PANDU AND DRITARASHTRA SYMBOLISM

     In the story of Mahabharat there are subplots and then there are characters that we have heard many times and some that are mentioned in Geeta , but we have never heard of them . This becomes confusing . There is symbolism in Mahabharata and and it is present at many a times. Sometimes that may be masked and sometimes people have added stories that can be explained . 

We all know the PANDU and the DRITARASHTRA. When the Ved Vyas was asked to get a heir for the dynasty. Bhishma had kidnapped ABALIKA nd AMBIKA. Vyas went to see AMBIKA and she closed her eyes and so she had a son who was blind  and that was named DRITARASHTRA . The other wife , AMBALIKA saw Vyas and became white with fear and had a son and was named PANDU. At one time they had a maid and Vyas had a son with her and that was called VIDOOR . This is the story that we are told. 

   This is very difficult to interpret. Firstly we cannot explain Bhishma kidnapping 2 girls against their wish, secondly Vyas - the great Rhrishi having kids through them and on top of that the kids are born with some defects. As is explained, this was the concept at that time that if the king /prince cannot have children then his elder brother can do it and Vyas was elder half brother.so he could do the job.

   When one looks at the whole picture, we know that there must be some symbolism. The Pandoo represents the Intellect and the  Dritarashtra represents mind . Our Mind is in a way BLIND like the King Dritarastra, while the Intellect is pure like color white. Le us take an example. We are at a party and we are hungry.. The food is displayed but the host has not started the dinner . Our Mind says - no one is looking , grab something and eat , But our intellect tells us that that is not a right thing to do. So the Intellect analyses the situation  and gives UN EMOTIONAL opinion and so that is PURE and not tented by emotions . The Mind on the other hand acts on impulse and doe snot take in to account the consequences of the action . It may be a matter of saying something when we have an argument or it may be acting on desires  and so in a way it is BLIND. 

   When we thinks of 100 children called KAURAVS, we know that they are all BAD. They represent 100 bad habits of our 10 INDRIYAS namely 5 organs of perception and 5 organs of action.

 We will talk about that and Pandavas next time.

DRONA AND DRUPADA SYMBOLISM

   In the Mahabharat story, there is an incidence. Drona was poor and did not have good food to eat. He used to be friends with Drupada, who became the King of PANCHAL So, Drona decided to go to Drupada and ask him for favors , help. The king was not very happy and he scorned Drona . So dejected Drona went home feeling insulted and ask Pandawas for help. The Arjun went and had fight with Drupada and the King lost and so was arrested in battle and was brought to Drona. Drona took away his norther part of kingdom and allowed him to retain southern part of the kingdom. The king Drupada was not very happy with this defeat in the battle and so did penance. He was rewarded with a son, who had the courage and ability to defeat Drina. His name was DRUSTADYUMNA .He came out of sacrificial fire. He fought from Pandawa's side in the battle and he killed DRONA.

  It is difficult to make anything out of this story if there is no symbolism . But then when you realize that Drona represents 'past life impression', then it can be explained . Our past life impression are mixed -good and bad . And they do shape our behavior in present life . So they will affect our ability to meditate or do things right and also make us indulge in bad habits and behavior. The Drupada is the devotee who wants to mediate and his past lives SAUNSKARA or impressions come to him and they disturb him . He the devotee tries to shun and they come with extra help and then the devotee  loses the war. If one has tried to mediate , he will realize that we try to wake up early and then do mediation , try to avoid going to parties late at night and not drink alcohol or indulge in spicy food etc. . But then one day we succumb and come home late  and then cannot wake up early or concentrate . But if we have done enough practice, we may still have control over LOWER CENTERS ,namely procreation excretion and hunger etc. . But we do not have control over higher centers . The Lower centers are the SOUTHEREN PART OF OUR BODILY KINGDOM and Northern part is higher centers.

  Now that makes sense , Drona the previous life impressions are disturbing and we shun them but then at one tome we lose and give up to bad habits and impressions and then we have a ste back and then with determination we are successful and that gives us a tool- a son who defeats the bad impressions.

GANGA AND ASHWATTHAMA

   I just want to add to the understanding of Ganga and also talk little bit on Ashwatthama. As I had mentioned in the last Blog , the Ganga is universal consciousness and the Shantanu is the PARABRAHMA. The Ganga is also considered as MAHA PRAKRUTI or Holy Ghost of the CHRISTANITY . We can also call it the CHAITANYA. We Hindus have a custom of cremation of the body after the death. We then throw the ashes in Ganga river. And if not we use other rivers that are considered sacred .The consciousness pervades  everything. One could look at it in a little different way. The Universe CAME OUT OF the MAHAPRAKRUTI and so there is nothing OUTSIDE od MAHAPRAKRUTI . So everything must have same origin . The example that is given in scriptures is that of a spider and the web that it weaves . The spider weaves web out of secretions that come out of the spider . The same way the universe comes out  Ishwar or the God  and so everything has the Ishwar. When we die, we want OUR consciousness or Chaitanya to be one with the Universal consciousness and not be LIMITED by the ASTRAL or SUKSHMA body -SHARIR and CAUSAL body or KARAN SHARIR. We achieve NIRVANA or MUKTI when we have no separate existence from the ultimate CONSCIOUSNESS. So we spread the ashes to Ganga  and the Ganga symbolizes with universal consciousness 

   The Ashwatthama is son of DRNA and as I mentioned in past blog , the Drona represents our past life SAUNSKARAS or impressions stored in abstract forms .There are many - many lives  may be thousands or millions of lives . So the stores  Saunskaras or impressions are limitless and so ordinary person can not 'exhaust' the desires. We continue to do Karma and then we accumulate more effects and that becomes endless. So the effects of SAUSKARAS are IMMORTAL or AMAR ,have no death. Ashwatthama is the son of DRONA and if DRONA is the Saunskaras ,then the the son of Saunskaras has to be immortal. .So he is immortal. 

We will try to talk about Pandawas and DAUPADI next time. 

GANGA AND SHANTANU AND SATYAVATI SYMBOLISM -MAHABHARAT

    I talked about the symbolism in Mahabharat related to Dronachary . But now we go the beginning of the story and see if there is some symbolism. Shantanu the king falls in love with Ganga  and wants to marry and she has a condition that he will never ask him as to what she does with her children and then she has children, she drowns them Last  one is saved as Shantanu asks her as to why she is doing this . Then Shantanu wans to marry fisherman's daughter and she does not want to marry as her children will not be the King as Shantanu had his own son from Ganga  and traditionally he would the king. Th son named BHISHMA  promises that he will never become king . But the Satyavati is worried about his children  who would be the one who would become king and so Bhishma promises that he will never marry.  

    So now let is try to analyze. Shantanu is PARABRHMA - The transcendental principle of creation of the universe or the FATHER .Unchanging and reason for all forms and shapes etc. The Ganga is the CHAITANYA or CONSCIOUSNESS - also MAHA PRAKRUTI .and the Satyavati is the Primordial NATURE or the MATTER.

   GANGA is the CONSCIOUSNESS and she has 8 children and one of them is BHISHMA . The 6 children are INTELEGENCES  controlling 3 each of micro and 3 macro universes . We all know about the PHYSICAL , ASTRA. and CAUSAL bodies . Each exists in microcosm and macrocosm . So that is 6 and they are  EMERSED  IN CONSCIOUSNESS and so in that way they are gone. The 7th one is ABHAS CHAITANYA  or REFLECTED CONSCIOUSNESS , without which NOTHING CAN WORK . That is like electricity in our home - without which A/C heater . freeze, cooking range , TV etc. could not  function. The BHISHMA is UNIVERSAL EGO -the self awareness of the universe. 

   The SATYAVATI is PRIMORDEAL MATTER and she has 3 children , one is VYAS and 2 others are CHITHRANGADA AND VICHITRAVIRYA 

   I will write about them and Pandu and Dritarashtra and Pandavas in my next blog. . 

   

 

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MAHABHARAT AND SYMBOLISM

   Now a days we all consider ourselves as intellectual. In past we did not question everything, as there was some faith and some trust  and sometimes we were told that 'that is the way it is'. So I often get questions about the characters in Mahabharat. I have written about it in past and many have written about it too. Everyone has his own thought process and some explanation. Recently I saw some videos on social medias trying to explain the major characters, and so I thought of writing this blog.

   The story is very interesting and it starts with King Shantanu marrying Ganga. She had made him promise that he would never question as to what she does to her children , Then she drowns the first 7 and then 6th one is BHISHMA and when Shantanu questions her as to her behavior , she leaves him taking Bhisham with her. The king does get back  Bhishma, but then he falls in love with MASYAGANDHA -smell of fish - a fisherman's daughter and later known as SATYVATI. She gives birth to VYAS and then Vyas impregnates AMIKA AND AMBALIKA and then DRITHRASHTRA AND PANDU are born .The DRITHRASHTRA is blind  and PANDU is WHITE Drithrashtra is married to Gandhari and has 100 children known as KAURAWAS and Pandu with help of 6 different DEVAS has 6 Kids . The first one Karna is serrated and is brought up by charioteer. The rest of his kids are known as PANDAWAS. Their mother Kunti tells Arjuna to 'share ' his winning prize with his brothers and so then Draupadi becomes wife of all five brothers. 

   The problem is with many parts of the story . Bhisma kidnapping 2 young girls from their wedding, then asking Vyas to impregnate them to have kids. the Pandawas sharing Draupadi who now has 5 husbands and many other .  

  There are many ways to interpret these seemingly abnormal behavior. e.g. one lady marrying 5 brothers , Having sons from different deities etc.

  So, I will try to explain some of the characters in Mahabharat.Leyt me start with Dronachary. He was the teacher of both Pandawas and Kaurawas. He was named as DRONA as he was born out of DRONA which is bowl made of dry leaves of a tree. In India people used that and the plate made out of same leaves called PATRAWALI. He became Guru or the teacher and so the Drona changed to DRONACHARY .Rishi BHARADWAJ went a river to take a bath and saw a beautiful APSARA named KRINJI or GHRITANJI  and had spontaneous ejaculation . He stored that in a pot or Drona nd the child born is DRONA. He was married to KRIPI who was sister of KRIPACHARY .The had a son named ASHWASTHMA, who is CHIRANJIV or will never die. 

 The symbolism of Dronachary is that it represents last life SUNSKARAS or impressions. Every action we take has impression and that is stored till it is fructified Since we have many lives and so we have ton of - unending Karmas or actions, we never can exhaust the impressions . That is why Drona's son is immortal or CHIRANJIV. We have bad karmas and good karmas and so we have bad impressions and desires and lust and we have good karmas and desires . So these impressions guide us or make us do things in present life . So Dronachary as teacher was teaching KAURAWAS - WHO WERE BAD  and PANDAWS who were righteous or good. 

  We talk on other characters in next blog..  

TIME OF DEATH

    This Upanishad is about the death and what happens after death. In a way we have some scriptural references to the death and what happens after deathfic was l listening to a  highly educated physician who is well know commentator on DNYANESHWARI. The DNYANESHWARI is the the Marathi critique on Geeta . In Geeta it is stated that at the time of death if it is night time , darker part of the lunar month and Sun moving southward - DAKSHINAYAN, then the soul does not to Nirvan or Mukti. But if the sun is moving NORTHWARD and the time of the month is brighter half of Lunar month and it is day time then the soul get Mukti. North 

  The Bhishma in Mahabharat 'held the leaving of the soul' till the movement of the Sun was moving Northward. So the question is is the TIME OF DEATH is more important than what we did in out life? In today's lecture they mentioned that the DNYANESHWAR who wrote the critique or commentary on Geeta at age 14 years, did take SAMADHI. And at that time it was darker half of the lunar month and night . So where di this highly evolved soul go? The real answer lies in not taking literal meaning but understanding symbolism .

  The SUN is not the one that we see in sky. But the sun is the enlightenment or our spiritual improvement. In the physical body the upper part is NORTH an lower part is South just like in map . So if our attention is towards lower centers - procreation , excretion and hunger , then we have no chance of Mukti .The same thing is about 'the night ' or the' Day'. This reflects our thought process and so depending upon what we think what we practice and have lusts and attachments , the rebirth or path after death is decided. So when our attention is towards heart or brain ,and don't have the attachments /lust , then we have a chance of MUKTI.