Duryodhana was the father of Lord Krishna’s son, Samba’wife Lakshmana.
Hence Duryodhana was the Sambhandhi or Beegaru of Lord Krishna.
There is no equivalent word in English to describe this relationship between Krishna and Duryodhana based on this relationship.
(Anglophiles may note that English language does not have words for many relationships as well whereas one can find suitable terms in Indian languages and dialects even for relationships that are far removed)
Samba, a son Lord Krishna through Jambavathi kidnapped Lakshmana, daughter of Duryodhana and in the ensuing battle was captured and imprisoned by the Kauravas..
Balarama, elder brother of Krishna and Guru of Duryodhana for wrestling, inteceded , had Samba released and had him married to Lakshmana, Duryodhana’s daughter.
This is narrated in The Sambapurana, an Upa Purana.
Shall write information on lesser known events from Puranas and Ithihasas.
The Greeks participated in the Kurikshetra War along with Duryodhana on the advice of Karna.
India Greece Trade Route 300 BC.
The Greeks were known as Yonas and Yavanas.
The Yavanas, Greeks were a part of those people considered as Mielchas, meaning those who strayed from the Vedic Dharma.
Thee were initially following the Sanatana Dharma.
They had caste system along the lines of Hinduism.
Many of them were considered to be Kshatriyas and Vaisyas.
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Yavanas were described to be beyond Gandhara. There was another country mentioned in the epic as Parama Yona, in the far west of Yavana. This could be the Ionia ofGreece, somehow related to Indian Ionians or Yavanas. The name Yavana could be the Sanskritized form of the name Ionia. Yavanas, Sakas, Pahlavas and Hunas were sometimes described as Mlechhas. Sometimes along with them, the Madras, Kambojas, Kekeyas, Sindhus and Gandharas were included. This name was used to indicate their cultural differences with the Vedic culture, prevailed in the Kuru-Panchala Kingdoms.
“… in the ports of southern India, where the early Tamil poems of uncertain date speak of a settlement of the Yavanas.”(1) The same author (2) does not follow the assumption that Yavanas were Roman traders, although she points out that between the first-second cent BC up to and included the third-fourth cent AD, rightly or wrongly “the term yavana denoted an Ionian Greek”.(3) On pages 83–5 she makes mention of early Indian literature where foreigners were dubbed “yavana”, and points to an Asokan inscription where a border-people is given this appellation. In central and western India, she says, Yavana “figure prominently as donors to the Buddhist Sangha”.(4)
(1) H.P.Ray, The Winds of Change, Delhi, 1994:49, 84; (2) ibid p. 52; (3) ibid p. 54; (4) ibid p. 84..
Thus the Vedic society acknowledged their extra ordinary skills, but kept them as outcasts. An account in the epic depicts Yavanas as the descendants of Turvasu, one of the cursed sons of king Yayati. Only the fifth son Puru’s line was considered to be the successors of Yayati’s throne, as he cursed the other four sons and denied them kingship. Pauravas inherited the Yayati’s original empire and stayed in the Gangatic plain who later created the Kuru and Panchala Kingdoms. They were the followers of proper Vedic culture.
Yavana was the name of one of the sons of Maharaja Yayati who was given the part of the world known as Turkey to rule. Therefore the Turks are Yavanas due to being descendants of Maharaja Yavana. The Yavanas were therefore kshatriyas, and later on, by giving up the brahminical culture, they became mleccha-yavanas. Descriptions of the Yavanas are in the Mahabharata (Adi-parva 85.34). Another prince called Turvasu was also known as Yavana, and his country was conquered by Sahadeva, one of thePandavas. The western Yavana joined with Duryodhana in the Battle of Kurukshetra under the pressure of Karna. It is also foretold that these Yavanas also would invadeIndia in the Kaliyuga . (Srimad Bhagavatam 2.4.18 [1])
It later proved to be true in 326 BC.
Among the tribes of the north and west are the Mlecchas, and the Kruras, the Yavanas, the Chinas, the Kamvojas, the Darunas, and many Mleccha tribes; the Sukritvahas, the Kulatthas, the Hunas, and the Parasikas; the Ramanas, and the Dasamalikas. These countries are, besides, the abodes of many Kshatriya, Vaisya, and Sudra tribes. Then again there are the Sudra and Abhiras, the Dardas, the Kasmiras, and the Pattis; the Khasiras; the Atreyas, the Bharadwajas etc. (6:9)
King Yayati a king of the Lunar Dynasty is mentioned to have 5 sons, all of whom became the founders of many royal dynasties.
The sons of Yadu are known by the name of the Yadavas: while those of Turvasu have come to be called the Yavanas. ..
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The word “Yona” in the Pali language, and the analogues “Yavana” in Sanskrit; “Unan” in Urdu and “Jôbon” in Bengali, are words used in the ancient Indus Valley to designate Greek speakers. “Yona” and “Yavana” are transliterations of the Greek word for “Ionians” (Homeric Greek: Iaones, Ancient Greek: *Iawones), who were probably the first Greeks to be known in the East.
The Yavanas are mentioned in the Buddhist discourse of the Middle Length Sayings, in which the Buddha mentions to the BrahmanAssalayana the existence of the Kamboja and Yavana people who have only two castes, master or slave. The direct identification of the word “Yavana” with the Greeks at such an early time (6th-5th century BCE) can be doubted.[1]
Examples of direct association of these with the Greeks include:
The mention of the “Yona king Antiochus” in the Edicts of Ashoka (280 BCE)
The mention of the “Yona king Antialcidas” in the Heliodorus pillar in Vidisha (110 BCE)
King Menander and his bodyguard of “500 Yonas” in the Milinda Panha.
The description of Greek astrology and Greek terminology in the Yavanajataka (“Sayings of the Yavanas”) (150 CE).
The mention of “Alexandria, the city of the Yonas” in the Mahavamsa, Chapter 29 (4th century CE).
In Sanskrit sources, the usage of the words “Yona”, “Yauna”, “Yonaka”, “Yavana” or “Javana” etc. appears repeatedly, and particularly in relation to the Greek kingdoms which neighbored or sometimes occupied the Punjab territories over a period of several centuries from the 4th century BC to the 1st century AD, such as the Seleucid Empire, the Greco-Bactrian kingdom and the Indo-Greek kingdom.[citation needed] The Yavanas are mentioned in detail in Sangam literature epics such as Paṭṭiṉappālai, describing their brisk trade with the Cholas in Tamilakam.
The Legend of Krishna along with Balarama, Greek Ambassador worshiping Vishnu, establishing a Stupa In India being worshiped in Greece ma by found in this site under Hinduism.
There are references in the Puranas, Hindu Texts,I would not call them figments of Imagination for most of them have been proved by Modern(?) Science to be true, about Stem Cell Birth,IVF.
Kauravas Cloned or Test Tube Babies.
‘”No woman can give birth to 100 children in her lifetime, that too all males and of the same age,” B G Matapurkar, a surgeon with the Maulana Azad Medical College in New Delhi told the conference organised by the southern chapter of the All India Biotech Association.
Matapurkar, who holds a US patent on organ regeneration technique that he developed 10 years ago, said that he was thrilled when he stumbled on a verse in Mahabharata under the chapterAdiparva that actually describes how the Kauravas were created from a single embryo from Gandhari.
He said that according to the description in Mahabharata, the Kauravas were created by splitting the single embryo into 100 parts and growing each part in a separate kund or container.
“In other words,” Matapurkar said, “they not only knew about test-tube babies and embryo spliting but also had the technology to grow human foetuses outside the body of a woman-someting that is not known to modern science,” he aded.
Sage Agasthya was born in a Vessel.
He is called Kumbha Muni, a Person born out of a Vessel.
He is also called Kuda Muni, a Vessel
Mandhata was born in a Vessel.
Blog follows on these.
One day Gandhari entertained with respectful attention the great Dwaipayana who came to her abode, exhausted with hunger and fatigue. Gratified with Gandhari’s hospitality, the Rishi gave her the boon she asked for, viz., that she should have a century of sons each equal unto her lord in strength and accomplishments. Some time after Gandhari conceived and she bore the burden in her womb for two long years without being delivered. And she was greatly afflicted at this. It was then that she heard that Kunti had brought forth a son whose splendour was like unto the morning sun. Impatient of the period of gestation which had prolonged so long, and deprived of reason by grief, she struck her womb with great violence without the knowledge of her husband. And thereupon came out of her womb, after two years’ growth, a hard mass of flesh like unto an iron ball…
Vaisampayana continued, ‘That ball of flesh then, sprinkled over with
water, became, in time, divided into a hundred and one parts, each about the size of the thumb. These were then put into those pots full of clarified butter that had been placed at a concealed spot and were watched with care. The illustrious Vyasa then said unto the daughter of Suvala that she should open the covers of the pots after full two years. And having said this and made these arrangements, the wise Dwaipayana went to the Himavat mountains for devoting himself to asceticism.
“Then in time, king Duryodhana was born from among those pieces of the ball of flesh that had been deposited in those pots.
Vyasa carefully ‘loaded ‘ them into small pots or modern day test tubes, preserved/safely held in place by closing them with a piece of cloth and they were carefully attended to by some trained parichaarakas symbolic of ‘incubating’ these test tubes under supervision.The cells from broken pieces of foetus because of totipotential nature of embryonic cells could be ‘cultured ‘ into compete human forms.Even Dronacharya was ‘KUMBHASAMBHAVA’, from a pot and signifies earlier test tube technology of a single sperm and ovum.
I often tell my friends and children that living for long time is painful.
Ashwatthama use Narayanastra.
For , beyond a certain age, say after 50 years , everything that happens is Life to an individual, is ‘Action Replay’
One would have seen and gone through nearly all aspects of Life.
And there are no surprises .
To live through the same thing in Life, is monotonous.
One more factor is that even if one wants to take leave of this world, it is not in one’ hands.
I have observed that it is those who have a zest for Life and want to live more, die suddenly .
On the other hand those who feel that they have served their time seem to live and linger on.
It is painful if one falls ill and depends on others for discharging daily functions.
Imagine remaining Immortal!
Nothing can be more painful than this.
And if you were to be cursed to be alone and wander alone..!
This has happened to Aswathama, son of Dronacharya.
Aswathama was agreat warrior.
During the Mahabharat War, Drona was killed by Dhristathyumna against whom Drona vowed not to bear arms.
Aswathama could not come to terms with it.
As the war drew a to a close, Duryodhana was also killed by Bhima by dubious means, of hitting Duryodhana below the waist in a mace fight.
Duryodhana lay dying a mountain stream.
Aswatahama, angered at this, used an Astra and had all the children of Pandavas killed, save Parikshit who was saved by Krishna.
Duryodhana abused Aswatahama informing him that Children had nothing to do with war and anyway the children of the Panadavas were as much his own,that Aswathama wiped out his own clan by killing these children.
And he died.
Aswathama became more agitated.
He came to the war field and sent in Narayanstra.
There are three powerful Astras.
Brahmastra, Pasupatastra and Narayanstra.
Naranaystra is the most powerful and to my knowledge this is the only instance where it was used.
This astra would wipe out every thing in the universe nd there is no stopping it.
At the time of Aswataham sending down this Astra Narada and Vyasa, who were present in the battle field warned not to use Narayanastra.
Despite this warning Aswathama sent the Astra.
It started destroying everything in its wake , starting from the Heavens.
Arjuna was speechless.
Krishna advised every one that the only way to stop the astra is to lay down Arms and prostate before it.
Everyone did so.
The Astra did not hurt any one and came back to Aswathama asking him to assign a Target, failing which it would kill him.
Aswathama could not retract the Astra as he did not know how to retract it, knew only to send it.
Krishna asked Arjuna to take the Astra and aim it.
Arjuna told Krishna that he knew nothing about Narayanastra.
Narada told him,
Krishna tells you, do it’
Astra has to have a Target,
Either it is your life or the Emerald in Your Head. (This emerald is precious and ensures success)
Aswathama assigns the Emerald as the target.
Arjuna takes it.
Then Vyasa and Narada cursed Aswathama,
You shall remain a Chiranjeevi, Immortal through out the Time Cycle.
You shall remain till the end of Prakrutha Pralaya.
And you shall wander the forests, friendless.
A lesson in both how killing children is the greatest t sin and how half baked knowledge is dangerous.
Hoe Rajapakshe heard this story before killing children in Lanka.
While addressing his troops, preparing them to fight the Epic Battle of the Mahabharata,Duryodhana asks them to protect Bhishma, the Grand Sire, at all costs.
Bhishma.
Bhishma is warrior par excellence who challenged even the mighty Parasurama, an Avatar of Lord Vishnu and the duel ended in a stalemate.
Read my post filed under Hinduism.
Why such a great warrior has to be protected by the troops?
Bhishmacharya vowed not to bear arms against women.
Draupada, being issueless ,prayed Lord Shiva and He granted that Draupada will beget a Girl and later turn into a Boy.
Sikandi was born a Girl, but Dhrupad hid the fact, brought her up as a Man and let it be known that it was a Boy.
The Girl was married off to Hiranyavarma’s daughter.
Hiranyavarma’s daughter came to know that her husband was not a man but a woman.
Humiliated , Sikandi entered the forest with the intention of committing suicide.
There Yaksha,Sthoonakarna , gave Sikandi hid manliness, made him a man for a temporary period.
Sikandi returned Home and made his wife happy .
Meanwhile,Sthoonakarna was cursed to remain as a Girl by Kubera, Lord of Wealth.
Thus Sikandi came to remain as a Man.
Bhishma knew the History of Sikandi , and vowed that he could not bear arms against him as he born a Girl.
This is the reason why Duryodhana wanted Bhishma to be protected by his troops in the sense that Sikandi was to be prevented from nearing Bhishma.(The Bhgagavad Gita 1/10)
Lord Krishna ensured that Sikandi was pitted directly against Bhishma and Arjuna killed Bhishma.
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