RE: Dating of Mahabharat War -Reply

["Rajagopal.Iyer (Exchange)" <Rajagopal.Iyer@dhcmail.com>]

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The Mahabharat has been distorted beyond recognition by too many
interpreters thru many centuries.  It is hard to believe that Vyasa would
have written all the rubbish that is understood to be the Mahabharata today.
If you filter out the magic and the miracles, it is the greatest story ever
told.  
Once I read somewhere an interesting piece.  It was about the
hunting-king-ejaculation-messenger dove-hawk-fish story of Bhishma's
step-mother's birth.  Why would anybody want to invent such a ridiculous
story? Surely, Vyasa was not so foolish.  The conclusion was that it is the
work of some fanatic casteist, who was disturbed by the idea that all this
war and rivalry was caused by a king's lust for a lowly fisherwoman.
Through this story, she is given royal blood and there is nothing wrong with
a king falling head-over-heels for a princess, is there?

I haven't understood the logic behind the vanishing sun story.  People
during the times of the Mahabharat knew about eclipses and could predict
them with reasonable accuracy.  There is very little chance of this
stupidity being Vyasa's.  The story would have appeared later in history as
a result of some 'interpretation'.  

Another fact: The Bhagavad Gita was not originally part of the Mahabharata!

I have a doubt.  Is there any difference between what the Gita says and what
the Thirukkural says?   Why is Valluvar not a god, then? 
I'll stop.  I am starting to sound like a Dravida Kazhagam pamphlet.

For those who might be interested, I can provide links to good
interpretations of the Mahabharata in English and other languages, mostly
authored by Westerners (sigh!).  And I would recommend that you read MT
Vasudevan Nair's "Randamoozham"(Second Turn), if you can get hold of a
translation.  

Raj.

-----Original Message-----
From: V.S. RAWAT [mailto:WPC-VSR@PPW.ltindia.com]
Sent: Sunday, November 14, 1999 11:56 PM
To: nukkad-list@mumbai-central.com
Subject: Dating of Mahabharat War -Reply


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Dear Kailash,

I am not able to answer your exact query about the whereabouts of
some Mr Gupta, though I do wish to share what I have read.

It is written in Mahabharat,  that after jaidratha killed Arjun's son
Abhimanyu in chakravyuha, Arjun swore to kill jaidratha before the
sunset next day or to burn himself.



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