http://SaturnianCosmology.Org/ mirrored file For complete access to all the files of this collection see http://SaturnianCosmology.org/search.php ========================================================== ELECTRONIC JOURNAL OF VEDIC STUDIES (EJVS) Vol. 10 (2003) Issue 5 (Nov. 14) (©) ISSN 1084-7561 CONTENTS: EDITOR'S NOTE ARTICLE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------- EDITOR'S NOTE The following two issues contain papers that discuss the relationship between the Vedic texts and the two great Epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. Traditionally, both texts have been regarded as faithfully representing old Indian history. In the current effort of rewriting Indian history, there is increasing practise of using them as 'historical documents' or even as 'a contemporaneous writing of history'. Rather, S.S.N. Murthy, a New Delhi scientist, highlights their true literary nature, as a creative combination of myths and Bardic imagination. MW -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------- The Questionable Historicity of the Mahabharata S.S.N. Murthy, School of Physical Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi-110067, INDIA. E-mail: ssnm0700 at mail.jnu.ac.in It is not uncommon in mythology to create elaborate stories around historic heroic figures to elevate them to the level of gods who have time and again formed the basis for the development of religious sects. In hindU mythology the scene is slightly different where popular stories have been woven around Vedic themes that had nothing to do with history. Typical is the example of 'the three strides of viSNu' mentioned at about a dozen places in Rgveda (RV), which in the post-Vedic period was evolved into the 'vAmana' (dwarf) incarnation of viSNu, with the original Vedic theme having been forgotten subsequently. The great Epic story "mahAbhArata" (Mbh) which has influenced the life and culture in the Indian subcontinent for over 2200 years is probably another such example. So far all archeological excavations (Ghosh, 1989), at some of the important places mentioned in the Epic have yielded nothing which can corroborate the story. However, most text books on Indian history, date the Epic around 950 BC. The recent discovery of large ruined cities belonging to probably 'the Harappan civilization' [N 1], (~1900-3000 BC) along the bed of the now dried up ghaggar river, and a submerged site (believed to be ~1500 BC ) at dwAraka, off the coast of Gujarat by S.R. Rao (1999), has encouraged many scholars to push Mbh to greater antiquity [N 2] . >From early literature it appears that the story of Mbh was known to people by 450-600 BC (Benjamin, 1984; Brockington 2000). In Vedic literature [N 3] (which mostly is prior to ~ 400BC), are found names such as parikshit, zantanu, devApi and janamejaya which are also names of characters in Mbh. But the mere mention of such names cannot authenticate Mbh, as many persons with similar names abound hindU mythology. There is also the mention of vyAsa parAzara (to whom tradition ascribes the Epic to), as the arranger of vedas (cf. Sullivan, 1999); but not the names of pANDavas, the Epic hero kRSNa [N 4], hastinApura or indraprastha. However, it seems unlikely that an Epic of such great proportions was the result of pure imagination of mind. Since the entire Epic revolved around a great war, there is a possibility that the Epic is actually an exaggerated version of a small battle which may have taken place during the Vedic period. In this context, of the many battles mentioned in RV [N 3], 'The battle of Ten kings' (btk) described in RV [VII.18,19, 83] is extremely interesting. It was a battle between a bharata king named sudAs aided by a clan named tRtsus, and a confederation of ten tribes. The ten tribes pitted against sudAs consisted of five Aryan tribes along with five other non-Aryan tribes. The battle took place on the river paruSNI (now ravi). sudAs was led by Vedic RSi, vasiSTha. Going by the numbers it should have been an uneven battle. But because of a timely storm and floods, and because of the strategy adopted by vasiSTha, the battle was won by sudAs. Most of the opponents were either killed or washed away in the floods. It was in fact a mini-bhArata battle! For this victory, vasiSTha praises the Vedic gods, indra and his companions in several hymns. The way the battle was described in RV gives us an impression that it has some historical value. It is, therefore, unlikely that such an important battle was not discussed at all in the later purANas. A critical comparison of btk and Mbh revealed a large number of similarities leading to the conclusion that the former may have formed the 'nucleus'of story of Mbh. Some of these similarities are presented below. Another intriguing feature one comes across is the abundance of the number 'five' throughout Mbh, which, too, is detailed below. In the following discussion the familiarity of the reader with the Epic story, is assumed. Obsession for the number 'five' in Mbh: The first thing that I have observed in Mbh [N 5] is the occurrence of the number 'five' at many places, in not less than 81 different contexts, and a few hundred times in total (see Appendix. I). It is clearly apparent that the composer(s) has/have been obsessed with the number 'five', and had tried to insert it in the story where ever and however possible with, of course some theme in the background. One can trace this obsession to the Vedas where it occurs about 100 times and in about 24 different contexts (pl. see, Appendix.II). Therefore, the composer must have seen some sacredness in that number. The obsession could even be spiritual in nature, as many a time the number was used in a spiritual context, for example: five prANas, five indriyas and five senses etc. So much is the obsession of the composer(s) that we see an extra effort or anxiety on the his/their part to makeup the numbers to five or multiples of five even when there was no necessity, as in the context of the number of arrows used in the draupadI swayaMvara and in the discussion of the size of the 'discus' of kRSNa etc. (Appendix-I) [N 6]. Such an obsession was not found in the portions of Mbh which are believed to be later additions as discussed by Winternitz (1996), like: bhagavadgItA, chapters 12 & 13 and the other portions, indicating that this obsession was not a later modification of the Epic [N 7] . It is interesting to see that throughout the Epic, in the battle scenes warriors are described as hitting each other with five arrows; or with five, and with ten arrows at a different warrior. For example: "Š.yuyutsa deprived of his senses by wrath, struck ulUka with five shafts in the centre of the chest" [VIII.25,55]. "Šthen that rAkSasa (ghaTotkaca) of immeasurable soul excited with rage, sped at bhUrizravas five and ten shafts" [VI.94,231]. "ŠŠarjuna, pierced by that mighty car-warrior king zatruntApa pierced the latter in return with five and then slew his car-driver with ten shafts,.." [IV.54,92]. There are many instances of this kind throughout the battle scenes of Mbh (also, see Appendix I) and the number some times varies from, a combination of five and ten to, five and twenty. Interestingly, this kind of description can be traced to a verse in AV [VII.7.28] which reads: "From the five-arrowed, from the ten-arrowed have I delivered thee, freed thee from yama's fetter and from all offence against the gods"-{Griffith's translation, 1999}. This verse is part of a hymn which extols the excellence of medicinal herbs, is an incantation designed to restore a sick man to health. The same verse in the translation of Devi Chand (1981), reads: "I have delivered thee from the sufferings of five breaths (prANas), from the sufferings of ten organs. Š". A similar yoga philosophy can be seen in some parts of Mbh like, "...these persons freed from these seven and ten attributes, (viz. the five senses of knowledge, the five senses of action, the five vital breaths, mind and understanding), who have cast off all acts, and are divested of the five and ten elements which constitute the gross body, are said to emancipate" [XII.336,117]. >From this discussion, it is clear that the composer was more concerned about the spiritual aspect and hence, we have to seriously doubt the historicity of the matter presented in the Epic. If one looks at Appendix I, most of the kings mentioned have five children each! This can not be a mere coincidence. This gives rise to the same suspicion about pANDavas as well as the number five is mostly associated with them either directly or indirectly, and at many places in the Epic, they were compared to five indriyas, meaning the five senses. I strongly believe that the composer was bent on creating five characters in the name of pANDavas while dramatizing the btk, the details of which are given below. Dramatization of btk to Mbh: On close comparision of btk & Mbh, it becomes quite clear that a one to one mapping of the characters can be done as: (i). sudAs, a bharata king = yudhiSThira, another bharata king, son of dharma, eldest among the pAnDavAs; (ii). vasiSTha, chief priest of sudAs = vyAsa, decendant of vasiSTha, chief priest of pANDavas ; (iii). indra, chief Vedic god of battles = arjuna, son of indra, the chief fighter among the pANDavas; (iv). maruts, close companions of indra in the Vedic battles = bhIma, son of maruts, the strongest among the pANDavas; (v). Twin azvins, companions of indra = the twins: nakula + sahadeva, sons of azvins; and importantly, (vi). varuNa, lord of waters, indra's companion = kRSNa, arjuna's companion. This may be compared to the standard list of incarnations of pANDAvas mentioned in Mbh (I.1,2; 63,129; 67,143; 95,205) as: yudhiSThira from dharma; bhIma from vAyu (or maruts, at some places in the list of references given above); arjuna from indra; and nakula & sahadeva from azvins. The justification for the mapping is given below. In this context, it should be kept in mind that the Vedic gods are all natural forces and hence, are formless (nirAkAra). When one wishes to portray them in a human-form the basic characters have to be preserved: this is exactly what was done in the composition of Mbh. vyAsa played the role of vasiSTha, and had guided pANDavas throughtout the Epic, the way vasiSTha did in the case of sudAs. vyAsa was also the chief priest of pANDavas at the rAjasUya- and azvamedha-yAgas. (i) yudhiSThira (meaning [N 8] one who is firm in a battle). His other name is 'king dharma', and he is often addressed as 'the son of dharma' in the Epic. dharma (the god of justice) is mentioned only once in a verse of RV addressed to the azvins as: "With mitra, varuNa, dharma, and the maruts in your company approach unto your praiser's callŠ" [RV.VIII.35.13]. During the time of the RV, yama is different from dharma, and is basically a 'king' of the departed [N 9]. agni is the friend of yama and in RV.1.164.46, agni, yama, mAtarizvan are mentioned as the names of the one being. yama is also mentioned in enumerations of gods including aGni [N 8]. However, during the time of Mbh he was already identified with dharma, which can be seen from following; "the yama possessed of great intelligence, and fully conversant with virtue..." [III.41,92]. According to some Indian philosophers, the post-Vedic yama is a purifying agni. He is often addressed as 'king yamadharma', which implies a fusion of two different characters. In this context, it is interesting to analyze the character of yudhiSThira from the following quotes from Mbh. drupada addressing yudhiSThira says, "O son of kuntI, as thou art pure and acquainted with the rules of morality, Š" and in reply to that yudhiSThira says, "My tongue never uttered an untruth. My heart also never turneth to what is sinfulŠ." [I.197,388]. In reply to the question of yudhiSThira (in disguise) to kRSNa as to how he could recognise him, kRSNa says, "Fire, even if it is covered can be known" [I.193,382]. dhRtarASTra comments, "king yudhiSThira who is like a flame of fire, has been deceived by me" [V.36,75]. sanjaya comments, "As a blazing fire burning all around consumeth dry grass in the hot season, so will yudhiSThira, inflamed with wrath, consume the dhRtarASTra host by glance alone of his eye" [V.48,111]. It is often said, "yudhiSThira is self-restraint unto himself" [eg., V.50,122]. In the context of the 7th day of the battle in his fight against a king named zrutayuS, sanjaya describes, "Š.thereupon, yudhiSThira, the son of dharma, blazed up with wrath, like the fire that blazeth forth at the end of the yuga for consuming creatures. Beholding the son of pANDu excited with rage, the gods, the gandharvas, and the rAkSasas trembled, O king, the universe became agitated. Š..yudhiSThira assumed a terrible expression like the sun that riseth at the end of the yuga..." [VI.85,209]. The above quotes clearly testify his character as purifing agni, which is the characteristic of post Vedic yama (dharma). A similar comparison has been made of sudAs by vasiSTha in hymns RV. VII.6, 5-7, where he has been described as agni vaizvAnara, the fire as the universal man or world ruler. This character of yudhiSThira, exactly fits to the character of the 'sage king' sudAs. Both are bharatas and it is interesting to see that even agni is referred to as 'agnibharata' [RV. IV.25.4]. sudAs is a 'sage-king' and according to tradition he has a hymn in RV [X.133] to his credit and was praised for his character by vasiSTha in several hymns in RV. (ii) arjuna (meaning8 white / bright / of the colour of the day [RV.VI.9.1]). He is said to be 'aindri', son of indra throughout the Mbh. He has many similarities with indra. The term 'arjuna' is a pseudonym7 of indra in one of the brAhmaNas (cf. Winternitz, 1996). In the RV, indra is a warrior god. In the Mbh, arjuna is a brave warrior and in fact, throughout the Epic story he had been fighting battles. He is the chief warrior of the pANDavas. He along with his brother bhIma (like indra aided by his close companions, the maruts), is solely responsible for winning the battles for the pANDavas. He killed many mighty warriors in the battle of Mbh. Throughout RV, the horses of indra are said to be tawny (harI) in colour, with golden manes [RV. X.96; VII.37.4,5] and elsewhere [AV. XX.128.15,16] his horse is said to be uccaiHzravAs ('glorious'). In Mbh [IV.44.76], arjuna is referred to as 'svetavAhana', because when battling with foe, white horses decked in golden armour, are always yoked unto his chariot. Elsewhere [BG. 1.14,15], arjuna's horses are said to be like uccaiHzravAs of indra. His conch named devadatta (meaning7 'god-given') was in fact the one used by indra [III.167,342] and his chariot has a flag depicting 'mAruti' (derived from the word 'marut', the close companions of indra in battles). The use of indra's chariot by arjuna and his comparison to indra during the war with the demons nivAta-kavaca [III.168-170], is clearly an effort by the composer to project him as indra in the Epic [also see footnote [N 10] ]. Throughout the Epic story, indra had been assisting arjuna either directly or indirectly, and was guarding him all the time. (iii) bhIma ( meaning [N 8] 'terrible'). In the Epic, he was said to be born of maruts (identified as the god of wind or vAyu [I.63,129; I.1,6] [N 11] . In the RV, the maruts are wind gods and are regarded as the offsprings of rudra and are often invoked together. Vedic rudra is associated with wind, very strong, but is a terryfying god and some these qualities are inherited by the maruts. They are described in RV [VII.58.2 and V.56.3] as terrible ('bhIma') [N 8], fierce, irascible and they are also said to have the brilliance of agni [N 8]. They rend trees and like wild elephants devour the forests. The character of bhIma is very similar throughout the Epic. He was a terror to the kaurava brothers since their childhood days and in the end he alone kills all of them. His several exploits in which he showed his extraordinary strength, his fearful vows against the kauravas especially against duHzAsana, the fulfilment of that vow by drinking the blood of duHzAsana and his use of trees by uprooting them, against the kIcakas are clear testimony of his association with the maruts. It is also interesting to note that indra is often addressed in the RV along with maruts as are bhImArjunas in Mbh. (iv) nakula & sahadeva (NS): These two are often addressed as a pair in Mbh and the way the two azvins are invoked in the RV. In fact, the internal evidence of the Mbh itself testifies that they are born to the azvins. (Interestingly, the two azvins have a common wife named uSas, the dawn). The azvins are the physicians of gods and are closely associated with sUrya. They may very well be stars identified with the morning and evening [N 12]. The azvins are twins and so are NS. The azvins are said to be the youngest of the gods, so are NS among the pANDavas. The azvins are said to be beautiful and so are NS [I.124,260]. The azvins posess profound wisdom as are NS [III.268,525], and this character is particularly true with sahadeva. On the 7th day of the war, both NS were described to have fought king zalya, using a single chariot [VIII.24,53]. Interestingly both the azvins use a single chariot in RV. The skills attributed to NS in training and treating horses and cows [III.51,109] have their origin in many verses of RV and as an example, two verses addressed to the azvins are quoted below: "Š.Let us invoke you rich in steeds and cattle: by day and night keep far from us the arrow" [RV.VII.71.1]. "ŠWho further friendship with their noble natures, combining wealth in kine with wealth in horses" [RV.VII.67.9]. The azvins have no role to play in btk, so is the case with NS in the war of Mbh. It appears to me that they are included among the pANDavas to make-up for the number 'five'. (v) kRSNa. In btk, water played a major role in clinching the battle for sudAs. Many enemies were drowned. The presiding deity of water is varuNa. The vasiSThas have a special relationship with varuNa, as their ancestor vasisSTha maitrAvaruNi is said to be born to urvazI and mitrA-varuNau [RV. VII.33,11-13]. The vasiSThas have many hymns to varuNa, viSNu and indrA-varuNau (jointly). varuNa is an important deity in RV, but viSNu is a lesser god to indra , but both out grow in stature in the post-Vedic period. The trend started during vasiSTha's time itself as can be seen from the hymns RV.VII.40.5 and 49.3; where it is said that "all the gods are born of viSNu" and varuNa is said to be "the lord of waters". The relationship between varuNa and viSNu via prajApati, was very well described by Coomaraswamy (2001), through what he termed as 'water cosmology'. He said "varuNa was originally the root of the tree of life, the source of all creation (RV. I.24.7) and it is presumably still varuNa who is called the unborn in RV. I.24.7, .... a great 'yakSa' reclining in tapas upon the back of waters in AV. X.7.38, where the tree springs from his navel; though this formula is soon inherited by prajApati, (Yajurveda V.6.4) and then by nArAyaNa (viSNu) who retains it to this day". Thus, one can see a close correspondence between varuNa and viSNu of the later mythology. In the bhagavadgIta (BG), Lord kRSNa says, "I am viSNu among the sons of aditiŠ (10.21); I am varuNa among the water godsŠ. (10.29); I am the vital essence (rasa) in the water... (7.8); it is I that as 'soma' very self of rasa nourish all plants (15.13)." Although the BG is a later addition to the Mbh, it clearly supports the theme that varuNa can be identified with kRSNa of the Mbh via the "water cosmology" [N 13]. It is also interesting to that the divine dominion of varuNa (and mitra) is often referred to with the word 'mAyA' [N 9’ 14]. Thus, we see that one way of attributing divinity to a character in the Epic is to project them as born of an aquatic animal, a river goddess or an apsaras (the celestial nymph who symbolizes the waters of heaven). (The association of pANDavas with the matsya kingdom during their ajJnAtavAsa and the theme of matsya-yantra are pointers to this philosophy). The depiction of aquatic animals in the Buddhist and hindU architecture is also based on this philosophy. The Mbh characters said to have born in the above fashion were: king virATa and matsyagandhI, vyAsa, bhISma, drupada, droNa, and draupadI & duStadyumna (the latter two are said to be born of fire). The composer is trying to tell us to treat these characters as divine. So, is the case with pANDavas who are conceived as Vedic gods in the Epic. Note that all the divine characters are siding with the pANDavas either directly or indirectly. In essence, the battle is between divinity vs demonic forces. Other important points: (i).The following verse of vasiSTha addressed to the azvins is interesting. "Š.'Twist you and us there is ancestral friendship and common kin: remember and regard it" [RV.VII.72.2]. In the RV, the azvins and varuNa are said to be the sons of vaivAsvat and the senior vasiSTha is said to be born of mitra-varuNa, and hence, the vasiSThas, varuNa and the azvins are all related to each other. A relationship, if not exactly similar, can also be seen in the Epic among the twins NS, vyAsa (who is also a vAsiSTha, and is also the grandfather of both the pANDavas and kauravas) and kRSNa (through kuntI). It is also interesting to see in this context that in the RV, even yama is said to be born of vaivasvat, and agni is said to be indra's twin brother. And elsewhere [RV.1.170.2], the maruts are called the brothers of indra. Thus, the relationship existing among the Rgvedic gods is also preserved to some extent among the pANDavas in the dramatization of the theme of btk. (ii). The battle btk should have been an uneven battle as it was between a small tRtsu-bharata clan against many tribes, which is very clear from the following sUkta of the vasiSTha, "E'en with weak he wrought this matchless exploit : e'en with a goat he did to death a lion. He pared the pillar's angles with a needle. Thus to sudAs indra gave all provisions" [RV.VII.18.17]. Similar is the situation with yudhiSThira where he has no army of his own and the opponents in the form of kauravas are huge in numbers, backed up by unrivalled warriors like bhISma and droNa. In both the cases, it is because of the help from indra and his companions that the battles have been won. (iii). In Appendix III, I have given the details of the tribes or kingdoms involved in the both the battles, i.e. btk and Mbh [N 15]. It is interesting to see that the battle lines in Mbh are drawn on the same theme as in the case of btk. So striking is the appearance of the tribes: the vaikarNas, and the offshoot of the Aryan tribes, that had fought against sudAs in btk, on the side of the kauravas, that the Mbh battle looks like a replay of the old bhArata battle, i.e. btk. (Interestingly, the entire vRSNi tribe, to which kRSNa is said to belong, fought by the side of kauravas; except for kRSNa and sAtyaki, who sided with the pANDavas for reasons of personal closeness with arjuna, with baladeva taking a neutral stand). (iv). It is interesting to note that the sRJjayas who were allies of the tRtsus during Rgvedic times, are prominently mentioned in the battle of Mbh even though they had merged with the kuru-pAJcAlas during the post-Vedic period. So is the case of vaikarNas. It is also interesting to see the use of the term 'bharata' exclusively of the pANDavas and kauravas after their ancestors, although there are many other tribes in the kuru-paJcAla clan (believed to have emerged from a merger of the krivis, bharatas and sRJjayas into the pUru / kuru tribe during the post-RV era) [N 16]. I conclude by saying that the Epic Mbh, is a dramatized version of the btk and there is no historicity involved in the Epic. There is only one 'bharata war' ie., the Vedic battle of ten kings. It is believed here that this communication would start an interesting debate in the study of the ancient history of India. Acknowledgements: The author wishes to thank Prof.M.Witzel, for his comments on this article. Annotations 1. Kenoyer, 1998; it is believed that the Harappan (or Indus) civilization was pre-Aryan. 2. The reader may consult Witzel, 2001; 2002; Romila Thapar, 1996; Tripathy, 1996. 3. Macdonell and Keith; 1995. 4. See Benzamin, 1984; for details of the occurrence of the name 'kRSNa' in vedic mythology. 5. The citation shown in the brackets throughout the present article refers to Mbh (Ganguly, 2000), along with the page number, unless specified otherwise. 6. It is interesting to analyze the idea of yudhiSThira asking for five villages as a compromose to avoid war with kauravas. It is not that he wanted to give one each to the pANDavas, as the eldest among the pANDavas he would, anyway be the ultimate king of all the villages as was the case at the end of the war. It is because of the obsession or fascination of the composer to the number 'five'. This point can also be seen in yudhiSThira asking for kuzAsthali, vRkasthali, mAkundi, vAraNavata + 'any' one village; the four villages named were the ones his allies had lost to the kauravas long before the Mbh war: it is a shrewed political strategy to keep his allies happy. The last village is for the composer himself to make-up for the number 'five'! 7. This number continues to play a role in the other areas of Indian mythology, art and culture: paJcamukha-gaNeza, paJcamukha-AJjaneya, paJcAGga, and so on. 8. Apte, 1998. 9. Macdonell, 1997. 10. indra has many wives: apart from his RV consort indrANI, and regular wives such as prAzA & senA; he has an asura woman also as his consort [Parameswaranand, 2002]. It is interesting to see that arjuna too has a total of four wives: draupadI, subhadrA, citrAGgadA and a non-Aryan woman of the nAga tribe named ulUpI. 11. Many scholars of India feel that maruts are vAyu of the post-Vedic period. The fusion of these two gods into one might have taken place during the time of the composition of Mbh as testified by Mbh itself. 12. The exact nature of the azvins in the RV is not clearly understood. 13. The birth of kRSNa is not described in the Epic, he was simply referred to as vAsudeva, devakIputra as in chAndyoga upaniSad. The pANDavas first meeting with him was during the draupadI swayaMvara, where kRSNa had to introduce himself to yudhiSThira as "kRSNa" [I.193,381]. Can we treat him as the unborn as in RV.I.24.7? Also see Mbh. I.2,20; 63,128; V.70,152, where his birth was said to be extraordinary. 14. In this context, I wish to bring it to the notice of the reader that, throughout the Epic, vyAsa has a peculiar relationship with kRSNa: both appear and disappear mysteriously and always know each other's mind very well; and are in constant touch with each other regarding the welfare of pAnDavas. If we go by the Buddhist version, as depicted in the jAtaka tales, both die almost at the same time, which was not given in the hindU version of the story (cf. Sullivan, 1999). Interestingly, both have the same name 'kRSNa'. 15. Based on the information given in Macdonell & Keith, 1995; Parameswaranand, 2002 and Majumdar et al.1996. Appendix.I. References to 'five' in Mbh. S.No Context Ref. to Mbh 1 pANDavas are five. 2 upa-pANDavas (i.e. born to draupadI from pANDavas) are five I.223,432. 3 syamantapaJcaka (kurukSetra): It is the land of five lakes of blood. III.117,251. 4 total number of Vedas are five; with Mbh as the 5th Veda. I.2, 15; 63,128. 5 students of vyAsa are five; with zUka (his own son as his 5th student) I.1,6;63,128 ; II.4,6 6 zUka is said to be incarnation of paJcabhUtas (ie. five elements: water, fire, earth, ether and wind) XII.324,82. 7 total number of persons referred to as kRSNa are five in number: (i).kRSNa (vAsudeva); (ii) kRSNa (dwaipAyana vyAsa); (iii) kRSNa (draupadI); (iv) kRSNa (arjuna: one of the ten epithets used for arjuna); and (v) duplicate kRSNa (paundraka vAsudeva)(?). IV.44,76. V.49,119; 52,176; 59.139. VIII.17,36, II.14,33. 8 kuntI's sisters are five16. 9 kekaya brothers are five. -this occurs many times in the Epic. V.19,32; 51.122 10 suzarman brothers (of trigarta) are five. V.167,324. 11 virATa's children are five (including uttara). 12 rukmiNI has five brothers16. 13 manuvu (s/o bharata) has five sons16. 14 king yayAti has five sons. I.75,165. 15 Ayus (s/o king purUravas) has five sons16. 16 sage jamadagni has five sons, last of whom is bhArgava rAma. III.116,249. 17 king vAsu-uparicara has five sons. I.63,125. 18 king haryazva has five sons16 (also, pl. see Garrett, 1999). 19 paJcAlas are of five tribes (cf. Garrett, 1999). 20 paJcAlas are said to have five great qualities16. 21 draupadI is referred as one of the (five) paJcakanyas. I.199,392; V.33,65. 22 pANDavas are said to be five indras and there is a story of five indras. ,, 23 a story involving arjuna and five apsarasas. I.218,422. 24 the same story also refers to five lakes. I.218,422. 25 swayaMvara is said to be the 5th form of chosing a bridegroom for marriage. I.102,219. 26 arjuna spends five years in the abode of indra. II.44,99; IV.2,3. 27 arjuna gets celestial weapons from five gods: (indra, varuNa, kubera, rudra and yama). II.36,80; 170,330. 28 arjuna is said to have spent five years, a life of brahmacharya, on himavant. IV.49,85. 29 the region of niSAdhas is said to be the region of five rivers (punjab?). III.34,76. 30 the conch of kRSNa is pAJcajanya (also pl. see entry 3 in Appdx.II). I.65,133; II.20,44. 31 the standard (chariot flag) of bhISma bears five stars. IV.55,96; VI.17,39. 32 the number of villages asked by yudhiSTira as a compromise to avoid war is five. (Also, see the foot note 5). V.31,56; 55,130. 33 the number of arrows used at the swayaMvara of draupadI is five. I.188,372; 190,376. 34 often a set of five arrows are used in fights or wars throughout Mbh.-this occurs at least at a few hundred places. I.102,220;118, 245; VI.47,113. 35 often we see five car-warriors as a set, fighting the opponents.-this occurs at least a few tens of times. IV.32,58; I.47,113. 36 reference to paJcajana. VII.11,23. 37 the discus of kRSNa is said to occupy five cubets of space. V.68,149. 38 king tAmra has five daughters. I.66,138. 39 the camps are said to have been laid at a distance of five yojanas from the scene of the battle. V.198,375. 40 the princes of gAndhAra are five in number. I.188,372: V.6,15. 41 five is the number of the wives of kRSNa who are said to have committed 'sati' on the funeral pyre of kRSNa. XVI.7,14. 42 reference to the country of five rivers.----this occurs for about not less than ten times. II.31,67; 82,171: V.4,6; 19,32.etc. 43 the kauravas fight the battle for five days under the leadership of droNa and for ten (5+5) days under bhISma. I.2,16. 44 reference to five varSas of the middle region. VI.6,15. 45 pANDavas have another set of five sons through their second wives (plus one named ghaTotkaca from hiDimba by bhIma). I.95,205. 46 reference to comparison of pANDavas to five Suns. IV.51,88. 47 the rAkSasa hiraNyakazipu had five sons, the eldest among them is prahlAda. I.65,13. 48 'lying' is said to be excusable on five occasions. I.82,180. 49 king ilIna (grand father of bharata) has five sons who are said to be equal in might unto the five elements. I.94,200; 95,203. 50 the king kuru had five sons to his wife vAhinI. I.94,201. 51 the RSi kakSivat had five children to queen sudeSNa (aGga, vaGga, kaliGga, pundra and suhma). I.104,226. 52 reference to pANDavas as an embodied period of five years. I.124,261. 53 droNa surrounded by five pANDavas is compared to a moon in conjunction with the five-starred constellation hastA. I.137,287. 54 reference to five regions. I.218,422; 219,424. 55 reference to five great sacrifices by king zvetaki. I.225,435. 56 reference to five large hills near magadha. II.21.45. 57 reference to five countries. II.26,57. 58 reference to five tribes of karNatas. II.31,66. 59 reference to five elements.-this occurs many times. II.37,78; 50,109. 60 pANDavas stay at kAmyaka forest for five years. II.50,109. 61 comparision of arm to five headed snake.---this occurs a few times. II.57,121; IV.22,42. 62 five persons alike in appearance at the swayaMvara of damayantI. II.57,121. 63 reference to purANas as the 5th Veda. II.58,123. 64 the width of a river is said to be five yojanas. II.58,172. 65 sage vandin says, "five is the number of fires, five are the feet of the metre called puJkti, five are the sacrifices; five locks, it is said in the Vedas, are on the heads of the apsaras, and five sacred rivers are known in the world". III.134,277. 66 reference to five tufts on the heads of jayadratha. III.257,529. 67 sage pulastya through his three wives had five children. III.258,534. 68 five epithets for goddess lakSmi : bhUti, hrI, zrI, kIrti and kAntI. (feminine embodiments of prosperity, modesty, beauty, fame and loveliness). IV.14,24. 69 five fires. V.33,62. 70 five senses.-this occurs at quite a few places. V.34.66; VI.39,89. 71 five inner foes of mental origin. V.34,67. 72 men are said to have five different kinds of strength. V.37,80. 73 the five pANDavas are said to be the five elements of the universe in their subtle form upholding all mobile and immobile things. V.65,146. 74 the height of a region is said to be five yojanas . XIV.58,105. 75 truth is said to be possessed of five indications. XIV.35,60. 76 reference to five sacrificing priests and five prANas (or life breaths). XIV.20,17. 77 sage zukra (uSanas) has five children. I.65,134. 78 reference to five in sAMkhya yoga. XII.306,20. 79 reference to five organs of knowledge and five organs of action. XII.303,11. 80 the space is said to have five properties. XII.302,1. 81 slaying of a set of five warriors at a time. VIII.48,119. 16 This information is taken from mahAbhAgavatam. Appendix II. Reference to the number 'five' in the Vedas. Context Reference 1 paJcajanaH, paJcamAnavaH, paJcamanuSaH, paJcakrstayaH, paJcakSitayaH, paJcacarsanyaH, paJcajAtaH.----These terms occur in the Vedas for not less than about 50 times. The meaning of paJcajanaH is given as : (i). five people; (ii) gods, men, gandharvas and apsarasas, snakes and the fathers; (iii) four varnas + niSadhas as the fifth; (iv) five Aryan tribes: anus, druhyus, yadUs, turvaSas and pUrus; (iv) five births of men, five worlds of creatures. RV.VII.72.5; 73.5; 74.4. etc. 2 pancajAtaH: five tribes on the river sarasvati. RV.VI.61.12; X.53.4. 3 indra is ' pAncajanyAH' RV.V.32.11 4 paJcaindriyas-occurs once in AV. RV.V.32.11, IV.34.11. 5 five Adhvaryus. RV.III.7.7;V.42.1 6 five footed sire (five seasons ?) -occurs once in AV. RV.I.164.12. 7 five fold beings (all living beings) -occurs twice in YV. RV.VII.69.2. 8 five spoked wheel (five seasons ?) - twice in AV and once in YV. RV.I.164.12. 9 five regions of the world - once in AV. RV.IX.86.29. 10 five lands. RV.X.181.3. 11 five paces or five stages or five elements of sacrifice: grain, soma, the kine, one purodAsa cake + clarified butter RV.X.13.3. 12 five kindered companies. RV.IX.14.2. 13 five fold gift: offering of grain, gruel, curdled milk, rice cake and curds. RV.I.40.3. 14 five arrowed. AV.VII.7.28. 15 five healing herbs --- indirectly once in AV. 16 paJkti: (i) consisting of five pAdas or divisions; (ii) man: composed of five parts hair, skin, flesh, bones and marrow.-occurs three times in AV and nine times in YV. AV.XII.3.10. 17 five horsed car of the sun ----- once in AV. AV.X.8.8 18 paJcaudAna: offering with five fold mess or messes -18 times in the same hymn in AV. AV.IX.5.8-37. 19 paJcacUdas: five crested bricks- once in YV. 20 five fold life - once in YV. 21 five fold man, rice - once each in AV and YV. 22 five fingers. YV.I.9. 23 five sheaths or kozAs: the soul is encased in the body composed of five frames or sheaths --- four times in SV. 24 five elements and arts - four times in SV. SVÝ. 25 five sons of man AV.III.21.5 Ý sAmaVeda (SV): ayendra kANDa.IV.4; araNyak kANDa.II.2. APPENDIX. III Table.I. Details of the kingdoms involved in btk*. Allies of sudAs Confederation of ten tribes (i). bharatas (krivis?) PUru, druhyu, anu, turvASa, yadu (ii). tRtsus - (five Aryan tribes) ; bhRgus, (iii). sRJjayas two vaikarNas, pakthas, alinas, bhalaNas, viSANins and zivas. *The role of matsyas is not at all clear. According to Macdonell & Keith, this tribe didn't exist during the Rgvedic time and the confusion is because of mistranslation of the particular verse RV.VII.18.6. Likewise, the role of vizvAmitra is also not clear because he was not mentioned in the actual battle hymns. Table.II. Kingdoms involved in the battle of Mbh [VI.19,31]Ý. Allies of pANDavas Allies of kauravas pAJcAlas, sRNjayas, matsyas, chedis, pAndyas, plus the two persons named sAtyaki and kRSNa (with their armies on the side of kauravas). (i). kurus, bAhlikas (offshoot of pUrus); (ii). haihayas, vriSNis, andhakas, avantis, kukuras (offshoot of yadus); (iii). aGgas, kaliGgas, madras, sauvIras, khambojas, sindhus, gandhAras (offshoot of anus); (iv). Bhojas (offshoot of druhyus?); (v). yavanas [VI.20,45], (offshoot of turvaSas?); (vi). mlecchas (offshoot of anu?); (vii). The vaikarNas [VI.51,128]; ÝAccording to Mbh {I.85,186], the sons or the decendants of yadu are known by the name of the yAdavas; while those of turvASa have come to be called the yavanas; the decendants of druhyu are bhojas while those of anu are the mlecchas and the pUru are the pauravas. References Apte, V.S. The Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Motilal Banarsidas, Delhi 1998 (reprint). Benzamin Preciado-Solis . The Krishna Cycle in Puranas, Motilal Banarsidas, Delhi 1984. Brockington, J. Epic Threads. On the Sanskrit Epics, Oxford University Press, New Delhi 2000. Coomaraswamy, A.K. Yaksas, Munshiram Manoharlal, Delhi 2001 (reprint). Devi Chand, The sAmaveda, Munshiram Manoharlal, Delhi 1981. Ganguli Kisari Mohan, The Mahabharatha, Munshiram Manoharlal, Delhi 2000 (reprint). Garrett, J. A Classical Dictionary of India, D.K.Printworld, Delhi 1999. Ghosh, A. Encyclopaedia of Indian Archeology, New Delhi 1989. Griffith, R.T.H. Hymns of the Atharva veda, Munshiram Manoharlal, Delhi 1985 (reprint). Griffith, R.T.H. Hymns of the RGveda, Motilal Banarsidas, Delhi 1999 (reprint). Griffith, R.T.H. The Texts of the White Yajurveda, Munshiram Manoharlal, Delhi 1985 (reprint). Kenoyer, J.M. Ancient Cities of the Indus Valley Civilization, Oxford University Press, Delhi 1998. Macdonell, A.A. Vedic Mythology, Motilal Banarsidas, Delhi 1997(reprint). Macdonell, A.A. and A.B.Keith, Vedic Index, Motilal Banarsidas, Delhi 1995(reprint). Majumdar, R.C; Pusalkar, A.D. and Majumdar, A.K. The Vedic Age, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, 1996(reprint). Parameswaranand, S. Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Vedic Terms, Sarup & Sons, New Delhi 2002. Ramanand Prasad, The Bhagavad Gita, Motilal Banrsidas, Delhi 1997. Rao, S.R. The Lost City of Dvaraka, Aditya Prakashan, Delhi 1999. Sorensen, S. An Index to Names in Mahabharatha, Motilal Banarsidas, Delhi. Sullivan, B.M. The Seer of the Fifth Veda, Motilal Banarsidas, Delhi 1999. Thapar, R. The Theory of Aryan Race and India: History and Politics, Social Scientist 24: 1, 1996. Tripathy, A. Dvaraka in literature and archeology, Man & Environment, Vol.21,49, 1996. Whitney, W.D. Atharvaveda Samhita and Bhasya of sAyaNachArya, ed.by K.L.Joshi, Parimal Publ., Delhi 2002. Winternitz, M. A History of Indian Literature, Motilal Banarsidas, Delhi 1996 (reprint). Witzel, M. 'Early Sanskritization. Origins and Development of the Kuru State', Electronic Journal of Vedic Studies (EJVS), 1-4, pp.1-26, 1995. Witzel, M. 'Autochthonous Aryans? The Evidence from Old Indian and Iranian Texts', Electronic Journal of Vedic Studies (EJVS), Vols. 7-3, pp. 1-93, 2001. Witzel, M. 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