Mahabharata Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

- by prateek srivastava
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- Comparative Literature, Greek Epic, Mahabharata, Stock Market Analysis

“Human beings do the actions, and the results come according to the law of nature – the Lord has nothing to do with it. So when people are in trouble, they say: “Oh God, what have You done to me? What put this into Your mind?” But the fact is that Náráyańa, God, has done nothing, and had nothing in His mind. You have done something and are suffering the consequences. You are in trouble and you are crying out. Many people are like this. But Náráyańa has done nothing. As you have sown, so you now reap. This is the plain truth,” explains Shrii Shrii Ánandamúrti. “So before doing anything you should think carefully, because the action is in your hand, but not the result – that is in the hand of Prakrti (God’s Cosmic Operative Principle – the law of nature). Náráyańa neither performs the action nor administers the results. He simply gives Prakrti the opportunity to work within Her own limited sphere; Prakrti does Her duty accordingly. She does not aim to satisfy either your mind or the mind of anyone else. She only aims to please the mind of Náráyańa. Whatever work Náráyańa has given Her the right to do, that is what She does. She has no right to do more than that.” Shrii Shrii Ánandamúrti (1921-1990) was a Tantric guru in the tradition of Shiva and Krishna. He introduced the empowered universal spiritual mantra “Baba Nam Kevalam”, composed a collection of 5018 spiritual songs called Prabháta Saḿgiita, and founded the socio-spiritual movement Ananda Marga (“the Path of Bliss”). – Richard Gauthier, Department of Chemistry and Physics, Santa Rosa Junior College, Santa Rosa, California, USA, August 6, 2021.

- by Richard Gauthier
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- Hinduism, Indian Philosophy, History of Religion, Theological Ethics

Once king Yuddhishtra, the eldest of the five Pandavas, was conducting a big Vedic sacrifice. At that opportune moment sage Narada decided to bless the sacrifice with his presence. Welcoming Narada with all due respect, Yuddhishtra, with... more

- by Exotic India
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- Hinduism, Mahabharata, Hindu Studies, Mahabharat
- by S. N. Sridhar
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- American Literature, World Literatures, Translation Studies, Indian Philosophy

The forest-bound 12 years of the Mahābhārata's Vana-parva saw the flowering of the philosopher in Yudhiṣṭhira. To begin with, he had ethical debates with his two reproachful family members, patiently contending with the logical arguments of Draupadī on the one hand, and the specious sophistry of Bhīma on the other. Second, the forest was a school of learning for him, where he elicited valuable lessons from great sages in contradistinction to the illustrious Rāma, who, also exiled to the forest and with all his superior qualities of leadership, valour, romantic charisma and poetic sensitivity to nature, did not quite match up to the eldest Pāṇḍava in harvesting wisdom from the forester sages.

- by Abhijit Basu
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- Mahabharata, Ramayana

Joint paper describing the results of scientific research and conservation on an important group of first century Indian ivory and bone furniture ornaments excavated at Begram and stolen from the National Museum of Afghanistan in Kabul during the civil war. This work was carried out with permission of Kabul immediately prior to the exhibition of these pieces in the special exhibition at the British Museum, 'Afghanistan: Crossroads of the Ancient World' (2011). They had been identified and acquired by a private individual on behalf of Kabul and temporarily and were returned there in 2012 with the assistance of the British Armed Forces.

- by Clare Ward and +1
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- Cultural History, Archaeology, Cultural Heritage, Afghanistan
- by Steven M Vose
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- Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Indian Philosophy

Мифические горы, расположенные на севере, за которыми находится Северный Океан, нашли отражение в пись менных античных памятниках Греции и Рима, а также в индоарийских источниках: Ригведа, Махабхарата, Авеста, Бундахишн. Локализация Рипейских гор, вызывающая споры до настоящего времени, предполагает, прежде всего, географически обозначить Северный Океан. Ключевые слова: Рипейские горы, Каспийское море, Гирканское море, Северный океан, Кавказ.
The mythical mountains located in the North, beyond which is the North Ocean, are reflected in the written ancient monu ments of Greece and Rome and in the Indo Aryan sources: Rigveda, Mahabharata, Avesta, Bundakhishn. The localization of the Riphean mountains, causing controversy to date, suggests, first of all, to geographically designate the Northern Ocean.

- by Tamila Khalilova
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- History, Ancient History, Ancient Near East, Mahabharata
- by Philipp A Maas
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- Buddhism, Jainism, Indian Philosophy, Buddhist Philosophy
- by Soumya Ghosh
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- Gender Studies, Feminist Theatre, Mahabharata, Draupadi

This is the PDF-PowerPoint I used for the lecture held together with Mag.a Kathrin Bouvot on Saturday, 25 September 2021 at the International Webinar Series Spirituality, “Satyagraha and Pragmatism: New Dimensions in Gandhian Philosophy”, jointly organised by Mahatma Gandhi Center for Conflict Resolution and Peace Studies Lady Keane College, Shillong, Meghalaya, India & North East Institute of Social Sciences and Research, Dimapur, Nagaland, India. & Peace Channel, Dimapur, Nagaland, India & St. Xavier College, Jalukie, Nagaland, India. The title of the lecture was: “Gandhi's interpretation of Atman: Awakening, Enlightenment, Transcendence”.

Mahabharata is a source of inspiration to umpteen number of writers of different Indian languages. Numerous episodes, legends and stories in it have provided a basic theme for independent works. The great epic besides being a storehouse... more

- by Dr Farah Naqvi
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- Mahabharata, Indian Management
- by Romain Garnier
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- Sanskrit language and literature, Mahabharata, Devanagari script, Ramayana

Quintessential Guru Purnima reflections on the essence of being a teacher via the geometry of the rose and its relationship to the moon. Inscribed on 1 foot X 1 ½ feet poster on July 12, 1995, On Teachers Day, students at Rizvi College... more

- by H. Masud Taj
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- Buddhism, Hinduism, Architecture, Teacher Education

This is an extract from Mahabharata, the Hindu Epic, on the names of tribes who fled to the west of India fearing persecution by Jarāsandha, an avowed enemy of Krishna. These names were narrated by Krishna himself in the context of his decision to leave Mathura and settle down in Dvaraka in the western part of India. Quite a few tribes settled outside on the west of India were friends of Jarāsandha, giving rise to a conjecture that they were instrumental in spreading the Vedic culture in west Asia. The phonetic similarity between Jarāsandha and Zoroastrian lends credibility to this view, which is further supported by the presence of the lineage of Bhagadatta, the probable ancestor of Bagadates I

- by Jayasree Saranathan
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- Ancient Persia, Mahabharata, Arabian/Persian Gulf Studies, West Asian Studies
- by Péter Száler
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- Mahabharata, Balarama
- by Nina Budziszewska
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- Indian Philosophy, Mahabharata, Upanishads, Chariots In the Ancient World

Fernando Wulff Alonso's thesis that the Mahābhārata owes its essence and numerous details to the Greek epic poet Homer through the Indo-Greeks, is not implausible given other posited cases of transmission through the Indo-Greeks, from arguably the 1 E 5 B sā ī through formal logic to the Buddha statue. Indians have done remarkably little to respond to his claim, possibly because hardly any of them is focused on the one discipline that could refute it, viz. Comparative Mythology. The narrative elements in common between the Greek and Hindu epics, explained by Wulff Alonso as the effect of transmission, can often better be explained as due to a common origin much older than the Indo-Greeks, and logically even older than the authors of the epics (the "Dumézilian" approach). We can verify this by their presence in other branches of the Indo-European tree that, after a period of close coexistence, had long lost contact with Greek and Sanskritic culture. Our position is that both Vyāsa and Homer drew upon historical wars in their respective countries' past, but then fitted the (already embellished) historical data into a narrative framework that was much older and of which traces also appear in other narrative traditions surviving in the other Indo-European cultures. As so often, here too it is not just the similarities but also the systematic differences between the two that prove to be instructive, and in this case problematic for Wulff Alonso's hypothesis.

- by Koenraad Elst
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- Comparative mythology, Mahabharata

This is the first volume of a projected three-volume work on the little-known South Indian folk cult of the goddess Draupadi and on the classical epic, the Mahabharata, that the cult brings to life in mythic, ritual, and dramatic forms. Draupadi, the chief heroine of the Sanskrit Mahabharata, takes on many unexpected guises in her Tamil cult, but her dimensions as a folk goddess remain rooted in a rich interpretive vision of the great epic. By examining the ways that the cult of Draupadi commingles traditions about the goddess and the epic, Alf Hiltebeitel shows the cult to be singularly representative of the inner tensions and working dynamics of popular devotional Hinduism.

- by Gregory Scott Baisden, Ph.D.
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- Hinduism, Comparative Religion, Cultural Studies, Psychology

Greek mythology plays an important role in our understanding of concepts like ‘democracy’, ‘justice’ and ‘nation-state'. When we talk about global village, I would like to see a Chinese author write about Hinduism. Would that be different from a European’s view? There is an imperative the need for understanding the contribution made by ancient Greek philosophical concepts in order to appreciate the modern pluralistic global order.
But to draw links between Indian cultural concepts and those in ancient Greece is not to say that both had the exact same representation. However one might appreciate the fact that there are connections with different depictions, depending on the socio-cultural setup of each. You don’t need to appreciate ‘the’ truth, you need to appreciate ‘a’ truth which may not accommodate all truths.

- by Bikram Lamba
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- Greek Myth, Indian Mythology, Mahabharata, Ramayana

In this article are compared two similar plots, one from the Ossetian Nartiada and another from the Indian Mahabharata. The main plot of both narratives is an ambush, in which the enemies of the heroes will try to kill them, but their plans are ruined due to the intervention of a third party, who using a secret language, advises the heroes not to fall into the ambush. In both cases the secret dialogue has a form of a parable , in which the subject is allegorically substituted by an animal.
It is possible that we are dealing with an influence of Sakan folklore on Indian epics, in that case the “Mleccha language” thanks to which Vidura saves the Pandava heroes, is a Sakan analogue of the Ossetian secret “xatiag language”.

- by Boris Mysykkaty
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- Indian Epics, Mahabharata, Argot, Secret Language

In his book Discourses on the Mahábhárata, Prabhat Rainjan Sarkar (1922-1990), a spiritual teacher (also known as Shrii Shrii Anandamurti) and social philosopher, clarifies the role of Lord Krśńa as both the real author of the Mahábhárata War and as a physical embodiment of the Cosmic Nucleus and creator of the universe. The Cosmic Nucleus has played the roles of different divine personalities in the drama of the universe, which is actually a thought process within the Cosmic Mind. One was the role of Lord Shiva about 7000 years ago. A second was the role of Lord Krśńa about 3500 years ago. Both were embodiments of Divine force at the time of their birth. Each played a vital role in the spiritual and social development of human society in different historical periods. We can learn much from Shrii Shrii Anandamurti’s clarification of the roles that the Cosmic Nucleus has played in human history. Two chapters that focus on these topics are presented here.-- Richard Gauthier, Department of Chemistry and Physics, Santa Rosa Junior College, Santa Rosa, California, USA, 13 September, 2020

- by Richard Gauthier
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- Hinduism, Mythology, Philosophy, Indian Philosophy
- by Vishwa Adluri and +1
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- Religion, German Studies, Indian studies, Historicism

The Mahabharata, an Indian epic poem, describes a legendary war between two sides of a royal family. The epic's plot involves numerous moral dilemmas that have intrigued and perplexed scholars of Indian literature. Many of these dilemmas revolve around a character named Krsna. Krsna is a divine incarnation and a self-proclaimed upholder of dharma, a system of social and religious duties central to Hindu ethics. Yet, during the war, Krsna repeatedly encourages his allies to use tactics that violate dharma. In this paper, I try to make sense of Krsna's actions by analyzing them in terms of categories from Western moral philosophy. I show that Krsna seems to embrace an ethical approach called consequentialism, but that his version of consequentialism differs from Western theories of consequentialism by seeing adherence to dharma as an intrinsic good.

- by Joseph Dowd
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- Hinduism, Philosophy, Ethics, Indian Philosophy
- by Abhijit Basu
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- Social and Cultural Anthropology, Folk legends, Indian ancient history, Mahabharata

In the history of the world, three spiritual giants stand out: Shiva, Krishna and Anandamurti. Shrii Shrii Anandamurti, a spiritual guru in his own right, wrote insightful books about Shiva and Krishna as historical personalities, describing both their spiritual contributions and their other contributions to society. The spiritual legacy of Shiva is also elaborated in two books by Shrii Shrii Anandamurti (also known as Prabhat Rainjan Sarkar) about Tantra, a universal system of spiritual practices elaborated by Shiva. A biography of Shrii Shrii Anandamurti is also given.

- by Richard Gauthier
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- Religion, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism

The research paper aims to analyze the definitions of the concept of dhyāna in the Mokṣadharmaparvan of the ancient Indian epic Mahābhārata. Understanding the dhyāna in the Mokṣadharmaparvan makes it possible to comprehend the process of... more

- by Danylov Dmytro
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- Buddhism, Yoga, Yoga Philosophy, Yoga Meditation

This article reviews the Russian translations of the “Mahabharata”, created in 18th and in the first
half of 19th century. The study shows its impact on the literary process in Russia, on the formation
of interest in the Indian epic in literary and scientific circles. The study reveals features and
characteristics of this process the role of translations from Sanskrit in the development of domestic
Orientalism.

- by Dmitry Nikitin
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- Russian Literature, Indian studies, Mahabharata

In this paper, first, the mainstream Sustainable Development literature is studied to identify key historical attributions of the concept currently in vogue. In light of specific evidence from the critical edition of the Mahābhārata, an Indic case is posited for revisiting one of the key attributions in the mainstream Sustainable Development literature.

- by Megh Kalyanasundaram
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- Sustainable Development, Enlightenment, Sanskrit, Mahabharata

"It seems convenient, before treating on the specific subject of the present paper, to give some information about the Mahābhārata, the great epic poem of Indian, of which the Bhagavad Gītā is a part. (…) The Bhagavad-Gītā is an... more

- by Carmen Dragonetti y Fernando Tola
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- Hinduism, Ethics, Indian Philosophy, Mahabharata

In present day India, there is an obvious preference for light skin as evidenced by matrimonial advertisements, media and cosmetics. Many scholars have attempted to attribute this phenomenon to a variety of sociological influences -- the theorized Aryan migration, the Islamic Conquest, or the British colonial rule of the subcontinent. This paper does not seek to determine the precise cause of it, but rather, it shows a dramatic shift in the perception of skin color in Indian society through the examination of historical scriptures and art.

- by Pawan Deshpande
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- Hinduism, Race and Racism, South Asian Studies, Colorism
- by Shafin Shabir
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- History, Ancient History, Indian ancient history, Mahabharata

“Some 3500 years ago, Krśńa was born. His ávirbháva (advent) was just at a crucial time – humanity was suffering then. He removed the suffering of humanity by creating Mahábhárata. He gave an assurance to the entire world that there would not be degradation of dharma, that He would come and save it,” explains Prabhat Rainjan Sarkar. “A yuga parivarttana [change in age] is taking place. All of you plunge wholeheartedly into making sadvipra samája [spiritual society]. Do not be indecisive, do not hesitate, and do not under any circumstances feel fear. Your victory is a certainty.” P. R. Sarkar, (1921-1990), was a spiritual guru in the tradition of Shiva and Krishna. He introduced the empowered universal spiritual mantra “Baba Nam Kevalam”, composed a collection of 5018 spiritual songs called Prabháta Saḿgiita, and founded the socio-spiritual movement Ananda Marga (“the Path of Bliss”). – Richard Gauthier, Department of Chemistry and Physics, Santa Rosa Junior College, Santa Rosa, California, USA, June 8, 2021.

- by Richard Gauthier
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- Hinduism, Indian Philosophy, Indian studies, Sanskrit language and literature

"Indian Epic and Mediaeval Romance of Europe: similar motifs". The paper deals with a specific complex of motifs which seems to be common for the tale of Nala and Damayanti from the Mahabharata - and the mediaeval European romance of... more

"Indian Epic and Mediaeval Romance of Europe: similar motifs".
The paper deals with a specific complex of motifs which seems to be common for the tale of Nala and Damayanti from the Mahabharata - and the mediaeval European romance of Buovo d'Antona.

- by Yaroslav Vassilkov
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- Tamil Literature, Russian folklore, Mahabharata, Mediaeval Literature
- by Nina Budziszewska
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- Indian Philosophy, Sanskrit language and literature, Sanskrit, Mahabharata

Los temas de la acción, la ética y la política son comunes, hacia los siglos 4-1 AC, a la filosofía clásica de Grecia y de India, aunque la manera de hablar sobre ellos que todavía prevalece no termine de mostrar un lenguaje común para hacerlo. El propósito de este artículo es destacar ese sentido común en estas dos tradiciones filosóficas, y hacerlo siguiendo la filosofía de la identidad personal que debemos a Paul Ricoeur (1990).
Ricoeur hace inseparables la ipseidad y la ética de Aristóteles, a quien considera el primero que supo plantear que la acción (prâxis) depende del ser propio o agente (autós). Recordemos que la ipseidad identifica a las personas de otra manera que con nombres, números, y colores corporales y políticos (mismidad). De hecho implica el saber del ser propio con el ser propio, y el considerar a los demás como iguales en este sentido. Comencemos por fijar algunos principios. El antiguo intelecto (sánscrito buddhi, griego noûs) es la "clave de arco" que pone en su lugar el sentido de la identidad, la psicología, la ética, la política, etc. Es lo capaz de ser absolutamente a partir de sí. Puede ser divino o humano, pero también sólo autónomo. Puede ser activo en el sentido de la acción de los agentes sociales/políticos, pero también activo en el sentido de la quietud de los sabios contemplativos griegos, y de los sabios que están quietos en la acción, como los yoguis.

- by patricio furlong
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- Alexander the Great, Aristotle's Ethics, Mahabharata, Varṇas and yoga
- by Bijaya Ghimire
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- Death Studies, Masculinities, Mahabharata, Bhagavad Gita
- by Pinuccia Caracchi
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- Upanishad, Mahabharata, Ramayana, Purana

As new advances in science and space exploration get understood and published, they open up new perspectives to interpreting recorded ancient history as well as works of fiction that were created before the discoveries came to light. Star Trek, a TV and movie series that started in the 60s showcased advanced use of technology that was either the writer's imagination or inspired by research efforts of those times. Much of the science of Star Trek showed is reality now, and many other concepts are still being explored through scientific research and could be future possibilities. Mahabharata, whose timeline is estimated to be between 6000 BCE and 2000 BCE considered mythology and hence possibly parable but also proven to be a record of actual events, has many fascinating descriptions of advanced technology in the realm of medicine, warfare and telecommunication. This research paper attempts to compare the Mahabharata and Star Trek with the latest advances in modern science.

- by Sahaj Porwal
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- Mythology, Technology, History of Science, Star Trek