The Greatest Indian Epic - Mahabharath

viggop

Actually Yudhishtra asks several questions. The 6 you have listed form a part of the Vishnu Sahasranama.

He also asks

"How should a person, who wants to abide by dharma, behave?
I seek to understand this, O wise one, so kindly explain, O best of Bharatas.

The bits I quoted are in answer to this question of Yudhistra.

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Originally Posted by sbadri99

Sudhaama wrote

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Dear Mr. badri99,

Please Narrate in detail about this Episode of Siva-Arjuna quarrel over a Boar... and further Arjuna's fetching Pasupathasthra from Lord Siva.. .. after hearing from Mr. Badri 99.

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Dear Sudhaama: Why bring me into this?

In any case, the story has already been discussed! What more can I add? The episode of Arjuna-Siva fight has been immortalised in the Kirataarjuniya.

On the advice of Veda Vyasa and Indra, Arjuna undertakes penance to propitiate Lord Siva and obtain His Grace. To test Arjuna's skill and sincerity, Siva enacts a drama. Accordingly, a large wild boar comes rushing towards where Arjuna is performing his Siva Puja. Seeing the boar rush towards him, and although bound by a vow of non-violence during the period of the penance, Arjuna seizes his bow and arrows when a Bhil or a Kirata (hunter) comes into the scene. He is accompanied by his wife (which is rather surprising to Arjuna, as women rarely joined their husbands on hunts in the jungle) and followed by a retinue of fierce warriors.

The Kirata accosts Arjuna and tells him, "Hey, you, that is my boar. Beware if you do anything to it."

Arjuna, who had taken up arms in defence is now stung by the casual way in which the hunter speaks to him. Though he realized the hunter probably did not know he was the famous Arjuna, his ego was stung and he at once shot an arrow through the boar, killing it. At the exact same moment, an arrow of the Kirata too pierces the boar and there ensues an argument as to who killed the boar, and therefore who it belongs to.

This develops into a fight and Arjuna finds he is no match to the Kirata. This is when his pride is quelled. He recollects within, "Krishna, what a strange drama is this? Whos is this Kirata, a mere hunter, who can vanquish even me? Is this really you who have come in this guise? Indeed, this must be your drama."

When that humility comes into him, he turns around to see the Kirata, but sees in his place, Siva and Parvati. Siva blesses him and gives him the Paashupatastra.

A good story. But as with all good stories, what is the moral, the lesson?

Arjuna was doing one-pointed penance to Siva. If his penance were truly one-pointed, he could not have failed to recognize the very object of his devotion come in another guise. But because his ego was still blinding him, he only saw the Kirata, and not the true entity behind him, namely, Lord Siva. When the scales of ego fell from his eyes, he had the true vision of the Lord. Thus, if we too abandon our exagerrated notions of ourselves, if we develop a humility that is befitting our spiritual pursuit, we too would have the darshan (vision) of the Lord.

Again, the Lord may choose to come in any form, and not always the one we are expecting Him in. Our prejudices or narrow beliefs may call for one God as superior to another! But as long as such divisiveness exists, the Lord will most certainly not be perceived. When we commit the grave sin of dividing into many that which is indivisible and akanda, how are we to be blessed with the Vision Divine? So the wise say.

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Dear Badri, thanks for the post above, though the moral behind your post on Arjuna's clash with Maha deva and one I posted about the same issue based on Ramanand Saagar's Krishna series, though the moral is same, stories really contradicts from scholars to scholars, which is very confusing for us, but as far as we learn the moral behind it,

Dear Niti

I have read couple of books from ISKON (International Society For Krishna Consiousness) , by his divine grace Sripala Bhakthivedananta Swami Prapuda, he nor even in the geeta it is NEVER DECLARED as lord Krishna being GOD,lord Krishna is an avatar of Lord Vishnu, this Krishna Avatar is Lord Vishnu's 9th avatar,with Kalki avatar yet to come, in Kali yuga(present yuga).

In Gita the Ultimate truth is refered as Iswar, or Parama Iswar or Maha Iswar, in Hinduism Lord Shiva or Maha Deva is referred as the Ultimate truth, the Param atama, Do you know what Shiva Lingam Represents?

Dear Mr. Raghu,

I strongly OBJECT to the Trend you are carrying by this latest posting...

Is this a thread on Mahabharatha.. a Topic on Epic.. or on Religion or Philosophy....??

I am very sorry to note you are going far and far away from the Thread-Tille.. you have initiated.

When we deal with Epics... we should deal with the Characters involved . along with the events relevant... which leads us towards the inherent Morals... the Lessons for Life... applicable to any Human.

That is how Mahabharatha is one of the Epics... a part of Indian-Culture and Heritage ... irrespective of Religion or Philosophy..

Even the Christian and Muslim citizens of India.... study Mahabharatha and Ramayana,... only in such a Healthy aspect on Indian-Culture of Morality-Study....

...aptly inculcated at the Student age.... towards a purposeful Life of Humanity.

The Elementary-stage in Life is Morality... which we get highly from Epics...

Epics no doubt subtly deal with God too... even though apart from Religion...

But we don't go deep into such 2nd and higher plane.. Rather Religion deals on detailing and analysing God...What Who.. Why and How aspects... relating the Creator and the Creations.

Then the highest Stage... Philosophy (Veda-Antham) ... which deals with mutual relations amongst various Gods and God-mights... as well as the intricate relations (by Spiritualism) between the God and Man... rather Jeevaathma and Paramathma.

Now Mr. Raghu... please tell me... are you discussing Religion the second higher stage ... or the Philosophy the 3rd and highest stage.... drifting far away from the fundamental stage of Epics...

... the Life-Moral... which ONLY IS APPLICABLE HERE.

You are unnecessarily provoking a Controversy often... on the God-Supremacy even within one and the same Religion... which is out of the Topic here... being an Epic.

When you say Maheswar is supreme... it provokes another person to negate your conclusion and declare stating No No.. Maha-Vishnu is supreme... If any Bengali sees both of your Arguments ... he will say... No No.. Neither Maheswar nor Maha-Vishnu is Supreme... but only Maha-Kali. Is it what you are leading us all to?

If you want to talk on Philosophy... so called Vedantham... please start another Thread on it.. where too... without any denigration to anyboy's individual Faith and Beliefs .. I will participate deeply and highly... enlightening many of the points... as laid down by our Great Acharyas like Sarvasri Sankara, Ramanuja, Madhwa, Krishna-Chaithanya, Tukaram, Thulsidas, Ramalinga-Vallalaar and so on...some of which news or message you may not be aware of..

If you bellieve Maheswar is Supreme God .. Well You can have it so... as your personal-Faith and belief...

Please don't PREACH HERE SO.. again and again...DRUM-BEATING... Vociferously .. anymore

Because it is far and far... out of the SCOPE of this Thread ...Mahabhaaratha... an Epic.. Greatest Lesson for Humanity... irrespective of any Religion and Philosophy.. .. Internatiolly too.

So I reiterate... henceforth we should confine our discussions only to Mahabharatha... ensuring our Thoughts on its Characters, Events and the Messages behind ... USEFUL FOR OUR LIFE.

Am I wrong to say so?

Pls stick to the topic rather than digressing about religious beliefs and stuff... We will be forced to edit some of your posts if this goes on...

Dear Mr. badri,

Thanks for honouring my request... by posting the episode of Arjuna-Siva quarrel over a Boar.

If I remember correct... Lord Siva comes in disguise as a hunter... and aims at the same Boar which is Arrow-targeted by arjuna also at the same time.... but without the knowledge Arjuna... since the Hunter-Siva was hiding behind a bush.

When both the arrows stuck on the Boar simultaneously...there arose a dispute... as to who had the due claim preferably... Then they entered into a fight... to prove who the greater warrior

Finally...Arjuna gets defeated... and Lord Siva... gives his Devotee Arjuna ... Darsana...

Subsequently Arjuna went to Kailasa... and with the blessings of Siva... he recives the PAASUPATHAA-ASTHRAM... from Siva Himself.

... which was very useful for him to win in the Kurushethra war

Am I correct ?
.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sudhaama

Dear Mr. badri,

Thanks for honouring my request... by posting the episode of Arjuna-Siva quarrel over a Boar.

If I remember correct... Lord Siva comes in disguise as a hunter... and aims at the same Boar which is Arrow-targeted by arjuna also at the same time.... but without the knowledge Arjuna... since the Hunter-Siva was hiding behind a bush.

When both the arrows stuck on the Boar simultaneously...there arose a dispute... as to who had the due claim preferably... Then they entered into a fight... to prove who the greater warrior

Finally...Arjuna gets defeated... and Lord Siva... gives his Devotee Arjuna ... Darsana...

Subsequently Arjuna went to Kailasa... and with the blessings of Siva... he recives the PAASUPATHAA-ASTHRAM... from Siva Himself.

... which was very useful for him to win in the Kurushethra war

Am I correct ?
.

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Dear Sudhama sir,

You are exactly right, this is excatly what it is says in ISKON books of Bhavad Gita, and Ramand Saagar's Krishna series.

But at whom did Arjuna use the Pasupathasthram?

Certainly not Karna was it?

Dear Sudhama sir & thiru,

I shall reply to your PM very shortly, I am NOt at all offended by your posts.

Another interesting incident I want to discuss is Lord Krishna's encounter with Shiva Bhaktha Banasur, If any one of you want to start that up, pls do, else I shall start it shortly

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.63 Summary

This chapter describes the battle between Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Śiva, as well as Śiva's glorification of Kṛṣṇa after the Lord had cut off Bāṇāsura's arms.

When Aniruddha did not return from Śoṇitapura, His family and friends passed the four months of the rainy season in extreme distress. When they finally heard from Nārada Muni how Aniruddha had been captured, a large army of the best Yādava warriors, under Kṛṣṇa's protection, set off for Bāṇāsura's capital and laid siege to it. Bāṇāsura fiercely opposed them with his own army of equal size. To help Bāṇāsura, Lord Śiva, accompanied by Kārtikeya and a horde of mystic sages, took up arms against Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa. Bāṇa began fighting against Sātyaki, and Bāṇa's son fought against Sāmba. All the demigods assembled in the sky to witness the battle. With His arrows Lord Kṛṣṇa harassed the followers of Lord Śiva, and by putting Lord Śiva into a state of confusion He was able to destroy Bāṇāsura's army. Kārtikeya was so strongly beaten by Pradyumna that he fled the battlefield, while the remnants of Bāṇāsura's army, harried by the blows of Lord Balarāma's club, scattered in all directions.

Enraged to see his army's destruction, Bāṇāsura rushed Kṛṣṇa to attack Him. But the Lord immediately killed Bāṇa's chariot driver and broke his chariot and bow, and then He sounded His Pāñcajanya conchshell. Next Bāṇāsura's mother, trying to save her son, appeared naked in front of Lord Kṛṣṇa, who averted His face to avoid looking at her. Seeing his chance, Bāṇa fled into his city.

After Lord Kṛṣṇa had thoroughly defeated the ghosts and hobgoblins fighting under Lord Śiva, the Śiva-jvara weapon — a personification of fever with three heads and three legs — approached Lord Kṛṣṇa to fight Him. Seeing the Śiva-jvara, Kṛṣṇa released His Viṣṇu-jvara. The Śiva-jvara was overwhelmed by the Viṣṇu-jvara; having nowhere else to turn for shelter, the Śiva-jvara began to address Lord Kṛṣṇa, glorifying Him and asking for mercy. Lord Kṛṣṇa was pleased with the Śiva-jvara, and after the Lord had promised him freedom from fear, the Śiva-jvara bowed down to Him and departed.

Next Bāṇāsura returned and attacked Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa again, wielding all kinds of weapons in his thousand hands. But Lord Kṛṣṇa took His Sudarśana disc and began cutting off all the demon's arms Lord Śiva approached Kṛṣṇa to pray for Bāṇāsura's life, and when the Lord agreed to spare him, He spoke as follows to Śiva: "Bāṇāsura does not deserve to die, since he was born in the family of Prahlāda Mahārāja. I have severed all but four of Bāṇa's arms just to destroy his false pride, and I have annihilated his army because they were a burden to the earth. Henceforward he will be free from old age and death, and remaining fearless in all circumstances, he will be one of your principal attendants."

Assured he had nothing to fear, Bāṇāsura then offered his obeisances to Lord Kṛṣṇa and had Ūṣā and Aniruddha seated on their wedding chariot and brought before the Lord. Kṛṣṇa then set off for Dvārakā with Aniruddha and His bride leading the procession. When the newlyweds arrived at the Lord's capital, they were honored by the citizens, the Lord's relatives and the brāhmaṇas.

I'm surprised to hear the above story that Lord Krishna and Lord Shiva had a fight and Karthikeya was defeated.
Sudhaamaji, Is that the original version and interpretation?
Why should Lord SHiva fight against Lord Krishna for an asura(even though his devotee).He did not fight for Ravana who was also his greatest devotee.Infact ,Lord Rama built the temple in Rameshwaram and installed the lingam there.
I read because he killed a Shiva devotee , rama installed the lingam to propiate Shiva.

Jarasandha was also a devotee of Lord Shiva and Krishna left Mathura and founded Dwaraka because of jarasandha's continuous nuisance.Seems Krishna will challenge Jarasandha to a fight.Jarasandha will be very very enraged and he'll come to the battlefield full of anger.But,Krishna will run away from the battlefield(tactical retreat).

Krishna kept on doing this till Jarasandha became weak because of his anger.Moral of this is not to get angry at anyone or anything as anger will ultimately lead to your destruction.