TEXT 1
Dhrtarastra uvaca
Dharma-ksetra kuru-ksetra
samaveta yuyutsavah
mamakah pandavash chaiva
kim akurvata sanjaya
dhrtarastrah uvaca - King Dhrtarastra said; dharma-ksetre - in a place of pilgrimage; kuru-ksetra - in a place called Kurukshetra; samavetah — those gathered; yuyutsavah - desiring to fight; mamakah - those who are on my side (my sons); pandavah - the sons of Pandu; ca - and; eva — certainly; kim - what; akurvata - have done; sanjaya - about Sanjaya.
Dhrtarastra asked: O Sanjaya, what did my sons and the sons of Pandu begin to do when, eager to fight, they assembled at the place of pilgrimage in the field of Kurukshetra?
PURPORT Bhagavad-gita is a popular theological work, the essence of which is set forth in the Gita-mahatmya (Glorification of the Gita). In particular, it says that one should study the Bhagavad-gita very carefully, with the help of a person who is devoted to Sri Krishna. In trying to understand its meaning, it is very important to avoid preconceived interpretations dictated by selfish motives. An example of how the Bhagavad-gita should be understood can be found in the Gita itself: this is how Arjuna understood it, who heard this work from the mouth of the Lord Himself. If a person is fortunate enough to hear the Bhagavad-gita from a bona fide representative of the Lord and understand it impartially, as Arjuna understood it, he can be considered to have attained all the wisdom contained in the Vedas and other scriptures of the world. In the Bhagavad-gita, the reader will find everything that is contained in other scriptures, as well as that which is not in any other book. This is the uniqueness of Bhagavad-gita. It is perfect theistic teaching because it was taught by Lord Sri Krishna Himself, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
The conversation between Dhritarashtra and Sanjaya, given in the Mahabharata, constitutes the outline of this great philosophical work. As you know, "Bhagavad-gita" was narrated on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, which from time immemorial, from the time of Vedic civilization, has been revered as a place of pilgrimage. It was told by the Lord Himself when He came to our planet to show people the way to comprehend the truth.
The key word in this verse is dharma-ksetra (place of worship) because the Supreme Lord took the side of Arjuna in the battle of Kuruksetra. Dhrtarastra, the father of the Kauravas, deeply doubted that his sons would be victorious in the coming battle. These doubts led him to turn to his Minister Sanjaya with the question: "What are they doing?" He knew perfectly well that his sons and the sons of his younger brother Pandu had gathered in Kurukshetra to join the battle, and yet his question was not devoid of meaning. He did not want his cousins to conclude a truce, but at the same time, he worried about the fate of his sons and the outcome of the battle. Since Kurukshetra was chosen as the battlefield, a place that according to the Vedas is sacred even for the celestials, Dhritarashtra feared that the holy place might influence the outcome of the battle. He understood perfectly well that this influence would help Arjuna and the sons of Pandu, since they were all righteous from birth. Sanjaya was a disciple of Vyasa and by the grace of Vyasa, even while in the chambers of Dhritarashtra, he could see everything that was happening on the battlefield of Kuruksetra. Therefore Dhrtarastra asked him what was going on at the site of the battle.
The sons of Pandu and the sons of Dhritarashtra belonged to the same clan, but Dhritarashtra's question betrays his attitude towards his nephews. He deliberately classifies only his sons as Kuru, thereby depriving the sons of Pandu of their inheritance rights. This indicates Dhritarashtra's dislike for the sons of Pandu.
So, from the very beginning of the narration, it becomes clear that on the sacred field of Kurukshetra, where the father of religion, Sri Krishna himself, will be, as if in a rice field during weeding, all the weeds will be pulled out (the son of Dhritarashtra Duryodhana and others) and that victory is by the will of the Lord truly righteous people headed by Yudhishthira will prevail. This is the meaning of the words dharma-ksetra and kuru-ksetra, in addition to their meaning in the context of Vedic culture and history.
sanjaya uvaca
drishtva tu pandavanikam
vyudham duryodhanas tada
acaryam upasangamya
Raja vachanam abravit
sanjayah uvaca - Sanjaya said; drstva - after seeing; tu - but; pandava-anikam - the Pandava army; vyudham - in battle formation; duryodhanah - the king of Duryodhana; tada - then; acaryam - to the teacher; upasangamya - coming up; raja - the king; vacanam - speech; abravit - said.
Sanjaya said: After examining the battle formations of the army of the sons of Pandu, King Duryodhana approached his teacher and spoke the following words.
PURPORT Dhrtarastra was blind from birth. Unfortunately, he was also deprived of spiritual sight. He knew perfectly well that his sons were as blind in matters of religion as he was, and he was sure that they would never come to terms with the virtuous Pandavas from birth. And yet he was overcome by doubts: he did not know what impact the place of pilgrimage would have on his sons. Sanjaya understood what prompted Dhritarashtra to ask how events were unfolding on the battlefield. Wanting to cheer the discouraged king, he assured him that his sons were not going to go to the world, despite the influence of the holy place. Therefore, he informed the king that his son Duryodhana, having looked around the Pandava army, approached the commander-in-chief of the Kaurava army, Dronacharya, to tell him about the state of affairs. Although Duryodhana is called king here, the gravity of the situation made him go to the commander-in-chief of his army. This act betrays him as a skillful politician. But even such an experienced diplomat as Duryodhana could not hide the fear he experienced at the sight of the Pandava army.
pasyaitam pandu-putranam
acarya mahatim camum
vyudham drupada-putrena
tava sisyena dhimata
pasya - take a look; etam - this; pandu-putranam - of the sons of Pandu; acarya - O teacher; mahatim - great; camum — the army; vyudham - built; drupada-putrena - the son of Drupada; tava - yours; sisyena - by the disciple; dhi-mata - wise.
Look, O teacher, at the enormous army of the sons of Pandu, which your gifted disciple, the son of Drupada, has so skillfully built.
PURPORT A great diplomat, Duryodhana wanted to point out to Dronacharya, an eminent brahmana commander, of his mistake. Dronacharya once quarreled with King Drupada, the father of Draupadi, who later became the wife of Arjuna. Offended, Drupada made a great sacrifice and received a blessing, according to which he was to have a son capable of killing Dronacharya. Dronacharya knew this very well, but being a magnanimous brahmana, he did not hesitate to reveal all his military secrets to Drupada's son, Dhrishtadyumna, when he was studying the art of war with him. Now on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, Dhrishtadyumna sided with the Pandavas, and it was he who built their army into battle formations, using the knowledge received from Dronacharya. Duryodhana pointed out to Dronacharya the mistake he had made so that he would be on the alert and spare no one during the fight. With these words, he also hints that Dronacharya should not show gentleness when fighting the Pandavas, who were also his disciples, and loved ones. Dronacharya's most beloved and capable disciple was Arjuna, so Duryodhana warned Dronacharya that any condescension on the battlefield would inevitably lead to defeat.
atra shura maheshv-asa
bhimarjuna-sama yudhi
yuyudhano viratash cha
drupadas ca maha-rathah
atra — here; surah - heroes; maha-isu-asah - well-aimed archers; Bhima-Arjuna - Bhima and Arjuna; samah - equal; yudhi - in battle; yuyudhanah - Yuyudhana; viratah - Virata; ca - also; drupadah - Drupada; ca - also; maha-rathah - a great warrior.
There are many brave archers in this army, who are not inferior in battle to Bhima and Arjuna. Among them are such great warriors as Yuyudhana, Virata and Drupada.
PURPORT Dhrishtadyumna alone could hardly have dealt with such a great and skillful military leader as Dronacharya, but there were many other warriors in the Pandava army who could not be underestimated. Duryodhana considered them to be a serious obstacle on the path to victory, for each of them was as powerful as Bhima and Arjuna. The power of Bhima and Arjuna was known to him, and therefore Duryodhana compares other warriors with them.
dhrstaketush chekitanah
kashirajas ca viryavan
purujit kuntibhojash cha
saibyas ca nara-pungavah
dhrstaketuh - to Dhrstaketu; chekitanah - Chekitana; kashirajah - Kasiraja; ca - and; virya-van - mighty; purujit - Purujit; kuntibhojah - Kuntibhoja; ca - and; saibyah - Saibya; ca - and; nara-pungavah - a hero among the people.
On their side are the great, brave and mighty warriors Dhrishtaketu, Chekitana, Kashiraja, Purujit, Kuntibhoja and Saibya.
yudhamanyush ca vikranta
uttamaujas ca viryavan
saubhadro draupadeyas cha
sarva eva maha-rathah
yudhamanyuh - Yudhamanyu; ca - and; vikrantah - mighty; uttamaujah - Uttamauja; ca - and; virya-van - very powerful; saubhadrah — the son of Subhadra; draupadeyah - the sons of Draupadi; ca - and; sarve — everything; eva — certainly; maha-rathah - great chariot warriors.
With them the mighty Yudhamanyu, the formidable Uttamauja, as well as the son of Subhadra and the sons of Draupadi. They are all great warriors who have mastered the art of chariot fighting.
asmakam tu vishishta ye
tan nibodha dvijottama
nayaka mama sainyasya
samjnartham tan bravimi te
asmakam - ours; tu - but; visishtah - extremely powerful; ye - which; tan - them; nibodha - know then; dvija-uttama - O best of the brahmanas; nayakah - the generals; mom - mine; sainyasya — the troops; samjna-artham - for information; tan - them; bravimi - I call; those - to you.
Now, O best of brahmanas, learn from me about the outstanding military leaders who will lead my army into battle.
bhavan bhishmash cha karnash cha
krpash ca samitim-jayah
ashwatthama vikarnas cha
saumadattis tathaiva cha
bhavan - you (venerable one); bhishmah - Bhisma; ca - and; karnah - Karna; ca - and; kripah - Kripa; ca - and; samitim-jayah - conquering; asvatthama - Asvatthama; vikarnah - Vikarna; ca - and also; saumadattih - the son of Somadatta; tatha — also; eva — of course; cha - and.
Among them are such invincible warriors as yourself, Bhishma, Karna, Kripa, Ashwatthama, Vikarna and the son of Somadatta named Bhurishrava.
PURPORT Duryodhana here lists outstanding warriors who did not know defeat. Vikarna was the brother of Duryodhana, Asvatthama was the son of Dronacarya, and Saumadatti (Bhurishrava) was the son of the Bahlik king. Karna was the half-brother of Arjuna: he was born to Kunti before she became the wife of King Pandu. Kripacarya was the twin brother of Dronacarya's wife.
anye cha bahavah shura
mad-arthe tyakta-jivitah
nana-shastra-praharanah
sarve yuddha-visaradah
anye — others; ca - also; bahavah - many; surah - heroes; mat-arthe - for me; tyakta-jivitah - ready to give up their lives; nana — by many; sastra - by weapons; praharanah - armed; sarve — everything; yuddha-visaradah - experienced in military affairs.
There are many other heroes in our ranks who are ready to give their lives for me. All of them wield a variety of weapons and are experienced in combat.
PURPORT As for the other warriors like Jayadratha, Kritavarma and Shalya, they were all ready to lay down their heads fighting for Duryodhana. In other words, their death in the Battle of Kurukshetra was a foregone conclusion because they sided with the vicious Duryodhana. But Duryodhana himself, of course, was confident of victory, counting on the strength of all the mighty warriors listed by him, who were his allies and friends.
aparyaptam tad asmakam
balam bhishmabhiraksitam
paryaptam tv idam etesham
balam bhimabhiraksitam
aparyaptam - immeasurable; tat - that; asmakam - ours; balam - strength; bhisma — by Bhisma; abhiraksitam - well protected; paryaptam - limited; tu - but; idam - this; etesam - of the Pandavas; balam - strength; bhima — Bhimoy; abhiraksitam - well protected.
Our forces are immeasurable, and our army is reliably protected by grandfather Bhishma, while the forces of the Pandavas, which are carefully defended by Bhima, are limited.
PURPORT Here Duryodhana gives a comparative assessment of the military forces of the warring parties. He considers the strength of his army to be immeasurable, especially because it is reliably protected by the most experienced military leader, the elder of the Bhishma clan. On the other hand, the forces of the Pandavas are limited and protected by a much less experienced general, Bhima, who cannot be compared with Bhishma. Duryodhana always hated Bhima, for he knew that if he was destined to die, then only Bhima could kill him. However, the presence of Bhishma, who was an incomparably more experienced military leader, instilled in him the confidence of victory. In other words, Duryodhana had every reason to expect victory in the coming battle.
ayaneshu cha sarveshu
yatha-bhagam avasthitah
bhishmam evabhirakshantu
bhavantah sarva eva hi
ayanesu - in strategic positions; ca - also; sarvesu - everyone; yatha-bhagam - separately; avasthitah - situated; bhismam - Bhisma; eva — certainly; abhiraksantu - let them be supported; bhavantah - you (venerable ones); sarve — everything; eva hi - required.
Each of you, defending your positions in battle formations, must provide all possible support to Bhishma.
PURPORT After praising the gallant Bhishma, Duryodhana thought that other warriors might think they were less valued, and with his usual diplomacy, he tried to rectify the situation. Duryodhana emphasized that Bhismadeva is undoubtedly the greatest hero, but he is already old, and therefore everyone else should take care to protect him from all sides. When he fights on one flank, the enemy can take advantage of this and attack from the other flank, so it is very important that other heroes remain in their strategic positions all the time, not allowing the enemy to break through the formation. Duryodhana realized that the victory of the Kauravas depended entirely on Bhismadeva. He was confident in the support of Bhismadeva and Dronacharya, for he remembered perfectly well that they did not utter a word when the wife of Arjuna Draupadi, whom the Kauravas tried to undress in front of these great warriors, in despair appealed to them, praying for justice. Of course, Duryodhana also knew that both generals were in their own way attached to the Pandavas, but still hoped that they would forget about their attachment, as happened during the dice game between the Pandavas and the Kauravas.
tasya sanjanayan harsham
kuru-vrddhah pitamahah
simha-nadam vinadyocciih
shankham dadhmau pratapawan
tasya - his; sanjanayan - intensifying; harsam - joy; kuru-vrddhah - the elder of the Kuru clan (Bhisma); pitamahah - grandfather; simha-nadam - a booming sound like the roar of a lion; vinadya - having issued; uccaih - very loudly; sankham - into the conch shell; dadhmau - sounded; pratapa-van - valiant.
Then Bhishma, the gallant elder of the Kuru clan, the most venerable of the warriors gathered in Kurukshetra, loudly blew his conch, and its sound like a lion's roar filled the heart of Duryodhana with joy.
PURPORT The Kuru elder understood the feelings and thoughts of his grandson Duryodhana. Feeling natural pity for him, Bhishma decided to cheer him up and loudly trumpeted the conch shell, as if proving that he was not without reason compared to a lion. On the other hand, what he sounded on the conch was symbolic: thereby he made it clear to his dejected grandson Duryodhana that he had no chance of winning the battle, since the Supreme Lord, Krishna, was on the side of his enemies. However, Bhishma himself, faithful to his duty, will join the battle and will fight, whatever the cost.
tatah shankhash cha bheryash cha
panavanaka-gomukhah
sahasaivabhyahanyanta
sa shabdas tumulo bhavat
tatah - then; sankhah - the shells; ca - also; bheryah - big drums; ca - and; panava-anaka - small drums and timpani; go-mukhah - and the horns; sahasa - unexpectedly; eva — certainly; abhyahanyanta - sounded at the same time; sah - this; sabdah - sound; tumulah - thundering; abhavat - was.
Echoing him, shells, drums, trumpets, horns and horns sounded at once, filling the air with a thunderous rumble.
tatah shvetair hayair yukte
mahati syandane sthitau
madhavah pandavash chaiva
divyau shankhau pradadhmatuh
tatah - then; svetaih - white; hayaih - by horses; yukte - harnessed; mahati - on the splendid; syandane - in the chariot; sthitau - who were; madhavah - Krsna (husband of the goddess of fortune); pandavah - the son of Pandu (Arjuna); ca - also; eva — certainly; divyau - into the divine; sankhau - shells; pradadhmatuh - blew.
Then, on the other side, Lord Krishna and Arjuna, who were in a magnificent chariot drawn by white horses, sounded their divine conchshells.
PURPORT In contrast to Bhismadeva's shell, the shells in the hands of Krishna and Arjuna are here called divine. The sounds of these divine shells indicated that the enemy had no hope of victory, since Krishna was on the side of the Pandavas. Jayas tu pandu-putranam yesam pakshe janardanah. Victory invariably accompanies people like the sons of Pandu, because Lord Krishna is always with them. And where the Lord is, there is the goddess of happiness and good luck, who never leaves her husband. Therefore, victory and good fortune awaited Arjuna, which was announced by the transcendental sounds of the conch of Vishnu (Lord Krishna). In addition, the chariot on which the friends were was presented to Arjuna Agni (the god of fire), which meant that on it it was possible to defeat enemies in all three worlds and conquer all cardinal points.
pancajanyam hrsikesho
devadattam dhananjayah
poundram dadhmau maha-shankham
bhima-karma vrikodarah
pancajanyam - into the conch known as Pancajanya; hrsika-isah - Hrsikesa (Lord Krishna, who controls the senses of His devotees); devadatam - into the conch called Devadatta; dhanam-jayah - Dhananjaya (Arjuna, the conqueror of wealth); poundram - into the conch called Poundra; dadhmau - blew; maha-sankham - into a huge conch shell; bhima-karma - performing heroic deeds; vrika-udarach — an insatiable eater (bhima).
Lord Krishna sounded Panchajanya on His conch shell, and Arjuna sounded on His own, Devadatta; the insatiable Bhima, famous for his heroic deeds, blew Poundra into his huge shell.
PURPORT In this verse, Lord Krsna is called Hrsikesa, for He is the master of the senses of all living entities. The living entities are part and parcel of the Lord, and therefore their senses are part of the senses of the Lord. Since the impersonalists cannot explain the origin of sentient beings' senses, they tend to present sentient beings as devoid of senses or impersonal. Actually, the senses of the living entity are controlled by the Lord, who is located in everyone's heart: He controls them to the extent that the living entity surrenders to Him. As far as pure devotees are concerned, the Lord directly controls the activities of their senses. On the battlefield of Kuruksetra, the Lord personally controlled the transcendental senses of Arjuna, and therefore He is here called Hrsikesa. The Lord has many different names, which reflect different aspects of His activities. He is called Madhusudana because He slain the demon Madhu, and Govinda because He gives pleasure to the cows and the senses; He is called Vasudeva because He appeared on earth as the son of Vasudeva, and Devakinandana because He chose Devaki as His mother; He is called Yasodanandana because He presented His childhood pastimes to Yasoda in Vrndavana, and Partha-sarathi, because He was driving the chariot of His friend Arjuna. Similarly, the Lord is called Hrsikesa because He directed the actions of Arjuna on the battlefield of Kuruksetra.
Arjuna is called Dhananjaya in this verse because he once helped his elder brother to collect the funds needed to perform various sacrifices. Bhima is called Vrikodara here because he was famous not only for heroic deeds, such as killing the demon Khidimba, but also for his exorbitant appetite. So, the sounds of shells blown by the great heroes in the ranks of the Pandavas, starting with the Lord Himself, instilled joy in the hearts of the soldiers of their army. Their opponents were deprived of such advantages: there was neither Lord Krishna, the supreme controller, nor the goddess of fortune with them. Therefore, they were doomed to defeat, which was announced by the trumpets of the shells.
TEXTS 16 - 18
anantavijayam raja
kunti-putro yudhisthirah
nakulah sahadevash cha
sughosha-manipushpakau
kasyas ca paramesv-asah
shikhandi ca maha-rathah
dhrishtadyumno viratas ca
satyakis caparajitah
drupado draupadeyash cha
sarvasah prithivi-pate
saubhadrash ca maha-bahuh
shankhan dadhmukh prthak prthak
Ananta-vijayam - to the conch of Anantavijaya; raja - the king; kunti-putrah - the son of Kunti; yudhisthirah - Yudhisthira; nakulah - Nakula; sahadevah - Sahadeva; ca - and; sughoshu-manipushpakau - in the shells of Sughoshu and Manipushpaku; kasyah - the king of Kasi (Varanasi); ca - and; parama-isu-asah — the great archer; shikhandi - Shikhandi; ca - also; maha-rathah - one who can fight alone against thousands of warriors; dhrstadyumnah - Dhrstadyumna (the son of King Drupada); viratah - Virata (the king who gave shelter to the Pandavas when they were forced to hide); ca - also; satyakih - Satyaki (another name for Yuyudhana, the charioteer of Lord Krishna); ca - and; aparajitah - invincible; drupadah - Drupada, the king of Pancala; draupadeyah - the sons of Draupadi; ca - also; sarvasah - everywhere; prthivi-pate - O king; saubhdrah - Abhimanyu, son of Subhadra; ca - also; maha-bahuh - mighty-armed; sankhan - in the conch shells; dadhmuh - sounded; prthak prthak — each one individually.
King Yudhisthira, the son of Kunti, blew Anantavijaya into his conch shell, and Nakula and Sahadeva sounded Sughosu and Manipuspaku into the conchshells. The great archer King Kashi, the great warrior Shikhandi, Dhrishtadyumna, Virata, the invincible Satyaki, Drupada, the sons of Draupadi and other warriors, such as the mighty son of Subhadra, oh sir, also blew each one into his shell.
PURPORT Sanjaya very tactfully made it clear to King Dhritarashtra that his short-sighted policy of deceiving the sons of Pandu and placing his own sons on the throne was not praiseworthy. Numerous signs indicated that the entire Kuru clan would be destroyed in this great battle. Starting with the elder of the clan, Bhishma, and ending with its youngest members (Abhimanyu and others), all those gathered on the battlefield, including the kings of many countries of the world, were doomed to die. This great tragedy was caused by Dhritarashtra, who indulged his sons.
sa ghosho dhartarastranam
hrdayani vyadarayat
nabhas cha prithivim chaiva
tumulo bhyanunadayan
sah - that; ghoa - the sound; dhararastranam - of the sons of Dhritarashtra; hrdayani - of the heart; vyadarayat - made me shudder; nabhah - the sky; ca - also; prthivim - the surface of the earth; ca - also; eva — certainly; tumulah - thundering; abhyanunadayan - catechuser.
The thunderous sounds of their shells merged into a continuous rumble. Announcing heaven and earth, they made the hearts of the sons of Dhritarashtra tremble.
PURPORT When Bhishma and the other allies of Duryodhana sounded their conchshells, the hearts of the Pandavas did not flinch. Nowhere is it said that the sound of their shells caused confusion in the ranks of the enemy, but it is clearly stated in this verse that the sounds of the shells blown by the Pandava warriors made the hearts of the sons of Dhritarashtra tremble. This was due to the Pandavas themselves and their unshakable faith in Lord Krishna. One who has taken the shelter of the Supreme Lord is not fearful even in the face of the greatest danger.
atha vyavasthitan drishva
dhartarashtran kapi-dhvajah
pravritte sastra-sampate
dhanur udyamya pandavah
hrsikesam tada vakyam
idam aha mahi-pate
atha - then; vyavasthitan - built up; drstva - looking around; dhartarastran - of the sons of Dhritarashtra; kapi-dhvajah - whose flag was decorated with the image of Hanuman; pravrte - when I was ready; sastra-sampate - to shoot arrows; dhanuh — the bow; udyamya - throwing up; pandavah - the son of Pandu (Arjuna); hrsikesam - to Lord Krsna; tada - then; vakyam - speech; idam - this; aha - uttered; mahi-pate - O king.
Then Arjuna, the son of Pandu, who was seated in a chariot decorated with a flag with the image of Hanuman, threw up his bow and prepared to shoot. But looking at the sons of Dhritarashtra, who were lined up in battle columns, O king, Arjuna addressed Lord Krishna with these words.
COMMENTARY: There was very little time left before the battle began. As we learned from the previous verse, the sons of Dhritarashtra were somewhat discouraged, as they did not expect to see the army of Pandavas ready for battle, led by Lord Krishna Himself. The image of Hanuman on the flag of Arjuna is another harbinger of the future victory of the Pandavas, since Hanuman, together with Lord Ramacandra, participated in the battle against Ravana, in which Lord Rama was victorious. And now both of them - Rama and Hanuman - were on the chariot of Arjuna to help him in the upcoming battle. Lord Krishna is Rama Himself, and where Rama is, there is His eternal servant Hanuman and the eternal consort Sita, the goddess of happiness and good fortune. Therefore, Arjuna was not afraid of any enemy. Moreover, Lord Krishna, the master of the senses, who was next to him, had to direct all his actions, and Arjuna during the battle could at any time receive the necessary advice from Him. All these favorable conditions created by the Lord for His eternal servant left no doubt about the victory of Arjuna.
TEXTS 21 - 22
arjuna uvaca
senayor ubhayor madhye
ratham sthapaya me chyuta
yavad etan nirikse "ham
yoddhu-kaman avasthitan
Cairo maya saha yoddhavyam
asmin rana-samudyame
arjunah uvaca - Arjuna said; senayoh - armies; ubhayoh — two; madhye - in between; ratham - the chariot; sthapaya - stop; me - mine; acyuta - O infallible one; yavat - bye; etan - on these; nirikse - I see; aham - I; yoddhu-kaman - desiring to fight; avasthitan - lined up on the battlefield; kaih - with whom; maya — by me; saha - together; yoddhavyam - the need to fight; asmin - in this; wound - battles; samudyame - in the attempt.
Arjuna said: O infallible one, I ask You to bring forward my chariot and place it between the two armies, so that I can see those who have come here wanting to fight with us, and with whom I have to face in this great battle.
PURPORT Lord Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but out of causeless mercy He began to serve His friend Arjuna. For the sake of the devotees, the Lord is ready for anything, therefore Arjuna calls Him infallible. As the charioteer of Arjuna, Krishna had to carry out his orders, and since He always did not hesitate to do so, He is called infallible. But even after becoming the charioteer of a devotee, Lord Krishna did not lose His position. Under all circumstances, Krsna remains the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hrsikesa, the master of all the senses. The Lord and His servant have a very warm, purely spiritual relationship. The servant of the Lord is always ready to serve Him, and the Lord is constantly looking for opportunities to render some service to the devotee. And when a pure devotee of the Lord takes advantage of this and orders Him, it gives the Lord much more pleasure than when He Himself gives orders. Since the Lord is the ruler of all that exists, each of us is in His power and no one has the right to order Him. But when the Lord hears the order of a pure devotee, He experiences transcendental bliss, although He remains always and everywhere the infallible and omnipotent controller.
As a pure devotee of the Lord, Arjuna did not want to fight with his cousins, but he was forced to fight because of the stubbornness of Duryodhana, who would not agree to any peace offer. Therefore, Arjuna was impatient to find out which of the military leaders was on the battlefield. Although in such a place there could be no question of peace negotiations, he wanted to see his opponents again and find out how strong their desire was to participate in this fratricidal war.
yotsyamanan avekshe "ham
ya ete tra samagatah
dhartarashtrasya durbuddher
yuddhe priya-cikirsavah
yotsyamanan - those who will fight; avekse - I see; aham - I; ye - which; ete - these; atra — here; samagatah — assembled; dhartarashtrasya - the son of King Dhritarashtra; durbuddheh - ill-natured; yuddhe - in the battle; priya — of success; cikirsavah - those who desire.
Let me have a look at those who are going to fight with us in order to please the malevolent son of Dhritarashtra.
PURPORT It was no secret to anyone that Duryodhana sought to illegally seize the kingdom rightfully belonging to the Pandavas, and for this he plotted with the support of his father Dhritarashtra. Therefore, all who took the side of Duryodhana were of the same berry field. Arjuna wanted to see them all before the start of the battle in order to know who he would have to fight with, but he had no intention of entering into peace negotiations with them. Of course, he also wanted to see them in order to determine the strength of the enemy, although he did not in the least doubt his victory, since Krishna was next to him.
sanjaya uvaca
evam ukto hrishikesho
gudakeshena bharata
senayor ubhayor madhye
sthapayitva rathottamam
sanjayah uvaca - Sanjaya said; evam - in this way; uktah - one to whom the request was made; hrsikesah - Lord Krsna; gudakeshena - of Arjuna; bharata - O descendant of Bharata; senayoh - armies; ubhayoh — two; madhye - in between; sthapayitva - placing; ratha-uttamam - a wonderful chariot.
Sanjaya said: O descendant of Bharata, in response to Arjuna's request, Lord Krishna brought forward his wonderful chariot and placed it between the two armies.
PURPORT In this verse, Arjuna is called Gudakesha. Gudaka means sleep, and gudakesha means "one who conquered sleep." Sleep sometimes means ignorance. In other words, due to his friendship with Krishna, Arjuna was able to overcome both sleep and ignorance. As a great devotee of Krishna, he never for a moment forgot Him, for the devotees cannot do otherwise. Waking or dreaming, devotees constantly think of Krsna's name, His form, His qualities and divine pastimes. And because a devotee constantly thinks of Krsna, he can conquer sleep and ignorance. This state is called Krsna consciousness or Samadhi. As Hrsikesa, the master of the senses and minds of all living entities, Krsna knew why Arjuna asked Him to place the chariot between the two armies. Having fulfilled his request, the Lord said the following.
bhisma-drona-pramukhatah
sarvesam ca mahi-ksitam
uvaca partha pasyaitan
samavetan kurun iti
bhisma — of Bhisma's grandfather; drona - the teacher of Drona; pramukhatah - in front of the face; sarvesam - everyone; ca - also; mahi-ksitam — of the rulers of the world; uvaca - said; partha - O son of Prtha; pasya - take a look; etan - on these; samavetan - of the assembled; kurun - members of the Kuru clan; iti - so.
In the face of Bhishma, Drona and all the rulers of the world, the Lord said: "Look, O Partha, at all the Kurus gathered here."
PURPORT Being in the heart of all living entities as the Supersoul, Lord Krishna understood what Arjuna was experiencing at that moment. The Lord's name (Hrsikesa) in the previous verse indicates that He knew everything. Equally important, Arjuna is here called Partha, the son of Kunti (Prthi). As a friend of Arjuna, Krishna wanted to inform him that He had agreed to become his charioteer because Arjuna was the son of Prtha, the sister of Krishna's father, Vasudeva. What did Krishna mean when, addressing Arjuna, he said, "Look at the Kuru"? Will Arjuna change his mind and refuse to participate in the battle? Krishna did not expect this from His cousin, the son of Prtha. Thus, in a friendly joke, the Lord foretold the change that was to take place in the mood of Arjuna.
tatrapasyat sthitan parthah
pitān atha pitamahan
acaryan matulan bhratān
putran pautran sakhims tatha
Svashuran Suhrdash Chaiva
senior ubhayor api
tatra - there; apasyat - saw; sthitan - standing; parthah - Arjuna; pitān - of the fathers; atha — also; pitamahan - grandfathers; acaryan - teachers; matulan - maternal uncles; bhratān - brothers; putran - sons; pautran - grandchildren; sakhin — friends; tatha — also; svasuran - father-in-law; suhrdah - well-wishers; ca - also; eva — certainly; senayoh - armies; ubhayoh - of both (the warring parties); api - also.
Standing between the two armies, Arjuna saw in their ranks his fathers, grandfathers, teachers, maternal uncles, brothers, sons, grandchildren, friends, as well as father-in-law and well-wishers.
PURPORT Arjuna saw all his relatives on the battlefield. He saw Bhurishrava, who was the same age as his father, grandfather Bhishma and grandfather Somadatta, teachers Dronacharya and Kripacarya, maternal uncles - Shalya and Shakuni, his brothers - Duryodhana and others, sons such as Lakshmana, friends (Ashwattham) , well-wishers, for example, Kritavarmu, and many others. In a word, he saw both armies, in the ranks of which there were a lot of his relatives.
tan samiksya sa kaunteyah
Sarvan Bandhun Avasthitan
krpaya parayavishto
vishidann idam abravit
tan - them; samiksya - seeing; sah - he; kaunteyah - the son of Kunti; sarvan - everyone; bandhun - of relatives; avasthitan - of being; krpaya — by compassion; paraya - great; avistah - overwhelmed; visidan - lamentable; idam — this; abravit - said.
When Kunti's son, Arjuna, saw all his friends and relatives on the battlefield, his heart was filled with compassion. Depressed, he uttered these words.
arjuna uvaca
drstvemam sva-janam krsna
yuyutsum samupasthitam
sidanti mama gatrani
mukham ca parishushyati
arjunah uvaca - Arjuna said; drstva - seeing; imam - this; sva-janam - relatives; krsna - O Krsna; yuyutsum - belligerent; samupasthitam - situated; sidanti - tremble; mom - mine; gatrani — the limbs of the body; mukham - mouth; ca - and; parisusyati - dries up.
Arjuna said: O Krishna, seeing my friends and relatives eager to fight in front of me, I feel my legs give way and my mouth becomes dry.
PURPORT One who is truly devoted to the Lord possesses all the virtues of saints and demigods, while nondevotees, however learned and materially cultured, are devoid of these exalted qualities. Therefore, when Arjuna saw his kinsmen, friends and family members on the battlefield, he was filled with compassion for them, who decided to fight with each other. He felt compassion for his soldiers from the very beginning, but now he was filled with pity even for the soldiers of the enemy army, foreseeing their inevitable death. At the thought of this, he shivered and his throat went dry. Their warlike spirit was to some extent a surprise to Arjuna. Almost all of his family, all blood relatives came here to fight with him. For a kind-hearted devotee like Arjuna, this was a blow. Although it is not mentioned here, it is not difficult to imagine that Arjuna not only felt trembling in his body and dry mouth, but also wept with compassion. All this was not evidence of Arjuna's weakness, but of his kindness inherent in pure devotees of the Lord. This is why it says:
yasyasti bhaktir bhagavaty akincana
sarvair gunais tatra samasate surah
harav abhaktasya kuto mahad-guna
mano-rathenasati dhavato bahih
“One who is completely devoted to the Personality of Godhead possesses all the qualities of the demigods, while a nondevotee can only boast of material qualities, which are of little value. The reason is that such a person is constantly being led by his mind and therefore cannot resist the temptations of material energy ”(Bhag. 5.18.12).
vepathush cha sharire me
roma-harshash ca jayate
gandivam sramsate hastat
twak caiva paridahyate
vepathuh - trembling; ca - also; sarire - in the body; me - to my; roma-harsah - raising the hair on end; ca - also; jayate - there is; gandivam - the famous bow of Arjuna; sramsate - drops out; hastat - from the hand; twak - leather; ca - also; eva — of course; paridahyate - burns.
COMMENTARY: Shivering in the body can be caused by two reasons, and the same applies to the rise of body hair: these symptoms appear either in someone who is experiencing spiritual ecstasy or in a person who is experiencing intense fear due to one material reason or another. ... One who has realized his spiritual nature does not know fear. Arjuna's symptoms were due to material fear - fear of death. This was also indicated by other symptoms: Arjuna was in such confusion that he dropped his famous bow of Gandiva from his hands, and, since his heart was on fire, it seemed to him as if his whole body was engulfed in fire. All this was due to the material conceptions of Arjuna.
TEXT 30
na cha shaknomi avasthatum
bhramativa ca me manah
nimittani ca pasyami
viparitani keshava
na - not; ca - also; saknomi - I can; avasthatum - to remain; bhramati - forgets; iva - as if; ca - and; me - my; manah - the mind; nimittani - the causes; ca - also; pasyami - I see; viparitani - opposite; kesava - O Krishna, who killed the demon Kesi.
I can no longer stay here. My memory denies me, and my mind is clouded. All that I see portends only misfortune, O Krishna, who has slain the demon Kesi.
COMMENTARY: The confusion that gripped Arjuna drove him away from the battlefield, and his mind was so weak that he no longer remembered himself. A person finds himself in this state due to excessive attachment to material objects. Bhayam dvitiyabhinivesatah syat (Bhag. 11.2.37): Such fear and anxiety is inherent in people who are very dependent on material circumstances. It seemed to Arjuna that the battle would bring him nothing but suffering, and even victory over the enemy would not make him happy. The words nimittani viparitani are very significant in this verse. When a person realizes that only disappointments await him in the future and his hopes are not destined to come true, he involuntarily asks the question: "What am I doing here?" Everyone cares for their own good. No one is interested in the Supreme Soul. By the will of Krishna, Arjuna behaves as if he does not know what the real benefit is. One who comes to Vishnu (or Krishna) attains real benefit. The conditioned soul forgets this and therefore suffers in the material world. Arjuna was sure that winning the battle would bring him nothing but grief.
na ca sreyo "nupashyami
hatwa sva-janam ahave
on kanksha vijayam krishna
na cha rajyam sukhani cha
na - not; ca - also; sreyah - good; anupasyami - I foresee; hatva - by killing; sva-janam - his relatives; ahave - in the battle; na - not; kankse - I desire; vijayam — victory; krsna - O Krsna; na - not; ca - also; rajyam - the kingdom; sukhani - joys (won at such a price); ca - also.
I do not understand what benefit I will get by killing my kind in this battle. I do not need victory, kingdom, or happiness at such a price, O Krishna.
Armageddon, which is described in the Apocalypse (Revelation), is a decisive battle of Light and Darkness at the end of the next cycle. Everyone knows this. Only the date of the event is unknown. Is this battle so inevitable? And what is she like?
At the end of the circle (cycle), there is a sharp polarization of all that exists, caused by a monstrous increase in the power of both poles - Good and Evil. Since the object of the battle on Earth is man, we will have in mind exactly humanity. The poles begin to rapidly approach each other, sucking out, like powerful vacuum cleaners, the souls of the corresponding sign from the space between them. No one will be able to remain neutral, since there is not a single individual in whom these principles would be scrupulously balanced. Technically speaking, in connection with the sharply increased tension of psychic and cosmic currents at this time, the identification in a person of the beginning to which he gravitates is also intensifying. First of all, moral qualities are manifested. Its essence is highlighted in all its glory, it is at this time that all potential qualities and capabilities of a person are revealed in their maximum amplitude. And since the consciousness of the majority of humanity is still poorly developed, this is where so much evil appears on the planet in all its forms. Russia, in which the root ethnos of the fifth race is concentrated, is no exception. Vice versa! Everything here is exaggerated. Holy Russia? Hardly anyone would think of such combinations of words as, for example, Saint America, Saint France, the saints of the Netherlands. Funny, huh? However - Holy Russia sounds natural and does not hurt the ear, and this definition of Russia is recognized throughout the world. The Pole of Light is located in Russia. But, the more the forces of Good are activated, the more intensive are the forces of Evil. Therefore, there is more tension in Russia than in other countries. With the prevalence of “dark entities” in society, who, moreover, have come to power in key positions of economics and politics, degradation occurs in all spheres of our life. Power was taken by those in the mass of whom people with low spiritual and moral attitudes prevail. There is an accelerating division of society into the poor, who have neither power, nor work, nor money, and into the rich, who have everything, including power.
SEPARATION. This is the code word for the ongoing process. Do not rush to envy the oligarchs! Now let's remember what Jesus Christ said:
- “Not the world, but the sword has come. I bring to earth. " - That is, Jesus, preaching love and humility, reports that he brought a sword! Along the way, let us remember another Swordsman, coming at the End of the World, about Kalka Avatar, who will appear on a white horse with a sword in his hand. It will merge the power of three: Christ, Buddha and Maitreya. What is this sword, and what is its purpose? They will not be chopping off their heads, in the end. His name is Separating! There will be a complete division of people into two camps and their concentration on the poles - good and evil. This confrontation on earth will end with Armageddon, when the two forces converge in the final battle. The Sword of Light, dividing humanity at the end of the cycle into "grain and tares", is already in action, sorting everyone into those who will pass into the next - the sixth race in order to continue their evolutionary path. And on those who will be banished into nether worlds together with the Prince of Darkness to go through all the circles of hell, climbing out of the abyss of his selfishness. The time of separation has already arrived. His further destiny, his future depends on the choice of each. Will he choose the accumulation of material wealth, ripping off his people. Or, transmuting fiery energies, it will throw them out into the world in the form of light, positive creativity in all spheres of activity, for the benefit of people.
The final battle between good and evil will take place in Russia. Esotericists assert this, many feel it intuitively. Russia won the first round of Armageddon. She defeated the united forces of Darkness in the Second World War, which acted as a united front against her. Now some are trying to belittle the importance of Russia in the war. But her victory gave the world a respite before the decisive battle to take place in Altai on the Katun River. Helena Roerich writes about this in Agni Yoga, who received this information from the Teacher from Shambhala.
But what does the battle on the field of Kuruksetra have to do with it? - the impatient reader will ask.
And what connection does this battle described in the Mahabharata have with the Great Patriotic War? Let's go back in time and see what happened on this very field.
On the field of Kurukshetra, there were two clans facing each other: the Kauravas and the Pandavas. Kshetra is translated from Sanskrit as "field". And Kuru is the name of the area. The Pandavas were headed by the warrior Arjuna, whose charioteer was Lord Krishna himself. Arjuna took responsibility for the great war by the will of the Lord.
Go and fight! - Krishna ordered Arjuna. But Arjuna hesitated and asked him:
God! My uncle and my teacher are on the other side. Why should I slay them?
Krishna sent him into battle again. Again Arjuna hesitated. Then Krishna said:
I'm God! I know better the reasons for the events! Or fight and win. Or I'll have to do it.
Then Arjuna decided to fight. He died to the world, throwing away the doubts, desires and emotions inherent in human nature. Arjuna became the spearhead of the will of the Lord. He started the battle and won, destroying the opponents with the help of Krishna. Because a devotee of God can be as powerful as the Lord wants. Sri Krishna directed the battle of Kuruksetra according to his plan. The Forces of Light have won.
Historically, Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Vishnu. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Supreme Lord, is not impersonal or formless. He is called the embodiment of Eternity, Knowledge and Bliss. In this incident, Krishna acted as the supreme transcendental incarnation of the mortal Arjuna. The role of this battle on the earthly plane was to undermine the foundations of the existing caste system. Castes led to the ossification of society, slowed down its development. The Battle of Kurukshetra contributed to the weakening of caste ties and allowed society to evolve.
The problem that arose in Arjuna's heart was resolved by the instructions of the Lord. Arjuna found understanding in the knowledge given to him during the Battle of Kurukshetra called Bhagavad-gita. Arjuna did not want to fight with relatives, but he fought for the mission of the Lord by taking over his material nature. Action is judged by how much it pleases or displeases the Lord. This is the art of perfect performance of activity.
The Age of Kali began immediately after the Battle of Kuruksetra, when Krishna left Earth in his transcendental body. And as soon as he left, the symptoms of Kali Yuga began to appear. Krishna died on the night of February 17-18, 3102 BC. His death was accompanied by a sign - the conjunction of Venus and Jupiter. A similar sign at the birth of Jesus Christ will later be called the Star of Bethlehem. And also by the conjunction of the Moon and the Sun in an eclipse. From that moment on, the last stage of Kali Yuga began, the night of darkness descended on the earth. The beginning of the century is also called dark or iron. After 5,100 years, the darkest period is over. This happened in February 1998, when the same configuration of the planets was formed again. On this day, the prophecy about the end of the fall into the abyss of Kali-Yuga was fulfilled. The spiritual rebirth of mankind began, it began to rise from the pit of materiality. / Full Age of Kali Yuga - 427,000 years /.
The confrontation between light and darkness occurs constantly, but from time to time, at the end of certain periods, global battles take place. The Battle of Kurukshetra was one such significant battle. It is not without reason that Krishna himself, the Avatar of Vishnu, took part in it on the earthly plane. She was a reflection of the battle in the subtle world.
Another battle in heaven on the eve of Armageddon began in 1931, in 1936 the Lord of Shambhala entered it. On Earth, Russia entered the struggle in 1941. Helena Roerich writes (Agni Yoga: Aum):
“Kurukshetra is here on Earth. Armageddon is also represented by the earthly field. " - Where is this field on which the decisive battle took place in the Great Patriotic War? Anyone will answer:
This is the Kursk Bulge! The battle took place on a field near Kursk! Kuru, Kursk! Even the names are similar. Weird coincidence? But Nicholas Roerich in her articles and Helena Roerich in Agni Yoga write that the ancient Indians who wrote the Mahabharata knew the future. That the Battle of Kurukshetra is a prophecy about the Battle of Kursk, which turned the tide of the war in this decisive battle of Armageddon. And you can believe it! This comparison amazed me.
As a result of the victory in Heaven and on Earth, Lucifer was expelled from the solar system. Well, God forbid! But his host remained. Therefore, as it is stated in Agni Yoga, there is one more, last battle ahead, in which the spiritual power of the three Supreme Aspects will manifest on the earthly plane in the form of the Kalki Avatar. Its timing is kept secret. And maybe they are not yet known, since the division of humanity into warriors of Light and warriors of Darkness has not yet been completed! Therefore, the future of our civilization is uncertain. But we must remember that everyone will be saved only himself! Teachers will show the Way, and you have to walk on it yourself.
S.V. Zharnikova
A.G. Vinogradov
Time of "Mahabharata"
(dating of the Kurukshetra war)
Mahabharata - a grand epic ancient India... It was originally a story of a battle on Kurushetra between two related dynasties of Pandava and Kaurava. On this plot basis strung great amount independent texts containing the richest information about philosophy, religion, economics, socio-political system, military affairs and other aspects of the life of ancient India. Gradually, new ones were added to the main text and the Mahabharata reached us containing almost 200 thousand lines in 18 books. It is interesting that the first mention of the epic about the war of the descendants of Bharata dates back to the 4th century BC. However, the earliest manuscript available today dates from the 16th century.
The first editions of the Mahabharata were the Calcutta edition of 1834-1839 and the Bombay edition of 1862-1863. The 1910 Kumbhakonam edition is based on the Telugu version. Madras edition, 1932-1935 presents a southern review.
The task of preparing a critical publication was set in 1897. The critical edition of the Mahabharata in 22 volumes in Pune, published in separate issues since 1927, was fully completed in 1966. During the preparation, 1250 manuscripts were examined, of which 734 were selected. About 20 main manuscripts were subjected to continuous comparisons. In addition to the oldest manuscripts, early translations were drawn in. In terms of the volume of the main text, it is inferior to the Calcutta and Bombay editions, including about 76,000 lines, while a number of important episodes were removed.
In the 14th century, a poetic translation into Telugu was carried out. In the 15th century, translations into Tamil, Kannara, Malayalam. In 1580, a translation into Farsi was made. Later, an Arabic translation appeared. In Bengal in the 17th century, more than 30 versions of the translation of the Mahabharata are known, while the translation into Bengali was made in 1858-66.
In the 17th century, the Bhagavad-gita was translated into Farsi, later it gained popularity in the Arab world. In 1785, the first translation of the Bhagavad-gita was published in English... In 1787, from the English translation, the Bhagavad Gita was translated into French... The translation of the Bhagavad Gita into Russian appeared in 1788.
In 1808, in the book "On the Language and Wisdom of the Indians" F. Schlegel translated excerpts from the "Mahabharata". The first complete translation of the Mahabharata into English was published in 1883-1896. The work on the complete translation of the Mahabharata into French was carried out in 1863-1870.
Translations of parts of the "Mahabharata" into Russian went in 1835, 1841, 1844, 1851, 1857. V.I.Kalyanov began work on a complete Russian prose translation in Leningrad in 1939. Academician BL Smirnov in Ashgabat published several volumes of translations of the "Mahabharata".
Tradition says thatafter the Battle of Kurukshetra on the night of February 17-18, 3102 BC at the time of the conjunction of Venus and Jupiter, as well as the conjunction of the Moon and the Sun insolar and lunarthe eclipse over Kuruksetra began the Kali-yuga.The battle began in the morning after the eclipse and lasted 18 days. This time of year does not coincide with the traditional time of the Gita Jayanti festival, dedicated to the Battle of Kurukshetra.
The traditional time of the Gita Jayanti festival is celebrated on the eleventh day of the first half of the lunar month of Margashirsha. Margashirsha is the ninth lunar month of the year, beginning on November 22nd and ending on December 21st. There are 30 days in it. In solar religious calendars, the month of Margashirsha begins with the entry of the Sun into the constellation of Scorpio and is considered the eighth month of the year, the date of the holiday is not floating and refers to December 3.
According to modern astronomy, at the beginning of Kali Yuga, the arrangement of the planets took place close to linear. Then the position of the seven planets in their two cycles coincided with the position of the star Zeta Pisces on the zero day of Kali-yuga. This star, called Revati in Sanskrit, is used as the origin of celestial longitude. It is believed that then Mars was in the sign of Cancer, Jupiter in Capricorn and in conjunction with the Sun and Venus. Saturn in Leo, Sun in Taurus, Venus and Mercury conjunct in Pisces. But only five of the planets at this time on the Ujjain meridian in India fell into the 10-degree sector of the star Revati. The exceptions are Mercury and Saturn. In February 1998, the same planetary configuration again formed over northern India.
It should be noted that the beginning of Kali-yuga and the time of the battle were divided. In the “Book of the Battle with the Maces” it is said: “Vaisampayana said: Thirty-six years have passed (since the Battle of Kurukshetra), and the joy of the Kuru clan, Yudhishthira began to notice ominous signs ...
Vaisampayana said: After thirty-six years (after the Battle of Kurukshetra took place) the great corruption of the Vrsnias. And they destroyed each other with clubs, impelled by Time. "
It is believed that the Battle of Kurukshetra began on the 13th or 16th day of the month of Karrtika and lasted for 18 days. Before the battle began, the moon and solar eclipse... The month of Karrtika is the eighth lunar month of the year, beginning on October 23rd and ending on November 21st. There are 30 days in it. Thus, the battle began on November 4 or 7.
The time before the start of the battle is described in the Book of Bhishma: “The cranes, anticipating the impending horror, emit terrible hoarse screams and flock from everywhere, heading south together ...
Having lost its brilliance, the moon became indistinguishable, the color of fire, in the sky of the same color even on the full moon night of the month of Kartika. "
This text of the Mahabharata alone is enough to abandon the localization of the Battle of Kurukshetra in India. Of course, there are cranes in India, but they are sedentary. Only those cranes that breed in the north fly to the south. When the average daily temperature goes over 10 degrees, they go to warmer regions. In central Russia, this is the first half of October.
The timing of the flight of cranes from the territory of Russia is synchronous. By the first decade of September, cranes usually concentrate in certain areas, where they stay until mid-September. Mass departure from these places falls in the second half of September - early October. Separate flocks of birds fly by until the end of October.
The Puranic literature provides genealogical lists related to the narration of the Mahabharata. There is a statement that there were 1015 (or 1050) years between the birth of Parikshit (grandson of Arjun) and the accession of Mahadapma Nanda. Accession of Nanda is dated 382 year BC Then the battle could take place in 1432-1392 over the years BC However, this means a longer duration of reigns.
Indian historians' analysis of parallel genealogies in the Puranas between the times of Adisimakrishna (great-grandson of Parikshit) and Mahapada Tenda led to 950 BC. But historians have estimated the period to be 26 generations, averaging 10 different dynastic lists and taking 18 years as the average length of a reign, based on the 850 BCE date for Adhisimakrishna. However, this dating is entirely far-fetched, no one can claim that the lists are correctly averaged, the length of the reign and their number are precisely determined.
There are other dates: PVVartak, using planetary positions, assigns it to October 16, 5561 BC, P.V. Holey specifies the date November 13, 3143 BC, B .N. Achar and K .Sadananda to November 22, 3067 BC, S. Balakrishna using successive lunar eclipses assigned the battle to 2559 BC, RNIyengar, based on eclipses and the conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter, assigned it to 1478 BC. AD, PR Sarkar by 1298 BC, V.S. Dubey by 950 BC
Historians believe that the Kuru kingdom was the center of political power in India during the period 1200-800 BC. Some researchers draw parallels between the Battle of Kurukshetra andThe battle of ten kings described in the Rig Veda.
A.L. Basham in 1954, concluded that a great battle took place in Kurukshetra, which became the basis of the history of the greatest of Indian epics, Mahabharata. And he suggested that this could be "a confused memory of the conquest of the Kuru by a mountain tribe of the Mongol type." He dated the war to the 9th century BC based on archaeological evidence. According to Asko Parpola, the war may have taken place at a later stage in the "gray painted pottery", around the 8th-4th century BC. Parpola suggests that the Pandavas were Iranian migrants who arrived in India around 800 BC.
B.B. Lal used the same approach and came up with the date 836 BC. After excavating a settlement in India identified with Hastinapura, known in the epic as the capital of the Kuru, instead of the expected lush city with royal palaces, temples and houses of the rich, he saw a small and rather primitive settlement.
However, the text contains indications of a later age. Among the countries and cities, Rome, Alexandria and Antioch are noted. The Marathi version of the Mahabharata (1608-1660) describes how King Dushyanta fights the British and French.
The basis of all these dates is the statement that the Battle of Kurukshetra took place in India. But this cannot be by definition. There were no Indo-Aryans in India until the 12th century BC; in the Ganges and Yamuna valleys, they were strengthened later. But traces of that epic wardescribed in the Mahabharata is not there. It follows from this that the battle took place elsewhere, outside of Hindustan.
This is also evidenced by the fact that the events described in the "Mahabharata" and "Shah-Nama" correspond.
The oldest Shahnameh manuscripts date back to the 14th century when translated into Arabic in 1218-1227 (manuscripts in Paris and Berlin).
Editions of the original in Persian in Calcutta in 1811 and 1829, in Paris in 1838-78, in Bombay in 1862-1872, in Tehran in 1847-1879. For the first time, the scientific publication of the text "Shahnameh" was carried out by the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR in 1960-71. In 1971 this text was republished in Tehran.
English translation 1832. French translation 1838-78. German translation 1865, 1890. Notes in Russian about Ferdowsi and "Shahnama" appeared in 1848, 1849, 1867. Russian translations 1885. The complete Russian translation was published in 1957-89.
G.M.Bongard-Levin and E.A.Grantovsky showed that the actions of Key-Khosrov described in Shah-Nama and Yudhishthira in the Mahabharata are identical. S. Vikander proved that these common features go back to a single Indo-Iranian epic heritage. However, the Iranian epic does not place the events of the Iran-Turan war in India.
Key-Khosrov (Kavi Khaosrava), king of Iran or Aryanam-Vaijo, son of Siyavush, grandson of Key-Kavus from the Keianid dynasty. He fought with the ruler of Turan - Afrasiyab.
Modern authors date the reign of Key-Khosrow to the period between the 12th and 9th centuries BC. However, Abu Reikhan Muhammad ibn Ahmed al-Biruni in his book "Monuments of Past Generations", relying on Iranian sources, gives other dates.
Pan-Iranian: “Between these dynasties there were interregnum, because of which the order and sequence of chronology are doubtful. Here are the kings of the first part, according to the opinion of the majority of the Persians ... "According to it, the enemy of Key-Khosrov - Afrasiab, son of Busheng, ruled 763 before Alexander the Great (1106-1094 BC), he is Afrasiab or Tuj - a Turk , who captured Iraq, ruled 723 years before Alexander the Great (1076-1054 BC). Humayun or Kaykhusrau, the son of Siyavush, the son of Kaykus, until he left to wander and disappeared, ruled 408 years before Alexander Macedonian (799-739 BC).
Avestan: “I found them in the book of Hamza ibn al-Hussein al-Isfahani, which he called:“ The book of the eras of great nations, past and disappeared ”, in a different form. Hamza says that he diligently corrected them according to the book of the Avesta, and this is the book of the religion of the Persians. "
According to it Afrasiab ruled 776 years before Alexander the Great (1119-1107 BC), Kaykhusrau ruled 408 years before Alexander the Great (819-739 BC).
Western: “In the books of lives and traditions, translated from the books of the inhabitants of the West, the kings of the Persians and Babylon are mentioned, starting with Afridun ... and up to Darius, the last king of the Persians. We found that these books disagree in the data on the number of kings, their names and the length of their reign, as well as in the legends about these kings and their circumstances ...
However, if we completely refuse to mention this, then we will reduce the share of the value of the book and distract the attention of the reader from it. We will present these data in a separate table so that opinions and legends do not contradict each other. " According to the book of the inhabitants of the West, Kurush, that is, Keikhusrau ruled 352 years before Alexander the Great (691-683 BC). Modern chronologists date Kurush to 640-600 BC.
After the onset of the battle, Yudhishthira ruled for thirty-six years, Kei-Khosrov for 60 years, according to Iranian sources, the Battle of Kurukshetra took place in 775 or 780 BC.
The very size of Kurukshetra, in the form of a square with sides of 100 by 100 yojanas (1600 by 1600 kilometers) surrounded by enemy countries, which housed 6 million military personnel and military technicians allows it to be placed in central India.
In no way corresponds to the level of development of cultures of 1 millennium BC. technical description of the Battle of Kurukshetra. More than 90 types of weapons are indicated in the Mahabharata, for example: agneyaastra, brahmastra, chakram, garudastra, kaumodaki, narayanastra, pashupata, shiva dhanush, sudarshana chakra, trishul, vaishnavastra, varunastra, vayavastra. There was equipment for secret tracking of the enemy and shelter from his means of detection, a huge variety of types of "fire weapons", "death discs", poisonous, narcotic and soporific gases, artificially created micromechanisms like viruses and harmful bacteria. Mentioned: agniastra - a weapon that deliberately controls lightning strikes; varsana - a means of causing heavy rains; vayavyaastra — the weapon of the air stream; mohana - a weapon that causes unconsciousness; tvashar - a means that generates chaos in the ranks of the enemy; shatani - a weapon that kills hundreds of people at the same time. Agnea is a kind of fire-causing weapon, the heat of which burned the world like a fever. Brahmadanda could affect countries and peoples for decades. Kapila's gaze could burn 50,000 people to ashes in a matter of seconds. Guhagarbha darpana is a device that uses energy from the sun, wind, and ether, and concentrates it through a special mirror. Ghora is a weapon that makes terrible devastation or continuous extermination of enemy warriors. Indra's dart, when turned on, gives off a beam of light, which, being focused on any target, immediately “devours it with its power”. Kakudika is a weapon that plunges warriors fighting in chariots and elephants into an insensible state. Naka is a weapon that drives you crazy and unconscious. Nartana is a weapon that makes the target dance around in a frantic manner. Roudry Darpana is a device that accumulates sunlight and releases a beam that can melt any object. Santana is a device that helps create an endless stream of weapons, although only one has been released. Shuka is a weapon that prevents elephants and horses from moving, as if they were trapped. Drying - a weapon that was a projectile for drying the enemy. It tells about large lightning that could destroy an entire city, mentions a certain projectile, the explosion of which is "as bright as 10,000 suns."
Here is a battle scene from the Mahabharata. “We noticed something in the sky that looked like a flaming cloud, like tongues of fire. A huge black vimana emerged from it, and brought down a multitude of sparkling shells. The roar they made was like the thunder of a thousand drums. Vimana approached the ground with unimaginable speed and fired many shells, sparkling like gold, thousands of lightning. This was followed by violent explosions and hundreds of fiery whirlwinds ... The army fled, and the terrible vimaana pursued it, did not destroy the pitch ... Burned by the heat of the weapon, the world reeled as in a fever. The elephants burst into flames from the heat and ran wildly to and fro in search of protection from the terrible force. The water became hot, the animals perished, the enemy was mowed down, and the fury of fire brought down the trees in rows ... Thousands of chariots were destroyed, then a deep silence descended on the sea. The winds began to blow, and the Earth lit up. The corpses of the victims were mutilated by the terrible heat so that they no longer looked like people. "
As a matter of fact, after the battle, of all the armies, 8 Pandavas and 3 Kauravas remained alive. The total losses of the male population amounted to "one billion six hundred and sixty million and twenty thousand people were killed in the battle, Rajah, the remaining knights - twenty-four thousand one hundred and sixty."
There are no traces of such a massacre in central India. There are traces in Russia, although they are usually not considered. So, for example, the settlements of the late Trypillian culture, according to the archaeological survey in 1951, have an increased radioactivity.
Kurukshetra, could be located in central Russia, where in 1943 on the Kursk field in 200 200 km ... met in battle 3 million people, 13 thousand tanks, 39 thousand guns and 5 thousand combat aircraft.
It's hard to believe, but the presence of such a catastrophe in ancient times is confirmed by genetics. Geneticists know the "bottleneck effect" - a reduction in the gene pool of a population due to the passage of a period during which, for various reasons, there is a critical decrease in its number, which is subsequently restored. A reduction in genetic diversity leads to a change in the relative and absolute frequencies of the alleles of genes; therefore, this effect is considered among the factors of evolution.
Initially, the population has a high genetic diversity, due to its large number, favorable environmental conditions and wide habitat.
Then the population dies out, its number is reduced to a few individuals. The gene pool is becoming impoverished. A decrease in the population size can occur one-time - as a result of a disaster.
The population is growing again, but genetic diversity is not restored. Conditions are created for random variation of allele frequencies in the population - gene drift.
There are three main haplogroups of the modern Germanic-speaking population of Europe: I1, R1b and R1a. A significant part of the men of modern northwestern Europe is a carrier of the chromosomal haplogroup I1, which is widespread, primarily in Scandinavia, and among peoples in contact with the Scandinavians.
According to Yu.K. Kuzmenko, haplogroup I, which appeared about 20 thousand BC, or even earlier, spread in northern Europe after the last glacier melted. But geneticists believe that, despite the fact that the mutation that led to the formation of haplogroup I1 occurred after the last glacier melted, the immediate ancestor of today's carriers of haplogroup I1 lived around 3000 BC. It is to this period that the bottleneck effect is attributed, i.e. a sharp decline in the population with a variety of haplogroup I1, followed by a gradual quantitative and territorial distribution of only one of its haplotypes. The first population of Scandinavia and northern Germany, at least its male part, has actually disappeared, geneticists even speak of one single man with haplogroup I1 who survived this period. Mahabharata gives us the name of this man who left for the Kola Peninsula.
The rest of the major haplogroups appeared in Europe between 3000 and 2600 BC. and, as geneticists believe, practically did not meet people. At this time, the haplogroup R1b appeared on the middle reaches of the Volga and through northern Kazakhstan, the Caucasus, Anatolia, the Middle East and North Africa it came to the Iberian Peninsula, and from there it spread to western Europe. Moving the island to the east, this haplogroup crowded out the earlier small haplogroups.
Geneticists believe that carriers of R1a appeared in Europe 10-12 thousand years ago, after the melting of the glacier, however, only a very small percentage of the modern population of Europe are descendants of the disappeared first carriers of R1a in Europe, while the bulk of the ancestors of modern carriers of R1a in Europe appeared only in the second migration from the east of the new subclades of R1a, which began around 3000 BC. NS.
This date coincides with the traditional date of the Battle of Kurukshetra.
However, there are problems. Geneticists calculate time according to the frequency of mutations in males over a certain number of generations. The size of generations in a thousand years they take constant in different groups of the population. Meanwhile, this value differs among different peoples. For some Indians, marriages take place between the 9th and 12th years of a man's life. In Iran, the age of puberty for native girls is 9 years old, for boys 15 years old. In African cultures, children are married as soon as they have reached physical maturity, between the ages of 9 and 15. At the same time, in Ireland, men enter into their first marriage at the age of 26-33. In Sweden and Denmark, the first marriage is 33 for men and 30 for women. In Norway for 31 years. The same age at first marriage for white men in France, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Finland. Thus, even if we do not take into account explosive mutations, African haplogroups are incorrectly dated by geneticists relative to European ones by 2-4 times, or the dating of haplogroups has no basis at all.
Archaeological evidence on the territory of Eastern Europe also confirms the information and dating of the events described in the "Mahabharata". Thus, the "Mahabharata" dates the wars of the Kauravs and Panchals in the basin of the Ganges (Raha), Vaka and Sindhu rivers at 6.4-5.4 thousand BC. At the same time, archaeologists date the struggle between the Butovo and Jena cultures in the basin of the Volga, Oka and Don rivers.
Based on this, it can be assumed that the events of the battle on the Kursk field described in the "Mahabharata" took place in an era dating from the tradition of 3102 BC.
Elena Kosolobova, Anna Krivosheina
To better understand the story told in "Star Wars", let's open ... an ancient Indian epic that has existed for more than 3000 years and tells about a great war between two clans.
So, a long time ago in a far, distant Indian kingdom ...
Indians still listen to their great epic legend - "Mahabharata" with bated breath. "The Great Battle of the Descendants of Bharata" (as its name is translated) tells about the war between the clans of the Pandavas and the Kauravas for power over the city of Hastinapura. Modern historians tend to believe that such a battle really took place, but this is not important now - let's turn to the plot.
Characters
The story told in the "Mahabharata", on the one hand, is almost detective, on the other, it is quite life. The selfish and greedy Kauravas chased away their cousins and co-rulers of Hastinapura Pandavas (who had equal right to the throne with them), forced them to wander and ultimately summoned them to the great war. They would have lived peacefully, would have divided the kingdom (as, by the way, it was intended at the beginning), but greed and hatred prevailed: the Kauravas were not satisfied with half of the kingdom - they wanted to have everything. The Pandavas, however, were ready to be content with a piece of land, but seeing what troubles are happening on their native land, they realized that war is inevitable. Evil had to be destroyed. Started Great War for justice, for peace, for the true rulers to rule the state.
The plot of Star Wars, isn't it?
Another clarification - the forces of the opponents are clearly unequal. There are five Pandavas, one hundred Kauravas. Both clans collect huge armies, none of the neighboring kingdoms remains on the sidelines. On the day of the decisive battle on the field of Kuruksetra, two huge armies line up against each other.
The leader of the Pandavas is Arjuna. This is the greatest and fearless warrior, one of the last legendary heroes of ancient times, endowed with divine power. In the camp of the Kauravas, two are his most fierce opponents: the eldest of the brothers, Duryodhana, who harbors a mortal hatred for the Pandavas, it is he who unleashed the war, it is he who seeks to take possession of the city ("Emperor"); and the great warrior Karna, endowed, like Arjuna, with divine powers, equal to him in strength. He is the only one who can defeat Arjuna (just like Arjuna is the only one who can defeat Karna). According to the plot of the Mahabharata, Karna is the brother of the Pandavas, but he was brought up together with the Kauravas and, succumbing to admonitions, flattery and promises to which Duryodhana was generous, gradually, without noticing it, switched to the “dark side of the Force”.
There is also a mentor ("teacher Yoda") in the "Mahabharata" - the great sage Krishna, whose task is not just to educate the Pandava knights and temper their spirit, but to inspire them to battle, give them a code, awaken in their souls the nobility of true warriors of the world, give deep knowledge about the world, about the meaning of existence, about duty, about the illusory nature of everything material.
Family ties aside, the parallels between Mahabharata and Star Wars become quite obvious:
"Mahabharata" - "Star Wars"
Hastinapura - Empire / Republic
Kauravas - troops of the Empire
Duryodhana - Emperor
Karna - Darth Vader (Anakin Skywalker)
King Dhrtarastra - Senate
Pandavas - rebel troops
Arjuna - Luke Skywalker
Krishna - Yoda + Obivan Kenobi
The goals of the participants in the two wars are also similar. And whether we are talking about a small ancient Indian kingdom or a great galactic Empire, by and large is not so important. Because these are only allegories of the battlefield where the most important battles are played out - the human soul.
Is the war external or internal?
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To understand what an internal battle is, we can turn to Zoroastrianism. According to this teaching, the human soul is a battlefield of two forces - light and darkness. Our life is a constant choice between good and evil. And no one can evade him, because if you did not take the side of the world, did not choose good, you will be captured and evil will use in your own interests.
Evil creeps into a person's heart imperceptibly, gradually becoming the guiding force of all his actions. Luke realizes this when he learns about the fate of his father: "It's terrible that the darkness could strike from around the corner, make white black, and righteous unrighteous."
The ancient Indian epic tells about the battle taking place in our own souls. The Pandavas are an allegorical image of good, strong, positive qualities, creativity, potentials. Kauravas are shadow, negative sides: complexes, fears, obsessions "living" in everyone, in the end, elementary egoism. Man is a complex creature, neither white nor black, neither good nor evil - a little bit of everything.
Although it would be more correct to say that by his true nature he is kind. Plato wrote about this, comparing man with the sea god Proteus: we are magnanimous, divine, talented, we have great and deep knowledge, but - as fate arranged - we do not remember this. Like the sea god sleeping at the bottom of the ocean, our soul, while we live, is covered with "shells", overgrown with "algae", hiding under the "sand" of our problems, mistakes, fears, complexes, routine, selfishness, so it is already difficult to understand who are we.
So it turns out that the light and dark sides coexist quite peacefully in us, being in a state of delicate balance. This can go on for a long time, but sooner or later an internal conflict arises. This happens when something begins to threaten our own Hastinapura (Republic) - ideals, dreams, that sacred and dear that everyone has; or when we may miss out on great opportunities that fate presents.
But even before this decisive battle, there is an hourly, daily battle in us.
Everyday battle
As Yoda's teacher told Luke, dark side Forces are more seductive, easier to follow. Anger, fear and hatred open the way to it: “Fear gives rise to anger. Anger breeds hatred. Hatred is the key to suffering. " Passion, fear and anger upset a person's equilibrium and make him act unfairly, Krishna says to his disciple Arjuna. He explains1 the main reason for mistakes and falls: violent feelings carry a person, from them desire and attachment are born (one of the manifestations of attachment is the fear of losing what is dear). Attachment and desire, in turn, generate anger (well, still - try to step on your pet corn or take a tasty bone from a dog!), Anger leads to delusion and makes a person commit unfair acts. And after this, the ability to distinguish good from evil is gradually lost ...
Luke's father Anakin Skywalker did not want to become the Black Lord at all. Probably, had someone predicted such a fate to him, he would have been horrified. But imperceptibly, a young man with beautiful and noble dreams of being the protector of the weak, freeing people and making them happy turned into a monster. It was time to consciously control your desires and instincts - and Anakin could not cope with the inner darkness.
One of the most terrible turning points in his life was the massacre of the Tuscan raiders, when, wishing to avenge his mother, he destroyed an entire settlement. The motives are understandable, but this act led him into darkness: he was guided by revenge and fear, the inability to adequately accept the inevitable. As a result, he violated the code of the Jedi Knights. “This is a really very important scene for Anakin ...” says Lucas. "Here he finally takes the path leading to the dark side."
But this decisive turning point, as it turned out, was preceded by many small, again humanly understandable, seemingly not fundamental violations, which, as it turned out, were also steps into darkness: Anakin's self-confidence, the desire to always be right, a deep conviction in the infallibility of his criteria ... Even agreeing with someone, he remains at his own opinion, not at all trying to understand the other, even the teacher. He constantly - and deliberately - neglects Obivan's requests and advice, and his words sounding as a refrain: "I try, but I can not" testify to a lot, especially if you remember Yoda's lessons: do not try - you have to do it.
A test for him was that feeling for Padmé, which could become love-blessing, but turned into lies and death - also because of his ambitions, including love. "He ... wanted to have the power sufficient to control and keep close to everything and everyone he wanted," - said Lucas in an interview.
A person prepares all his big mistakes, failures, failures himself - with his daily choices, everyday battle. “There are no distances for injustice. If the evil is not stopped immediately, it will gradually swallow all people, it does not matter if they resisted it or not, ”Obivan tells Luc.
Fight Arjuna!
But those who wage their inner struggle face more than failure. This daily battle would be pointless if it did not help us change and get to know ourselves better. It is just part of the great metaphysical battle between good and evil in us. That is why Yoda, Krishna, Merlin, Gandalf teach first of all to resist internal evil, show their students that it is possible, despite the fact that the darkness is strong. Remember the words of Yoda: "We are beings of light, and the rest does not matter." The main thing is to understand that each of us has our own Hastinapura, which is worth fighting for. And that in each of us sleeps Arjuna - a warrior of light, ready to fight for her with a horde of Kaurav problems.
And when suddenly it becomes scary and wants to give up the battle, looking at the huge army of the enemy, when Arjuna lowers his bow, when Luke feels fear and powerlessness, the voice of the Teacher will be heard, who will explain that the new means the death of the old, that any step forward is associated with risk and the loss of the familiar and convenient. And yet - that too much of what appears to the student to be real is nothing more than an illusion of the mind. And that the greatest army of the enemy and the most insurmountable obstacles stand nothing before the Idea, whose time has come.
And does it not matter to Luke whether to use the Force to raise a stone or a spaceship, to fight with a small flaw or a great problem? After all, the difference exists only in the mind, and from the point of view of the Force there is no gravity, no size, no obstacles. The main thing is to decide ... And when Luke, doubting himself, without much faith in luck, says that he will try, Yoda will answer him: “No, do not try. Make. Make. Or not. Do not try, - and then add: - If you become a servant of evil, the galaxy will plunge even deeper into the abyss of hatred and despair. But the Emperor and Vader must be stopped! Do you hear? Everything depends on you ... "In the same way, almost three thousand years ago, Krishna said to his disciple:" Fight, Arjuna ... you must act for the sake of the totality of the world. "
for the magazine "Man Without Borders"
Battle of Kurukshetra
About 5000 years ago, the greatest battle in the history of the Earth took place, which was called the Battle of Kurukshetra. During this battle, about 650 million soldiers died, and in just 18 days!
"Mahabharata"
It's time for the battle. Yudhishthira divided the army of the Pandavas into seven armies, each of them numbered twenty-one thousand eight hundred and seventy elephants, the same number of chariots, sixty-five thousand six hundred and ten horsemen and one hundred nine thousand three hundred and fifty foot soldiers ...
It was a battle between good and evil, which took place at the junction of two eras: Dvapara and Kali Yug in 3538 BC. Kurukshetra - A sacred place where a battle took place between the Pandavas and the Kauravas, two clans of the same royal family of Kurus. (Kuru-kshetra - The battlefield of the Kuru dynasty.)
The battle took place in three elements: on the ground, in the air, under water. Weapons were used there, which in our time is considered a fantasy. It is interesting that the warriors did not fight with swords and bows and arrows, but used some kind of terrible weapon in terms of destructive power and consequences. These weapons destroyed entire cities. Where did this weapon come from people who lived five thousand years before our time and did not have (from a modern point of view) the slightest idea about machines and mechanisms made of metal?
“Head of Brahma”, “Flame of Indra”, “huge and spewing streams of flame”, “rushing at a frantic speed, enveloped in lightning” - this is how the ancient chronicles describe this weapon. “The explosion from it was bright, like 10 thousand suns at the zenith”, “the flame, devoid of smoke, spread in all directions” ... it turned people to dust, while those who survived fell out their nails and hair. Even the food was deteriorating. This weapon has struck entire countries and peoples for several generations: “A lightning strike, like a giant messenger of death, burned people. Those who threw themselves into the river managed to survive, but lost their hair and nails ... ”; “… Several years after that the Sun, stars and sky are hidden by clouds and bad weather” ...
When the researchers took soil samples for analysis in the Kurukshetra area, they came to the unequivocal conclusion that nuclear weapons were used there. Brahmastra - that is what it was called.
“The firmament split, the Earth cried, fierce winds suddenly blew, the cardinal directions began to smoke and roared, many mountains with groves on them hesitated, the host of living beings suddenly experienced an unprecedented torment, ... the whole sky was embraced by darkness, the Earth shook, flaming comets fell from the sky "...
Yes, our Earth keeps many secrets. But ... The Time of Revelations has come, and the veils from them will soon fall off.
We will know and we will understand.