My apologies for breaking the flow of the Maha Bharata stories. I promise to complete these stories and conversations (I have another 60 blog-posts to publish in this series) before I post thoughts on other topics.
In the next episode (Section 201,
Book 7), Vyasa meets Arjuna. He asks Vyasa; “Sir, when I was in the battle I
saw someone of blazing color looking like fire walking always ahead of me. Although
I was sending arrows against my foes and the enemies thought that my arrows
were killing them, I saw that the Force in front of me was actually causing
that destruction. Following His path, I only killed those who had been already
destroyed by Him. Who was that Person, armed with a spear, resembling a blazing
sun?” Vyasa indicates that the Force in
front of Arjuna was RUDRA! (If you wish to know more about Rudra as depicted in the Vedas, you may wish to read Satapata Brahmana, a monumental task)
Vyasa then describes Rudra in
several slokas. This portion is called Sata Rudriyam by Vyasa himself. Since
Sata Rudriyam is considered to be part of Krishna Yajur Veda and since Vedas
precede Maha Bharata, is it possible that the prayer portion was incorporated
into the epic in order to make it available to everyone, even those who were
not “allowed” in those days to read Vedas?
It is clear how Rudra, and
therefore Shiva is associated with the dissolution aspect of the triple
functions of the One Supreme. It is also clear that the import of the discourse
is that there is ONLY ONE Supreme and this Universe in a manifestation of that
Universe. We are only actors. We think we do everything. In fact, He is the
doer; and we are only His instruments (just as Arjuna is discharging arrows and
killing his foes and thinks he killed. But, those who appear to be killed by
Arjuna have already been killed by the Supreme, since “their time has come”).
This seems to be the idea behind
these episodes to me.
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