Ramanisblog

Tag: Treta Yuga

  • Lesser Known Facts Of The Mahabharata

    Lord Ganesh writes the Mahabharata.
    Lord Ganesh writes the Mahabharata.

    Some basic information and lesser known facts of The Mahabharata.

    1.The Mahabharata was written by Sri Krishna Dwaipayaana, popularly know as Veda Vyasa.

    Vyasa is the name given to Krishna Dwaipayayana after he compiled The Vedas.

    The term means one who compose excellently.

    Vyasa is considered to be an Avatar of Vishnu.

    Vyasa is the Great Grand son on of sage Vasista, who fixed the auspicious date for Lord Rama‘s Coronation and who was instrumental in making Kausika as Viswamitra who gave the world the Gayathri mantra.

    * Ramayana is reported to have happened in the Treta Yuga while the Mahabharata was in Dwapara Yuga.

    Please read my posts on Time, a Non Linear Theory filed under Astrophysics to know more about Indian view of Time

    Vyasa is the Grandson of Sakti and son of Parasara.

    Vyaya is the father of Suka Mahrishi and the father of Dhrutarastra, Pandu and Vidura.

    ‘Vyasam Vasishta Napthaaram Sakthe Pouthre kalmasham.

    Parasarthmajam Vande Sukadhaaatham Thaponidhim-Vishnu Sahasranama.

    2.Vyasa did not write or imagine it,.

    He dictated it to Lord Ganesh as it is being revealed to him by the Grace of Lord Brahma.

    There is an interesting anecdote on this(Adi Parva, Anugramani Parva)

    Vyasa , on being revealed the Mahabharata was aghast at the sheer numbers and incidents he had to narrate.

    He prayed Lord Ganesh and requested Him to write as  he dictates.

    Lord Ganesh agreed on the condition that Vyasa should never pause while dictating.

    Vyasa made a counter condition that Ganapahy must not write any thing without understanding the full import of what Vyasa dictates.

    Ganesh agreed.

    Such was the erudition of Vysa and the content of the Mahabharata ,Ganapati had to pause at places to understand the meaning and in the interregnum Vyasa had time to compose further mentally!

    If the Mahabharata is a lie or imagination, it is not humanly possible to lie consistently in 100, 000 slokas.

    That too you have at least five instances of the narration of the entire Mahabharata in the first Parva,Adi Parva  itself when the story of Mahabharata has not begun.

    Ask any writer, he will tell you how tough it is .

    And the Mahabharata  has innumerable  sub-stories, which are individually authenticated elsewhere, other than the Mahabharata.

    Time is considered Cyclic by the Hindus.

    Put it simply the Mahabharata has happened before, in happening, and shall happen in future.

    Hence one will find the references in the Mahabharata  sub-stories , which were reported to have happened before the reference to the Mahabharata itself.

    A separate post on this follows.

    3. Vyasa wrote two versions, one is the Bharata Charitra and another is The Mahabharata which is popular.

    4.Vyasa wrote The Mahabharata with sub-stoiries in 100, 000 slokas for Mankind,

    He also wrote it in 24, 000 slokas without the substories.

    He wrote again  in a compact form containing 150  slokas,

    This is called the Anugramanigathya and is in the First Parva.

    4.Vyasa released further editions of the Mahabharata.

    One for the Deva Loka with 300000 slokas.

    Another for Pithr Loka with 150000.

    With 1400000  for the Rakshasas and Yakshas and 100,00 for humanity,.

    5.The term Bharata means the narration of the Dynasty of Bharata.

    Maha means huge, big, heavy.

    The Mahabharata was weighed on a scale against the Vedas.

    The scale containing the Bharata was down and heavy.

    Therefore the Bharata is called the Mahabharata.

    It is also called the fifth Veda as it contains the practical application of the Truth of the Vedas and expands the concepts of the Vedas.

    6. Mahabharta  contains 18 Parvas or mega Chapters.

    These chapters contain many chapters as well.

    For more read the original.

    More posts to follow.

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  • Caste Origin Genome Study Misleading Mischievous

    Indian tradition states that the intermingling of people from the North and South, separated by the Vindhya Mountains , started taking place during the time when Sage Viswamitra lived.

    Sage Viswamitra banished his 56 children to the ‘Dravida‘ ,meaning South of Vindhya Mountains, as they disobeyed him.

    They moved to the South, found a culturally rich civilization , married integrated the Veda and Dravidian Customs and formed the Agamas.

    Sage Apasthamba  compiled the Vedas for those living south of the Vindhyas , comprising the best of both the Cultures and gave the Apasthamba Sutra,.

    This is practiced in the South even today.

    Recent studies date this period around 4000 years earlier from now.

    This roughly corresponds to the beginning of Kali Yuga of Indian calendar.

    ( According to the Surya Siddhanta, Kali Yuga began at midnight (00:00) on 18 February 3102 BCE in the proleptic Julian calendar, or 14 January 3102 BC)

    But the system of caste has been in existence much before the intermingling of people between the South and the North, in the North and South,

    Though the names are different , there were marriages between different groups in the south or the Dravida area as well.

    People were classified on the basis of the basis of their geographical location in the South.

    The Tamil Literature assigns names ,

    Kuringi, Hilly Terrain.

    Mullai.Forest areas.

    Marutham, Arable land mass.

    Neydal, Area around the Sea and

    Palai, the Desrt area.

    The characteristics and specific issues are elaborated in the Tholkappiyam Agathiyam, the ancient works in Tamil.

    Each area had its own God’s,Profession and social Mores.

    Cowherds lived in Mullai,farmers in Marutham, Hunters in Kurinji,Fishermen in Neyadal and Kallars in Palai.

    There were injunctions against marrying from different geographical group.

    So the Caste system is not because of the mingling from the North.

    The Study at best conveys the fact that people from the North started mingling with each other , that’s all.

    This does not mean that Caste has been imported to South from the North.

    This confusion or deliberate misinformation is because of the Myth of Aryan Invasion of the South.

    Please read my posts on Aryan Invasion Myths and On Viswamitra.

    The name Viswamitra appears in all the Four Yugas, or the Time Scale of the Hindus,

    it is difficult to assign a time for him.

    And Viswamitra  is a  Nom de plume, meaning ‘friend of the Universe ‘.

    The name of the Viswamitra as it appears in the Ramayana, which took place in the Treta Yuga, is Kausika.

    And the Viswamitra of Dwapara Yuga can not be same as the Yugas are separated by thousands of Years.

    Unless people were living for very long period of time, which, in my opinion, is possible.

    More important is the concept of Time in Hinduism.

    Migration of Humans.English: Hypothesized map of human migration based on mitochondrial DNA. Español: Mapamundi de las principales migraciones humanas prehistóricas. Zonas de predominio de los macrohaplogrupos de ADN mitocondrial. Antigüedad de las rutas migratorias. Italiano: Mappa delle antiche migrazioni ricavate dall'analisi del DNA mitocondriale. Français : Carte de la migration humaine selon des études ADN mitochondrial.
    Human Migration.

    Read my post on Time.

    There is another anomaly in the study.

    It says the intermingling of the North and South stopped about 2000 years ago.

    Are there not marriages today between the people of the north and the South?

    Some more doubts on Viswamitra,

    “I had some confusion about Sage Vishwamitra. We hear
    about Sage Vishwamitra in many places:

    [1] Much before the Lord Rama came down to the earth.
    (Vishwamitra was the one who build the heaven for the
    ancestor of Lord Rama, Satyavrata, later called as
    Trishanku).

    [2] Then Vishwamitra went into penance with an enimity
    with Sage Vasista. Thats when Gayathri mantra was
    given to us.

    [3] During the penance Menaka comes down and from them
    is born the Bharatha dynasty king – Dushyant. So does
    that mean while Lord Rama’s dynasty (SuryaVamsa) were
    ruling in Treta Yuga, the seed for the Bharatha’s
    dynasty (ChandraVamsa) was sown and set to begin in
    Dwapara Yuga? in which Yugas did the Chandra Vamsa and
    Surya Vamsa dynasties gain importance?…

    I cannot provide you with a religious/spiritual answer, but as far as chronology
    is concerned – here is my answer:

    If you please refer to my ‘Royal Chronology of India’ at
    (http://www.newdharma.org/India_Chron.zip) you’ll see the name Vishvamitra come
    up many times (as you will also see with Vasishtha) because these are not one
    person. They represent an incredible lineage of Rsis going back thousands of
    years. These priests have been mentioned in our scriptures by their family
    names (“last names”) and on a few occassions their first names are also
    mentioned.

    ”

    Analysis of mtDNA Suggests a Proto-Asian Origin of Indians

    MtDNA HVR1 genetic distances between caste populations and Africans, Asians, and Europeans are significantly different from zero (p < 0.001) and reveal that, regardless of rank, each caste group is most closely related to Asians and is most dissimilar from Africans (Table ​(Table1).1). The genetic distances from major continental populations (e.g., Europeans) differ among the three caste groups, and the comparison reveals an intriguing pattern. As one moves from lower to upper castes, the distance from Asians becomes progressively larger. The distance between Europeans and lower castes is larger than the distance between Europeans and upper castes, but the distance between Europeans and middle castes is smaller than the upper caste-European distance. These trends are the same whether the Kshatriya and Vysya are included in the upper castes, the middle castes, or excluded from the analysis. This may be owing, in part, to the small sample size (n = 10) of each of these castes. Among the upper castes the genetic distance between Brahmins and Europeans (0.10) is smaller than that between either the Kshatriya and Europeans (0.12) or the Vysya and Europeans (0.16). Assuming that contemporary Europeans reflect West Eurasian affinities, these data indicate that the amount of West Eurasian admixture with Indian populations may have been proportionate to caste rank.”

    “India’s caste system, says a new genetic study, began about 2,000 years ago. The study adds that people from different genetic populations — from the North and the South — began to mix with each other about 4,200 years ago but that the mixing stopped about 2,000 years ago.

    The study was carried out by Harvard Medical School and the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in Hyderabad. David Reich, a professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School, said that the caste system in India has been around for a long time, but that it had certainly not begun right at the very beginning.

    Source:

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC311057/

    http://www.indiadivine.org/audarya/sri-vaishnava-forum/183337-q-confusion-about-sage-vishwamitra.html

    http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/Study-reveals-origin-of-Indias-caste-system/articleshow/21754499.cms

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  • Akshaya Tritiya-Nothing to do with Gold/Platinum.

    Akshaya Tritiya falls on 13 Ma 2013.

    I repeat, do not waste money by buying Gold or Platinum.

    Goddess Mahalkshmi
    Akshya Tritiya,Goddess Lakshmi.

    Akshya Tridiya is meant for performing Tharpana for ancestors and for charity.

    Deva Yagnam,Pitru Yagyam,Manusha Yagnam,Boo Yagna are some of the regular Yagnas to be performed by every body.

    Deva Yagna is thanks giving to Divine beings,Pitru for Ancestors, Manusha for Fellow humans and Boo Yagna for all other Living Beings.

    Deva Yagna is by Brahma Yagna,Pitru by Tharpana/Srardha,Manusha Yagna by helping others,and Boo Yagna by feeding the other living beings.

    These are to be performed every day.

    Of this,Akshaya Tridhiyai comes under Pitru Yagna.

    On this day one is expected to perform harpana for Pitrus and engage in feeding the poor.

    Nothing about Gold or Platinum purchase at all. 

    Pity how people are misguided on a Sacred Ritual.

    This is akin to Greeting Christians on Good Friday.

    Read the following from The Times of India dtd 24 April 2012.

    Vishnu sur Garuda (Thommanon, Angkor)
    Vishnu sur Garuda (Thommanon, Angkor) (Photo credit: dalbera)

    Akshaya means never diminishing. Many things happened on this day: Draupadi was given Akshaya Patra (bowl) by Krishna which supplied unlimited food; Kubera, treasurer of gods, prayed to Lakshmi, goddess of wealth, to fill his treasury; Parashurama, the sixth incarnation of Vishnu, was born; Satya yuga ended and Treta yuga began; the Ganga descen-ded from Heaven; Ved Vyasa and Ganesha began writing the epic Maha-bharata; and Sudama, the poor friend of Krishna, came to Dwarka to ask for help. In return for a handful of beaten rice, Krishna gave immense wealth to Sudama. Gates of the Badrinarayana temple open on this day. Construction of chariots for the Jagannath rath yatra at Puri commences. Jains observe fast and break it with sugarcane juice as king-turned-monk Rishabhdeva was offered sugarcane juice after a year-long fast. So the belief is that worshipping Lakshmi-Kubera, buying gold and silver ornaments, investing money in shares and real estate, buying household things, ploughing land, writing new account books – will all bring prosperity.

    Each second of Akshaya Tritiya is auspicious. This is the time to put in our best to get eternal benefits.”

     http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/opinion/edit-page/Akshaya-Tritiya-very-auspicious/articleshow/12840098.cms

    In  what way the Purchase of Gold/any thing new is associated with Akshya Tritiya?

    Akshaya Tritiya, variously spelt as Akshya Thiritiya, Akshaya Trutheeya, Akshaya Tritiiya and also called Akshaya Trithi, falling on the third day of the bright half of the lunar month of Vaisakha of the traditional Hindu calendar, is one of the four most auspicious days of the year for Hindus. Akshaya Tritiya is also known as “Akha Teej”. The birthday of Parasurama, the sixth incarnation of Vishnu falls on this day. The ‘Dharmasindhu’ mentions this is the adi tithi of satayuga. The word Akshaya, a Sanskrit word, literally means one that never diminishes, and the day is believed to bring good luck and success. Akshaya Tritiya is observed when tritiya prevails more before the noon.

    Whoever worships lord krishna and applies chandan all over lord krishna goes to vaikuntha. Any japa, homa, pitru tarpana, or dana done that day becomes a-kshaya means he earns lots of good karma that day. In the Mahabharata, the Pandavas received the Akshaya Pathram (bowl) from Lord Krishna on this day. The Akshaya Pathram provided unlimited food for the Pandavas during their exile. Due to this reason, people believe that anything that is acquired on this day will be replenished. This day is specially important as on this day any thing you donate is akshaya or never ending. Therefore people conduct special puja for Goddess Lakshmi and buy new gold and silver ornaments and invest money in shares and real estate. This festival is widely celebrated in all parts of India by different sections of the society irrespective of their religious faith and social grouping.

    http://www.mypanchang.com/akshaya-tritiya.php

    Akshaya Tritiya, also known as Akha Teej is a Hindu and Jain[citation needed] holy day, that falls on the third Tithi (Lunar day) of Bright Half (Shukla Paksha) of Hindi month of Vaishakha.

    Jainism is one of the oldest known religion of world. Rishabhadeva alias Adinath is the first Tirthankara of the Jain. The Day of Akshay Tratiya is worshipped and said auspicious in Jainism because –

    Tirthankara Rshabhdeva was king of Ayodhya. He being enlightened gave up all earthly pleasures and chose to lead the life of an ascetic and become a Jain monk. Jain monks do not possess anything,not even food. They do not even cook food for themselves. While hungry or thirsty, they go to people and ask for food or drinking water. Tirthankara Rshabhdeva also went to people and asked food. However, the people of that time did not know anything about the acts of monks, as he was the first monk in this era. People of Ayodhya offered gold, jewellery, gemstones, elephants, horses, expensive garments and even their daughters to honour their beloved king. Rshabhdeva was not in quest of all these. He wanted only 36 morsel of food,and that no body offered him. No body at that time could guess that their king was asking for food. As there was no choice, he had to fast for long time until his grand son Shreyansha kumara understood his need. Shreyansha kumara, finally, offered him sugar cane juice and Rshabhdeva broke his fast with that juice after 1 year. The incident happened on the day of Akshaya Tritiya. This is considered by the Jains as one of the best offerings. It is believed that bestowing upon religious gifts on Akshaya Tritiya becomes inexhaustible. Jains, even today, observe longterm fast to commemorate their first Tirthankara Rshabhadeva and broke their fast on Akshaya Tritiya with sugar cane juice.

    As per Hindus, This day is ruled by god Vishnu, the preserver-god in the Hindu Trinity. It is also traditionally celebrated as the birth day of the Hindu sage Parashurama, the sixth Avatar (incarnation) of the god Vishnu. According to Hindu mythology, on this day the Treta Yuga began and the river Ganges, the most holy and sacred river of India, descended to the earth from the heaven.

    The word “Akshaya” means the never diminishing in Sanskrit and the day is believed to bring good luck and success. It is believed that if you do a charity on this day you will be blessed and will receive blessings many fold. Nowadays jewellers have turned the purity into a marketing gimmick. The day is particularly considered auspicious for starting new ventures. The legend states that any venture initiated on the auspicious day of Akshaya Tritiya shall continue to grow and bring prosperity. Hence, it is normal to see many of the new ventures, like starting a business, ground breaking for construction on the Akshaya Tritiya.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akshaya_Tritiya