So it is one of the most repeated and quoted thoughts about Arjun and his abilities, capabilities, and all that for the Kurukshetra war days.
What if Arjun heard it, and what would be his reaction to it? Positive affirmative, negative non-agreeing, or anything else.
Based on Arjun's character in the epic, thinking of his answer from his POV
Brihannala said to Uttar that Arjun has possessed this Gandiva bow for 65 years; were he talking of the time till then, or is it mistranslated?Otherwise Arjun would've been at least 108 years old at that time.
If we take an approx, 8-10 years old Arjun returning back to Hastinapur after his father's death, then 10-12 years in Gurukul, getting knowledge and everything, then Lakshagrah and all, 1 year there then Draupadi's wedding and 1 year there then the kingdom's division and some years there.
I'm not sure how many years according to the critical edition but must be atleast 10 years from them getting kingdom, Rajsuya yagna and all that, after that Arjun's personal exile of 12 years, him coming back with Subhadra and the birth of Draupadi's 5 children and Abhimanyu.
After some days of that, Arjun finally got Gandiv's bow.It all calculated to be Arjun's age, at least 43 at the time of getting Gandiva, and adding 65 years to that, it comes to at least 108 years. That seems not possible.
So the BORI critical edition paintings were made Shrimant Balasaheb Pant Pratinidhi, the Raja of Aundh.
This is the painting from him presenting the sabha description as in when that disturbing act against Draupadi happened.
I want to ask who's the man who's sitting n*ked having his face away from the scene in this.
Vidur's arguments and logics about Dharma are logical and apt to what Yudithistir think it is.
Vidur by being a partial incarnation of the Dharma, Yamraaj himself and Yudithistira being Dharma's son from Kunti being his part yet their part on what Dharma is different at there.
When all other brothers are tormented and want to have justice for them, ashamed of themselves, have anger, Nakul is unhinged for thinking of enchanting the women in his path to exile by covering his body in dust.
One of the recurring views on the discussions of the Mahabharata everywhere is that the history is written by victors, so the loser party's things, their valour, their strengths and glory aren't shown properly by the composers or writers of the epic or those who were the victors or survivors after it.
But then the Pandavas didn't delete or remove this from epic, why?
Edit- Please don't get into unnecessary debate about its history. I think we all know that it's not, at least not in the present sense we know it
The question is how the praise and glory of the losers changes in any book or how it's removed by the winners of the book
The passage says Karṇa pulled with such force that the earth itself rose by "four fingers' breadth" along with its seven islands, mountains, waters, and forests, yet he still could not free the chariot wheel. Logically, if someone could lift even a tiny portion of the entire earth, lifting a single wheel should be trivial.
The main story goes back to 400 BC as in he complied started getting written form but we don't have any written manuscripts any before the 12th century, even the ones Bori used, the oldest one is from 1511, they got the 12th century one a little late and they didn't use it but that too both are Nepali ones.
Why is there's no any surviving before that or it just get lost or burned or just couldn't survived due to it's nature?
Would Bhishma let Abhimanyu die under the same conditions as he did under Drona's leadership on Day 13? Would he had change something or not?
I would love to hear the view on this hypothetical question.
Name your favourite friends from the grand epic Mahabharata, your absolute favourite friends duo; it can be anyone. On this Friendship Day, 2nd August.
On Day 14, Bhurishrava, Shala, Karna, Vrishasena, Jayadratha, Kripa, Shalya, and Ashwatthama, supreme among rathas—these eight attacked Arjun together.
Why didn't Arjun kill Jaydrath right there and only wait till the end of the day to kill him?
The actor and the character of Karna in the Mahabharat (2013-14) series on Star Plus or the actor and character of Karna in Suryaputra Karn (2015-16) series on Sony TV.
Whose performance and characterization as Karna did you like more and why?
In the Udyoga Parva, when Krishna came off as a messenger, Parshuram talked of the deeds of Nara and Narayana and mentioned these 8 extraordinary weapons possessed by Arjun, but what's the use when Arjun never used them?
Whom will you choose?
In canon, Yudhisthira chooses Nakul because he wanted one son of mother Madri to be alive too.
You need not be emotional but strategic.
Just imagine the other 3 won't live no matter what.
The war's still gonna happen at the end.
In the long run?
Like how we see him today. He wanted fame, to be famous and wanted some of Krishna's glory to be his too, and by choosing Krishna as his charioteer, he associated himself with Krishna.
When and why did Karna change to Karan in Hindi even though both have completely different meanings in Hindi
Why didn't other names get changed? Arjun is still Arjun, while no one names Karna but Karan.
Surya, through his first wife Sanjana (Saranyu), had
Vaivasvata Manu, the 7th Manu and the ruler of the current Manvantara
Yama, the god of death, father of Yudithistira
Unable to bear Surya's blazing radiance, Sanjana created a woman identical to herself and named her Chhaya. Surya did not realize the substitution, and with Chhaya he had
Shani, the deity associated with karma and justice
Savarni Manu, who will become the 8th Manu and the ruler of the next Manvantara
He also had daughters from each wife
Yamuna, born to Sanjana
Tapati, born to Chhaya
Eventually, Surya learned the truth and found Sanjana, who was performing penance in the form of a mare. Surya then assumed the form of a stallion and reunited with her. From this union were born the 5 and 6. Ashvini Kumaras, the divine twin physicians and the fathers of the twins Nakula and Sahadeva.
All of these events took place in Satya Yuga.
In Treta Yuga, Riksharaja, the progenitor of the Vanaras, was transformed into a female. Seeing her extraordinary beauty, Indra and Surya each emitted their divine energy.
And, of course, we all know Suryaputra 8. Karna, who was born to Kunti through Surya's divine boon during Dvapara Yuga.
So, there's a scholar named Varun Gupta Sir and he has a youtube channel called GrahRahasya Decoded where he put his research.
He has started a series on the interpolations of Mahabharata and what's originally was there.
So, the original was Vaisampayana written and later, Suta Lomaharsana and his son Sauti, added their things to the epic, which were much their biasness to the Pandavas.
Originally it was 24,000 shlokas made big by these people and also two more.
So he has identified 5 variant styles in the Sanskrit shlokas of the BORI CE. Also inspired by Hopkins and Yardi.
The shloka has Anustinh Stokändha- Half-Verse thing, where the alternative syllables are long and short. Total 32. He has applied ANOVA method of variance and hence checked how much each parva or chapter is varying from the original Vaisampayana written. If very less variance, then it's written by just one person, the earliest one, Vaisampayana, if more than it has more than 1 styles and interpolated.
He gave 5 different styles, Vaisampayana, Suta Lomaharsana, Souti, Harivanshkara and the fifth unknown person which he named Parva Sanghakara because he must be the one who've complied these.
The original Vaisampayana one, wasn't about Adharma or Dharma. It was just majorly the war days. Later these things were added by Suta Lomaharsana and his son.
There's so much contradictions, as he argued, how Bheem who was giving Karna a tough fight on Day 14,15, wasn't able to withstand Karna at Day 17 even when Bheem had much support of others too.
How Arjun was able to counter weapons of Karna and others on Day 14, but finding it difficult to do so on Day 17?
He argued that the justifications and reasoning given to the Adharmas of Pandavas in the main war were later added by father and son and wasn't there in Vaisampayana. It just had, Bheem killed Dushashan and Duryodhana like that. Unfairly but to make it justified Suta Lomaharsana and Souti added Dyut Sabha humiliation and degradation of Draupadi hence Bheem taking such vows.
There wasn't any humiliation, it was pure game of dice and Pandavas lost. That's it.
The Gandarvas war was added to humiliate Duryodhana and degrade Karna's powers and levitate Arjun's power and Yudithistira being Dharmraj that see, what they've done to their wife and themselves yet Yudithistira freed Duryodhana.
He argued when in Drona Parva, Krishna said that even his Sudarshan chakra and Arjun's Gadiv can't defeat Karn how come with Kavach kundal there, he lost to Chitrasena and Gandarvas.
When he can withstand Ghatotkacha's maya how can't he withstand Chitrasena's?
If Duryodhana saw the kind nature of Pandavas, freeing him, is he mad to wage a war against him.
If he saw the valour of Arjun and Bheem how come he wanted to fight them at war, if Yudithistir saw his brothers's strength, why he feared Karna for 13 years? Same for Virat war.
Also, why Gandarvas war wasn't mentioned thereafter, hence it's an interpolation.
Again, Jaydrath kidnapping Draupadi was added to give a justification of his stopping the 4 Pandavas, on the Day 13. Now, since Jayadrath had stopped the Pandavas, justification was added that Pandavas humiliated him for Draupadi's kidnapping, he asks Shiva to give him powers.
Another thing is how Virat war was added by father and son again to glorify Arjun.
Karna Parva is the most original parva, written by Vaisampayana, 99% right.
Arjun's heaven journey was added to glorify him.
Since he was weak before hence he required to gain weapons.
He also argued he can Arjun gain Pashupatastra from Shiva again in Drona Parva when he already did in Kairat parva. Meaning one has to be interpolation. When I have something why I need to acquire the same again.
Also, how come Arjun make Shiva come only after some months of penance?
Karna and Drona have Pashupatastra too.
Since two conditions for it, that it can't be used on inferior warriors and only at the time of seeing your fatal death and Arjun tried using it in fight against Karn on day 17th, Raudrastra is just another name of Pashupatastra only, as he said. So Arjun must have felt he was about to die.
Overall, he did talk of all of these things, how Karna was under whelmed by the Suta Lomaharsana and his son while there's nothing like that in Vaisampayana.
Karna fans you should watch it.
Asking Duryodhana to make Shalya his charioteer on Day 17
"This brave Shalya, the ornament of assemblies, is Krishna's equal. If he acts as my charioteer, there will certainly be victory. Shalya is incapable of being resisted by the enemy. Therefore, let him be my charioteer. Let a large number of carts bear iron arrows that are shafted with the feathers of vultures.
O Indra among kings! Let supreme horses be yoked to the best of chariots. O bull among the Bharata lineage! Let these always follow me from the rear. Through these, my qualities will be superior to those of Partha. Shalya knows more about horses than Krishna, and I am superior to Arjuna. Just as Dasharha, the destroyer of enemy heroes, knows about the minds of horses, maharatha Shalya also knows about horses.
There is no one who is equal to the king of Madra in the strength of his arms. Just as there is no archer who is equal to me in weapons, there is no one who is equal to Shalya in knowledge of horses. In this fashion, my chariot will become superior to that of Partha’s. O great king! O scorcher of enemies! I have told you what I desire.
Please do this. Let all these wishes of mine be satisfied. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! You will then see what I accomplish in this battle"
It's showing the same topics, titles, and content heads in both. The story is even the same; then why is it different? Do they subtract or add things into it? It's also nearly the same equal in pages.
Does Harvimasa by Bibek Debroy have much significant difference from the translation of Mahabharata by him?