Most of us are aware of the fact that Janamejaya was Arjuna’s Grandson and the Grandson of Abhimanyu.
He conducted the Sarpa Yaga, sacrifice of the Snakes to avenge his father Parishits’ deat at the hands of a Snake.
What makes him great is that he was the king who consolidated the Kuru Dynasty and stabilised the Bharatavarsha.
He had the Karma Kanda portion of the Vedas systematized and had them as Srauta.
These actions to be performed by an individual during the course of his life in various stages,
Brahmacharya,
Gruhastha,
Vanaprastha and
Sanyasi.
It is a different matter that these practices were carried to the extreme and they were followed more by rote than by conviction and understanding of the Gnana Kanda of the Vedas.
The message of the Vedas is that , the Ultimate Aim being the Realization of Brahman, The Reality, the performance of actions are to be a tool in the path Realization as Brahman is identified with Knowledge.
Unfortunately, the spirit was lost and the practice of performing Srauta Karmas reached a peak with the advent of Mimamsa.
And innumerable Deities were worshiped, causing confusion.
This caused a revulsion and result was the emergence of Buddha, a Brahmin of Gautama Gotra to question the existence and authenticity of the Vedas.
Buddhism ran rampantly till Shankaracharya stopped the tide and reorganised Hinduism by establishing Shan Mathas , Six Modes of Worship and streamlining the procedures.
Srauta Karmas generally relate to the Yagnyas, which are around 400.
Read my Post on this.
Śrauta (Devanagari श्रौत) traditions are conservative ritualistic traditions of the historical Vedic religion in Hinduism, based on the body of Śruti literature. They are still practiced in India today although constituting a small minority within Hinduism…
Shrauta traditions.
Rig veda: Ashvalayana (Shakala) and Sankhayana (Kausitaki)
Sama veda: Drahyayana (Kauthuma), Latyayana (Ranayaniya), Jaiminiya
Shukla Yajurveda: Katyayana (for Kanva and Madhyandina both)
Atharva Veda: Vaitana (Shaunaka and Paippalada)
The Shrauta tradition places more emphasis on the performance of rituals rather than having a set of beliefs. The practices of the Shrauta tradition mainly consist of yajnas. Theyajnas are divided into two categories, nitya-karma and kaamya karma. Nitya-karma refers to those yajnas that have to be performed daily or as per occasion. Kaamya-karmarefers to those yajnas performed with a particular purpose, such as wishing for rain, cattle, overlordship or for a son (e.g. Putrakameshti).
It may be noted that since the Srata is from Sruti, it has more authority than Smritis.
But following Sratha is to be tempered with the total understanding of the Vedas, mainly the Gnana Kanda which states that Knowledge and attainment of Liberation is the goal of Life , not mere performance of Karmas.
However Karma Yoga states that performance of actions is a tool by itself.
But as Krishna puts it performance of Karma is the renunciation of the fruits of action in the Mind, more a Sankalpa.
Contrary views welcome.
Janamejaya.
Janmejay (Sanskrit: जनमेजय) was a Kuru king who reigned during the Middle Vedic period (12th or 11th century BCE). Along with his predecessor Parikshit, he played a decisive role in the consolidation of the Kuru state, the arrangement of Vedic hymns into collections and the development of the orthodox srauta ritual, transforming the Kuru realm into the dominant political and cultural center of northern Iron Age India. He also appears as an important figure in many later legends and traditions, such as theMahabharata, where he appears as the listener of the first narration of the great epic
The proof of any ancient city or a civilization is based on the following.
Jarasandha ka Akhara, sometimes spelt Jarasandh ka Akhada, better known as Ranbhumi which literally means battle field, is located at Rajgir of Nalanda District. Legend has it that this site witnessed one of the most important battles in the Mahabharata war, between Bhim and Jarasandh. In this furious battle Jarasandha was subdued and killed by Bhim. Important archeological sites nearby are Maniyar Math and Sonbhandar Caves. image credit.http://bharatiyaculture.blogspot.in/2011_05_01_archive.htmlMahabharata proof Kadothgaja’s Remains
1.Internal References in The Epic.
2.References to it in the contemporary texts.
3.Verification of information found in the References of cities, artefacts, style of living, natural calamities recorded.
4.Later references like Edicts, Temple inscriptions, epigraphs.
1.Internal references are aplenty in the Mahabharata of other Kings, Dynasties, description of Land, Flora and Fauna.
The references made to another Great Civilization and Culture, The Tamils would be more than adequate for the other references found in The Mahabharata point to the same area occupied the personae of The Mahabharata.
The reference to the Tamil Kings Chola and Pandavas in the Swayamwar,The Kurukshetra Battle of the Mahabharata War,are corroborated in Tamil Literature.
Specific mention may be made of is the reference to Arjuna marrying the daughter of a Pandyan King in Madurai when he was on a Pilgrimage, or of Perunchotruudiyalathan, the Chera King who is recorded to have fed both the Pandava and Kaurava Armies.
Tamil Classic of the Sangam Age record that The Tamil Kings, Perunchotru Udiyan Neduncheralathan performed the Tharpan or the water Rites for the dead for those killed in the Mahabharata war .
His name is Neduncheralathan.
The term Perunchoru means Big Feast and Udiyan, one ‘who fed’alluding to the fact that he fed the Kaurava and Pandava Armies.
Please refer the History of The Tamils by P.T.Srinivasa Iyengar
Then we have innumerable references by Inscriptions epigraphs.
‘Sri Kota Venkatachalam the author of the book
“Age of Mahabharata War” gives us the details regarding the inscriptional
evidences available. He states “There are mainly four inscriptions extant are
available to us which prove conclusively that the Mahabharata war occurred in
B.C. 3138 or 36 years before Kali”.
“After Parikshit died in B.C. 3041
his son Janemejaya was crowned in. In the 29th year of his reign that is in
B.C.3013-3012 or Kali 89, in the year Plavanga on Monday the-new-moon day at the
end of Chaitra, he donated two villages to two religious institutions and the
two gift deeds were prescribed. The first inscription is found published in the
pages 333, 334 of the Indian Antiquary which clearly states that the gift of
land for the worship of Sitarama made by Emperor Janamejaya in Jayabhyudaya
Yudhistira Saka 89 means Kali 89 or B.C.(3101-81)=3012″.
The 2nd
inscription is that of a copper-plate on which a gift deed in inscribed and is
preserved to this day at the Kedara Kshetra, in the Himalayas. A similar gift of
land was made by Emperor Janamejaya for the worship of Kedaranatha
swamy.
The 3rd inscription is an inscription on the walls of a temple of
a siva in the village “Iballi” in the Dharwar district. It was carved by the
direction of king Pulakesin II in A.D.634.”
Then we have references to cities and places in The Mahabharata.
“The Mahabharata also describes three cities given to the Pandavas, the heroes of
the Mahabharata, after their exile: Paniprastha, Sonaprastha & Indraprastha,
which is Delhi’s Puranaqila. These sites have been identified and yielded
pottery & antiquities, which show a cultural consistency & dating
consistent for the Mahabharata period, again verifying statements recorded in
the Vedic literatures…
Marine archaeology has also been utilized in India off the coast of the ancient
port city of Dvaraka in Gujarat, uncovering further evidence in support of
statements in the Vedic scriptures. An entire submerged city at Dvaraka, the
ancient port city of Lord Krishna with its massive fort walls, piers, warfs and
jetty has been found in the ocean as described in the Mahabharata and other
Vedic literatures.
This sanskrit verse from the Mausala Parva 7 verse 40
of the Mahabharata, describes the disappearance of the city of Dvaraka into the
sea. “After all the
people had set out, the ocean flooded Dvaraka, which still teemed with wealth of
every kind. Whatever portion of land was passed over, the ocean immediately
flooded over with its waters..
Apart from Dvaraka, more than thirty-five sites in
North India have yielded archaeological evidence and have been identified as
ancient cities described in the Mahabharatha. Copper utensils, iron, seals, gold
& silver ornaments, terracotta discs and painted grey ware pottery have all
been found in these sites. Scientific dating of these artifacts corresponds to
the non-aryan-invasion model of Indian antiquity”
Some of the sites excavated by The Archaeological Survey of India. Visit the Link for more.
Ahichchhatra, Dt. Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh Ahichchhatra which is identified by Alexander Cunningham as Ahicchatra of ancient literature is about 11 km north of Aonla, the tehsil headquarter. This site was first excavated by Cunningham and then by K.N. Dikshit assisted by A. Gosh and others in 1940-44. They identified Nine periods of occupation called ‘strata’ starting from pre mauryan period ( pre 300 BC) up to1100 AD. Besides other things the excavation also reveled number of coins which includes caste coins from the earliest starta followed by panchala coins ( I st C. BC), Kusana coins, coins of Acyu, who is identified with Acyuta, the king who was defeated and the territory annexed by Samudragupta etc. The dates of the various stratums have been arrived based on the coin finds, viz., Stratum IX, before 300 BC; Stratum VIII, 300 to 200 BC; Stratum VII, 200 to 100 BC; Strata VI and V, 100 BC to AD 100; Stratum N, AD 100 to 350; Stratum III, AD 350 to 750; Stratum II, AD 750 to 850; and Stratum I AD 850 to 1100.
Ahicchatra was excavated again by N.R. Banerjee of the ASI in 1963-4 and 1964-5 which brought to light four cultural periods named as Period I to IVstarting from OCP. PGW followed by NBPW up to Kusana Gupta period.
The presence of PGW and NBPW in the core of the rampart indicates that it was built during Period IV. Four phases of expansion and repair of the rampart was brought to light.
Hastinapura, (29°9′; 78°3′), Dt Meerut ,Uttar Pradesh Located on the right bank of an old bed of the Ganga, known in literature and tradition as the capital of the Kauravas of the Mahabharata fame. On the bank of the Budhi Ganga, two places known as Draupadi Ghat and Kama Ghat remind one of the Mahabharata personages. Three Jaina tirthankaras, Sailtinatha, Kunthunatha and Aranatha, are believed to have been associated with Hastinapura.
Kanauj, (Kannauj, Kanoj); (27°3′; 79°59′), Dt Farrukhabad, Uttar Pradesh
The ancient city, variously known as Kanyakubja, Kanyakubja, Mahodaya, Mahodaya, Gadhirura, Gadhinagara, Kusasthala, Kausa, Kausika and Kusumapura (the last according to Hiuen Tsang), situated on the s. bank of the Bhagirathi near the confluence of the Ganga and Kali. The ASI conducted a small scale excavation at the mound known as Qila in 1955 (IAR 1955-6, p. 19); Prior to that a few stone sculptures-chaturmukha lingas, Varaha retrieving the Earth, Kalyansundara murti, standing Surya and Visvarupa standing with Sndevi and Bhudevi, all belonging to the 7th-8th centuries (Ghosh, 1953), and a later dancing Ganesha had been recovered from the neighbouring regions. Explorations in the early years of. this decade have brought to light a treasure of archaeological wealth. The pottery includes the PGW represented by the bowl and dish, Black-slipped Ware, fine as well as coarse red ware and the NBPW. Several stone sculptures have been found the prominent of them being those of Parvati, Karttikeya, Surya, Vishnu, Siva, Ganesa and some Jaina figures datable from the 4th century A.D. to the medieval times.
The place has yielded variety of terracotta figurines and plaque both human and animal are datable from the 3rd century B.C. to the 12th century A.D. notable among them are a handmade torso of the mother-goddess Gaja-Lakshmi plaque in typical Sujiga style, standing Mithuna Naigamesha figures, both male and female, Mother-and-child (ankadhatri) figurines, Dampati figurines are also made from a shallow mould etc.
Some of them show traces of red slip and one specimen bears black slip. These present diverse hair styles, the lenticular eyes have round pupils, the elongated ears are applied and the stwnpy arms and legs indicate fingers and toes by incised lines.
The other terracotta objects are animal figurines of the horse, bull, birds and rider with cap; skin rubbers spindle whorls with decorated edges; beads of areca-nut shape; and moulds of the Sunga and Gupta periods for producing human figurines. An ivory die and several bone points have also been recovered. All the terracotta figurines and other objects except the stone sculptures recall similar finds from Ahichchhtra. Period I may be dated to c. 100 B.C. on the basis of PGW, Black –slipped Wareand other pottery. Period II is characterized by the find of the NBPW and is hence dated to 600-200 B.C.
Period IV has seven Sub-Periods based on the structures built of lakhauri, some of them in lime mortar and a few also plastered with the same material. Glazed pottery and coarse red and black wares confirm that the levels belong to the late medieval times.
Mathura (27O31’’; 77°14′),Dt. Headquarters Uttar Pradesh
Situated on the Yamuna, a city with a long history as a political centre from early times till at least the early centuries of the Christian era. With the discovery in 1836 of a scupture labeled as ‘Silenus’ the rich antiquarian remains of Mathura attracted art-collectors and archaeologists. Various localities in the city and its neighbourhood were subjectede to digging from about the middle of the last century by Cunningham, Growse, Burgess, Hardinge,Fuhrer, Vogel, Radha Krishna and others..
It was only in 1954-5 that M. Venkataramayya and B. Saran of the ASI obtained a cultural sequence of the Katra mound, an extensive habitation site, ranging in date between 600 B.C. and A.D 600, according to their estimate (IAR 1954-5, p. 15): Further excavations were conducted by M.C. Joshi on behalf of the ASI at about 14 sites from 1973-4 to 1976-7 with the principal objective of examining the antiquity, growth and character of historical Mathura. As a result a sequence of the following cultural Periods has been obtained: Period I, from c. 6th to the closing decades of the 4th century B.C.; Period II, from the closing decades of the 4th century to c. 200 B.C.; Period III, from c. 200 to about the end of the 1st century B.C.;Period IV, from the beginning of the 1st to about the 3rd century; and Period V, from c. the 4th to about the close of the 6th century. Others believing in an earlier origin of the PGW, present in Period I, if Hastinapura, would ascribe an earlier date to the beginning of Period I.
Looking at More inscriptions referring to The Mahabharata can be found in Kedarnath.
King Janamejaya, the great-grandson of Arjuna, who is famous for his Sarpa Yaga, to whom the Mahabharata as recited first is reported to have gifted land to Kishkinta and Kedarnath.
“The gifts were made, as per the inscriptions, on Monday, Kali 89, in the year Plavanga,on a Monday, the New Moon day at the end of Chaitra. Kali 89 was the29th year of the reign of Janamejaya. The chronology of events recorded by sages runs like this. Krishna shed his mortal coils, 36 years after the Mahabharata war. Kaliyuga started at the moment of Krishna’s exit. That was the year 3102 BC .”….
Another gift made on the same day was to the Sitarama Temple, Kishkinta.
The inscriptions by Janamejaya found in these places refer to the Gift and confirms the existence of King Janamejaya and confirms the Mahabharata.
The inscription Text.
Janamejaya Inscription Text in ,Kishkinta.Gift to Kishkinta Inscription refer to Mahbharata
References are to be found in Java Indonesia inscriptions.
Arjuno is Javanese rendition of Arjuna, a hero in Mahabharata epic, while Welirang is Javanese word for sulfur. Mt. Penanggungan – An ancient Javanese text, the tantu panggelaran records how in times long past the holy Mt Mahameru was transported from India to Java, in order to hold the island in place. During the journey, however, the mountain began to break apart, pieces of it falling to earth to form a chain of volcanic peaks. The base became Mt Semeru, Java’s highest mountain, while the summit, Mt Pawitra, came to rest on the plains to the south of Surabaya. Mount Tambora and the city of Bhima on the island of Sumbawa. While in In a sacred pool on the slopes of Java’s Mount Penanggungan, men often bathe beside statues of Sri and Lakshmi, the consorts of Lord Vishnu. Pustakasala – also known as Kimpulan temple is a 9th to 10th century Hindu temple located in the area of Indonesia Islamic University.”
In addition one can see a lot of references in Tamil Literature, which is as old as Sanskrit.
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