Hindu literature- Mahabharata and PANCHATANTRA

HINDU LITERATUR

E

RELIGIONS IN INDIA

India known as the land of spirituality and philosophy, was the birthplace of some religions, which even exist today in the world.

HINDUISMknown as the oldest religion in the worldmost dominant religion in India today about 80% of Indians are Hindus most diverse and complex religion since it has a vast gallery of Gods and Goddesses (as many as 330 million gods) it has one god that is supreme “Brahma”- is believed to inhabit every portion of reality and existence throughout the universe. Brahma - Creator ,Vishnu –Preserver , and Shiva- Destroyer

THE VEDAS

Hindu text that constitutes the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and oldest scripture of Hinduism. The 4 Vedas:

• RIGVEDA ( The Knowledge of Verses)• YAJURVEDA ( “yajus” meaning prose mantra)• SAMAVEDA ( from “saman” song)• ATHARVAVEDA ( Knowledge Storehouse)

BUDDHISM less then 1% of India's population is Buddhist began with a prince called Siddhartha Gautama  was a sage on whose teachings Buddhism was founded

(sage- someone who has attained the wisdom which a philosopher seeks) belonged to an aristocratic family Nirvana is the highest state that someone can attain, a

state of enlightenment, meaning a person's individual desires and suffering go away.

SIKHISM (from Sikh, meaning a disciple, or a learner) 2% of India's population are Sikhs was established by Guru Nanak(people who taught and preached were titled Guru meaning teacher) Sikhism emphasizes community services and helping the needyIn Sikhism everyone has equal rights irrespective of caste, creed, color, race, sex or religion. Sikhism rejects pilgrimage, fasting, superstitions and other such rituals. Sikhism tried to abolish some of the Indian customs such as the Caste System and Sati

CASTE SYSTEM caste is not an Indian word it is derived from the Portuguese casta, meaning "race, lineage, breed" and, originally, "‘pure or unmixed. according to the religious theory, in the Rig Veda the primal man - Purush - destroyed himself to create a human society. The different Varnas were created from different parts of his body. Varnas - each of the four Hindu castes, Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaishya, and Shudra.

From the mouth come the Brahmans—the priests and teachers. From the arms come the Kshatriyas—the rulers and soldiers. From the thighs come the Vaisyas—merchants and traders. From the feet come the Sudras—laborers.

A fifth group describes the people who are achuta, or untouchable. The primordial being does not claim them. Untouchables are outcasts—people considered too impure, too polluted, to rank as worthy beings. Prejudice defines their lives, particularly in the rural areas, where nearly three-quarters of India's people live. Untouchables are shunned, insulted, banned from temples and higher caste homes, made to eat and drink from separate utensils in public places, and, in extreme but not uncommon cases, are raped, burned, lynched, and gunned down.

CASTE SYSTEM is a system of social hierarchy At the top of the caste system were the Brahmin , they were the priests who understood dharma. Dharma are the spiritual laws that govern the universe. The Brahmin often lived apart from the rest of society in temples. Kshatriya were the warrior caste who made everyday decisions and ran the government. The Kshatriya had most of the power in everyday life, but their decisions could be overruled by the Brahmin.

CASTE SYSTEM The Vaishyas were skilled farmers and merchants. They occasionally had leadership positions in local villages.  Untouchables were hired to do work that members of the caste system would not do.  These jobs included killing or disposing of dead cattle or working with their hides. The untouchables also worked as sweepers, washers, or in other jobs that required contact with human emissions such as sweat, urine, or feces.The untouchables were often forced to sleep during the day and work at night.

SATI described as a Hindu custom in India in which the widow was burnt to ashes on her dead husband's pyreThe custom of Sati was believed to be a voluntary Hindu act in which the woman voluntary decides to end her life with her husband after his death. But there were many incidences in which the women were forced to commit Sati, sometimes even dragged against her wish to the lighted pyre.

SATIOne theory says that Sati was introduced to prevent wives from poisoning their wealthy husbands and marry their real lovers. Other theory says that Sati began with a jealous queen who heard that dead kings were welcomed in heaven by hundreds of beautiful women, called Apsaras. And therefore when her husband died, she demanded to be burnt on her dead husband's pyre and so to arrive with him to heaven and this way to prevent the Apsaras from consorting with her husband. 

PANCHATANTRAIs perhaps the oldest collection of Indian Fables. It

was written by the great Hindu Scholar Pandit Vishnu Sharma. “Panchatantra” means five books . It is a “Nitishastra” which means book of wise conduct

in life.

THE FIVE BOOKS

BOOK 1: The Separation of Friends BOOK 2: The Gaining of FriendsBOOK 3: Of Crows and Owls BOOK 4: Loss of GainsBOOK 5: Ill-Considered Actions

THE HARE AND THE LIONA lion was getting fed up of hunting. He called all animals and passed an order, "Everyday one of you should come by yourself as my prey". All animals started to obey this order.  It was the hare's day. The hare was very sad. As he was going to the lion's den, he came across an old well. He looked into it. It was very deep and dangerous. He made a plan to his mind. The lion was very angry that no animal had come that day. The hare slowly came towards the lion. The lion roared "Why are you late?"

The hare humbly replied, "Oh my way another lion chased me. I got away with much difficulty to give my life to you, Your Majesty". The lion was pleased with the hare. But the thought of another lion in the jungle made him angry. The lion roared "Do you know where he lives?" The hare replied "Yes, Sir. Please come with me". The hare took the lion to the old well. He said "Sir, that lion lives in this well". The lion peeped into the well. He mistook his reflection for another lion. He roared and there was an echo. He thought that the other lion was roaring too and jumped into the well. That was the end of the lion. 

MORAL : Wisdom can win might

ELEPHANTS AND THE KING OF THE MICE

There was a village which was ruined by a strong earthquake. With the houses and the streets shattered, the villagers abandoned the village to settle elsewhere. Despite being shattered, the vacant houses of this village had become homes for a large number of mice. The mice found the place very comfortable and grew in numbers after some time. There was a lake on the outskirts of the village, where a herd of elephants used to visit regularly to drink water and bathe. These elephants used to travel through the abandoned village to reach the lake. 

But as the herd of elephants travelled through the abandoned village, everyday many mice got trampled. This posed a problem for the mice. So, the king of mice decided to confront the elephants and request them to act accordingly. Next day, as the herd of elephants approached, the king of mice met the elephants cordially and said, "O Sirs, we live in the ruins of this abandoned village and as you travel through this village, everyday many mice get trampled. Therefore, I request you to change your route to the lake. If you do so, I shall remember to return the favour in your time of need." At this the king of elephants laughed, "O king of Mice, there will be no such favour that we, the giant elephants, will require from you, small mice. However, I will honour your request and we will change the route to the lake from today. You will not have to worry about any danger caused by us anymore." The king of mice thanked the king of the elephants for his consideration, and the herd of elephants never entered the village anymore.  

After some time, the herd of elephants fell into traps set by elephant-hunters. Many of the elephants, including their king, got entangled in the nets. They struggled hard but could not set themselves free from the strong nets. Suddenly, the king of the elephants remembered the promise of the king of mice. He summoned another elephant who had not got trapped to remind the king of mice of his promise and plea for help on his behalf. As soon as the elephant informed the king of mice of the situation, the king of mice summoned all mice at once. He said, "Now is the time for us to return the favour of the elephants. We should go immediately" And so, the elephant brought the mice to the place where the other elephants had been trapped. All the mice started nibbling on the strong nets and cut them loose. The elephants broke loose from the nets and were grateful to be free again. The king of elephants thanked the king of mice for his timely help, and became great friends thereafter. MORAL : Never underestimate anybody by their appearances.

MAHABHARATAIs an epic narrative of the Kurukshetra War and the fates of

the Kaurava  and the Pandava  princes. It also contains philosophical  and devotional material, such as a discussion of the four "goals of

life" or purusharthas . Mahabharata is the longest known epic poem and has been described as "the longest poem ever written“. It  is

roughly ten times the length of the Iliad  and the Odyssey combined

MAHABHARATAKurukshetra War - also called Mahabharata War, is a war described in the Indian epic  Mahabharata as a conflict that arose from a dynastic succession struggle between two groups of cousins, the Kauravas  and Pandavas, for the throne of Hastinapura  in an Indian kingdom called Kuru. Kaurava-  refers to the descendants of Kuru, a legendary king who is the ancestor of many of the characters of the Mahābhārata. The well-known Kauravas are Duryodhana , Dushasana , Vikarna,  Yuyutsu and Dussala.

MAHABHARATA Pandava -are the five acknowledged sons of Pandu, by his two wives Kunti  who was of Yadhuvansh and Madri who was the princess of Madra. Their names are Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva. All five brothers were married to the same woman, Draupadi. Together, the brothers fought and prevailed in a great war against their cousins the Kauravas , which came to be known as the Kurukshetra War .

MAHABHARATAIn some ways, the entire story of the Mahabharata is an explanation of how our world, the world of the Kali Yuga, came into being, and how things got to be as bad as they are. The Ramayana has its share of suffering and even betrayal, but nothing to match the relentless hatred and vengeance of the Mahabharata. The culmination of the Mahabharata is the Battle of Kurukshetra when two bands of brothers, the Pandavas and the Kauravas, the sons of two brothers and thus cousins to one another, fight each other to death, brutally and cruelly, until the entire race is almost wiped out.

The five sons of Pandu, the Pandavas, are the heroes of the story.

The eldest is King Yudhishthira. Next is Bhima, an enormously strong fighter with equally enormous appetites. After Bhima is Arjuna, the greatest of the warriors and also the companion of Krishna. The last two are twins, Nakula and Sahadeva. These five brothers share one wife, Draupadi (she became the wife of all five of them by accident, as you will learn)..The enemies of the Pandavas are the Kauravas, who are the sons of Pandu's brother, Dhritarashtra. Although Dhritarashtra is still alive, he cannot manage to restrain his son Duryodhana, who bitterly resents the achievements of his cousins, the Pandavas. Duryodhana arranges for his maternal uncle to challenge Yudhishthira to a game of dice, and Yudhishthira gambles everything away, even himself.. The Pandavas have to go into exile, but when they return they engage the Kauravas in battle.

Krishna fights on the side of the Pandavas, and serves as Arjuna's charioteer. The famous "Song of the Lord," or Bhagavad-Gita, is actually a book within the Mahabharata, as the battle of Kurukshetra begins When Arjuna faces his cousins on the field of battle, he despairs and sinks down, unable to fight. The Bhagavad-Gita contains the words that Krishna spoke to Arjuna at that moment.The Pandavas do win the battle. Duryodhana is killed, and the Kaurava armies are wiped out. But it is hardly a happy ending. Yudhishthira becomes king, but the world is forever changed by the battle's violence. If you are familiar with the Iliad, you might remember how that epic ends with the funeral of the Trojan hero Hector, a moment which is utterly bleak and sad. The same is true for the Mahabharata. There are many truths that are learned in the end, but the victory, such as it is, comes at a terrible price

Thank You