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91-MBH Facts-1

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91-MBH Facts-1

Mortality of Human Beings
There are three places in Mahaabhaarat where the mortality of human being has been described--
(1) Aadi Parv, 0-Prolog/1 - Here Sanjaya counts the name of the kings, gracious and valorous, who had died before. Among them 24 are told by Naarad Jee to Srinjaya and others.
(2) Drone Parv, 49-79 Story of Srinjaya  - Here Naarad Jee consoles Yudhishthir who was grieving on the death of Abhimanyu, by telling the story of the King Srinjaya on his child's death by telling him 24 kings' stories in detail.


(1) Janamejaya made the same mistake what his father Pareekshit did. When Pareekshit heard that Takshak would bite him on the 7th day, he built a most secured mansion for himself, and in spite of knowing that Rishi's curse could not be reverted, he did this.
(2) In the same way his son Janamejaya also committed the mistake. When he was preparing for the snake sacrifice, an intelligent, professional, knowledgeable builder while laying in foundations, a Soot by caste (read "Janamejaya Starts Sarp Yagya" to know about the Soot), predicted that "the soil upon which this platform is made, indicates that this sacrifice will not be completed. A Braahman will obstruct this." Hearing this the king ordered not to let enter anybody without his permission. - he thought that he would stop that Braahman like this. The irony is that he himself allowed him to enter the place where he was performing the Yagya and not only this he bestowed him a boon too.


Similar Situations, Similar or Different Results
Dasharath shot a Shabd-vedhee arrow to kill a wild animal, shot a man Shravan Kumaar and invited his death
While Paandu shot the Shabd-vedhee arrow at a deer, shot a Rishi and invited his loss of pleasure and progeny.
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On one side Raam went to kill a golden deer on Seetaa's insistence and lost Seetaa - Raavan abducted Her
On the other side, Paandu went to kill a lion on Maadree's insistence, and lost his wife pleasure and progeny - he invited curse of the Rishi.
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On one side Rishi Kindam cursed Paandu to be childless on killing him
On the other side Rishi Shameek told his son Shringee not to curse the King Pareekshit, because cursing a king is not good as he takes care of the people.
Rishi Jamadagni also asked his son Parashuraam to go for a Praayashchit on killing the King Sahastrabaahu Arjun.
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Kuntee served Rishi Durvaasaa and received a Mantra in return which she used to beget five sons.
Satyavatee fulfilled the wish of Rishi Paraashar and begot a son Ved Vyaas
[I read this somewhere that in those days fathers used to appoint their daughters in such duties to be benefited from the guests. Satyavatee clearly says it here G-1-Beginning/5 to Bheeshm]


Curse to Own Children
Sage Uddaalak had a very dear disciple, Kaahod. He married his daughter Sujaataa to him. When Sujaataa was pregnant she used to sit in Kaahod's class. While teaching, Kaahod pronounced Ved's some verses wrongly and the unborn child had to speak that "This is not the way to recite this verse." This happened 8 times. Kaahod got angry at this and he cursed his own son - "You will be born deformed from eight places of your body." So when the child was born he was deformed from 8 places on his body and thus was named Ashtaavakra. Later he got his father back from Varun's world and became all right.
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Maharshi Kashyap Jee had 13 wives. Among them were Kadroo and Vinataa too. Once Kadroo and Vinataa put a bet, and Vinataa lost the best. She had to live in slavery of Kadroo according to the conditon of the bet. Now Kadroo had many Naag as her sons, and Vinataa had 2 sons - Garud and Arun. Garud found his mother in slavery, so he decided to free her from it. He asked her how she could be free from her sister's slavery. She said - "My sister wants Amrit." Garud Jee brought the Amrit and gave it to Kadroo and freed her from her sister's slavery. Kadroo got this Amrit to make her sons immortal, so as Amrit came
Bhavishya Puraan 1/9


Importance of Son
In MBH the merit of getting a son has been described at the highest, higher than even sacrifice and knowledge, without the son people do not get good regions after their death --
(1) The first mention we find in the story of Jaratkaaru, G-0-Prolog/10, in which Jaratkaaru's Pitri say to him that "Everything is inferior to a son, be it Tapasyaa or sacrifice."
(2) Second time we find a similar statement from Shaantanu also in G-1-Beginning/4, in which Shaantanu gives an explanation of having another son than Devavrat, and wish to marry again after Gangaa had left him alone. He says - "Sacrifices and knowledge earn the religious merits, but all of them combined are not even 1/16th part of the religious attained by a birth of a son. Indeed, in this respect, there is hardly any difference between men and the lower animals. I do not entertain a shadow of doubt that one attains to heaven in consequence of his having begotten a son. The Ved which constitute the root of the Puraan and are regarded as authoritative even by the gods, contain numerous proof of this."
(3) The third time we see Paandu restless for a son when he sees some Braahman going to other Lok. He also expresses the wish to go there, but they tell him that he could not go as he had not paid one of the three Rin (debt) which a human being should have paid - Brahm Rin, Dev Rin and Pitri Rin - he did not have a son. Read Paandu Realizes the Need of Sons


Age of People in MBH Times
According to Hindu scriptures, the normal life span of human beings is 400 years in Krit Yug (or Satya), 300 years in Tretaa Yug, 200 years in Dwaapar Yug and 100 years in Kali Yug. But on the contrary, during the Kuru Kshetra War, many of the military top brass of both Kaurav and Paandav were only less than 200 years old - Bheeshm, Drone, Kripaa.

If This Did Not Happen.....
if this did not happen in MBH, the world's scene must have been different...

(1) If Shaantanu did not agree to Gangaa's condition - whatever I do, you will never ask any question, and the day you will ask the question, I will go away after answering your question
(his 7 sons would not have been killed...)

(2) If Shaantanu did not fall for Satyavatee, and Bheeshm did not try agree with Satyavatee's father's conditions to please his father - that I leave my rights on Hastinaapur throne;  I will never marry and thus will never have any children who could claim the throne
(Bheeshm would have been the King and the kingdom would have been different)

(3) If Satyavatee had agreed Vyaas Jee to wait for one year to have children from Ambikaa and Ambaalikaa, but she was in hurry...
(and everything went wrong...)

(4) If Ambikaa did not close her eyes while meeting Vyaas Jee
(she did not have a blind son...)

(5) If Dhritraashtra had not been born blind
(he would have been the king instead of Paandu...)

(6) If Gaandhaaree had not become self-blinded..
(she could have seen the things with her own eyes and its effects should have been different...)

(7) If Paandu did not make a mistake to kill a Rishi....
(he would not go be cursed and might have children normally...)

(8) If Gaandhaaree had her children before Kuntee as she was married before Kuntee
(her son should have been older than Yudhishthir...)

(9) If Dhritraashtra had not nurtured his son Duryodhan to be the king
(Duryodhan had not developed enmity with Paandav...)

(10) If Bheem had died of the poison Duryodhan gave to him
(Bheem would not have come alive with 10,000 elephant power and he had not been a great warrior to kill Jayadrath and Keechak etc etc)

(11) If Drone had not asked Eklavya's right thumb in Guru Dakshinaa
(Was it sure that Arjun had become the best archer of the world?)

(12) If Paandav had been burnt in Baaranaavat incident...
(the whole thing would have been different...)

(13) If Draupadee did not laugh at Duryodhan's fall in the court of Indra Prasth
(Duryodhan did not develop the feeling of so much revenge...,  he had not invited Paaandav for dice game)

(14) If Shakuni did not play the dice game on behalf of Duryodhan
OR Paandav did not come back to play the second dice game and Shakuni did not win the game somehow
(Duryodhan had to go for 13 years exile...  Maybe not because Yudhishthir did not let him go like this by his nature

(15) If Duryodhan had given Paandav's kingdom peacefully back to them after completing their 13 years of exile
Or if Duryodhan had listened to as Krishn when He  went to Hastinaapur as Peace Messenger
Or if Duryodhan had given 5 villages to Paandav according to Krishn's proposal
(there was no MBH war...)

(16) If Indra had not asked for Karn's Kundal and Kavach...
OR if Karn had not been cursed by his Guru Prashuraam and a Braahman
----Karn would not have died like this

 

 

 

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Created by Sushma Gupta On 05/27/04
Contact: sushmajee@yahoo.com
Modified on 10/14/13