#matsya kingdom

[stxrrynxghts]

History of the Matsya Kingdom

Idk if y'all are interested or not, But I am compiling the facts I found out about Matsya or not, but I am still doing this post, haha-

So basically there was this King of Chedi called Uparichara Vasu. He was a friend of Indra's, and he was so special for Indra that he was gifted a flying chariot.

Uparichara was married to this lady named Girika, with whom he had many sons, as was normal.

Now comes the creepy part. One day he was roaming around, thought of his wife and well, ejaculated out of a sudden. He scooped his semen as he felt that "it was wrong to waste the semen in a fertile time".

So he scooped it into a leaf (ew) and gave it to a bird, to give it to his wife. IDK what she was supposed to do with it, but yeah-

so the bird dropped the leaf into the water, and this fish, who was actually an Apsara cursed to be a fish, swallowed it.

Now some fishermen caught it, and they opened her stomach to see two living human babies inside. They took the kids to the King, who took the boy, and gave the girl to the chief fisherman.

This girl grows up to become Satyavati. And the boy? He is named Matsya, and is later on given a part of Chedi, where he forms his own kingdom, named after him, aka Matsya.

Now, Uparichara is Chandravanshi King, who is descended from both Yadu and Puru, like most Kings of that time.

Historically, Matsya was one of the 16 Mahajanapadas. Geographically, it is to the south of Kurujangala and Shurasena Kingdom, hence, in present day Rajasthan. Some parts might have been part of MP and UP.

Pali Literature shows Matsya Kings as descendants of the Shurasena Kingdom.

The Matsya King featured in the Mahabharata is Virat, and it is in this kingdom, that the incognito year of the story takes place. Virat has many brothers and relatives as per the story.

He is married to Sudeshna, who is referred as Kaikeyi, so she is probably from Kekaya. Her brother is Kichaka, who is one of the most powerful dudes of the time. He is the commander-in-chief of Matsya.

Virat has four children, as per the Mahabharata, three sons Shweta, Shankha and Uttar, and one daughter Uttara. The order of these children is not specified, though.

Uttar is a very important character during the Virat War, when he and Arjun go and face the Kaurava army. Dude very naturally chickens out, but doesn't take Arjuna's credit at all.

As a token of credit, Virat requests Arjun to marry his daughter, which he (thankfully) refuses. Arjun instead sets up his student with his son, and the marriage takes place.

This marriage is described in very detail, with an assortment of gifts exchanged on both sides, and such a long list of gifts. Matsya is definitely rolling in gold.

Haha, how funny, how many sites call Virat an idiot and incompetent king, when he is called just so many times. FYI, despite so many allies, the Panchala and Matsya forces form the major part of the Pandava army.

Virat is a very crucial person in the war as well, seeing how he is one of the only Maharathis from their side, apart from Drupada, Arjuna and Abhimanyu.

Uttar dies on the 1st day of the war, after a fight with Shalya. He has defeated Shalya, but instead waits to taunt him, and Shalya kills him in the meanwhile.

Angered at his brother's death, Shweta goes berserk, attacking whoever comes in his way. Bhishma kills him with the Brahmastra, and unlike his would-be nephew, Shweta does NOT survive. The Pandava army "mourn" the loss of their "hero".

Shankha dies on the fifth day, at Drona's hands, then Virat follows him in the same manner on the 15th day. The rest of the Matsyas are either killed by Drona on the 14th and 15th days, or by Ashwatthama on the night of the 18th day.

Uttara is the only surviving Matsya kid left, and her son Parikshit and his descendants, the only ones carrying the blood of the Matsyas.

BTW, by this logic, aren't Uttara and Abhimanyu cousins? Like, very distantly yes, being Chandravanshis with Puru and Yadu's blood but see-

Uparichara Vasu-> Satyavati-> Vichitraveerya->Pandu->Arjun->Abhimanyu and

Uparichara Vasu-> Matsya->Son->Son->Virat->Uttara unless Virat isn't of Arjun's generation, but Pandu's? He is mentioned as aged so much, and he and Drupada are always mentioned together-

It is possible that Virat was closer to Karna in age than the Pandavas, and Uttara can still marry Abhimanyu, as she is the youngest kid (until one of her brothers is younger than her?)

BTW, they ain't direct cousins, even by the logic I specified above, since all the human blood in Arjuna is from Kunti, not Pandu. So Abhimanyu is what....1/4 god, 3/4 Yadava(?) technically?

[stuffedeggplants]

So I started drawing this for the Havan 2022 event but forgot to actually finish it!  

This is when Arjuna briefly serves as a charioteer for the prince of Matsya to go get the kingdom’s cattle back after Duryodhana steals them, but Arjuna has been living as a woman (Brihannala) for the past year so I think he still goes to battle dressed in women’s clothing...? Anyway, Arjuna has never driven a chariot before, so he is not the best at it, but I like think he enjoyed himself. 😄

[rheaitis]

on the naming of names

unpopular (?) opinion, but I love that we know characters as prominent as Gandhari only by her call-name. Like, yes, the princess, no not that one, the one from Gandhar. And that this gives us insight into the naming-pattern for royal brides... but probably just in Hastinapur? We know the name of the Queen of Matsya, and Sudeshna doesn’t sound like it’s derived from a place-name. We know Chitrangada, but as we see her only in her natal home the comparison doesn’t hold. We know the names of the Yadava princesses who marry in, and even Rukmini (the one actively associated with a different kingdom) keeps her name though she might also be referred to as Vidarbhi. Then also Devaki, Rohini, Bhadra. (Devaki is obviously named after her father, but that is a different tradition that seems to not really be gendered.)

Oh, and then Pritha/Kunti, who is my favourite in this regard, because we have both her names! Pritha, obviously, is her name in her natal home, no not that one the other one, which is fairly in keeping with the fact that we know the names of her siblings and none of them seem to be for their father/land iirc. Then we have Kunti, which (we are told) is for her adoptive father Kuntibhoj. Except. Kuntibhoj rules the kingdom of Kunti, and Bhoj is a synonym for king, so Kuntibhoj is, uh... prooobably not his given name? ijs

Also, c’mon, Kunti fits the Hastinapuri scheme to a t: Gandhari, Kunti, Madri. The princess from [insert place-name here] or even the woman from [insert kingdom here]. Toponyms, effectively, which I would argue you wouldn’t name your kid--however royal--while they’re in the natal family, because then it’s not a distinguishing factor. Supporting evidence: Dhritarashtra calls his mother by her toponym, even though the text obviously gives us her name.

Also, of course one of Draupadi’s innumerable names is Panchali. The princess, no not that one, the one from Panchal. It is also (to me) interesting that Drupad’s queen is called Prishati, not from her own kingdom or as a patronym (afaik) but from the name of Drupad’s father Prishata, but that’s more likely to be in the patronym tradition than not. But it does point to this toponymic tradition being restricted to Hastinapur, because Kuru-Panchal are the most closely related and if even the latter don’t adopt it that seems a very narrow tradition. Anyone have data on the Bahlika queens, I can only find the male line of descent?

[dhruv31]

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[bhishmsharma95]

Kundalini Shakti is the water and Ishta Dhyana is the fish, which help the awakened Lord Manu in saving the creation from destruction as per the Matsya Purana mythology

Friends, in the original and main story of Matsya Purana, it is said that in ancient times, Maharaj Vaivaswat Manu, the enlightened son of Surya, handed over the kingdom to his son and performed severe penance in a part of Malayachal. Through this he attained the best yoga. After millions of years of his penance, Brahma appeared and asked him to ask for a boon. On this Manu asked for a boon that…

[ramanan50]

Uparichara Thodiththol Chola Great grandfather Of Pandavas Founder Chedi Kingdom

While tracing the genealogy of Ikshvaku and chola kings in my efforts to find out the King, who was gifted with a Flying chariot,Vimana by Indra (.His son was Narendrapati who became king at the end of the Treta ageI came across interesting information.  His son was king Vasu entitled Uparichara on account of his having received a celestial car from Indra by which he moved about in all…

[hinducosmos]

Kurma Avatar Artist: Vrindavan Das. Medium: acrylic on canvas Size: 72x50 cm This is the series of paintings of 10 avataras of Lord Vishnu for Museum of Sacred art, Belgium.

Kurma is the second Avatar of Vishnu. Like Matsya, this incarnation also appeared in Satya Yuga. Ones Rishi Durvasa had given a garland to Indra, the king of Gods. Indra placed the garland around his elephant, but the animal trampled it, insulting the sage.

Durvasa then cursed the gods to lose their immortality, strength, and divine powers. After losing the kingdom of heaven, they approached Vishnu for help. Vishnu advised that they had to drink the nectar of immortality to regain their glory.

To obtain it, they needed to churn the ocean of milk, a body of water so large they needed Mount Mandara as the churning staff, and the serpent Vasuki as the churning rope. The Devas were not strong enough to churn on their own, and declared peace with their foes, the Asuras, to enlist their help.

Finally, Mount Mandara churned, but the force was so great the mountain began to sink into the ocean of milk. Taking the form of the turtle Kurma, Vishnu bore the mountain on his back as they churned the waters. Fourteen precious things arose from the turbulent ocean, culminating with Dhanvantari, the physician of the gods, who brought with him the nectar of immortality.

The Asuras immediately took the nectar, and quarreled amongst themselves. Vishnu then manifested himself as the beautiful Mohini and tricked the Asuras to retrieve the potion, which he then distributed to the Devas. Though the Asuras realized the trick, it was too late—the Devas had regained their powers, and were then able to defeat their foes. (via Vrindavan Art)

[stxrrynxghts]

Some months back, if anyone had told Abhimanyu that he would be getting married soon, he wouldn't believe them.

Him and marriage? Pfft.

Abhimanyu scoffs in the face of marriage.

Samba would love to add how Abhi is married to his sword. Abhimanyu strongly disagrees. He just likes sword fighting, okay? That does not mean that he keeps his sword strapped to himself at all times, and beneath his pillow when he is sleeping. That was simply not true.

The marriage won't take place right away, of course. The arrangements for a marriage took time. Besides, his bride was the daughter of the King of a very rich kingdom. Of course the wedding would be grand.

Matsya is a beautiful kingdom, albeit different from Dvaraka. Dvaraka is Abhi's favorite place, his home. The scent of the sea is ingrained in his skin, and if someone asked him where he would like to spend his last days, then he would select Dvaraka. It was home, and no other place in the world could hold a candle to it in his eyes.

Matsya is slightly dryer in comparison to Dvaraka. The buildings are lavish and well constructed, cities are made in the form of forts. Here, in Matsya, they worship Vishnu, the preserver. Dvaraka has always worshipped Mahadeva more, but Abhimanyu cannot see the difference, honestly. He loved the set of royal temples in Virata Nagara, the capital. His bride would come to these temples each day without fail.

His bride-

Her name is Uttara, Abhi reminds himself. He has to address her by her name, not by some formal title.

If he were to be honest, then she was the prettiest girl he had ever seen. Uttara has long, wavy, dark hair. How does Abhi know? He saw her once, with her hair open, strands framing her face, curls cascading down the expanse of her back.

Uttara is someone who knows his father better than he does. And Abhimanyu's father adores her as well. Abhi can see why he does so.

She is a kind girl, and is always happy. Abhimanyu is rarely sulky, but he feels that in her presence he can be more optimistic. Krishna Mama says that they are a good pair. It made him feel very happy.

Abhimanyu doesn't want to freak out Uttara, or else he would have tried to be a bit more close to her than he is at the moment. It has been over a month since they got to know each other, and the wedding is still a long way ahead of them.

Many people have anxiously asked his opinions about his upcoming wedding. Abhimanyu finds himself to be very lucky, that he gets to spend his life with such a lovely person.

Sometimes he wonders whether he is good enough.

Whether he is a good son , and whether he will be a good husband.

Soon enough, reality crashes upon him on the bloody soil of Kurukshetra, as his life comes to an end.

The last thing he sees is the two of them on the beach of Dvaraka.

Him, and his wife who is more beautiful than the stars.

[hindumyththoughts]

Essomenic- Sahadev, and Patration for Arjun, please?

Hi @ambidextrousarcher (I love the new url and header 💙)

Essomenic: showing things as they will be in the future

Sahadev

Sometimes, ignorance is bliss, its veil covers the undesirable, allows the smiles to live on for a little longer. But that luxury was not one bestowed to him in the charity of fate. Unbridled knowledge, lacking any mercy, was an inseparable share of his life now. And if it spared the ones he loved from bearing any more pain, he would choose this fate again and again, for all his lives. To see them smiling together was enough to provide him with newfound resolve. The sight of the entire Indraprastha, thriving and joyful, was the proof that many times, ignorance really was bliss. Never in his dreams he would want to shatter this beautiful, breathtaking sight, their perfect and carefree home.

He loved the sight of Panchaali laughing lightly, he treasured each one of those in his mind. She would often be puzzled by his steady glances, but still humored his behaviour. She and Bhraata Bheem would be sharing an inside joke about Bhraata Arjun, and then instantly dissolved into laughter, tears glistening in their eyes, those ones of pure joy, which he would reverently preserve in his palms, if he could. If he could, he would lock this blessed time within his heart, away from the cruelty of fates. And then his musings would be disturbed, for it would be time for Krishnaa to feed the needfuls that they welcomed as their guests, before the royal family accepted any meals for themselves. No one left her presence with any want in their hearts. No one ever will.

Their beloved Abhimanyu used to run around all of them, trying to hide from his mothers, and more often than not, he would hide his nephew in his arms. A master in evasion, he passed through the rooms as a breeze, slipping through their hands. Whenever he got a hold of his little nephew, he would show a toothy, guilty smile, one which made him weak. And the little menace knew that. The only words he could manage to whisper, inaudible to their little prince, were a request and a blessing, "may the valorous Saubhadra always remain elusive to the ones who wished him ruin, untouched from the malicious clutches of the vengeful".

Nakul used to laugh, because he would sometimes spend his free hours under the guidance of the royal herder, learning about how to attend to the large population of cattle under the ownership of the palace and how best to provide for their welfare. His twin would tremble with humorous chuckles and tease him about the absolute uselessness of this kind of knowledge for a Kshatriya prince, joking about the times when the advisor of the Samrat will have the absolute need to milk a cow. When he retorted back, about how Nakul himself was spending a bit much time in the stables, he would defend himself by explaining that a prince should have mastery in the art of horse riding, a skill too useful for a warrior. His mind reflected on the cruelty of fate, for this interest would certainly be of service to his twin, in the future that stormed nearer. He himself encouraged his brother to hone this skill of his but, on the outside, he would pout a little in return, tell him off or threaten to tell Bhraatashree about his unmannerly teasing, and their childish squabbles would continue. He relished every moment of it, he loved when Nakul complained about petty matters, because it meant that he was happy, he was comfortable, that he was still optimistic...

He buried back the immense remorse in his heart, whenever the king played a harmless game of dice, only a mere diversion from the daily duties. His family tried to distract him from his habit, but only a halfhearted attempt. When invited for a round, he would try to lead the king's mind away from that weakness of his. "Any riches of the world would turn to dirt if obtained through a mode so neglectful." he used to advise respectfully, "Only a coward would attempt to seize anything precious and worthwhile from behind the shelter of a game so trivial" always countered the Samrat, his belief immovable in all Kshatriyas always adhering to their morals. So their game would continue, and he would try to prevent his mind from wondering mirthlessly about how it would feel to be in the place of one of those bags of gold, a general possession, only on display to be gambled away...

Patration: perfection or completion of something

Arjun

Draw the string of the bow, and lose it again. The routine may feel mechanical, soulless to anyone on the sidelines, but it feels like a prayer to the one practicing. The whistling arrows are singing the hymns in his stead, the blood drawn from his hands is the sacrifice to the holy fire, every arrow finding it's mark is one cycle of chanting complete. There is no one else present in that world in which the devotee Paarth worships his gods, the bow and arrow. The center of the target beckons to him as his moksha, and as certain as an ancient sage meditating for centuries, he attains it.

His was the aim to master the art of archery, and thus Savyasachi was born into the world, the one who wields the flame-blessed Gandiva with dexterity of both his hands; the Gudakesha who lords above the constraints of sleep. His was the aim to raise Indraprastha as a part of the heavens, and so Dhananjaya was brought into existence, the winner of absolute wealths in the four directions and all the three worlds, the very one called Kiriti who graced the crown gifted by Devendra.

His was the aim to become stronger for retribution, for their tears and their scars. And for that wish, born was the warrior Jishnu, the unsurpassed, uncontrollable one who subdued his opponents, the Vijaya who defeated all in the fields of war, the one who was blessed with the feared Pashupatastra by Mahadeva. In his name-fellow Krishna's words, he was the Parantapa who scorched his enemies. But, even then he didn't relinquish the title of Vibhatsu, whether referring to the honorable one or the one who incited terror in the hearts of his foes, all the difference lied in the eyes of his beholder.

His was the aim to finish their Agyatavas successfully, so came Brihannala into creation, for achieving that target. Each movement of the teacher who taught Matsya's princess was a precise and well-crafted one, never spurred in a moment; each gesture sharper than the finest of blades, the disciplined motions preconceived even before the melodies flowed into the air, leaving the spectator entranced beyond mere words. The gracefulness mesmerized all before they could grow any suspicions. The princess adored her mentor and the prince realized all too late why he was so affected by the sways of that dancer, flaring like the fierceness of the one who was perfected by the heat of wars. When the prince was finally blessed with knowledge about their guests, it all became too clear.

All these thoughts flashed by Uttar's mind in mere moments. In his eyes, the Arjun whose charioteer he had the honour of becoming was the essence of excellence, the flawless, pure white one, the white horses of Shvetavahana's chariot being very fitting for his stature. He was standing in the presence of perfection itself and so multitudes of feelings were storming inside his mind, all names of Phalguna falling short in describing his greatness. Maybe it was his incredulous countenance, or the awe in his eyes that Arjun noticed, for he smiled at the young prince- a knowing smile. "I am just a man who wants to protect my loved ones, don't you want to protect princess Uttara, your parents and your kingdom too, Prince?" He asked good-naturedly and received a nod in reply. With kind eyes came the explanation, "So there you go, we are both not so different then. We both have somethings we cherish and want to protect, and if there are obstacles in the path we have chosen, then?" "We will best them and forge ahead?" answered the young prince hesitantly. "Exactly," encouraged Arjun "what we seek is not perfection but fulfillment of our aims, our wishes. We desire the bird's eye only, so we only follow the path that leads to it, unwaveringly, and the perfection of piercing through that target will follow in our steps as a result". Uttar smiled in response, with the resolve that one day he would surely justify the words that Arjun has said to him. That one day, he would proudly declare to the world that he and The Archer were the ideal warriors of one kind..

[avani008]

Hello! May I have *three times they drew each other’s blood and *three lies others told about them for Arjun and Draupadi, please? Thank you! (I don’t think these have been done yet?)

Three Times Arjuna and Draupadi Drew Each Other’s Blood, and Once They Embraced

1. Childbirth is a dreadfully untidy business, or so Arjuna--sheltered from the birth of his brothers’ sons--discovers with some alarm. Even now, as Draupadi sits up with Srutakarma in her arms, he can see remnants of the blood she shed, all to bring their boy into the world.

2. In the aftermath of the assembly-hall, Arjuna’s fingernails gouge half-crescents of blood into his palms; but Draupadi, angry still, cannot bring herself to care.

3. Stories speak of how Sairandhari caught Yudhisthira’s blood before it could spill, so saving the Matsya kingdom for annihilation, but they pass over the thousand times she pricked her fingers sewing Brihannala’s bright costumes, scraped her knuckles stringing her drums. 

&1. It is not until Arjuna confronts Ashwatamma and avenges his son’s death that he kneels at his wife’s feet, utterly spent, and Draupadi, palms smeared with the sweat of Uttara’s labors, reaches out to pull him close. 

Three Lies Told About Arjuna and Draupadi, and One Lie They Told Themselves

1. The embittered at having lost the Princess of Panchal’s hand mutter mutinously that there must have been some secret to stringing the bow her father offered and striking the target her brother pointed out; and that the princess, lured by a pretty face, must have betrayed the trick somehow to her chosen--but Krishnaa is doggedly honorable, if nothing else, and Arjuna not quite pretty enough to tempt her from fair play. 

2. She is heartbroken, the bards sing, by Arjuna’s all-too-frequent absences, but the truth is--there is a part of him as wild as the winds his divine father controls, and she could no more rid him of it than she could force herself to love him less. 

3. She loves Abhimanyu as much as she would love a son of her own blood.

(Untrue; she loves him even more.)

&1. Krishnaa does not wake some nights with the sound of Brihannala’s anklets ringing in her ears; and Arjuna’s skin does not itch for a curse that has long since left him. 

[buzz-london]

Yuga Dharma of Yuga Purusha ((Horses for courses!) (my essay for 'Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies') 

Ramayan and Mahabharata have Vishnu playing the central role of Yug-Purush – man-of-the-hour who decides the fate of the world, formulates history and decides the course of the future.

Yet, Vishnu-avatar in Ramayan is very different to the Vishnu-avatar in the Mahabharata.  Both itihases (histories) record how ‘god-incarnate’ behaves in a totally diametrically opposed manner.  One has to wonder why!

In fact when we examine the 24 avatars of Vishnu, each one seems to be very different!  Their ways of establishing Dharma seem to very widely.  For example, Parashuram, Varah and Narsimha are exceptionally fierce where as Rushabh and Nara-Narayan are exceptionally placid.

Why is God not behaving in a consistent manner?   Why are God’s actions not predictable? Why is God not behaving like GOD?

For the purposes of this essay, we will mainly look at Ramavatar and Krushnavatar, discussing other avatars to understand what is means to be a Yug-Purusha and uphold Yug-Dharma.  

Shri Rama of Ramayan is very ‘human’.  In Valmiki Ramayan, Rama rages, cries, despairs and even blames his father’s lust for the miseries visited upon him.  Rama’s resolve to fight Ravana is unswerving, but his despondence during setbacks in his life are endearingly ‘human’.  His rejection of Sita is shockingly melodramatic and his desperate desire to please-everyone-all-the-time is achingly admirable – though frustratingly impossible!  Rama is admired as the son, brother, leader, friend everyone wants.  Yet, his behavior as a husband, father and king leaves us aghast.  

By contrast, Shri Krushna of Mahabharata is rarely despondent.  His relatives are far more troublesome than those of Rama, and yet he rarely gets upsets or admonishes them for their lack of propriety.  He weaves through the quagmire of complex relationships with hundreds of characters in the epic.  He adheres to rules, bends them, breaks them and makes them up as he goes through life.  His focus on establishing a ‘Dharma-Rajya’ in Arya-vart is unwavering and despite setbacks, he marches forward with this singular aim.  Though incredibly complex, Krushna remains the most enigmatic and interesting of all the Vishnu avatars.      

Establishing Dharma is the key to all avatars of Vishu.  But what we have to ask is, What is dharma?   Whose dharma? Which dharma?

Does the Yuga Purusha determine what the Yuga-Dharma should me? Does the Yuga Dharma determine what the Yuga-Purusha should establish as the law of the land?

Rama was the latter – he followed the Yuga-Dharma to the letter. Krushna was the former – he decided what the Yuga-Dharma was and made sure others helped him establish it!

In the SMB Gita, chapter IV, shloak 7, Shri Krushna states, ‘Yada yada he Dharmasya, glanir-bhavati Bharata, abhyuthanama dharmasy, tadatmanum srujamyahum’.  This can be paraphrased as ‘Oh Arjun, whenever Dharma is impacted, I come to its rescue.’  

Dharma’s principles may be eternal, but its application in the here-and-now is fluid.  Each Yuga has its own version of what is the ideal way to practice dharma.  Dharma, as interpreted by rishis, kings and citizens seems to be different.  If we look superficially, with the change of a Yuga, dharma seems to change. God’s own enforcement of Dharma seems to changes.  These enforcements are sometimes violent, sometimes peaceful, sometimes mysterious.  But each and every time, the result is the same.  Dharma and order are re-established.  This can be succinctly described by the English term, ‘horses for courses’.  God does whatever is required to establish Dharma.

Everytime Yuga-Purusha comes, ALL sections of society are forced to confront their excesses, account for it, repent and re-establish social-order by leading a balanced life in accordance with Dharma. *The intellectuals have to climb down from their ivory towers and engage with the wider community. *The ruling class has to restrain itself from excessive use of its powers and let the citizens lead a fulfilled life.   *The entrepreneurs and businessmen have to rein in their relentless pursuit of profit and realise that anything other than a fair-deal is robbery by any other name.   *The working class have to realise the value of their work and relish ‘work’ rather than see it just as a toil of a mindless automaton.  

No one is above Dharma.  As part of the rituals of coronation of ancient Indian kings, after he receives the sword-of-state and the royal crown, the king proclaims, “A-dandyosmi!” (I am now above all reproach / oversight / punishment).  The Raj-Guru gently taps the crown three times and reminds him, “Dharma dandosi, dharma dandosi, dharma dandosi!” (Dharma can still punish you!)  In English courts, we use a similar maxim, written by Dr Thomas Fuller in 1733, “Be you never so high, the law is above you!”  Even the law makers are not above the law!  Recently, in the British Parliament, the government and the Priminister had to be reminded that they are not above the law – ‘Dharma dandosi’ enacted in 2019!

Only when every section of society benefits and progresses, can Dharma (in its widest sense) be truly established.  God does not work for one side or another.  God has no ‘favourites’.  God favours equilibrium.  Hence, to establish Dharma, is to establish balance.  Dharma is impartial.  God is impartial.  When required, God comes as an axe-yielding ParashuRama and when required, he comes as a peaceful preacher – Horses for Courses.  

No one lives in isolation.  We all live in symbiosis.  When one party tries to rise at the expense of others, crushes the rights of others to benefit itself, they disturb the delicate balance of Dharma.  When that ‘balance’ swings too far to one side, it results in oppression of the ‘powerful’ over the ‘powerless’.  Who is ‘powerful’ verses who is ‘powerless’, changes from one Yuga to another, one place to another.  Everyone has the chance to become ‘powerful’ at one time or another.  Not just China or Russia, even nations as small as Britain and Japan have had the chance to occupy center stage in world history.  What they do with their power determines their legacy.  History will record if they were benevolent or malevolent ;  cruel or kind ; progressive or regressive ; dharmic or adharmic while they ruled.

Just as too much sunshine can wither the crops and too much rain can drown it, even excess of ‘goodness’ can unbalance the universe.  For example, Vishnu comes as Vamana to gently curb the ‘goodness’ of Bali and re-establish the power-balance between good and evil in the universe.  To the casual observer, robbing Bali of his empire and pushing him in the Patala seems like an ‘own-goal’ by God!  Here was an honest Danava, devoted to dharma and dedicated to the welfare of his subjects.  Why remove him from power?  But God wants to make sure everyone has their due and no one is deprived of their fair share.  As stepbrothers, Devas and Danavas are both given fecund kingdoms to enjoy.  Both places are equally good and they both reflect the characteristics of the people who were suppose to occupy them.  But, when Patal tries to dominate Swarga or when Swarga tries to dominate Patal, universe becomes unbalanced.  Through his avatars, God works hard to make sure no one is bullied into submission and everyone has the chance to enjoy their ‘place-in-the-sun’.            

Changes in interpretation, and application, of Dharma are reflected with the symbolic ‘colours’ given to each avatar.  *1 In Sat Yuga, the character of the avatar is described as ‘White’.  In Treta Yuga, the avatar’s character is ascribed the colours Red and Yellow and by end of Dwapar Yuga, the avatar is described as ‘Dark (blue)’.  

The White colour of the avatar symbolically reflects the simple, straight forward ideas and applications of Dharma in Sat / Kruta Yuga.  Matsya, Hansa, Varah etc reflect the straightforward efforts God takes to establish of dharma.  

In Treta Yuga, attributes of Vishnu’s avatars are described by colours Red and Yellow.  At the start of the Treta Yuga, Vishnu has to be aggressive in forcefully applying Yuga Dharma – hence Red.  ParashuRama is the angry version of God’s ‘justice’.   Those who are found wanting, are judged and punished without waiting for lengthy ‘due process’.  However, by the end of Treta Yuga, requirements from the avatar have changed and this is symbolically reflected by the colour ‘Yellow’. The ‘golden Avatar’ of Rama has regal poise.  Rama patiently suffers ‘due process’ to establish Dharma-Rajya at great personal cost.  He waits 14 long, lonely, arduous, years in the forest to sit on the throne and rule as Dharma-Raj.  To the ‘golden avatar’, personal privations were nothing in comparison to ‘peace’ achieved during Rama-Rajya for the entire society.  As a result, till date, Rama-Rajya is synonymous with Dharma-Rajya in South-East Asia.  Hence, from North India to Cambodia, there are several cities with the name ‘Ayodhya’ and countless rulers with the name ‘Rama’.

During the of Rama-avatar, ParashuRama symbolically passes the mantel of Yuga-Purusha to Rama by handing over his bow to Rama.  The Red, angry Avatar of Vishnu, who as a Rishi’s aggrieved son had decimated Kshatriya clans 21 times over, hands over the job of maintaining Dharma to a Golden Kshatriya prince!  It is a dramatic, diametric change.  From Rishi-Putra killing Kshatriyas to forcefully establish dharma, to a Kshtriya killing a Rishi-Putra (Ravan) to reluctantly establish dharma.  From an extrovert, dynamic avatar who imposes his will on the people, to an avatar who is painfully introverted, who tries desperately to establish dharma through consensus.  They both cause a lot of bloodshed, but one relishes the bloodletting, while the other abhors it.  ParashuRama feels that violence is the only way to keep the ruling class in check, while Rama seems to reserve violence as the last option to check unruly rulers (eg Vali and Ravana).

In Dwarpar Yuga, God’s enigmatic application of Dharma has literally become ‘dark’, impenetrable!  By the time of Krushna, cycle of Yuga has marched on. God incarnate has to use multiple approaches to bring peace in society.  Though not exclusively, this does include using a great amount of violence to establish Dharma.  Shri Krushna uses the full range of Sama, Dama, Danda and Bheda to reestablish Yuga Dharma.  By using diplomacy, economic pressure, army and ‘intrigue’, he manipulates the political environment of the era to bring about peace.  Though he never sits on any throne or claims any crown, he is openly acknowledged as the king-maker of the epoch.  

While ParashuRama is an outsider, forcing the rulers to bend to his will, Rama is an insider, coaxing fellow rulers to his will.  Both feel the process changes them.  They start out enthusiastically, but end up bitterly ruing their role in bringing order to the world.  Krushna however works as a catalyst, working tirelessly to ferment change without changing himself.  Even as empires rise and fall around him, Shri Krushna smiles knowingly, always enchanting everyone around him.  God’s singular purpose of coming as an Avatar is to liberate all the souls that come within his / her ambit.  Through wise words and wars, God aims to cut karmic bondage of any and all those who meet them.  

How is the use of violence justified for establishing Dharma by Yuga purusha?  How can a dharma-avatar use something so adharmic as violence to establish dharma?  Is everything fair in love, war and establishment of dharma?

God is compassionate.  When God kills, s/he liberates the souls s/he kills.  God removes the karmic bonds of those who die in his presence.  Thus they are freed from the need to be reborn.  Just as fire reduces everything to ash – burning sandalwood and a thorn bush with equal vigour, dying in God’s presence helps sever the good and bad karmas of the soul.  Unfettered by their karmas, souls that die in the presence of God attain moksha.  This reduces the number of souls who ‘burden’ Mother Earth.  This helps achieve the goal of any avatar.  Even Buddha-Avatar’s goal was to release souls from the samsara and lead them to nirvana.    

Taking his cue from Rama and Krushna, both warriors par-excellence, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi renounced violence and defeated the biggest empire the world has ever seen with ‘non-violence’!  Taking account of ground realities, though he invokes the ancient avatars of Vishnu, he used different tactics to establish order and Yuga-Dharma in Kali Yuga.  Taking inspiration from Vishnu, the sustainer of the universe, Gandhiji helped re-establish dharma, bring back balance, humble and empower the ruler and the ruled alike, and establish a level playing field for both.  Man became a Mahatma, creating a new definition of Yuga-Dharma.  

In each Yuga, the subtle application of dharma changes.  Yuga-Avatar establishes Yuga-Dharma and releases the maximum number of souls it can during its ‘karya-kala’ (time while the Avatar is active on Earth) from their karmic bondage.  Shri Rama and Shri Krushna, along with other avatars of Vishnu, have helped re-balance the universe, bring peace and establish Dharma.  How they did this (abhyuthanama dharmasy) was unique to each of them.

[ksatriya]

Brihannala (also written as Brihannada, Brihannata, or Vrihannala), was the name assumed by Arjuna in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. Arjuna spent the one year of his exile as Brihannala at King Virata’s Matsya Kingdom. He taught song and dance to the princess Uttara.

Once Arjuna was invited to the palace of Indra, his father. Urvashi, one of the heavenly maidens at Indra’s palace was strongly attracted to Arjuna. Indra also noted that his son was also bewitched by Urvashi’s beauty. So Indra took it upon himself to offer Urvashi to Arjuna.

Having received Indra’s instructions, Urvashi reached Arjuna’s room one night. But Arjuna did not have any intentions of making love to Urvashi. Instead he called her the “mother” of the Kuru race. Because once Urvashi was the wife of king pururavas the ancestor of Kuru Dynasty. Urvashi felt insulted, now that a mere mortal was able to resist her. She cursed him that Arjuna will be a eunuch for the rest of his life, who could only sing and dance with other women. Later on Indra’s request, Urvashi curtailed the curse to a period of one year, which would be the thirteenth year of the Pandavas’ exile.

[leanstooneside]

Always asking, "What's in it for me?"

- child ascertaining all these reckon thou thy own strength in respect of all thy allies weak and strong.[25] ascertaining the efficiency and weakness and indifference of thy forces as also who amongst them are well

- son of matsya's king thou art the sole refuge of this kingdom as that foremost of virtuous warriors arjuna is of the sons of pandu

- nilakantha and arjuna misra are silent

- 31] the word in the original is muhurta equal

- i am incapable of battling with this countless host of the kurus abounding in the heroic warriors that are extremely fierce

- i think nilakantha is right

- 25] this sloka is not correctly printed in any of the texts

- vaisampayana said then saradwata's son kripa said what the aged bhishma hath said concerning the pandavas is reasonable

- his friend uttara and her maidens then said unto vrihannala do thou o vrihannala bring for our dolls when thou comest back various kinds of good and fine cloths after vanquishing the kurus assembled for battle of whom bhishma and drona are foremost thus

- prince if thou art desirous of achieving the kingdom's good

- thou must not achieve such feats in a super human manner by means of that tree for if thou dost the people o bharata will recognise thee and say this is bhima

- arrows and weapons and is always possessed of great courage.oh

[ramanan50]

Why Tamil Kings Are From Solar Lunar Dynasty Second Capital in Pakistan

I visited Thiruvellarai,about fifteen kilometres from Srirangam,Tamil Nadu.

Srirangam is the second Divya Kshetram,Sacred Dwelling Place of Lord Vishnu,the first being Vaikuntam,the Celestial Abode of Vishnu.

I was informed by the Archaka of Srirangam that there is a older temple of Vishnu at Thiruvellarai.

On visiting the temple I found three unique features.

I wrote an article on this and on In…

[shriradharaman1]

What is Arjuna Puran? Who is the author of it?

Arjuna is the main protagonist of the Indian epic Mahabharata and also appears in other ancient Hindu texts. the author of arjuna puran is Krishna-Dwaipayan Vyasa. In the epic, he is the third among Pandavas, the five sons of Pandu. He was born when Indra, the god of rain, blessed Kunti and Pandu with a son. The family formed part of the royal line of the Kuru Kingdom.

From childhood, Arjuna was a brilliant student and was favoured by his beloved teacher, Drona. Arjuna is depicted as a skilled archer and wins the hand of Draupadi in marriage. She becomes his first wife and is simultaneously married to Arjuna's brothers because of Kunti's misunderstanding.

He is twice exiled, first for breaking a pact with his brothers; and secondly together with them when his oldest brother has tricked into gambling away the throne. Some notable incidents during the first exile were Arjuna's involvement in the burning of the Khandava Forest and his marriages with Ulupi, Chitrāngadā and Subhadra. From his four wives, Arjuna had four sons, one from each wife, Shrutakarma, Iravan, Babhruvahana and Abhimanyu.

During his second exile, Arjuna gained many celestial weapons. Despite being a powerful warrior, Arjuna was also skilled in music and dance. For Agyatvāsa (Incognito), Arjuna stayed in the Matsya Kingdom and disguised himself as a eunuch named Brihannala. After the exile, his disciple, Uttarā was married to his son, Abhimanyu. Before the beginning of the Kurukshetra War, Lord Krishna became his charioteer and taught him the sacred knowledge of Gita.[1] In the war, Arjuna defeated and killed many warriors including Bhagadatta, Jayadratha and Karna. After the war, Arjuna was killed by his son, Babhruvahana, but revived by Ulupi.

[stxrrynxghts]

Abhimanyu, In my world

(Or, in which Shyama gives the version of Abhimanyu, present in her literary works).

Abhimanyu is the youngest of his family. He is the youngest out of Arjun's four sons, the youngest out of all of his cousins from both sides, and he is clearly, the pampered baby.

Abhimanyu resembles Subhadra in looks, but in one look, you can see who is his father.

Abhimanyu is seven years old when Arjun goes into exile, and has faint memories of his father. He is not taken to meet him in the forest, as both Krishna and Subhadra know that if he goes once, he will not leave Arjun again.

His favorite cousin is Pradyumna, who has cherished and loved Abhimanyu, perhaps far more than he did with Aniruddha.

Abhimanyu likes the idea of marriage, but refuses to say it. After all, who will want to marry a prince without a kingdom?

He does not know who his favorite uncle is, but it is definitely either Krishna or Balarama.

He is very tall, in today's standards, nearing 6 feet, but he is still somewhat small in front of his father.

Abhimanyu likes to write poetry once in a while.

He is very rich, as he participated in many competitions and won, his allowance is the highest amongst all the Yadava Princes, and he received so many gifts on his marriage.

Abhimanyu is generally very sweet and understanding, but he is also short tempered.

Speaking of tempers, his name literally means "extremely wrathful".

Abhimanyu was born in the Ashwini Nakshatra.

He loves his father, and paternal side of the family, but he does not know how to interact with them, except with the Upapandavas.

He got drunk first time at sixteen, in Panchal, when Shatanika snuck in wine from Dhrishtadyumna's special stash.

Abhimanyu has always been drawn to wheels and concentric figures, ever since childhood.

If you asked him who he loves the most in the world, he would take his mother's name in a heartbeat.

Abhimanyu was not interested in marrying Uttara, in the beginning, until he met her.

There was a gap of six months between the wedding and his arrival in Matsya, as the preparations were taking too long. Abhimanyu got familiar with his future wife in this time.

He falls in love with his wife rather quickly, except both of them are rather oblivious to it.

He loves to tease and prank Uttara, who gets easily manipulated.

Abhimanyu is a romantic husband, and showers his love in any way he can.

He is scared of parenthood, secretly.

The only thing he fears, is fear itself, the fear of disappointing others.

Abhimanyu always wears certain ornaments, like the silver sapphire ring his wife gave him, or the earrings his mother had gifted him, or the armband on his left bicep which belonged to his father.

He loves the color blue, and all of it's shades a lot.

Abhimanyu has tiny scars on his fingers and palms, due to archery practice.

If there is something that he never learnt, it is never giving up.

His temperament is a lot like his father's, except Abhimanyu inherited the temper of his uncles Bhima and Balarama.

When Uttara requests him to not join the war, he is tempted to do so, and then Abhimanyu remembers his father's belief over him.

Uttar's death traumatizes him more than anything.

He does not sleep on the night of the 12th day, no, he writes letters, to Pradyumna, to Balarama, to Arjun, to Subhadra, to his wife, and to his unborn child. He spends the whole night writing letters enough to last years. Krishna, Abhimanyu decides strangely, needs no sort of reassurances or letters, in case something happens, does he?