(Vedavyasa Mahabharatam – the story, the ethics, morals & the traditions)

Story 14 – Kurukshetra – a war between Devas & Asuras (Aṃśāvatāra Parvam)[i]

What is the story about?

 Eighteen Akshouhinis of warriors were destroyed in the Kurukshetra war fought between Pandavas and Kauravas. Such a destruction was planned much in advance in the court of Brahmaa to rid the Earth free from Adharmic forces. The story relies on the passages from Mahabharata and some Puranas to unravel the plan and the eventual birth of Gods and Asuras upon the earth.

Background of the Story

On the advice of sage Vedavyasa, Vysampayana started narrating the story of Mahabharata in the court of Janamejaya. Janamejaya heard the story of Vedavyasa and asked as to why his forefathers indulged in a brutal war. Vysampayana started narrating the births chief warriors and the reasons for their birth upon the earth.

Asuras & Their Plan 

Once upon a time the Gods performed a great Yagna running for hundreds of human years in the heaven. All Gods including the God of death, Yama participated in the event. There was no death upon the earth and the humans survived for hundreds of years. This was the occasion for Asuras to establish their supremacy upon earth. पाताळ लोक (pātāḻa loka ) was the abode of Asuras. While Gods were busy in the heaven, Asuras from pātāḻa loka started taking birth upon the earth in different kingly families, thereby destroying the dharmic equilibrium upon the earth.

इह देवत्वमिच्छन्तः मानुषेषु मनस्विनः I

जज्ञिरे भुवि भूतेषु तेषु तेष्वसुरा विभो II [ii] – Adi Parvam 64.29

(Desiring the authority and lordship, the Asuras of esteem were born to human beings and other living creatures upon this earth).

A few kings of Asuric background systematically started destroying Vedic traditions and began insulting even Maharshis. The mother Earth could not bear the weight of adharmic people. She went to the creator Brahmaa and poured out her grievance before him. On the advice of Lord Shiva, Brahmaa asked all the Gods to take births upon the earth as human beings to counter the rise of adharma. The God Vishnu agreed to the proposal of Brahmaa and he assured other Gods that he would also take birth upon the earth to re-establish dharma upon the earth.

Aṃśāvatāranam

Ashtavasus[iii] were the Gods, and they were cursed by sage Vasishta to be born upon earth as humans for their mischievous demeanour. They fell on the feet of the sage and begged pardon. He said, ‘I pardon the first seven of you with a little punishment, but the last person among you has to spend as a human being for longer years upon the earth’. The Astavasus have to now born in the womb of a human lady. By the time the river Ganga was coming down to earth for marrying a king. The Ashtavasus approached her and requested her that they be allowed to be born in her womb.

‘But we request you to through us in the river immediately after our birth. We do not want to live long upon the earth. The last one will be your child and he shall live for long years. We shall bestow our tejas in him so that he will be the greatest warrior upon the earth’. She agreed and that is the reason for the birth of Bhishma.

Lord Vishnu was born to Devaki and Vasudeva. Bruhaspathi, the guru of Devas was Drona. The God of death, Yama took the form of Vidura. Durvāsa, the very incarnation of Lord Shiva initiated a powerful Mantra to Kunti and Kunti invited Lord Surya by invoking the Mantra. Lord Surya blessed Kunti with the great warrior Karna. According to Markandeya Purana, the tejas of Indra helped in the birth of all Pandavas by the Gods – God of Dharma devava, Vayu, & the twin Gods, Asvin brothers. Indra’s wife Sachi Devi took the form of Draupadi.

Dhritarashtra and Pāṇḍu Maharaj were born to Kshatriya queens with the blessings of Vedavyasa. Abhimanyu was the amsa of Chandra (Moon). Lord Siva and Yama blessed with their tejas and Asvatthama was born. Krupa, the brother-in-law of Drona was born from Rudra Gana tribe. Sakuni was born with Dvāpara amsa (Dvapara Yuga). Drupada and Kruthavarma were from Marudgana tribe of Gods. Agni, the God of fire took the form of Drushtadyumna. All the five Upa Pandavas[iv] were Visvedevas.

Sri Krishna’s brother, Balarama was the amsa of the serpent God, Adisesha. Sanatkumara was born as Pradyumna. On the orders of Indra all the Apsara ladies were born as sixteen thousand Gopikas to become the wives of Sri Krishna. The Goddess Lakshmi was born as Rukmini. Two Goddesses Siddhi and Dhruthi took the form of Kunthi and M ādri.

A Gandharva king by name Hamsa was born as Dhritarashtra as a blind person.

Janamejaya was hearing the story with all keenness. He asked Vysampayana, ‘Oh Maharshi! It is very interesting to hear the background of my illustrious grandfathers. Please also tell me how the Rakshasas (loosely translated as demons) have taken their birth?’

Vysampayana started telling. ‘Oh king! There was a Rakshasa by name Viprachitti and he was born as Jarāsandha. Hiranyakasyapa who later incarnated as Rāvaṇa took the form of Siśupāla. The younger brother of Prahlāda, Samhrāda was born as Salya. Another brother of Prahlāda, Anuhrāda was born as Drushtakethu. The son of Narakāsura was Bhagadatta and he was the incarnation of an Asura by name Bāṣkala.

There was a terrible tribe of Asuras by name Krodhavasa. Ekalavya belonged to Krodhavasa tribe of Asuras. Kālanemi was born as Kamsa who plotted to kill Krishna many times. Kali Purusha was born as Duryodhana. All his ninety-nine brothers belonged to Asuras of Pulastya race.

Vysampayana said, ‘Oh King! I have told you the births of all important actors of Kurus and Pandavas’ and concluded the story of Aṃśāvatārana.

Janamejaya was very happy and said, ‘Oh Sage! I am very much pleased and happy with the story. I also wish to know as to why our vamsa is known as Bharata Vamsa’. Vysampayana started narrating the story.

Points to ponder

1. Some scholars like Purana Brahma Malladi Chandrasekhara Sastry opine that the eighteen days war was well planned by the trinity (Brahmaa, Vishnu and Mahesvara) to get rid of the weight of adharma upon the earth. They wanted to establish dharma in the society. Precisely this was the reason for sage Durvāsa (Isvara amsa) to visit the house of Kunthibhoja, the stepfather of Kunti. Durvāsa is known for anger, and for cursing others frequently. In the case of Kunthi, he blessed her and initiated a powerful mantra. She can command any God with this mantra and have a child with the God. Why did he give this mantra to a girl (not even of teenage) when she is still unmarried? This mantra is going to become harbinger for the birth of Karna who is squarely responsible for the war. Without him, Duryodhana would not have declared war. Thus, Shiva paved the plan, Brahmaa executed the plan by ordering Gods to born upon earth, and Vishnu become the prime actor and director of the Mahabharata war.
2. The Kurukshetra war was a war between the forces of Dharma (Gods) and Adharma (Asuras). Eventually Gods came out victorious. A few Gods sat on the side of Adharma (Bhishma, Drona, Karna etc), but helped the Dharmic forces directly or indirectly.

3. Duryodhana was the incarnation of Kali Purusha. Mahabharata war was fought almost at the end of Dvapara Yuga. Duryodhana who belonged to Dvapara Yuga firmly established the systems of Kali, and there is no doubt, his practices are being followed majority of people now.

Footnotes

[i] This Story is taken from Adi Parvam of Mahabharata (Gita Press, Gorakhpur)

[ii] iha devatvamicchaṃtaḥ mānuṣeṣu manasvinaḥ I

jajñire bhuvi bhūteṣu teṣu teṣvasurā vibho II

[iii] Angādhara, Anila, Anala, Aha, Pratyūṣa, Prabhāsa, Soma, Dhruva are eight brothers who are known as Astavasus.

[iv] Upa Pandavas are the five sons of Pandu Maharaj. They are born to Draupadi from Dharmaraja, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula & Sahadeva. They are Prativindya, Srutasoma, Srutakīrti, Satānīka and Srutasena respectively. They are basically Visvedevas. Vishnu Purana says that they are the sons of Vishvā, a daughter of Daksha Prajapati. The five Gods were cursed by sage Visvamitra when they ridiculed Visvamitra’s sagacity in harassing Chandramati, the wife of Harischandra. In the Rig Veda there are fifty-eight independent suktas in praise of them. Visvedevas are known in Vedic literature for their tapas in order to propitiate the pitru or the departed forefathers. Hence even today they have the primary place in Shraddhas (annual Vedic rituals to propitiate the dead persons).

श्राद्धेऽस्माकं भवेदंशो ह्येष नः काङ्क्षितो वरः ।
अस्माकं कल्पिते श्राद्धे युष्मानग्रासनं ह वै ।।-  (Vayu Purana. 2.14. 10 and 12)

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