Eternal India Encyclopedia

RELIGIONS

Eternal India

encyclopedia

The similarity of technique indicates its Indonesian origins. Burma too

has known the

Ramayana

since the 11th Century. Nepal has the oldest

manuscript of the epic dating back to 1075 AD.

The

Mahabharata

is known as the fifth

Veda

for in it may be found

every branch of knowledge. Into it has been woven history and legend,

mythology and folklore, fable and parable, philosophy and religion,

statecraft and the art of war, morals and romance. Compared to the

Mahabharata,

the

Ramayana

is a work of greater art. It contains many

beautiful descriptive passages which the other epic lacks.

K.R. Srinivasa Iyengar in his work

The Epic Beautiful

has summed

up its greatness in these words:

"The

Ramayana

is indubitably one of the supreme classics of

the world, one of the most ancient, and unquestionably secular in

its origin; yet it is also unique in its abiding involvement in the

cultural, social, ethical, religious and spiritual consciousness of the

people of India. Whether or not the epic is in some measure a

factual record of what had once happened - there intervening a long

period when the tribal hero became the racial exemplum, who in

turn came to be identified with an avatar of Vishnu - the exile of

Rama on the eve of his intended coronation as Heir Apparent; the

gallant if fruitless attempt of the beneficiary, Bharata, to annul the

injustice; the fight with the Titans in the forest in defence of the

Rishis and their way of life; the deceitful abduction of Sita by Ra-

vana; Rama's mutually beneficial alliance with Sugriva, the Vanara

chief; Hanuman's quest in Lanka and the finding of Sita; the war in

Lanka, the death of Ravana, Sita's fire ordeal and her reunion with

Rama and their coronation in Ayodhya; all this is closer in reality to

the popular imagination than any piece of known or recorded

history, ancient or modem. And the principal and ancillary charac-

ters - Rama and Sita, Bharata and Lakshmana, Kausalya and

Kaikeyi and Sumitra, Manthara and Surpanaka, Guha and Ha-

numan and Sugriva, Ahalya and Anasuya and Sabari, Ravana and

Vibhishana and Indrajit, Tara and Mandodari and Trijata — these

and many others are not just characters in an epic..................... but truly

apocalyptic visions of psychic institutions, tremors, surmises, ap-

prehensions and ecstasies."

The

Mahabharata

and the

Ramayana

are gripping narratives of

conflict, tragedy and travails. They are also immortal poetry. But

they are all these and more. The sages who composed the epics

were much more than heroic story tellers. In the words of Sri

Aurobindo:

"They wrote with a sense of their function as architects and

sculptors of life, creative exponents, fashioners of significant

forms of national thought and ethics and culture. A profound stress

of thought on life, a large and vital view of religion and society, a

certain strain of philosophic idea runs through these poems and the

whole ancient culture of India is embodied in them with a great

force of intellectual conception and living presentation."

RAMAYANA

The

Ramayana

is divided into seven kandas or sections, and is

about a quarter of the length of the

Mahabvharata.

Balakanda -

The boyhood of Rama.

Ayodhya Kanda -

The scenes at Ayodhya, and the banishment of

Rama by his father, king Dasaratha.

Aranya -Kanda-

Rama's life in the forest.

Kishkinda -Kanda

- Rama's life in the forest, and the abduction of

Sita by Ravana,

Sundara-Kanda

- The marvellous passage of the straits by Rama

and his allies and their arrival in Ceylon.

Yuddha-Kanda -

The war with Ravana, his defeat and death, the

recovery of Sita, the return to Ayodhya and the coronation of

Rama. (

Hanka kanda)

Uttara-Kanda

(later section) - Rama's life in Ayodhya, his banish-

ment of Sita, the birth of his two sons, his recognition of them and

of the innocence of his wife, their reunion, her death, and his

transition to heaven.

MAHABHARATA

A short epitome of the eighteen books of the Mahabharata :

Adi Parva

: 'Introductory book'. Describes the geneology of the

two families, the birth and nurture of Dhritarashtra and Pandu,

their marriages, the births of the hundred sons of the former and

the five of the latter, the enmity and rivalry between the young

princes of the two branches, and the winning of Draupadi at the

Swayam-vara.

Sabha Parva

: 'Assembly book'. The assembly of the princes at

Hastinapura, when Yudhishtira lost his kingdom and the Pan

davas had to retire into exile.

Vana Parva

: 'Forest chapter'. One of the longest books contain-

ing many episodes including the life of the Pandavas in the

Kamyaka forest, the story of the Ramayana.

Virata Parva

: 'Virata Chapter' - Adventures of the Pandavas,

while they were in the service of king Virata.

Udyoga Parva

: 'Effort book'. The preparations of both sides for

war.

Bhisma Parva

: 'Book of Bhishma'. The battles fought while

Bhishma commanded the Kaurava army.

Dhrona Parva:

'The Book of Dhrona'. Dhrona's command of the

Kauravaarmy.

Kama Parva

: 'Book of Kama'. Kama's command and his death

at the hands of Arjuna.

Salya Parva

: 'Book of Salya. Salya's Command, Duryodhana

gets wounded and three Kauravas are left alive.

10.

Sauptika Parva

: 'Nocturnal book'. The night attack of the three

surviving Kauravas on the Pandava camp.

11.

Stri Parva

: 'Book of Women'. The lamentations of Queen

Gandhari and the women over the stain.

12.

Santi Parva

: 'Book of Consolation'. A didactic discourse by

Bhisma on the morals and duties of kings.

13.

Anusasana Parva:

'Book of precepts'. Bhishma's discourses and

his death.

14.

Aswa-medhika Parva :

'Book of the Aswa - medha' Yudhishthira's

performance of the horse sacrifice.

15.

Asrama Parva

: 'Book of the hermitage'. The retirement of

Dhritarashtra, Gandhari, and Kunti to a hermitage in the woods,

and their death in a forest fire.

16.

Mausala Parva

: 'Book of the clubs'. The death of Krishna and

Balarama, the submersion of Dwaraka by the sea, mutual destruc-

tion of the Yadavas in fight with clubs (musala) of miraculous

origin.

17.

Maha-prasthanika -

Pandavas departure to the Himalayas.

18.

Swargaroha Parva

: 'Book of the ascent to heaven.’