THE EPIC THROUGH MY EYES

A QUICK RECAP---Sauti,the son of Lomaharsana was narrating stories from the Mahabharata  in the august company of the learned sages of those times.  After finishing with the story of Utanka,he again asked Maharshi Saunaka  and the others,’’What now sir?What do you wish to hear now?’’To this the Maharsi replied,’’Recount the history of the clan of Bhrigu, and we will attentively listen to you.’’ {Here I would like to add that the race of Bhrigu, or the descendants of Maharshi Bhrigu  are the modern Bhargava Brahmins who reside mostly in North India} Thus Sauti began his story. When Brahma was conducting a yajna for Varuna, Bhrigu emerged from the sacred fire. He was thought to be one of the manasputras of Brahma. In due time the  son of Brahma grew up and was married to Puloma renowned for her extraordinary beauty.  Bhrigu loved his wife dearly. Puloma was also madly in love with her husband. One morning, when Puloma was heavy with child, Bhrigu went out to a nearby river to

Utanka decided to avenge the vile act of the Takshaka. He reached Hastinapur and met King Janmejaya .The king had just returned victorious from Takshasila . Celebration was in the air. Utanka seized the opportunity. He said,’’You are the mightiest of all the monarchs  that have ever lived. How come you are spending your time in mere merry and mirth when such a grave issue is looming large on your head?’’. He acknowledged,’’Yes, I was carried away,please tell me revered Brahmana, what is the call of the day?’’Utanka replied,’’ Go and avenge the death of your benevolent father, King Parikshita who was bitten without any reason by the vile serpent –Takshaka. The wicked fellow also drove away the physician,Kasyapa,who was coming to help your father.’’ Utanka went on,’’Conduct the snake –sacrifice yajna and let the wretch burn in blazing fire. Your father’s death would be avenged this way and I would be pleased too as the Takshaka had given be enough trouble.’’ The king was overcome wit

 As he was walking back, Utanka came across a nude beggar.The beggar too walked along,but to his utter dismay Utanka found that the beggar  vanished suddenly from his view.He reappeared after a moment. Utanka spotted a lake by the side of the road, and decided to have a bath. He kept those pair of ear-rings on the ground and went for the water.The beggar appeared suddenly and ran away with the pair .Utanka chased him and overpowered the thief soon. The beggar soon metamorphosed into Takshaka or the serpent  and entered into a large hole that appeared out of the blue in the earth. He  proceeded to his own abode, the region of the serpents. Utanka tried to dig in the hole to get hold of the serpent. But he was unable to make much progress. Indra took pity on him and sent Vajra-thunderbolt to his assistance. Thunderbolt struck and the hole was enlarged.Utanka entered through the hole and reached the land of the serpents or the Nagaloka underneath the surface of the earth. Oh! What a

Veda  returned to his own abode and ashrama.He also had three disciples.He had seen hard days as a disciple,so he chose to be a lenient taskmaster .One morning as he was about to depart from his home on some business,he called upon Utanka,one of his disciples,to take charge of his household.He said,’’whatever needs to be done in this  house in my absence, you should do it without neglect.’’Then he embarked on his journey. Utanka religiously followed his master’s orders. One day the females of the guru’s hermitage  gathered around him and said,’’Our mistress is in her most fertile period of the month.The preceptor is absent,now you stand in his place to do whatever is needed.’’Utanka answered,’’I can’t act so thoughtlessly at the mere provocation of some women. My preceptor hasn’t taught me to be  immoral.’’ Veda returned from his journey after some time.He was extremely pleased when he came to know  that Utanka had passed the test of morality .He called Utanka and said,’’What fav

Ayoda-Dhaumya was a contemporary sage who had three disciples named Upamanyu,Aruni, and Veda.The disciples resided in his hermitage and performed the various tasks that were assigned to them. One fine day,the rishi came to know about a paddy field where a sudden breach of a water course was causing havoc.He  asked Aruni of Panchala to go and stop the flow. Aruni left immediately for the field and on reaching there he saw that he couldn’t stop it by any ordinary means.He was distressed as he didn't want to let down his master. So he went down  and lied down prostrate on the ground,and thus the water was confined. After quite  some time Ayoda-Dhaumya became aware of Aruni’s absence.When he enquired about Aruni,his other disciples reminded him of the errand that the boy had been send for.The guru instantly reached the field along with his disciples to see what the matter was.He cried out for Aruni.On hearing his master’s voice Aruni came out running from  the water-course and tol

Janmejaya, along with his three brothers was attending a yajna on the plains of Kurushkhetra.There arrived the offspring of the celestial bitch, Sarama. Belaboured by the brothers of Janmejaya, it went crying to its mother. The mother was infuriated. She went to the brothers and asked them,”Why did u hurt my son without any fault of his?’’ ‘’He neither  looked at your sacrifical butter nor did he touch it with his tongue.’’The brothers had no answer. Possessed by pain and anger she said,’’As you have beaten my son who hadn’t committed any fault so evil will come upon you when you least expect it.’’ Janmejaya was shocked.After the yajna was over,he returned to Hastinapura. There he began to search for a saint who could do away with the effect of the curse. One day,while he was in a hunting expedition,he came across the hermitage of rishi Srutasrava. He had a son named Somasrava who was ascetically devoted,accomplished in the study of the Vedas,and was born of a she snake who had d

                                                                                                                                                                                    Maharshi Sounak had an ashrama in the forest of Naimisha.The learned sage there conducted a yagna which went on  for twelve long years.Quite a few great and learned men of those times accompanied him in that sacred ritual.   One fine morning, as the day’ s schedule was over , there arrived Sauti, the son of Lomharshan. Sauti had travelled far and wide and had the gift of the gab. He had heard the story of the Mahabharata from Vaishampayan at the Snake-sacrifice ceremony.He even visited Samantapanchak –the place where the fierce battle between the Pandavas and the kauravas was fought. When he came to know about the elite gathering at the asrama he decided to pay a visit. On his arrival he saw the rishis there.They gathered around him and asked him his whereabouts. He proposed to offer his art in front

        The Mahabharata is one of the masterpieces of world literature. And from time eternal man has been fascinated by stories.This holds true still today-----I mean that’s why all the books are being written and all the movies are being made----and people still throng to book fairs. I am no scholar—yet at the same time  interested in mythology .Its my humble attempt to bring to u my dear friends  the stories from the Mahabharata chronologically in a simple manner without disturbing the main essence. I mean u can call it the layman’s angle to the epic.Your views are most welcome.