Table of Contents
Vaishampayan Starts Narrating the Epic
Recap: The Sin of Janamejaya
Janamejaya was devastated. He had attempted to perform a yagna, even though Vyasa had asked him not to. The yagna was abandoned and Janamejaya ended up killing a brahmin. Vyasa then came to Janamejaya and asked him to listen to the Mahabharata. That would remove the sin of the killing of the brahmin. The rishi appointed Vaishampayan to tell all assembled at the site what happens in the Mahabharata.
The Age of Parashurama and the Kshetraja Kings
Janamejaya humbly requested Rishi Vaishampayan to tell all assembled about Vyasa’s work. Taking the name of his Guru, Vaishampayan began telling all about Vyasa’s composition. This was a wonderful composition of Vyasa, listening to which destroyed all sins and one gets the fruits of all sacrifices. This is a text which had been written for all, and people from all walks of life would benefit from this.
He said, ‘Excess of anything is bad. Let me tell you about the Kshatriyas. They were on earth to protect the people. They got intoxicated with power. The protector became the oppressor. Seeing that this was going out of control, Vishnu decided to do something. He was in the lineage of Bhrigu, as the son of Jamadagni. His name was Rama, and he picked and chose an axe (Parashu) as his weapon, thus getting the name Parashurama.
He eradicated the Kshatriyas, attacking and killing twenty-one of their generations till there were no Kshatriyas left. He did not spare even the nursing infants also. With the earth free of Kshatriyas, Parashurama gave the earth to the Brahmanas and then left for mount Mahendra to spend the rest of his days in penance.
The Kshatriya women were not sure what to do. There were no men around and they needed someone to rule the kingdoms. As Parashurama had handed over the earth to the Brahmanas, seeing no option they approached them and asked for help. The Brahmanas were not sure why they had been approached; they wanted to know what help they could provide. The women said there were two options. Either the Brahmanas should come and rule the kingdom in the place of the Kshatriyas or they could help them by impregnating them, such that the women could have children. The Brahmanas could not run kingdoms, so they agreed to have children with the Kshatriya women. In this period the Brahmanas never took any undue advantage of the women. The women lived with the Brahmanas and gave birth to sons. These children became known as Kshetraja, born from brahmin fathers and kshatriya mothers.
These Kshetraja men then began ruling the earth. Having been born from Brahmans, they retained the good qualities of their fathers. They were sinless, they attained ritual and moral purity and did not perform any wrongful actions. They followed Dharma and lived a righteous life, following and obeying all laws. As the Kshetraja had been born to rule, they became great rulers. People lived healthy long lives, free of diseases. All people were dedicated to their professions. The rulers tried to expand their kingdoms and soon they had taken over the complete earth. With their power, wealth and upholding dharma, these kings began getting compared with Indra’s rule in heaven.
The Burden of Earth and the Divine Plan
In heaven, the Daityas and the Danavas had been defeated by the devas. Looking for a place to escape, they spotted the earth. It was calm and peaceful. They went there and began taking birth, not to grow spiritually but to enjoy the pleasures they could derive on earth. Some took birth as ferocious animals and some as powerful kings. They all soon became powerful. Having retained the qualities of the Danavas and Daityas, they were very strong physically. They grew hostile toward anything related to penance, chanting, sacrifice, and charity. They could not stand this, and began destroying the brahmins.
Not able to bear this, the earth approached Brahma and asked for help. With tears in her eyes, she told Brahma about her woes. She told Brahma about how she was suffering because of the demonic forces. Brahma consoled her and said, ‘Do not cry. You will get relief and will be saved. For protecting the earth, all the devas will take birth on earth, in human form. In these human forms, our main objective would be to kill the demons. Go back and wait for the birth of the devas.’
After the earth had left, Brahma called the devas and said, ‘I have told the Earth that we devas will be born to relieve her burden. We cannot do this alone and we need Narayana with us. Let us pray to Him and ask for his help.’ Then, Brahma and the devas began worshipping Narayana, their arms raised high in the air, saying, ‘O Hari, O Vishnu, the unrighteousness caused by the demonic forces is becoming unbearable for the earth. We have no one but you. Help us. Only you can deliver us from this calamity. You are the one who created the universe and the evil forces are destroying your creation.’
Hearing this, Narayana, though not visible, spoke to the Devas and said, ‘Do not worry. I will go down to earth. I will take birth and relieve the earth of her burden. I will need you to also take birth.’ The devas heard the voice of Narayana and began to prepare themselves. Along with the devas, all other celestial beings – Apsaras, Gandharvas, Vidyadharas were also asked to take birth on earth. They would have children with the women on earth, and the offspring would be born with the qualities of the divine parent.
Hearing this all the divine beings gathered together. Soon on earth, they took birth and started living there as humans. At this juncture, Janamejaya asked Vaishampayan, ‘O great one, you said the devas and also the daityas and danavas had taken birth on earth. I would like to more on this in detail. Please let us know who took birth as whom.’
Analysis
This tale is from the ‘Adi-vamshavatarana Parva’ sub parva in Vyasa’s composition. When Vaishampayan starts telling the people assembled, he actually starts with a brief summary of what they are going to hear. He talks about the sons of Dhritarashtra, who were jealous of the Pandavas’ strength and popularity. He talks about how Duryodhana, along with Karna and Shakuni, attempted to kill Bhima with poison and tried to burn the Pandavas alive in a house made of lac.
After escaping the fire, the Pandavas lived in disguise, married Draupadi, and eventually received the barren land of Khandavaprastha to rule, which they transformed into a powerful kingdom. Later, following a deceptive game of dice, the Pandavas were exiled for thirteen years. When their kingdom was not returned after the exile, a war ensued, resulting in the destruction of lineages and the Pandavas reclaiming the throne.
After giving the summary, he starts telling the people about the birth of Vyasa. After that he talks about the birth of Parashurama and the tale follows as told here. This does not mean that the part of Vyasa’s birth was skipped by Kashidas. Kashidas revisits and adds that later. When Kashidas talks about Shantanu and Satyavati, at that moment the story of the birth of Satyavati and subsequently the birth of Vyasa is told.
Each passage from the scriptures has something to say. This talks about how power corrupted the Kshatriyas and they became a burden. Vishnu had to come to earth to eradicate the power-hungry warriors. The Brahmanas reset the compass and righteous rulers came up on earth. Again, the power-hungry evil forces came down to earth and to combat all the devas, including Vishnu, decided they would come down to earth to clean out the evil forces.
This, in a way, explains why the Mahabharata war had to happen. It wasn't just a family fight; it was a cleansing process. The Earth was overburdened by the evil forces who had taken the form of arrogant kings. It was like the earth was a very dirty vessel and the devas came down as dish soap and scrubbers and cleaned the earth. You are right; those terms are central to the structural logic of the Mahabharata of Kashidas and were not detailed in the earlier breakdown.
Key Terms from the Passage
- Kshetraja (Field-Born): Derived from Kshetra (field/soil) and Ja (born). Philosophically, the woman is the field populated by the seed of the father. This term is used for a son born of a woman who is not her husband's biological child but remains his legal heir.
- Daitya (Descendants of Diti): Son of Diti. This is the term used for the children of Rishi Kashyapa and his wife Diti.
- Danava (Descendants of Danu): Son of Danu. They were the children of Rishi Kashyapa and his wife Danu.
- Vidyadhara: Derived from Vidya (knowledge) and Dhara (holding/bearing). They are beings who possess specialized knowledge or wisdom.
Significance of Characters & Nature
- Parashurama: He represents Extreme Justice. He was fierce and uncompromising, needed at the time to wipe the slate clean and remove the corrupted ruling class.
- The Brahmanas: They represent Detached Duty. They fathered children not out of lust, but out of necessity to restore order.
- The Daityas/Danavas: They represent Ego. They came to earth to enjoy without giving back. They serve as the "antagonists" who justify the eventual birth of Krishna and the Pandavas.
Parashurama is mentioned here as an incarnation of Vishnu. Details on Parashurama are found in the Puranas like The Bhagavata Purana and The Brahmanda Purana. Parashurama also appears in the Ramayana.
Some Beings: Roles & Identities
| Being | Their Role |
|---|---|
| Apsara | On earth, they took birth as mothers of prominent characters. The story of Vyasa’s birth involves an apsara. |
| Gandharva | They are masters of music. Dhritarashtra and Pandu were supposed to be Gandharvas born on earth. |
Conclusion and Next Steps
With this, the ‘Adi-vamshavatarana Parva’ sub parva ends. The next Sub-Parva is ‘Sambhava Parva’ sub-parva.
Adi means beginning, and Vamshavatarana means descent of the lineages. So, this tale is about why the devas had to come down to earth. Sambhava here means "coming forth." In the next sub-parva, we will explore the details of who took birth on earth and what their names were. This is something I will talk about in the next post of the Mahabharata of Kashidas.
.png)
No comments:
Post a Comment