Questions tagged [mahabharata]
The epic by Veda Vyasa narrating the great war fought in India between the Kauravas and the Pandavas.
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Why was Shishupala born with three eyes and four arms?
From this answer by Keshav Srinivasan,
Shishupala had three eyes and four arms.
When Shishupala was born, he had three eyes and four arms, which terrified his parents, the king and queen of Chedi.
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How do we solve the contradiction of Rukmi being alive during the war, though Balarama had killed him before?
The events of Shri Krishna’s life described the Harivamsa, take place before the Mahabharata war. The same can also be gauged from the chronology of events given in the tenth skandha of the Srimad ...
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What is the story of Prahlada being slain by Indra?
In Mahabharata, Santi Parva, SECTION XCVIII, it is said by Indra himself that he has slain Prahlada.
Having slain in battle Jambha, Vritra, Vala, Paka, Satamaya, Virochana, the irresistible Namuchi,...
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When did Vibhishana stop being king of Lanka?
In this chapter of the Yuddha Kanda of the Ramayana, after Ravana's death his brother Vibhishana is coronated as the king of Lanka:
Hearing the words of the great soled Rama, Lakshmana replied, 'so ...
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Do we meet all our dead relatives and ancestors after death?
After dying do we meet all our dead relatives and ancestors ? Do we meet even our those ancestors whom we don't know ?
What does Hinduism say about this ? Whom do we meet after death - in heaven or ...
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What are the purification rites for mixed castes mentioned by Manu?
Consider the following question and answer from the Mahabharata
"The serpent said, 'O king, if thou recognise him as a Brahmana by
characteristics, then, O long-lived one, the distinction of ...
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What is the mystery of ayOnija (अयोनिज) births?
We will come across Sita in Valmiki Ramayana, as ayOnija - अयोनिज, a non-uterine birth. Similarly, in Mahabharata, we read about Draupadi and Dhristadyumna, who are also ayOnijas, borne out of fire.
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Slokas about discipline in Mahabaratha
It is well known that many people in Mahabaratha such as Bhishma, Drona, Arjuna, Duryodhana, Karna, Abhimanyu etc., are experts in certain fields.
In order to gain such expertise, there should be a ...
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Where is the account of Shishupala's atrocities in Dvaraka?
In Chapter 44 of the Sabha Parva of Mahabharata, during the Rajasuya Yajna of Yudhishthira, Shishupala criticises Krishna using many insults, and then Krishna retorts to Shishupala's insults directed ...
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Female warriors in the Epics?
I was wondering whether the scriptures mention any special classification for female warriors. The general classification of rathi, maharathi, etc... are applied generally to warriors as seen in this ...
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Use of Sanjeevini(संजीवनी) booti(herb) in Mahabharata
Most people may know that Sanjeevini(संजीवनी)is a lithophytic plant. In Hinduism, this plant is well known, and it is mentioned in the Hanuman Chalisa as well as below:
लाय सँजीवनि लखन जियाए। श्री...
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A Time Bomb placed in Patal lok
In 99th Adhyay of Udhyog-Parv of Mahabharat.
When Krishna went to Hastinapur as a peace delegate.
In the assembly of Hastinapur, Devrishi Narad told a story about his visit to Patal-Lok with Matli (...
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Who were the kings (other than Kartavirya Arjuna) killed by Lord Parashurama?
Arjuna (son of Kritavirya hence, famously known as Kartavirya Arjuna) was king of Maheshmati. He was from Yadavas or Haihayas (a branch of Yadavas). He is believed to be an incarnation of Sudarshana ...
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How did Bhadra conceive children from the corpse of her husband?
Mahabharata Sambhava Parva Section CXXI mentions an interesting story of a king Vyushitashwa who dies without siring any child. His wife lamenting on his death bed hears her dead husband's voice ...
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Was Bhishma Dyaus-incarnate or 1/8th of all Vasus?
It is the common knowledge that, it was Prabhas (Dyaus), one of the Vasus, incarnated as Bhishma due to curse. Following passage from the Mahabharata supports it.
From this chapter of Sambhava Parva:
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In which Yuga was Yayati born?
In conversation between Yayati and Ashtaka while Yayati was falling down from heaven, Ashtaka mentions Yayati flourished in Krita age.
Can you please let me know when was Yayati born? If Yayati was ...
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Gandhari's curse to Shakuni after his death
I read in a recent news article that after the war, Gandhari cursed that Shakuni's kingdom ,i.e., Gandhar, will never have peace. Is this mentioned in the Mahabharat or it's just a folklore? Also this ...
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What is the story of Arjuna's previous birth sage Nara fighting with the Gandiva bow?
In the Vana Parva of the Mahabharata, Shiva disguises himself as a hunter and fights with Arjuna. Finally Shiva reveals himself, and tells Arjuna about Arjuna's past birth as the sage Nara:
Thou ...
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When was sage Valmiki accused of killing a Brahmin?
In this chapter of the Anushasana Parva of the Mahabharata, different sages tell Yudhishthira about the benefits they received by praying to Shiva. In particular, the sage Valmiki, author of the ...
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Who is King Yavana mentioned in Anushasana Parva of Mahabharat?
In Anushasana Parva (165), Bhishma tells Yudhishthira about the names of the deities, Rishis and Kings to be duly recited for efficacious cleansing of all sins. The following is the (abbreviated) ...
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Mentioning of Rakhi in Mahabharata
Consider the following paragraph from raksha-bandhan.com
Raksha Bandhan finds a mention in Mahabharata when Lord Krishna advised Yudhishthir to perform the ceremony to protect himself and the army ...
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What is the most recent reference to wild Sharabhas existing?
Most people only know the story of how Shiva took an incarnation as the half-lion half-bird Sharabheshwara in order to try to subdue Vishnu's incarnation Narasimha, as I discuss here. What's not as ...
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What are the four forms of Vishnu mentioned by Krishna in the Drona Parva?
On the 12th day of the Mahabharata war, Narakasura's son Bhagadatta, who was fighting on the Kaurava side, launched the Vaishnavastra or weapon of Vishnu at Arjuna, but Krishna covered Arjuna and ...
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Why Ahalya,Tara,Mandodari,Kunti and Draupadi are called panchakanyas.
There is a poem written by Tagore on Panchakanyas. All the ladies mentioned above are called panchakanyas. Is there any significance to be called so? Why did Sita didn't make to the list.
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How famous/popular was Krishna during his time in other countries?
Kurukshetra war is like a transition from dwapara yuga to kaliyuga.
During the war, were people in other countries aware of the war? Did people in other countries know about Krishna?
If it didn't ...
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What does the word "birth" means in Brahma's seventh birth.?
Vaishampayana while narrating Hayagriva story, details how Brahma worshipped Narayana.
The Mahabharata, Book 12.: Santi Parva.: Section CCCXLVIII.:
In that Brahma says as follows.:
As regards myself, ...
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What is the status of offspring born from same gotra marriage?
Same gotra marriage is censured . But if such marriage happens , what is the status of the offspring born from such a marriage ?
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Who was Madhavi's mother?
Emperor Yayati had 5 sons. From Devayani two sons Yadu and Turvasu, and from Sharmishtha three sons Druhyu, Anu and Puru . But he also had a daughter by name of Madhavi. Her story was given in Udyog ...
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Fasting as a reason for downfall of the hundred Kauravas (sons of Gandhari)
Consider the following verse regarding prohibited vrat
Gandhari fasted on a day when the tenth and eleventh phases of the
moon were mixed. Her hundred sons perished. Hence such days shall be
avoided ...
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How to reconcile these incendiary acts of Devaguru Bṛhaspati, in the story of Dīrghatamas (from Mahābhārata)?
In the Book 1: Adi Parva, Sambhava Parva (Section 104) of the Mahābhārata, we encounter an appalling story of sage Dīrghatamas, as narrated by Pitāmaha Bhīṣhma to Satyavatī.
I'm quoting the ...
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How many times solar eclipse have occured during mahabharata war?
I heard from the scriptures that solar eclipse happened 3 times during the same paksha (sukla quarter) it signifies total destruction and Yuga change. Wants to know the scriptural reference for the ...
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Which Sri Vaishnava Acharya drew this world map based on the Mahabharata?
This picture, showing a world map based on the Mahabharata, is often circulated on the Internet:
It’s based on this chapter and subsequent chapters of the Bhishma Parva of the Mahabharata. But my ...
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What stanzas in Vyasa Mahabharata convey that Sri Krishna held Bhishma as adharmic or protecting adharma?
In Gita, Sri Krishna tells Arjuna that Bheeshma, Drona & Karna were already slain by him, so Arjuna shouldn't worry and just kill his enemies. That is a very indirect message.
Were there other ...
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Reason for friendship between Indra and Takshaka
Takshaka and Indra are friends as per Mahabharata Khandava Vana burning episode. Is there any specific reason for their friendship?
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The 100 Kauravs were incarnations of Asuras but what about their sister?
The Sambhava Parva of Mahabharat gives the details of the who's who in Mahabharat and who were they the incarnations of. It has been covered at many places but my question is specific to Dhritrashtra'...
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Where is the island called Ramaniyak (mentioned in the story of Garuda) located?
Section XXVI of the Astika Parva of Mahabharata mentions the incident of Garud and his mother Vinata carrying snakes and their mother Kadru to an island called Ramaniyaka.
The next section describes ...
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What is the Suryakanta gem that produces fire from sunlight?
I've come across multiple scriptures and works of Acharyas which describe a Suryakanta gem, which seems to act like a magnifying glass, using sunlight to produce fire. Here's what this chapter of the ...
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Atimaharathi class of warrior: Was Parshurama one of the Atimaharathi?
As per this link, Parshurama belonged to the Atimaharathi class of warrior, the only other being Meghanaada. But some other links like this mentioned Parshurama as Maharathi.
Is there any relevant ...
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What scripture talks about Karṇa's third curse by Bhūdevī or Goddess of Earth?
In my recent answer, I argued that both of Karṇa's two unfortunate curses were interpolations i.e., they were not part of Vyāsa's original Mahābhārata. I think the reason behind those particular ...
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What is the Loka higher than Brahmaloka, where the Rathantara hymn is sung?
In the Anushasana Parva of the Mahabharata, just like in the Shanti Parva, Bhishma gives advice to Yudishthira and concerning how to be a good king and how to be good person, while he is lying on a ...
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Was Sukracharya ever the guru of the gods?
In the Adi Parva of the Mahabharata, Vaishampayana describes to Janamejeya the lineage of the gods, Asuras, and other beings, and in particular he says this about Sukracharya:
The learned Sukra is ...
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The inseparability of the Harivamsa from the Mahabharata and the number of verses accorded to it by traditional Sampradayas
As per the Matsya Purāṇa, Chapter 53, verse 70:
अष्टादश पुराणानि कृत्वा सत्यवतीसुतः।
भारताख्यानमखिलं चक्रे तदुपबृंहितम्।
लक्षेणैकेन यत्प्रोक्तं वेदार्थपरिबृंहितम्॥७०॥
After completing the 18 Puranas, ...
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Do the introductory verses by Suta/Sauti and asker’s verses form part of the verse count of the core scripture itself?
The Puranas and Itihāsas generally begin with a few introductory and concluding verses, mostly included in one or more separate chapters. In the introductory verses, a setting is created where the ...
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When did Lord Vishnu perform Vaishnava Yajna?
From Mahabharata's Vana Prava
The name of that sacrifice worthy of virtuous persons, is Vaishnava. No person save the ancient Vishnu hath performed it before. This mighty sacrifice vies with that ...
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What is the significance of the curse given by Sri Krishna to Ashwattama?
Ashwattama who was Dronacharya's son was Lord Shiva's Ansh(part) himself.After the Kurukshetra war, Ashwattama avenged his father's death by killing Drishtidyumna and five sons of Pandavas when they ...
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What are the different endings of Ramayana and Mahabharata as seen by the sage crow Kakabhushundi?
I have read that Kakabhushundi was a crow that had seen 11 different endings of Ramayana and 16 of Mahabharata. If this is true, what are the other endings of Ramayana and Mahabharata?
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Did Karna think that it was adharma to not appoint Duryodhana as king of Hastinapura?
In Star Plus Mahabharata (e.g., S11 E7), it is shown again and again that Karna believed that it was adharma to not appoint Duryodhana as King/Yuvaraja (crown prince) of Hastinapura.
Did Karna really ...
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What does the demon kali staying in gold mean?
Near the beginning of the kali yuga, Parikshit maharaja allowed the demon kali to stay in gold amongst other places. What are the consequences of this?
1) Does this mean we should not own any gold or ...
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Why did Yudhishthira give 2,640,000 female slaves to Brahmanas?
This question is NOT a duplicate of the above. My question "Why did Yudhishthira give 2,640,000 female slaves to Brahmanas?" is different from "Was slavery allowed in Mahabarata times?"
In the ...
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Has there been any mention of withdrawal of maya sarees by Krishna in any version of Mahabharata?
It is stated in the video by the Swamiji (as narrated to him by his Guru) Lord Krishna supplied unending sheet lengths of saree at first as a rescue measure in the hour of Draupadi's need when ...
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