Was the Mahabharata real? - Page 2

Originally posted by: sonnet11

MB has always been seen as an itihaas. Itihaas literally translates into 'this is witnessed by me' which equates to Ved Vyasa, the original author to whom it is attributed, has actually witnessed it. 

It is also very possible that it was really written on leaves or other substances but those materials could not survive because of their biodegradable nature. 

However, the epic has gone through a lot of editions for almost more than 3 millenials. 

I also read some newspaper articles where archaelogists have unearthed materials which act as evidence of the Kuru era. I don't have the links to those articles right now. But you can search on the internet regarding some recent excavations. 

I have read the same. That's why I opened this discussion topic. 

However, Vyasa never WROTE anything. The story as per the Vedas goes this way. 

After the River Saraswati dried up, people lost the access to Vedic knowledge. Now Vyasa was born of Parashara and Satyavati, and after he was born he took the job of compiling the Vedas again. After this, he also passed down the story he witnessed (as he mentions Itihas correctly pointed out by you) to his pupils among which Vaishampayana was of primary importance. Read my post above. 

The epic was not written down until very long. :) 

Rest I do agree with you. 

Originally posted by: sonnet11

Like the entire epic has gone through a lot of edits and additions, I am of the opinion that so was BG. I don't think it would be correct to say that it was not the part of the epic neither would it be right to say that it was part of the epic in its entirety. The truth is somewhere in between. 

BG is the Indian philosophy regarding God, liberation (moksha), life, universe and in a way, a summarized version of the Vedas and the Upanishads. One can view Lord Krishna as the ultimate Source of all that is which is the Dvaita school of philosophy (like the likes of Meerabai) or can interpret it in Vishista Advaita way or can take the course popularized by Adi Shankaracharya, Advaita or can simply use it as a guide in everyday life. 

I think the Bhagwat Geeta as we know today was not a part of the epic. There is evidence of it being written down much later and I think it was compiled much after the already prevalent story of the epic was going rounds. Yes of course, Krishna definitely must have said something to Arjun. I am saying the whole text as we see it, was not a part of the original epic. 

Originally posted by: NoraSM

I don't think it's real 

It's fascinating like Harry Potter world, Game of Thrones world and Marvel Universe with millions of theories

The writer of Mahabharata is definitely a good one considering how he handled so many characters and gave them an arc

I am highly of the opinion that MB was not written by one person. It has been changed and recreated over generations and generations. I think even if it was inspired by real events, Vyasa originally never said everything that we heard today. Again, we must remember this is a tale told by the bards passed on from generation to generation and not a written story such as HP or GOT. 

I don't think everything in the epic is real, but I do feel it has alot of real events as inspirations. 

Originally posted by: CaptainSpark

I think the Bhagwat Geeta as we know today was not a part of the epic. There is evidence of it being written down much later and I think it was compiled much after the already prevalent story of the epic was going rounds. Yes of course, Krishna definitely must have said something to Arjun. I am saying the whole text as we see it, was not a part of the original epic. 

That's what I meant. But the philosophy must have percolated down over the years. Some things that are there in BG today must have been there earlier, if not the same words then for sure the same underlying meaning, but only some things.

Also philosophies are formed over many years so, they must have evolved also. 

I agree with you. 

Originally posted by: sonnet11

That's what I meant. But the philosophy must have percolated down over the years. Some things that are there in BG today must have been there earlier, if not the same words then for sure the same underlying meaning, but only some things.

Also philosophies are formed over many years so, they must have evolved also. 

I agree with you. 

Yes yes, of course. Bhagwat Geeta is just a compilation of a philosophy that built up over the years. Krishna has said many of these things in the epic as well. Besides, Vedas too have some correlating things. The only difference is, we do not know whether the philosophy was developed through people or actually Krishna existed and preached such things like is the case with Jesus Christ or Prophet Muhammed. 

I highly believe the aim here is not to set up rules for a religion as nobody "founded" hinduism. It is something like a way of life, and it has existed through history! 

I so much wanted to make this post but then didn't go for it thinking it might hurt the sentiments of others

My first point if a war of such a huge scale happened why didn't any of the existing civilizations outside India record it. 

No record by Mesopotamians, nothing by Egyptians and forget that no mention even by the early Afghans when their king (Gandhaar) was an important party to this war

Originally posted by: CaptainSpark

I have read the same. That's why I opened this discussion topic. 

However, Vyasa never WROTE anything. The story as per the Vedas goes this way. 

After the River Saraswati dried up, people lost the access to Vedic knowledge. Now Vyasa was born of Parashara and Satyavati, and after he was born he took the job of compiling the Vedas again. After this, he also passed down the story he witnessed (as he mentions Itihas correctly pointed out by you) to his pupils among which Vaishampayana was of primary importance. Read my post above. 

The epic was not written down until very long. :) 

Rest I do agree with you. 

@bold - I was only pondering over a possibility. But this is actually the conclusion as for now because there is no written evidence and I do agree with the present opinion of the historians. 

Originally posted by: CaptainSpark

Yes yes, of course. Bhagwat Geeta is just a compilation of a philosophy that built up over the years. Krishna has said many of these things in the epic as well. Besides, Vedas too have some correlating things. The only difference is, we do not know whether the philosophy was developed through people or actually Krishna existed and preached such things like is the case with Jesus Christ or Prophet Muhammed. 

I highly believe the aim here is not to set up rules for a religion as nobody "founded" hinduism. It is something like a way of life, and it has existed through history! 

Imagine 1000 years forward from today. People would start doubting the existence of Mohammad. Even now, some rational people have begun to doubt the existence of Christ. Even if these people existed, I am 100percent sure that their ideas were twisted by the ruling elite and priests/maulvis to suit their power. 

I personally believe it doesn't matter today whether they existed or not but to live life with rationale and read about those ideas and apply one's brain. For instance, what do I learn from MB or BG or Upanishads or Bible or Quran or any other religious text. My mind and soul resonated with BG and Taoism and I use them as a guide to solve some dilemmas. I think this should matter to us. 

Only archaeologists can unearth the truth of their existence by persistent excavations and it is not an easy task. 

My opinion is that MB happened but not in the exact way we know it today and also not at such a large scale as it is shown. But, can I be 100 percent sure of my opinion? No. 

Mahabharata has always been deemed a text on Dharma and Itihaasa. 

While a considerable portion of the epic is definitely an exaggeration due to the fact that the epic evolved with times, the core portion did take place. 

The discovery of Dwarka is one major evidence. 

Several references from the Mahabharata, the Bhagvata Purana and the Vishnu Purana have been used to suggest the city's exact location.

The remains of what has been described as a huge lost city, found by researchers not long ago, may force historians and archaeologists to radically reconsider their view of ancient human history.

Around 1500 BC the whole western coast of India mysteriously disappeared along with Dwarka - the great city of gold. The deluge came and the submergence took place immediately after Sri Krishna departed from the world.

This catastrophic event is confirmed by the sacred texts of the Vishnu Purana stating that "on the same day that Krishna departed from the earth the powerful dark-bodied Kali Age descended. The ocean rose and submerged the whole of Dwarka."

The Age of Kali thus ushered in turns out to be none other than the present epoch of the earth - our own. According to the Hindu sages it began just over 5000 years ago at a date in the Indian calendar corresponding to 3102 BC.

The Age of Kali thus ushered in turns out to be none other than the present epoch of the earth - our own. According to the Hindu sages it began just over 5000 years ago at a date in the Indian calendar corresponding to 3102 BC.

Also in the Mahabharata, there is a specific account given by Krishna’s main disciple Arjuna about the submerging of Dwaraka, by the sea which reads as follows:

"The sea, which has been beating against the shores, suddenly broke the boundary that was imposed on it by nature. It rushed into the city, coursing through the beautiful city streets, and covered up everything in the city. I saw the beautiful buildings becoming submerged on by one. In a matter of a few moments, it was all over. The sea had now become as placid as a lake. There was no trace of the city. Dwaraka was just a name; just a memory..." -

For more than 5,000 years Dwaraka was treated only like a myth, handed over from one generation to another.

http://www.ancientpages.com/2014/08/19/dwarka-pre-harappan-city-that-could-rewrite-the-history-of-the-world/

"However, sceptics insist that Mahabharat is nothing more than a figment of someone’s imagination. All the sites associated with the mythological epic continue to have the same nomenclature even till this day.”

BB Lal 

Can't really compare it to either HP or GOT because it has shaped the Indian cultural ethos and thrived despite its existence going back to thousands of years. Mahabharata has everything you witness in the real world. 😁

Speaking of this I read one story that Luv the son of Ram had his empire spread till middle East.

As the time progressed he started being considered God and people there worshipped Lah(deformation of the word Luv) 

This was what then eventually became AlLah (Al means The in Arabic)

And this isn't by some Hindu leader but by some from middle East who have knowledge of Arabic