Names, Places, Events, Things: Ruminations and Essays on Hindu Mythology

When one reads Mahabharata in its current form, it is always made amply clear that the Mahanayak - the supreme hero - of this epic is Lord Krishna . Although Krishna appears on the scene much later after the feud has happened, he is almost always at the center of the story - and as Krishna is the supreme hero, so is his greatest devotee and friend Partha Arjuna . So much so that Arjuna is considered to be the incarnation of Nara, the supreme Man, and Krisha is considered Narayana - the Supreme God (Vishnu). Arjuna kills all the Maharathis (generals if you please) in the war --- Bhishma, Drona, Karna --- except the Kaurava brothers. The Kauravas --- all 100 of them, including Dussasana and the eldest Duryodhana --- are all killed single-handedly by - and this is where we come to the second greatest character - Bhima .  Bhima is known for his prowess with his favorite weapon the mace (gada, in Sanskrit), just as Arjun is known for his archery. Bhima is as much responsi...

8. Kripacharya - Also often called Kripa , was the chief priest at the court of Hastinapura, in the Mahabharata. He comes from the lineage of Rishi Gautam . Gautam had a son called Sharadvan – who was supposedly born with arrows. He was great archer and attained the art of all types of warfare. He bore twins – a boy and a girl – from an Apsara called Janapadi . The twins were found by King Shantanu , of Hastinapura, who brought them to the city and called them Kripa and Kripi .  Kripa went on to become the high priest of Hastinapura, and also the early teacher of the 100 Kauravas and 5 Pandavas. Kripi married Drona , and gave birth to Ashwatthama . So Kripa was also guru and maternal uncle of Ashwatthama. Kripacharya was an extraordinary teacher. To him, all pupils were equal. A guru like Drona favoured Arjuna and sacrificed an equally if not more promising student - he asked Ekalavya for his right thumb. Kripa, on the other hand, upheld the highest standards expect...

7. Vyasa (Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa) – Vyasa is a central and much revered figure in Hinduism. He is also sometimes called Veda Vyasa – the one who compiled the Vedas.  According to the Mahabharata, he was the son of Satyavati , a ferryman's daughter, and the wandering sage Parashara . This was before Satyavati’s marriage to Shantanu and before Devavrata became Bhishma . (See here ) Vyasa was born on an island in the river Yamuna. This is said to be near Kalpi in Jalaun district in Uttar Pradesh. He was dark in colour and hence may be called by the name Krishna कृष्णा (black), and also the name Dwaipayana द्वैपायाना , meaning 'island-born' (Dweep = island) Hindus traditionally hold that Vyasa categorised the primordial single Veda into four. Hence he was called Veda Vyasa , or "Splitter of the Vedas," the splitting being a feat that allowed people to understand the divine knowledge of the Veda. The word ‘vyasa’ means ‘analyze’ . Vyasa is traditionally kn...

6. Markandeya – Markandeya is an ancient rishi (sage) from the Hindu tradition, born in the clan of Brigu Rishi . He is celebrated as a devotee of both Shiva and Vishnu and is mentioned in a number of stories from the Puranas. He is known to be of great mental prowess and an exemplary narrator of stories (Markandeya Purana). His mention also appears in Mahabharata, where he meets the exiled Pandavas in forest and reduces their burden by telling them stories of earlier kings and gods and demons. One legend relates the story of how Shiva protected Markandeya from the clutches of death (Yama) and how he became a Chiranjeevi: It is said that Sage Mrikandu and his wife Marudmati worshipped Shiva and sought from him the boon of begetting a son. As a result they were given the choice of either a gifted son, but with a short life on earth or a child of low intelligence but with a long life. Mrikandu chose the former, and was blessed with Markandeya , an exemplary son, destined to die at ...

1. Ashwatthama - Ashwatthama is the son of Drona, the teacher of Kauravas and Pandavas. He was named Ashwatthwama because as soon as he was born he started neighing like a horse, and "Ashwa" means horse. Ashwatthama fights along side his father for Duryodhana in the Great War. He has committed 3 sins in the course of time: Murder of a child by unfair means: Ashwatthama is one of the six maharathis (great warriors) who killed Abhimanyu, a single child in an unfair and heinous fight. Six great warriors surround one boy, attack from all sides, and keep hammering him even after he loses his weapons and becomes defenseless. (Karna attacks him from behind and breaks his bow – apparently Karna’s most shameful crime in the epic). Participating in this murderous act is Ashwatthama’s first sin. Genocide -- Killing of innocent people in their sleep: On the 18th day of the Great War, after Duryodhana is defeated by Bhima in a single combat and when he is laying in his own blood, ...

Invoking Lord Ganesh ----------------------------------- It is said that Janamejaya जनमेजय - the son of Parikshit (Arjun's grandson and son of Abhimanyu - Uttara) asked Vaishampayan, the disciple of the great sage Vyasa to narrate to him the story of Pandava's win over Duryodhana - which Vyasa had simply called 'Jay' but which later became more popular by the name 'Mahabharata' । Now, originally, when he decided to compose it, the sage Vyasa was faced with a practical difficulty. The thoughts came to his mind so fast that he could not put them on paper (papyrus, for purists) in time and in a structure. He needed someone to help him in this task. So he prayed to Lord Ganesh गणेश, the god of wisdom. As he was invoked, Ganesh appeared before Vyasa. When he told Ganesh his predicament and asked for help, Ganesh said that he will be Vyasa's scribe and take down the story. (As Neeraj - a colleague mentions - this is indeed where 'Outsourcing' as a ...