.
In the first two years of the project, she read widely and voraciously — as well as watched several movies and performances. The list of references at the end of the book — ranging from
Using a variety of poetic forms —
In writing the book, Naïr took on the task, as she puts it, of “passing the mic to the people whose voices we don’t hear”. Hence, in the section ‘Bedtime Story for a Dasi’s Son’, the maid Sauvali, mother of Dhritarashtra’s son Yuyutsu, says to her child, “When the king decides to rape me or my kind, no one will use the word rape. The word does not exist in the king’s world. This body is just another province he owns, from navel to nipple to eyelid, insole to clitoris.” The purpose of the book becomes clear from the epigraph which quotes an African proverb: Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.
While she was forced to drop her plans for an overt tribute to Kolatkar, the Mumbai modernist’s influence can be seen in another way: the only fictional character in Until the Lions is the dog Shunaka who, given her worldly-wise and cynical manner, could be considered the literary descendant of Ugh, the debonair canine narrator of the opening poem in Kolatkar’s Kala Ghoda Poems.
In another way too, Naïr manages to make Kolatkar’s influence manifest. Mythology, which is used as a weapon by right-wing extremists, was used by the late poet in Sarpa Satra to point to the absurdity of cycles of vengeance and hatred. Naïr’s Until the Lions works just as powerfully. With the widening gulf between the powerful and the powerless, Naïr says, “Merely giving a voice to the voiceless itself becomes a political act.”
If you have read Until the Lions, Karthika Naïr’s virtuoso and polyphonic retelling of the Mahabharata, it is hard to believe that for nearly two decades, between the ages of 13 and 34, she wrote no poetry at all. “I wrote a lot of bad poetry when I was about 11. Then, I had a flash of realisation about how awful it was. Thankfully, we lived in Shillong at the time and there was a fireplace there, where I burned all of it,” the 42-year-old says with a laugh. With her father in the army, Naïr’s was a peripatetic childhood, marked by a series of hospitalisations and surgeries, due to a genetic condition called epidermolysis bullosa (EB). “I was sick very often, and stayed at home a lot when I was growing up. That’s how I picked up the reading habit, because my parents would buy me lots of books to keep me company.”
Around the age of 16, when she had a feeding tube attached to her stomach, Naïr couldn’t attend college and began to pursue a degree in sociology through the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). By that time, her father had taken voluntary requirement to come back to Kerala. Naïr says, “My parents realised that the long-distance course wouldn’t be enough, and that I would get depressed, so they enrolled me in a course at the Alliance Francaise in Trivandrum.” Around the same time, she also began contributing articles to newspapers.
It was learning French, however, that gave her life a new direction. She says, “The then director wanted to give Alliance Francaise in Trivandrum an image makeover. It was never going to be as big as the branches in Mumbai and Delhi, so he began positioning it as a vibrant cultural centre. Many French artistes came and performed with Kerala artistes. I began working with Alliance as a press attache, until my role grew to where I was handling all the line production.” The writing took a backseat, as Naïr got busy figuring out the turn that her life had taken. “I was sent on a ministry of culture scholarship to France for a short refresher course and it was there that I encountered the idea of arts management as a discipline,” she says. She returned to France to study arts management and settled down there to a career as dance producer/curator, which saw her work with leading lights such as Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Damien Jalet. She also served as principal scriptwriter for the Akram Khan production, DESH.
In all the years that she was living in France, Naïr craved the multiplicity of language one finds in India. That’s when she found her way back to poetry. “It was initially just a way for me to have a conversation with myself,” she says. Once rediscovered, poetry soon grew from a source of comfort to a creative exercise which resulted in Bearings, her first book of poetry, published in 2009. She also published a children’s book called The Honey Hunter in 2013.
Naïr was prompted to consider reimagining the Mahabharata when she read a bad fictional retelling of the epic; what especially irritated her was the use of an omniscient narrator. One of the great qualities of the epic, she says, is that its large cast of characters offers space for numerous points of view. As a reader, she may have been dissatisfied but the poet in her began to wonder whether she couldn’t do a better job.
What galvanised her into action was reading Arun Kolatkar’s Sarpa Satra, where the late poet retold the opening story of the Mahabharata — the snake sacrifice conducted by Janamejaya — through the perspective of a minor character, Jaratkuru, the sister of the Naga king Takshaka. “Jaratkuru is not a very important character, she appears after the main action of the Mahabharata is over. Using her the way he did, Kolatkar really upended my notions of chronology,” she says. She was also intrigued by the possibilities of using similar minor characters to add new perspectives to the Mahabharata.
Naïr began working on Until the Lions around April 2010 when she discussed with her publisher VK Karthika (at Harper Collins) about the possibility of retelling the Mahabharata using 18 different voices. “I had an initial list of about 30-33 characters, including Jaratkuru. I thought it would be a great tribute to Kolatkar to include her in the book, but I ended up having to drop her from the final list of 18 names since she didn’t fit into the cartography of the book,” she says.
In the first two years of the project, she read widely and voraciously — as well as watched several movies and performances. The list of references at the end of the book — ranging from
- Peter Brook’s Mahabharata and
- Gulzar’s lyrics to Malayalam novelist MT Vasudevan Naïr’s Randamoozham and
- choreographer Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker’s Violin Fase — is indicative of how deeply Naïr immersed herself in her work.
Using a variety of poetic forms —
- the Provençal sestina or canzone,
- the Malay pantoum,
- the Pashtun landay,
- the Spanish glosa,
- the Japanese haibun
- Draupadi’s unnamed mother, who laments the loss of her family to hate.
- Another is the handmaiden who sleeps with Vyaasa in place of Ambik-a, when the latter is too frightened to do so, and who gives birth to Vidura. Naïr has named her Poorna, and fleshed her out so completely that it’s hard to believe that she doesn’t play a larger part in the original narrative of the epic.
In writing the book, Naïr took on the task, as she puts it, of “passing the mic to the people whose voices we don’t hear”. Hence, in the section ‘Bedtime Story for a Dasi’s Son’, the maid Sauvali, mother of Dhritarashtra’s son Yuyutsu, says to her child, “When the king decides to rape me or my kind, no one will use the word rape. The word does not exist in the king’s world. This body is just another province he owns, from navel to nipple to eyelid, insole to clitoris.” The purpose of the book becomes clear from the epigraph which quotes an African proverb: Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.
While she was forced to drop her plans for an overt tribute to Kolatkar, the Mumbai modernist’s influence can be seen in another way: the only fictional character in Until the Lions is the dog Shunaka who, given her worldly-wise and cynical manner, could be considered the literary descendant of Ugh, the debonair canine narrator of the opening poem in Kolatkar’s Kala Ghoda Poems.
In another way too, Naïr manages to make Kolatkar’s influence manifest. Mythology, which is used as a weapon by right-wing extremists, was used by the late poet in Sarpa Satra to point to the absurdity of cycles of vengeance and hatred. Naïr’s Until the Lions works just as powerfully. With the widening gulf between the powerful and the powerless, Naïr says, “Merely giving a voice to the voiceless itself becomes a political act.”
Sunday, October 30, 2016
War Continued
http://d08r.blogspot.com/2014/06/mahabharata-war-continued.html
The time has now arrived, when thou must fight the battle which each must fight single-handed with his mind. Therefore, O chief of Bharata's race, thou must now prepare to carry the struggle against thy mind, and by dint of abstraction and the merit of thine own Karma, thou must reach the other side of (overcome) the mysterious and unintelligible (mind). In this war there will be no need for any missiles, nor for friends, nor attendants. The battle which is to be fought alone and single-handed has now arrived for thee. And if vanquished in this struggle, thou shalt find thyself in the most wretched plight, and O son of Kunti, knowing this, and acting accordingly, shalt thou attain success. And knowing this wisdom and the destiny of all creatures, and following the conduct of thy ancestors, do thou duly administer thy kingdom."
The time has now arrived, when thou must fight the battle which each must fight single-handed with his mind. Therefore, O chief of Bharata's race, thou must now prepare to carry the struggle against thy mind, and by dint of abstraction and the merit of thine own Karma, thou must reach the other side of (overcome) the mysterious and unintelligible (mind). In this war there will be no need for any missiles, nor for friends, nor attendants. The battle which is to be fought alone and single-handed has now arrived for thee. And if vanquished in this struggle, thou shalt find thyself in the most wretched plight, and O son of Kunti, knowing this, and acting accordingly, shalt thou attain success. And knowing this wisdom and the destiny of all creatures, and following the conduct of thy ancestors, do thou duly administer thy kingdom."
Sunday, June 26, 2016
Armour
"Sanjaya said, 'Having said these words, Drona, that foremost of persons conversant with Brahma, touching water, and duly uttering certain Mantras, speedily tied that highly wonderful and bright armour on Duryodhana's body for the victory of thy son in that dreadful battle and causing (by that act) all persons there to be filled with amazement. And Drona said, 'Let the Vedas, and Brahman, and the Brahmanas, bless thee. Let all the higher classes of reptiles be a source of blessings to thee, O Bharata! Let Yayati and Nahusha, and Dhundhumara, and Bhagiratha, and the other royal sages, all do what is beneficial to thee. Let blessings be to thee from creatures having but one leg, and from those that have many legs. Let blessings be to thee, in this great battle from creatures that have no legs. Let Swaha, and Swadha, and Sachi, also, all do what is beneficial to thee. O sinless one, let Lakshmi and Arundhati too do what is beneficial to thee. Let Asita, and Devala and Viswamitra, and Angiras, and Vasishtha, and Kasyapa, O king, do what is beneficial to thee. Let Dhatri, and the lord of the worlds and the points of the compass and the regents of those points, and the six-faced Karttikeya, all give thee what is beneficial. Let the divine Vivaswat benefit thee completely. Let the four elephants, of the four quarters, the earth, the firmament, the planets, and he who is underneath the earth and holds her (on his head), O king, viz., Sesha, that foremost of snakes, give thee what is for thy benefit. O son of Gandhari, formerly the Asura named Vritra, displaying his prowess in battle, had defeated the best of celestials in battle. The latter, numbering thousands upon thousands, with mangled bodies, those denizens of heaven, with Indra at their head, deprived of energy and might, all repaired to Brahman and sought his protection, afraid of the great Asura Vritra. And the gods said, 'O best of gods, O foremost of celestials, be thou the refuge of the gods now crushed by Vritra. Indeed, rescue us from this great fear.' Then Brahmana, addressing Vishnu staying beside him as also those best of celestials headed by Sakra, said unto them that were all cheerless, these words fraught with truth: Indeed, the gods with Indra at their head, and the Brahmanas also, should ever be protected by me. The energy of Tvashtri from which Vritra hath been created is invincible. Having in days of yore performed ascetic penances for a million of years, Tvashtri, then, ye gods, created Vritra, obtaining permission from Maheswara. That mighty foe of yours hath succeeded in smiting you through the grace of that god of gods. Without going to the place where Sankara stayeth, ye cannot see the divine Hara. Having seen that god, ye will be able to vanquish Vritra. Therefore, go ye without delay to the mountains of Mandara. There stayeth that origin of ascetic penances, that destroyer of Daksha's sacrifice, that wielder of Pinaka, that lord of all creatures, that slayer of the Asura called Bhaganetra.' Thus addressed by Brahman, the gods proceeding to Mandara with Brahman in their company, beheld there that heap of energy, that Supreme god endued with the splendour of a million suns. Seeing the gods Maheswara welcomed them and enquired what he was to do for them. 'The sight of ray person can never be fruitless. Let the fruition of your desires proceed from this.' Thus addressed by him, the dwellers of heaven replied, 'We have been deprived of our energy by Vritra. Be thou the refuge of the dwellers of heaven. Behold, O lord, our bodies beaten and bruised by his strokes. We seek thy protection. Be thou our refuge, O Maheswara!' The god of gods, called Sarva, then said, 'Ye gods, it is well-known to you how this action, fraught with great strength, terrible and incapable of being resisted by persons destitute of ascetic merit, originated, springing from the energy of Tvashtri (the divine artificer). As regards myself, it is certainly my duty to render aid to the dwellers of heaven. O Sakra, take this effulgent armour from off my body. And, O chief of the celestials, put it on, mentally uttering these mantras.'
"Drona continued, 'Having said these words, the boon-giving (Siva) gave that armour with the mantras (to be uttered by the wearer). Protected by that armour, Sakra proceeded against the host of Vritra in battle. And although diverse kinds of weapons were hurled at him in that dreadful battle, yet the joints of that armour could not be cut open. Then the lord of the celestials slew Vritra, and afterwards gave unto Angiras that armour, whose joints were made up of mantras. And Angiras imparted those mantras to his son Vrihaspati, having a knowledge of all mantras. And Vrihaspati imparted that knowledge to Agnivesya of great intelligence. And Agnivesya imparted it to me, and it is with the aid of those mantras, O best of kings, that I, for protecting thy body, tie this armour on thy body.'
`Sanjaya continued, Having said these words Drona, that bull among preceptors, once more addressed thy son, of great splendour, saying, 'O king, I put this armour on thy body, joining its pieces with the aid of Brahma strings. In days of yore, Brahma himself had thus put it on Vishnu in battle. Even as Brahma himself had put this celestial armour on Sakra in the battle caused by the abduction of Taraka, I put it on thee.' Having thus, with mantras, donned that armour duly on Duryodhana, the regenerate Drona sent the king to battle. And the mighty-armed king, cased in armour by the high-souled preceptor, and accomplished in smiting, and a thousand infuriated elephants endued with great prowess, and a hundred thousand horses, and many other mighty car-warriors, proceeded towards the car of Arjuna. And the mighty-armed king proceeded, with the sound of diverse kinds of musical instruments, against his foe, like Virochana's son (Vali in days of yore). Then, O Bharata, a loud uproar arose among thy troops, beholding the Kuru king proceeding like a fathomless ocean.'"
http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m07/m07090.htm
Friday, June 24, 2016
Pandavas Save Kauravas
Now while the Pandavas were enduring great suffering in the forest,
Karna spake to Duryodhana and prevailed upon him to spy upon their misery. So Dhritarashtra's son went forth, as was the custom every three years, to inspect the cattle and brand the calves. And with him went Karna and many princes and courtiers, and also a thousand ladies of the royal household.
When, however, they all drew nigh to the forest, they found that the Gandharvas and Apsaras, who, as it chanced, had descended to make merry there, would not permit the royal train to advance. Duryodhana sent messages to the Gandharva king, commanding him to depart with all his hosts; but the celestial spirits feared him not, and issued forth to battle. A great conflict was waged, and the Kauravas were defeated.
Karna fled, and Duryodhana and many of his courtiers and all the royal ladies were taken prisoners. It happened that some of Duryodhana's followers who took flight reached the place where the Pandavas were, and told them how their kinsmen had been overcome. Then Arjuna and Bhima and the two younger brethren went forth against the Gandharvas and fought with them until they were compelled to release the royal prisoners.
In this manner was the proud Duryodhana humbled by those against whom he had cherished enmity. Yudhishthira gave a feast to the Kauravas, and he called Duryodhana his "brother", where at Duryodhana made pretence to be well pleased, although his heart was stung with deep mortification.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/iml/iml21.htm
Shakuni's Advice
When thou shouldst joy and reward the Pandavas, thou art grieving, O king? Indeed, this behaviour of thine is inconsistent. Be cheerful, do not cast away thy life; but remember with a pleased heart the good they have done thee. Give back unto the sons of Pritha their kingdom, and win thou both virtue and renown by such conduct. By acting in this way, thou mayst be grateful. Establish brotherly relations with the Pandavas by being friends, and give them their paternal kingdom, for then thou wilt be happy!'"
http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m03/m03249.htm
Later in War
http://bachelorpledge.blogspot.com/search/label/Five%20golden%20arrows
Sunday, April 3, 2016
Friday, March 18, 2016
Monday, February 22, 2016
Ashwatthama / Tube / Incarnation / liberates / Next Vyasa
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashwatthama
Sanjaya to Dhṛtarāṣṭra
in whom
Arjuna to Yudhistira said, 'He, relying upon whose energy the Kauravas, having addressed themselves to the accomplishment of fierce feats, are blowing their conchs and staying with patience, he about whom thou hast thy doubts. O king, as to who he may be that is roaring so loud, having rallied the Dhartarashtras after the fall of the disarmed preceptor, he, who is
Tube
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ashwatthama
http://timesofindia.speakingtree.in/spiritual-slideshow/seekers/god-and-i/19-avatars-of-lord-shiva/62986
http://thekarna.wordpress.com/2010/05/12/ashwatthama-the-12th-rudra/
http://deathconqueror.blogspot.com/2012/02/sons-of-draupadi-upa-pandavas.html
http://anandatirtha.wordpress.com/2011/02/15/mahabharata-kurukshetra-war-after-the-fall-of-duryodhana/
Crow and Owl
http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m10/m10001.htm
in whom
- human and
- Varuna and
- Agneya and
- Brahma and
- Aindra and
- Narayana weapons are always present?
The high-souled Drona, having obtained the science of weapons from Rama have imparted (a knowledge of) all the celestial weapons unto his son desirous of seeing the latter adorned with all the accomplishments (of a warrior).
There is only one person in this world, viz., the son, and none else, whom people desire to become superior to themselves. All high-souled preceptors have this characteristic, viz., that they impart all the mysteries of their science unto either sons or devoted disciples.
Becoming his sire's pupil. O Sanjaya, and obtaining all those mysteries with every detail, the son of Saradwat's daughter has become a second Drona, and a great hero. Aswatthaman is equal
- to Karna in knowledge of weapons,
- to Purandara in battle,
- to Kartavirya in energy, and
- Vrihaspati in wisdom.
- In fortitude, that youth is equal to a mountain, and
- in energy to fire.
- In gravity, he is equal to an ocean, and
- in wrath, to the poison of the snake.
He is the
- foremost of all car-warriors in battle,
- a firm bowman, and
- above all fatigue.
- In speed he is equal to the wind itself and
- he careens in the thick of fight like Yama in rage.
- While his engaged in shooting arrows in battle, the very earth becomes afflicted.
- Of prowess incapable of being baffled, hero is never fatigued by exertions.
- Purified by the Vedas and by vows,
- he is a thorough master of the science of arms, like Rama, the son of Dasharatha.
- He is like the ocean, incapable of being agitated.
- endued with modesty,
- possessed of mighty arms,
- has the tread of an infuriated elephant,
- owns a face like that of a tiger,
- always achieves fierce feats, and dispels the fears of the Kurus, he upon whose birth Drona gave away a thousand kine unto Brahmanas of high worth, he O king, that is roaring so loud, is Aswatthaman. As soon as he was born, that hero neighed like Indra's steed and caused the three worlds to tremble at that sound. Hearing that sound, an invisible being, O lord, (speaking audibly) bestowed upon him the name of Aswatthaman (the horse-voiced).
- That superhuman being who is in that habit of displaying his friendship for all creatures,
- that hero, hearing of the seizure of his sire's locks, will certainly consume us all in battle today.
Tube
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ashwatthama
http://thekarna.wordpress.com/2010/05/12/ashwatthama-the-12th-rudra/
http://deathconqueror.blogspot.com/2012/02/sons-of-draupadi-upa-pandavas.html
http://anandatirtha.wordpress.com/2011/02/15/mahabharata-kurukshetra-war-after-the-fall-of-duryodhana/
Crow and Owl
http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m10/m10001.htm
Caste System
Intermixing of the Four Basic Castes
The son that a Sudra begets upon a Brahmana woman is called a Chandala. Begotten upon a Kshatriya woman by a person of the Sudra order, the son is called a Vratya. He who is born of a Vaisya woman by a Sudra father is called a Vaidya. The Vaisya, by uniting himself with a woman of the Brahmana order, begets a son that is called a Magadha, while the son that he gets upon a Kshatriya woman is called a Vamaka. The son begotten by a Kshatriya upon a Brahmana woman, is called a Suta (MHB 13:14).
If a Kshatriya begets a son upon a Brahmana woman, such a son, comes to be regarded as a Suta. The son begotten by a Vaisya upon a woman of the Brahmana order comes to be regarded as a Vaidehaka. If a Sudra unites with a woman belonging to Brahmana, the son that is begotten is called a Chandala. The son begotten by a Vaisya upon a Kshatriya woman becomes a Vandi or Magadha. The son begotten by a Sudra upon a Kshatriya women, becomes a Nishada (occupation: fishing) and upon a Vaisya women, becomes an Ayogava (occupation: Takshan: carpenter) Intermixing within these new classes create more castes. There were as many as fifteen such castes (MHB 13:48).
Emergence of Numerous Other Castes
From the union of Magadhas of a certain class with women of the caste called Sairindhri, there springs up another caste called Ayogava. Vaidehas, by uniting themselves with women of the Sairindhri caste, beget children called Maireyakas whose occupation consists in the manufacture of wines and spirits.
From the Nishadas spring a caste called Madgura and another known by the name of Dasas whose occupation consists in plying boats.
From the Chandala springs a race called Swapaka whose occupation consists in keeping guard over the dead. The women of the Magadhi caste, by union with these four castes of wicked dispositions produce four others. These are Mansa, Swadukara, Kshaudra, and Saugandha. From the Nishadas again springs up the Madranabha caste whose members are seen to ride on cars drawn by asses.
From the Chandalas springs up the caste called Pukkasa. The caste called Kshudra springs from the Vaidehaka. The caste called Andhra which takes up its residence in the outskirts of towns and cities, also springs up (from the Vaidehakas). Then again the Charmakara, uniting himself with a woman of Nishada caste, begets the class called Karavara.
From the Chandala again springs up the caste known by the name of Pandusaupaka whose occupation consists in making baskets and other things with cleft bamboos. From the union of the Nishada with a woman of the Vaidehi caste springs one who is called by the name of Ahindaka (13:48). Some names like Vaidehaka, Magadha, Andhra etc were indicative of tribal names like Videha, Magadha and Andhra. The whole description seems to be the result of an attempt to include the non-Vedic tribes into the structure of four-order caste system.
Caste Based on Character
The idea that four orders and castes were based on birth was different from another school of thought that they were mere descriptions of different people in the society based on their character and occupation. In the second case caste was flexible, more a matter of choice and not based on birth. In later periods, caste system based on birth became rigid and numerous other castes started getting created. This devolved into the unbonafide systems of castes found in India today. Many passages in Mahabharata describe the flexible caste system which in later periods was totally forgotten by the Indian society.
An example is the conversation between Yudhisthira and Naga Nahusha (MHB 3:179):
Naga: "O Yudhishthira, say, Who is a Brahmana?"
Yudhishthira: "O foremost of Nagas, he, it is asserted by the wise, in whom are seen truth, charity, forgiveness, good conduct, benevolence, observance of the rites of his order and mercy is a Brahmana." Naga: "O Yudhishthira, truth, charity, forgiveness, benevolence, benignity, kindness and the Veda which worketh the benefit of the four orders, which is the authority in matters of religion and which is true, are seen even in the Sudra."
Yudhishthira: "Those characteristics that are present in a Sudra, do not exist in a Brahmana; nor do those that are in a Brahmana exist in a Sudra. And a Sudra is not a Sudra by birth alone, nor a Brahmana is Brahmana by birth alone. He, it is said by the wise, in whom are seen those virtues is a Brahmana. And people term him a Sudra in whom those qualities do not exist, even though he be a Brahmana by birth."Naga: "O king, if thou recognise a person as a Brahmana by characteristics, then, O long-lived one, the distinction of caste becometh futile as long as conduct doth not come into play."
Yudhishthira: "In human society, O mighty and highly intelligent Naga, it is difficult to ascertain one’s caste, because of promiscuous intercourse among the four orders. This is my opinion. Men belonging to all orders beget offspring upon women of all the orders. And of men, speech, sexual intercourse, birth and death are common. And to this the Rishis have borne testimony by using as the beginning of a sacrifice such expressions as-of what caste so ever we may be, we celebrate the sacrifice. Therefore, those that are wise have asserted that character is the chief essential requisite. The natal ceremony of a person is performed before division of the umbilical cord. His mother then acts as its Savitri and his father officiates as priest. He is considered as a Sudra as long as he is not initiated in the Vedas. Doubts having arisen on this point, Naga, Swayambhuba Manu has declared, that the mixed castes are to be regarded as better than the other castes, if having gone through the ceremonies of purification, they do not conform to the rules of good conduct, O excellent Naga! Whosoever now conforms to the rules of pure and virtuous conduct, him have I, here now, designated as a Brahmana."
Societies with Caste Based on Choice
Mahabharata provides evidence of societies where caste was just a matter of personal choice. At MHB 8:45 is the following passage:
"Among the Bahlikas one at first becomes a Brahmana and then he becomes a Kshatriya. Indeed, a Vahika would, after that, become a Vaishya, and then a Shudra, and then a barber. Having become a barber, he would then again become a brahmana. Returning to the status of a brahmana, he would again become a slave. One person in a family becomes a brahmana: all the others act as they like."
The whole narration is the opinion of Karna on the tribe of Shalya, viz., the Bahlika tribe. Shalya was disliked by Karna due to some circumstances, So this opinion is biased against the Bahlikas. Yet, it gives evidence that the Bahlikas had a society where caste was a matter of personal choice.
Reference
http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m03/m03179.htmDicussion
https://www.quora.com/search?q=caste
More
http://www.harekrsna.com/sun/features/features.htm
Tube
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Mahabharata+Caste
Saturday, February 20, 2016
Peace Vs War Messenger
Bhagwat Yana Parva - Krishna
http://paninformation.blogspot.com/search/label/PandavaThoodhar
Uluka Dutagamana Parva - Son of Shakuni
http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m05/m05161.htm
Source
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Udyoga_Parva
Monday, February 15, 2016
Discrimination
Kauravas - Gender Discrimination - Lost War
http://freeglobaluniversity.blogspot.com/search/label/Gender
Pandavas - Caste Discrimination - Lost Karna
Yadavas - Wine No Discrimination - Lost
http://freeglobaluniversity.blogspot.com/search/label/Gender
Pandavas - Caste Discrimination - Lost Karna
Yadavas - Wine No Discrimination - Lost
Friday, February 5, 2016
Sequence
- Duryodana appoints Bheeshma as Fist Commander in chief
- Karna appoints Drona as Second Commander in chief
- Duryodana appoints Karna as Third Commander in chief
- Ashwathama appoints Shalya as Fourth Commander in chief
- Duryodana appoints Ashwathama as Fifth Commander in chief
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
Formerly
O monarch, formerly Krishna did not respect
http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m07/m07083.htm
- king Yudhishthira, the son of Pandu, or
- Drona, so much as he used to respect thee.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m07/m07083.htm
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Srutayudha Son of Varuna
Beholding Partha thus proceeding, the brave king Srutayudha, filled with wrath, rushed at him, shaking his large bow. And he pierced Partha with three arrows, and Janardana with seventy. And he struck the standard of Partha with a very sharp arrow having a razor-like head. Then Arjuna, filled with wrath deeply pierced his antagonist with ninety straight shafts, like (a rider) striking a mighty elephant with the hook. Srutayudha, however, could not, O king, brook that act of prowess on the part of Pandu's son. He pierced Arjuna in return with seven and seventy shafts. Arjuna then cut off Srutayudha's bow and then his quiver, and angrily struck him on the chest with seven straight shafts. Then, king Srutayudha, deprived of his senses by wrath, took up another bow and struck the son of Vasava with nine arrows on the latter's arms and chest. Then Arjuna, that chastiser of foes laughing the while, O Bharata, afflicted Srutayudha with many thousands of arrows. And that mighty car-warrior quickly slew also the latter's steeds and charioteer. Endued with great strength the son of Pandu then pierced his foe with seventy arrows.
Then the valiant king Srutayudha abandoning that steedless car, rushed in that encounter against Partha, uplifting his mace. The heroic king Srutayudha was the son of Varuna, having for his mother that mighty river of cool water called Parnasa. His mother, O king, had for the sake of her son, begged Varuna saying, 'Let this my son become unslayable on earth.' Varuna, gratified (with her), had said, 'I give him a boon highly beneficial to him, viz., a celestial weapon, by virtue of which this thy son will become unslayable on earth by foes. No man can have immortality. O foremost of rivers, every one who hath taken birth must inevitably die. This child, however, will always be invincible by foes in battle, through the power of this weapon. Therefore, let thy heart's fever be dispelled.' Having said these words, Varuna gave him, with mantras, a mace. Obtaining that mace, Srutayudha became invincible on earth. Unto him, however, illustrious Lord of the waters again said, 'This mace should not be hurled at one who is not engaged in fight. If hurled at such a person, it will come back and fall upon thyself. O illustrious child, (if so hurled) it will then course in an opposite direction and slay the person hurling it.' It would seem that when his hour came, Srutayudha disobeyed that injunction. With that hero-slaying mace he attacked Janardana, The valiant Krishna received that mace on one of his well-formed and stout shoulders. It failed to shake Sauri, like the wind failing to shake the Vindhya mountain. That mace, returning unto Srutayudha himself, struck that brave and wrathful king staying on his car, like an ill-accomplished act of sorcery injuring the performer himself, and slaying that hero fell down on the earth.
Beholding the mace turn back and Srutayudha slain, loud cries of Alas and Oh arose there among the troops, at the sight of Srutayudha that chastiser of foes, slain by a weapon of his own. And because, O monarch, Srutayudha had hurled that mace at Janardana who was not engaged in fighting it slew him who had hurled it. And Srutayudha perished on the field, even in the manner that Varuna had indicated. Deprived of life, he fell down on the earth before the eyes of all the bowmen. While falling down, that dear son of Parnasa shone resplendent like a tall banian with spreading boughs broken by the wind. Then all the troops and even all the principal warriors fled away, beholding Srutayudha, that chastiser of foes, slain.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m07/m07088.htm
Calamity
"Sanjaya said,
'I will tell thee all, for everything hath been witnessed by me with my own eyes. Listen calmly. Great is thy fault. Even as an embankment is useless after the waters (of the field) have flowed away, even so, O king, are these lamentations of thine useless! O bull of Bharata's race, do not grieve. Wonderful as are the decrees of the Destroyer, they are incapable of being transgressed. Do not grieve, O bull of Bharata's race, for this is not new.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m07/m07083.htm
'I will tell thee all, for everything hath been witnessed by me with my own eyes. Listen calmly. Great is thy fault. Even as an embankment is useless after the waters (of the field) have flowed away, even so, O king, are these lamentations of thine useless! O bull of Bharata's race, do not grieve. Wonderful as are the decrees of the Destroyer, they are incapable of being transgressed. Do not grieve, O bull of Bharata's race, for this is not new.
- If thou hadst formerly restrained Yudhishthira, the son of Kunti, and thy sons also from the match at dice, this calamity then would never have overtaken thee.
- If, again, when time for battle came, hadst thou restrained both the parties inflamed by wrath, this calamity then would never have overtaken thee.
- If, again, hadst thou formerly urged the Kurus to slay the disobedient Duryodhana, then this calamity would never have overtaken thee. (If thou hadst done any of these acts), the Pandavas, the Panchalas, the Vrishnis, and the other kings would then have never known thy wrong-headedness.
- If, again, doing, thy duty as a father, thou hadst, by placing Duryodhana in the path of righteousness, caused him to tread along it, then this calamity would never have overtaken thee.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m07/m07083.htm
Friday, January 8, 2016
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