You are here: SriPedia - SriRangaSri - Archives - May 2002

SriRangaSri List Archive: Message 00042 May 2002

 
May 2002 Indexes ( Date | Thread | Author )
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]


On Thu, 9 May 2002, Rajagopalan Iyengar wrote:

> Respected Swamins/Bhagavathas,
> 
>      Humble prostrations. About 10 days back there was
> a query about Mahabharata-- Who was the first to call
> it as the fifth Veda? Is there any pramana or
> evidence?  I am giving below the information collected
> by me .
>      We all know that Vishnu Sahastranamam is part od
> Mahabharatam.  It was recited/told by Sri Bhishma to
> Yudhistira after the great battle of Kurukshetra.  Sri
> Parasara Bhattar has written Bhagavath Guna darpanam
> which is Bhasyam to the Sahastranamam.
>      In thr opening sloka Sri Bhattar pays homage to
> the great sage Vyasa, the author of Mahabharatham.
>      namo naaraayaNopetham krishna dwaipayanathmake
>      yathamushyaayaNa Vedahamahabharathancha
> panchaamaha.
>     Obeisance to the Lord who took avataram as
> KrishNa-dwipaayana (Vyasa) who created the vedas,
> among which the Mahabhartha is the fifth.

> teachings of Sri Ramanujar, Sri Desikan, Sri Mamunigal
> and so on as pranama or evidence when anything is
> required to be proved under Nyaya sastra.  Hence
> Parasara Bhattar's Bhashyam may also be taken as
> pramanam.
>      
> T.S. Rajagpalan.

Dear Bhagavatas,
I was curious to know whether Sri Parasara Bhattar was the first 
author to call Mahabharata as the fifth veda. On searching the commentary 
on the SrivachanaBhushanam vachanam "Mahabharatattal toodu ponavaneRRam 
sollukiradu", there was a quotation "mahabharata panchaman" sourced from 
Mahabharata. In Mahabharata, the following interesting and relevant slokas 
were found to clarify the origin of the word Panchama Veda.

*Ekatashchaturo vedaan Bharatam chaitadekata:
puraa kila suraissarvai: sametya tulayaa dhritam
chaturbhya: sarahasyebhyo vedebhyo hyadhikam yadaa
tadaa prabhriti lokesmin mahabharatamuchyate.

Once all the devas, placed all the four vedas with all their confidential 
portions on one pan in a balance. They weighed these with Mahabharata on 
the other pan. The pan with Mahabharata went down. From then, this work 
was named as Mahabharata due to heaviness and greatness.

*idam hi vedai: samitam pavitramapi chottamam.
tribhirvarshai: sadotthaayii krishna dvaipaayano muni:
mahabharatam aakhyanam kritavaanidamadbhutam.

This work is comparably equal to the Vedas, is pavitra and best.
Krishna dvaipaayana, composed this great wonderful work Mahabharatam in 
three solid years, by continuously working being always awake.

* Sautiruvaacha (son of Soota pouraaNika)
* Evam dvaipaayano jajne satyavatyaam paraasharaat
nyasto dviipe sa yadbaala: tasmaad dvaipaayana: smrita:
paadaapasaariNam dharmam sa tu drishTvaa yuge yuge
aayu shshaktim cha martyaanam yugaavasthaamavekshya cha
brahmaNo braahmaNaanaam cha tathaanugraha kaankshayaa
vivyaasa vedaan yasmaat sa tasmaat vyaasa iti smrita:

Thus dvaipaayana was born to satyavati by paraashara. Since as a child he 
was placed on the island, he was called dvaipaayana. (He immediately 
became an adult.) Seeing the dharma reducing by quarters per yuga, and 
seeing the life duration and power of mortals and the state of each yuga, 
and in order to bless both the brahma and the braahmaNas, he 
qvadrifurcated the vedas and hence was called vyaasa.

*satyavatI uvaacha
** VEDAAN adhyaapayamaasa MAHABHARATA PANCHAMAAN**
sumantum jaiminim pailam shukam chaiva svamaatmajam
prabhur varishTho varado vaishampaayanam evacha 
samhitaastai: prithaktvena bhaaratasya prakaashitaa:

He, the great master, and boon giver, taught the vedas which had 
mahabharata as the fifth in the list, to his disciples 
sumantu, jaimini, paila, shuka and vaishampaayana. 
And they established and spread various editions of mahabharata.

Another set of slokas says that Vyasa wrote totally sixty lakhs of verses 
of mahabharata. Of them, 30 lakhs verse edition was propagated by Narada 
in the devaloka. 15 lakhs verse edition of mahabharata was propagated and 
established by Asita Devala in Pitriloka. Fourteen Lakhs verses edition 
was established and taught by Shuka maharshi in the Gandharva and 
yakshalokam. The remaining one lakh verse edition of Mahabharata was 
narrated spread and established by sage Vaishampaayana in the mortal 
world. When Vyasa dictated the mahabharata and Ganesha scribed the 
dictations, Vyasa interspersed the dictation with 8,800 verses riddled 
with puzzle so that Ganesha could take some time to understand the verses 
and write them down, while Vyasa could compose other simple slokas to keep 
continuity of matter for Ganesha as per the condition of Ganesha to write 
down the dictation (something like buffer underrun of the CD writer).

Thus, Mahabharata as panchama veda has been for the first time introduced 
by none other than satyavati, mother of Vyasa!!

Sri Parashara Bhattar has therefore followed the words of Satyavati, 
momentary wife of Sage Parashara, after whom Bhattar has been named!! 

Adiyen Dasan
Ramanuja







[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next] [Date Index ] [Thread Index ] [Author Index ]
Home Page
http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia
srirangasri-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
To subscribe to the list