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Question - 5
If Lord Ganesha was the scribe for Vyasa, it presupposes that Ganesha was worshiped in Mahabharata times. What is the evidence for it?
Answer:
Those who oppose the Ganesha part opine that He was not a Vedic God. I am no expert in Vedas, but can say with certainty that Ganesha worship was prevalent during the Mahabharata period.
Proof 1:
Vyasa compiled the 18 Puranas long before he wrote the Mahabharata. Puranas begin with obeisance to Sri Ganesha.
Proof 2:
The Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Bhadrapada month that we celebrate today can be traced to the time of the Mahabharata. This Vrata was recommended by Yudhishthira to Krishna when he was implicated for the loss of Syamanthaka gem. It was thought that sighting the 4th phase of waxing moon (Shukla Chaturthi) would bring obstacles and Krishna had sighted it and so was blamed for the loss of the gem. To come out of the evils of such sighting, Yudhishthira suggested to Krishna to do Siddhi Vinayaka Vrata. This Vrata being observed in the Bhadrapada month indicates that Krishna had sighted the moon in the Bhadrapada month.
This information is contained in an astrological text called "Jyothida Varushaadhi Nool". This is also recorded in The Madras Journal of Literature and Science in 1834.
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Hi Madam,
ReplyDeleteI was reading through your post and found it fascinating when you mentioned that "Vyasa compiled the 18 Puranas long before he wrote the Mahabharata." I'm curious, what's the evidence supporting this? Additionally, given that there seems to have been quite a bit of modification to the Puranas over time (like with the Bhavishya Purana), can they really be used as reliable evidence? Do critical editions offer a more accurate perspective on this?
Also, I've noticed that different Puranas give varying lists of the 18 Mahapuranas. While some mention the Vayu Purana, others bring up the Shiva Purana. Doesn't this make it 19 Mahapuranas in total? Is this discrepancy a result of the many changes made to the Puranas over the centuries?
Would love to hear your thoughts on this.
Hi Blackfyre,
ReplyDeleteCompilation of Vedas was started in Shantanu's period and went on for 12 years. When it was over, Shantanu was no longer there. After the compilation of Vedas into 4, the re-writing of Puranas started. 18 Maha Puranas are mentioned here in Vishnu Purana. http://ancientvoice.wikidot.com/src-vp:vp3-6
18 Upa Puaranas were also compiled. Check here https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/devi-bhagavata-purana/d/doc57102.html
In verse 12-17 of the above link, it is given that the Mahabharata was written only after the Puranas were compiled. This version is from Devi Bhagavata Purana which I quoted in my Mahabharata book.
Now looking at the logistics, Mahabharata could have been written only after the war. 35 years after the war, Krishna, Dritharashtra, Vidura and Pandavas left the world. It is stated in the Mahabharata that the book was released only after the death of these people. So by the time it was released no big figures were there. This rejects the scope for compiling Vedas after the Mahabharata. Moreover Kali Yuga started when these people left. Vedas were compiled before that, in Dwapara Yuga.
As far as Puranas are concerned, Vayu Purana is quoted in the Mahabharata by Markandeya to give the details of Time. So Vayu Purana was anterior to the Mahabharata. If one Purana was in existence by then, it goes without saying all the other puranas were also in existence before. Moreover, it is told in the link on Vishnu Purana given earlier, that after compiling Vedas, Vyasa compiled the Puranas. These two were done together.
There are only 18 Maha Puranas. Like Vedas they too were in existence before. They were compiled by Vyasa. There are only 5 features discussed by Puranas which are almost close to each other and there is no problem if there is a variation.
For example all the puranas talk about cosmology. One of them give 3 stars as northern pole stars (located in Shishumara), another gives 4. The message is 4 pole stars were identified though 3 are important. Hope you have seen my video on this topic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTbN2ovqVZE&t=606s
Puaranas are not taken as primary evidences for dating, but the information found in them is useful. Eg. On time and cosmology.
ReplyDeleteFor chronology of kings, unless supported by inscriptions, they cannot be taken verbatim. Only the names of kings reliable in that case, not the period.