Mahabharata Quiz - 61

 Click here for the previous question

Question – 61

Is there any scientific research conducted in Mohenjo-Daro? If yes, what were the findings? Do the findings support the cosmic-hit theory?

Answer:

Right from the time of the discovery of the ‘massacre victims’ there was great interest in the site to prove Aryan invasion. Claims and counter claims on the mode of death and the date of death have been made, but the findings of David Davenport gave a unique dimension to the issue. He examined the skeletons for 12 long years and detected the presence of radiation.

According to Davenport, “The objects found at the site appeared to be fused, glassified by a heat as high as 1500°C, followed by a sudden cooling. Within the city itself there appeared to be an ‘epicentre’ about 50 yards wide, within which everything was crystallized, fused, or melted, and 60 yards from the center the bricks are melted on one side indicating a blast.” This is exactly what is expected when an asteroid hits a location.

“In his book Riddles of Ancient History, A. Gorbovsky reported the discovery of at least one human skeleton in the area with a level of radioactivity approximately 50 times greater than it should have been due to natural radiation. Davenport claimed that what was found at Mohenjo-Daro corresponded exactly to what was seen at Nagasaki and Hiroshima.”  Skeletons of nine children were also found in such contorted positions showing signs of agonized death. Two skeletons found trying to climb the stairs but failing in that attempt were found in what is called the Well Room.

Certainly, these postures point to an unexpected and sudden death due to a natural calamity, possibly by inhaling the poisonous NOx gases generated by the crash. They might have also died due to radiation caused by the crash.

The evidence of radiation attributed to a nuclear weapon inspired many to link it with the Mahabharata war. With the knowledge of the cosmic-hit derived from Mahabharata, a strong case exists for linking these deaths with a fragment of the comet landing at this site. The sudden cosmic impact has caused a la Pompei kind of devastation. 

Click here for the next question

Bharat that is Indu: The original names of our country

Published in Vijayvaani.com on September 14, 2023

Nowadays no one asks what is in a name or why not any name, while naming one’s child. Lot of thinking goes into finding a name for the child. Concepts such as energy and vibration of the name and what the name conveys are given due consideration. The Sanatan system of thought also followed certain concepts to pick out a name for the new-born in a ceremony called ‘Nāma-karma’ – naming the child soon after birth. Our land too must have been given a name with suitable meaning when it came into being.

 

Specific names referring to our land are invoked in the Sankalpa mantras uttered for every act of religious and Vedic work. After mentioning Time in terms of Yuga, we say ‘Jambu Dweepe, Bhārata Varshe, Bharata Kande’ and continue with the locality of residence by referring to a nearby river’s name. This mantra with timeless beginnings indicates that we live in Bharata Kanda which is part of Bhārata Varsha, located in Jambu Dweepa. Who gave this name and when are questions that have definite answers in Vishnu Purana.

 

In Chapter 2-1 of Vishnu Purana, there is a description of how this earth was initially divided among people. A king by name Priyavrata, born to Swāyambhuva Manu, divided the earth into seven dweepa-s. A dweepa has several meanings of which the meanings ‘continent’ or ‘shelter’ make better sense as locations suitable for living. He assigned each of them to each of his seven sons by which the dweepa named Jambu Dweepa came under the control of Agnidhra. Agnidhra means the one who takes care of the Agni in a homa. It is the name given to the priest who kindles the Homa fire.

 

Agnidhra divided Jambu dweepa into nine divisions and gave them each to each of his nine sons. The land south of Himavat came under the control of his son named Nābhi. He called it Hima, meaning cold or ice. He was succeeded by Rishabha and then by Rishabha’s son Bharata. The country from thenceforth came to be called after him as ‘Bhārata Varsha’ where varsha stands for ‘division’ – of Jambu dweepa.

 

Varsha also means rainfall and it is possible to assume that this Varsha division took place after the starting of monsoon rainfall in our country 13,000 to 12,500 years ago – the date given by Overpeck et al. (https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00211619)

 

After many generations, during the period of Vishwagjyothish, the country was divided into nine divisions, known as nine Kanda-s. A Kanda refers to a further division or stem of the Varsha of Bhārat. Thus, nine Bharata Kanda-s came into being. As per Tamil dictionary, the Nava Kanda-s included eastern Videha, western Videha, northern Videha, southern Videha, northern Revata, southern Revata, northern Bhārata, southern Bhārata and Madhya Kanda. In course of time, 56 countries such as Anga, Vanga, Kalinga, Chera, Chola, Pandya and others started springing up within the nine Kanda-s of Bhārata Varsha.

 

Etymology of Bhārata

 

Over thousands of years, new countries have come up within Bhārata Varsha with many of them annexing others or in regular fights with neighbours, but they all stood by an underlying unitary culture of Bhārata, which is best explained by the etymology of the term given in Vishnu Purana and a concept noted in Vāyu and Brahmānda Purana.

 

In Chapter 4-19 of the Vishnu Purana, the meaning of Bhārata is given in the context of Bharata, son of Dushyanta and Shakuntala. The child was born in the hermitage of sages, who decided to unite the couple and entrust the child to its father, Dushyanta. Dushyanta could not recognise Shakuntala and therefore was advised by the sages to accept her and the child as a father who must cherish the child. Bharas is the root, word meaning ‘cherished’. Therefore, the child came to be known as Bharata.

 

Apart from ‘cherishing’, Bharas also means ‘holding’ and ‘bearing’. The country is being cherished and held and therefore it is ‘Bhārata’. In the lineage of Dushyanta’s son Bharata was born Hasti, who founded Hastinapura. The lineage after him who ruled from Hastinapura came to be known as ‘Bhārata-s’. The Mahābhārata is the story of Bhārata-s. By coming in the lineage of Sibi, the cousin of Dushyanta, the Chola-s also can be called as Bhārata-s. In fact, all the people of this country are Bharatam Janam – an expression given in Rig Veda III.53.12 “Visvamitrasya rakshati brahmedam Bharatam janam” (Vishvamitra’s mantra protects the people of Bhārata). 

 

Bhārata also refers to the agni used in yajnas. There are basically three types of Agni-s – Pavamāna, Pāvaka and Suchi. Pavamāna is created by rubbing Arni sticks. Suchi is the solar fire. Pāvaka is the agni drawn from lightening strikes. This agni is known as Bhārata! According to the Satapatha Brāhmana, this Bharatāgni supplies Havya to Devas (I.4.2.2). Bharatāgni being fundamental to Vedic culture, it holds the country that cherishes Agni.

 

The initial name as Bhārata Varsha coming from Bharata, the grandson of Agnidhra, it appears that he named the country after Bharatāgni that was essential even in ordinary life in those days after the end of Ice Age. It was difficult to grow Agni and maintain Agni. The Aupasana homa was ordained for everyone to grow and protect the Agni throughout one’s life. The rationale seems to lie with the difficulty in making Agni.

 

The Agni so protected will protect one in mundane as well religious life. Perhaps it was Bharata, the grandson of Agnidhra, who made it mandatory for everyone to cherish Agni so that the Agni cherishes them. By this the entire country came to be cherished by the Bharatāgni. So, the name Bhāratam arises from the fact that this country was a Yajna Bhumi right from its inception. This name continuing to be in use in Sankalpa Mantra goes to prove that it was meant to keep this country Vedic in culture.

 

The Tamil culture which zealots claim to be exclusive, also has stuck with the name Bharata, as it appears in the 2000-year-old twin epic of Silappadhikaram, namely Manimekalai. In several verses in old Tamil, the country is also recognised as Jambu dweepa. Manimekalai goes a step further by stating that the Guardian deity – a female Goddess – of the Jambu dweepa was in Pumpukār.

 

Long before the river Kāviri was born, a woman who did penance under a Jambu tree was elevated into a Goddess with a boon to protect Jambu dweepa. The place where she did the penance came to be called “Jambu-pati” which in Tamil was known as ‘Samba-pati’. It was here river Kāviri entered the sea during the period of Agastya of Ramayana fame. Since then, the place came to be called as ‘Kāviri Pumpattinam’ which in course of time became ‘Pumpukār’. Such unitariness of Jambu dweepa from Pumpukār to Himalayas was recognised by identifying Bhārata Varsha as the land between the Himalayas and Indu Sarovar – the olden name for the Indian Ocean.

 

Bharat that is Indu

 

Indu Sarovar as the name of the Indian Ocean raises our curiosity to know if Indu was an indigenous name related to our country. In his book ‘Glimpses of World History’, Jawaharlal Nehru says that,

“India was known of old as the Land of the Moon-Indu-land! Hiuen Tsang also tells us about this and describes how suitable the name is. Apparently even in Chinese In-Tu is the name for the moon.”

 

“In his travelogue, he (Hiuen Tsang) records that “the correct pronunciation for Tien Chu (India) is Intu” which means the moon in Chinese language. He further elaborates that “the scholars from that land have brightened the world with their delightful and shining knowledge, like the moon.”

 

Even the name Hindukush is not correct, according to Nehru. It was Indukush: “This mountain range was famous for medicinal plants that bloomed in the moonlight. The Sanskrit word “Indukush” (Hindukush) means “krupan” (leaves or grass) that grows in the moonlight.”

 

Ibn Batutta gave a wrong meaning as ‘Hindu-killer’ which was faithfully copied by western writers and Indian secularists. Note that Jawaharlal Nehru did not manipulate nor alter the original meaning of India.

 

Indu seems to be the indigenous name for our country and that is why it was found as ‘Indica’ in the work by Megasthenes, the 4th century BCE Greek historian. Indu is the land of Devi, the Goddess of the Moon. We can relate it to the first-ever name, Hima, given to this country by Nābhi.

Hema or Parvati was the daughter of Himavān. She was referred to as Bhārati in the Rig Veda, having two sisters namely, Saraswati and Ila (Rig Veda: 1. 142, 1.188, 2.3 & 9.5). Justifying the worship of Indu as the manifestation of Goddess Shakti, evidence of Shakti-worship by means of a triangular stone was found in ‘Baghor Shrine” in Sidhi district of Madhya Pradesh. Archaeologist Jonathan Kenoyer dated the shrine to 9,000 BCE (11,000 years old); a similar structure continues to be worshiped by the people in the vicinity. Kenoyer observed, “The fact that it is worshipped even today, shows the remarkable continuity of religious beliefs in India.”

 

Triangle is the shape of the Shakti Yantra worshiped by devotees even today. Interestingly, Bhārat also is triangular making it special for drawing the power of Mother Goddess. The ocean to the south of Himalayas was duly known as Indu Sarovar. Today it is known as Indian Ocean. The land between Himavat and Indu Sarovar came to be known as Hindustan.

 

In an article titled, “Who is a Hindu,” published in January 1965, in a monthly called “The Call Divine,” edited by Kaviyogi Maharishi Shuddhananda Bharatiar from Bombay, Brihaspati Agama is quoted as saying that the divine land extending from the Himalayas to the Indu Sarovar (Kanyakumari) is known as ‘Hindustan’.

 

People have been thinking that ‘Hindu’ is the name given to us by Persians and other foreigners. This seems unlikely according to the version of Brihaspati Agama cited above. The name Hindu is also found in Madhava Digvijayam of the 14th century, where it says that a ‘Hindu’ is one who regards AUM as his mantra, who believes in rebirth, who is devoted to the cow, who is harmless and who is devoted to ‘Bhārat’. This quote also appears in The Call Divine.

 

An oft quoted verse from Brihannāradiya Purana states that the word Hindu is drawn from ‘Hi’ from Himalayas and ‘Indu’ in Bindu Sarovar (Indian Ocean) to denote the people living in Hindustan spread between the Himalayas and Indu Sarovar. This is like the word ‘Hora’ in astrology, which people claimed to belong to the Greek, but clarified by Varahamihira in Brihad Jataka as a shortened form of ‘Ahoratra’. 

 

What is Indu, indigenously expressed to identify our country, was pronounced as Indae and India by outsiders. That identity, being compatible with our own given name Indu, we have easily accepted. If it was a completely new or alien name, we would not have accepted it. So, India is very much part of our identity as Indu, while Bhārat is our name given by Nāma-karma at the birth of our country. This land holds us (Bharas) by which we are cherished in the wisdom of the Yajnas.

 

https://www.vijayvaani.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?aid=6617

Mahabharata Quiz - 60

 Click here for the previous question

Question – 59

What is the evidence of meteor / asteroid hit in Mohenjo-Daro?

Answer:

The most credible evidence of the cosmic impact exists in the Sindhu region but has been mired with controversies for nearly 100-years. This comes from the skeletons strewn around in a street under ashes and debris in Mohenjo-Daro. Nearly 40 skeletons were found scattered in the streets and houses in the Lower Town Area away from the Great Bath. When they were discovered 100 years ago, the researchers of that day believed that it was evidence of Aryan invasion. The dead ones were the Dravidians living there who were massacred by the invading Aryans, they thought. They were even given the name “massacre victims” of the invading Aryans. But now with more evidence on natural causes for the decline of the Indus civilization, no one can claim that they were ‘Massacre victims’ of Aryans.

They were victims of an asteroid hit. There was none to cremate them and thus the corpses were lying for all ages. In course of time, that region with the dead bodies was covered with dust and mud such that the region started looking like a mound – which people of surrounding regions started calling as ‘Mound of the dead’. Mohenjo-Daro in the local language means Mound of the Dead. The Great Bath and other complexes came up away from this spot in due course of time. Only after a long passage of time, when people had almost forgotten what had happened here, did new settlers build their homes on top of this mound. This happened in Late Harappan, after 1900 BCE but the initial devastation occurred in 3136 BCE when Krishna was traveling from Upaplavya to Hastinapura.

Click here for the next question

Is it true that the Mandayam Iyengars were killed by Tipu?

 This is the English translation of Annexure-II of my book in Tamil "Ramanuja Itihasam". The book can be got by sending an email to jayasreebooks@gmail.com

A shortened version of this was earlier published in Commune Magazine

 ******

Around 700 families of Mandayam Iyengars, a sect of Brahmins, were massacred by Tipu on the day of Deepavali  in 1783. The details based on the data given  in the essay "The Mysore Pradhans" are summarized here.

Mandayam Iyengars were the descendants of Ananthalwan, a disciple of Ramanujacharya of the 11^th century. He belonged to Kirangur near Srirangapatna. He was given eight villages by the Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana. Later, after the Hoysala dynasty weakened, these villages fell into the hands of the Palaiyakars. However, the Ananthalwan clans were serving the country as Guru-s to the king and in ministerial posts. In course of them the descendants became the Prime ministers known as Pradhans and continued to serve the Mysore Samsthan.

In the year 1759, Puttammanny, the wife of Immadi Krishnaraja Wadayar died. Govindarajiah of Ananthalwan lineage was the Pradhan at that time. He  arranged the king's marriage with Lakshmammanny and Devajammanny, which was duly celebrated.

During the period of this king, Hyder Ali rose rapidly in power and influence due to his ability and completely conquered his master's kingdom in 1762. The exiled Mysore king started to live in hiding.

Pradhan Govindarajiah’s  wealth caught Hyder's eye. In 1765, Hyder wanted to usurp it with his men. The Pradhan was strangled to death because he refused to tell where he had buried his wealth. He left behind two sons Tirumal Row and Narayana Row.

Shortly after this, the King of Mysore, Immadi Krishnaraja Wadayar also passed away. Maharani Lakshmammanny, a woman of great talent and intelligence, could not accept the low status of the kings and the usurpation of Hyder Ali. With the help of her friends and the Pradhans, she made plans to get rid of the Muhammadan usurper and regain her kingdom. In 1771 a secret envoy was sent to Peshwa Madhava Row. Hyder suspected that Pradhan Tirumal Row was privy to this and imprisoned him. In 1775, he freed Tirumal Row from prison and took him with him when he invaded Bellary and Gooty. He feared that if Tirumal Row was left in Srirangapatna in his absence, he might conspire against him. On the way he left him under the vigil of Abdul Karim, the Nawab of Kadapa.

In 1776 Maharani Lakshmammanny again attempted to overthrow Hyder. This time she sought the help of the British to accomplish her mission. Before this, she had sent Rayadurg Srinivasa Row as a messenger to Lord Pigot, the Governor of Madras in 1760, seeking help. The Governor had also promised to help but the British did not offer any help due to the interference of Muhammad Ali, the Nawab of Karnataka.

On learning that Lord Pigot restored Tanjore to its native ruler, the Queen sent her Pradhans Tirumal Row and Narayana Row to seek the help of the British. Both the Pradhans went to Madras and communicated the information to Lord Pigot but found that Pigot was not given the Governorship of Madras on charges of insanity. A few months later  Lord Pigot died. The Pradhans went to Tanjore seeking help from others like the Maharaja of Thanjavur.

Hyder invaded Karnataka in 1780-81. The First Mysore War with the British began. On June 22, 1781, Lord Macartney took office at Fort St. George and sent John Sullivan as his representative to Tanjore. The Pradhans contacted Lord McCartney through Sullivan. A treaty was consequently signed on 18^th  October 1782. Lord McCartney also wrote a letter to Maharani Lakshmammanny, assuring restoration of her kingdom. The Pradhans marched towards Karur with 300 horses to aid the British invasion of Srirangapatna. In 1783, Karur, Vijayamangalam, Dindigul, Palakkad, Dharapuram and Coimbatore were all captured.

At the same time as the British forces were arranging to move towards Srirangapatna, the Pradhans were hatching a conspiracy through their friends to overthrow Tipu's government. Subraj Urs and Narasing Row guided the project in Srirangapatna. Aided by three thousand Jetties, Mahrathas and others loyal to the king, a plan was made to enter the fort, seize the treasury, and arrest every Muhammadan. The day was marked on 28^th  July 1783. But Killedar Syed Mahamad, the head of the fort, discovered the plot at the last minute and killed some people including Subraj.

And he immediately informed Tipu all these details. Tipu already knew that the Pradhans were joining forces with the British to fight against him. He therefore immediately ordered the arrest and imprisonment of all the relatives of the Pradhans and Subraj Urs. All the men, women and children of 700 families were chained with heavy irons and thrust into the dungeons of Srirangapatna. Pradhan Narayana Row was also arrested but he soon escaped and joined his brother. When Tipu returned from the war, he killed those 700 families without any mercy. He confiscated all their properties.

The information on this massacre can be found in a letter written by Maharani Lakshmammanny to Tirumal Row in 1796.

From the translation of the copy of a Kanarese letter written to Tirumal Row by Maharanee Lakshmammanny in the year 1796:

“We have been writing to you of our affairs from time to time. It is twenty-two years since you left the Province. We are daily being persecuted by Tippu. We cannot say at what moment he may send assassins and get us murdered. And for the restoration of our kingdom, you have been exerting your best, winning the sympathies of English Sirdars in our favour, entering into treaties with them. and at what an amount of sacrifice and suffering! For our sake 700 families of your kith and kin have been allowed to be ruthlessly murdered, all your immense wealth has been spent and you are a ruined person.”

The massacre had taken place on the day of Deepavali in Shobhakrit year corresponding to 25th October, 1783. Among the documents produced in the essay, the letter written by the queen Lakshmammanny  to Lords Mornington and Clive on 3^rd February, 1799 recalls the sacrifices made by 700 families.

“In the year Subhakritu,  Lord Macartney gave us ample assurance of our restoration, and hence we got together many of our adherents. Just on the eve of our capturing Tippu and recovering our kingdom, our object was disclosed to Tippu, and consequently he put to death 700 families from amongst our relations as well as those of Tirumal Row, including men, women and children.”

This shows that apart from the families of Tirumal Row, those from the royal family were also put death. The misfortune that had befallen on the family of Tirumal Row is also recorded in the minutes of Lord Mornington, the Governor-General of India as follows:

“In the course of my correspondence with the commissioners for the affairs of Mysore, the Board will have observed the name of Mysore Tirumal Row. This person is well known to the Company's Government in this part of India, and is distinguished as well by his zealous and faithful attachment to the Family now elevated to the Musnud, as by the misfortunes which his negotiations on their behalf have brought on himself and his family.”

Devastated by the loss of his family, Tirumal Row did not rest. Tipu, who had made a peace treaty with the British, tried to secretly arrest Tirumal Row in Tanjore. Tirumal Row was forced to flee to Travancore. He came back to Tanjore after two years. Tipu invaded Travancore in 1789. Travancore had a treaty country with the British so the British were ready to go to war with Tipu.

The Pradhans took the opportunity to demand the return the kingdom to the erstwhile rulers of Mysore after Tipu's defeat for which  they offered to help the British. They also wrote letters to Lord Sullivan and Lord McCartney in England asking for support. Upon their recommendation, Gen. Meadows, the English commander, promised to do everything in his power. However, he  regretted that he could not enter into any direct treaty with them, as he had to consult the Nizam and the Mahrattas who were his allies in the war. He also wrote a letter to Maharani Lakshmammanny promising help in whatever ways he could and  presented it to the Pradhans. Convinced by this, the Pradhans agreed to serve his army in the fight.

Thereupon they accompanied the General, with 100 horses and 2000 infantry. Karur was captured on 15^th April. Vijayamangalam and then Dharapuram were captured on July 10^th. On learning that General Meadows was coming, Tipu retreated to Srirangapatna. Before that he destroyed the Coimbatore fort and chased the people living there and their cattle to the surrounding mountains and forests.

Meadows, who arrived in Coimbatore on 21^st July, knew that he would only get revenue if the people came back and the lands produced crops, and he persuaded Tirumal Row to make arrangements for that. Tirumal Row refused, aiming to march towards Srirangapatna with the forces but General Meadows disagreed. In the end Tirumal Row gave his own money to the villagers and made them stay there again.  

He advanced large sums out of his private funds to the ryots in order to induce them to settle and cultivate their lands, as they had been thoroughly impoverished by the plunders of Tipu. Coimbatore was again fortified and garrisoned, a hospital opened for the accommodation of the army, and large supplies collected. Tirumal Row rendered himself useful to the English in other ways as well by supplying spies.

Meanwhile  the Pradhans found out from their spies Tipu’s movement through Gajjalhatty pass and reported it to the General. In the fight with Tipu on the 13^th  and 14^th  September, Tipu was defeated with  4000 of his men killed and several wounded. The wounded among the English were sent to the hospital opened in Coimbatore, and the Pradhans did everything in their power to relieve their sufferings.

Tipu then proceeded to Trichy via Karur. As General Meadows followed, he changed his route and went to Dharapuram. On learning that Tirumal Row was in Coimbatore, Tipu set out with his large army with the intention of going there and arresting him. By then he gathered information from his spy named Singree that the defences of the fort were not strong enough and it was easy to catch Tirumal Row. But by God's grace heavy rainfall lashed the city continuously for 3 days. Tipu decided to stay there till the rain stopped. By this time the British forces had arrived there, so he left for Kaveripuram with no other option.

While General Meadows followed him, Tirumal Row and his men accompanied the General. Then Tirumal Row handed over the responsibility of managing Coimbatore to Puttiah. Corbett came from Chennai and took up the post of Collector of Coimbatore. Corbett brought Tirumal Row to Coimbatore thinking that the administration would be smooth only with his help. Coming back to Coimbatore, Tirumal Row found Puttiah to have tampered with ten thousand pagodas and therefore he imprisoned him. But since Puttaiah was close to Corbett, Corbett let him go and arrested Tirumal Row on the same charge. Enraged by Tirumal Row’s  revelation about himself, Puttiah decided to destroy Tirumal Row somehow.

With Tipu fast approaching Coimbatore, everyone ran to the hills for hiding. Corbett, ready to leave the fort, intended to leave Tirumal Row alone in prison. Puttaiah also tried to somehow get Tipu's horse to Coimbatore and hand over Tirumal Row to him. By then Narayana Row petitioned to the Board to save Tirumal Row by highlighting  the immense help he rendered to the British in the war activities against Tipu. The Board ordered immediate release of Tirumal Row and asked him to reach Madras. Puttiah got Tipu’s men to wait on the road to be taken by Tirumal Row to capture him but Tirumal Row escaped by taking another circuitous route. Tipu attacked Coimbatore and captured the fort.

Lord Cornwallis invaded Srirangapatna in 1792 with his friends, the Nizam and the Mahrathas. Beaten on all sides, Tipu demanded a peace treaty. Cornwallis agreed. General Meadows argued with Cornwallis that he should seize the fort and put the old king in power. Cornwallis did not accept it and made a peace treaty on 19^th March 1792.

General Meadows retired to his tent dejected and disappointed. He as one who espoused the cause of the Mysore kingdom hated the treaty with Tipu. He was ordered to receive Tipu's sons who would come as hostages to the camp. He did not obey. An altercation occurred between him and the Governor General as a result of which General Meadows shot himself with his pistol and fell fainting. Colonels Harris and Floyd wrested the pistol from his hand and procured medical assistance immediately. Gen Meadows recovered as the wound was not very serious.

Moved by the action of General Meadows who pledged support to the Pradhans to restore the Mysore kingdom from Tipu, Tirumal Row went to meet him at Poonnamallee in Madras where he was staying. The General once again assured his continued support for his struggle to get back Mysore. With tears Tirumal Row replied,

“If the blessing of God had been upon us, why should the Kingdom of our sovereign have gone to the hands of the Mahamadans? Leaving the land of my birth and the possessions of my forefathers, to support the cause of our legitimate sovereign, I have been reduced to the condition of a wandering beggar on the face of the earth. All my relations have been murdered and I am plunged in an ocean of sorrow. But when I think of how you went to the extent of well-nigh killing yourself in support of our cause, and your recovery from so much danger to your life, I esteem myself most fortunate in this world. If you continue to cherish the same feelings of goodwill towards us, we shall rest assured that in times to come at least you will restore our kingdom to our sovereign.”

Meadows assured help but had to return to England where he was elevated as Lord Meadows for his services in India. Lord Hobart assumed office as the Governor of Madras on 7^th September 1794. He had already known about the Mysore kings and their Pradhans from Meadows and some other friends. So, on reaching Madras  he called Tirumal Row and assured him of his support and asked him to give him the details about Tipu who was in Srirangapatna. He also assured monetary help.  Tirumal Row refused to accept money but only begged to get back the kingdom to his king. Tirumal Row, who was in touch with Maharani Lakshmammanny, got to know all the details about Tipu through her and conveyed them to Lord Hobart's assistant, Webbe. In 1796, Maharani Lakshmammanny, who learned that Tipu was negotiating with the French, informed Tirumal Row of this information to Lord Hobart.

In early 1797, Tipu planned to drive the British out of India with the help of French forces. Lord Hobart came to know about this through Tirumal Row and wrote to England about it. Lord Mornington was appointed as Governor General. He came to Madras to confer with Tirumal Row. On the same day of his arrival, Tipu's envoys who had gone to the French Island arrived in Mangalore, bringing with them 99 Frenchmen. On learning this, the Governor General immediately prepared for war against Tipu. On February 11, 1799, the force left Vellore for Srirangapatna under the command of General Harris. On 4^th May the fort was captured and Tipu was killed.

Through the Pradhans of Mysore, friendly relations had been established between the British Government and the Mysore royal family. The Governor General summoned Tirumal Row and  said that he would hand over the Kingdom of Mysore to the rightful royal heirs and appoint Tirumal Row as the Prime Minister. Tirumal Row was overjoyed to know that his efforts to remove the dictatorial rule of 30 years and restore the royal family had succeeded. This victory was celebrated in Madras with the beating of drums and offering of sweets.

Tirumal Row was asked to proceed to Krishnagiri and from there to Srirangapatna with the Governor General and take charge. Tirumal Row immediately left for Krishnagiri. He wrote to Maharani Lakshmammanny that the kingdom would be returned to her heirs and that he would be the Prime Minister. The highly elated Maharani recalled the 24 years of struggle of Tirumal Row and wrote to him to go over to Srirangapatna immediately. But the Governor General abandoned the plan to go to Srirangapatna.

Webbe wrote to Tirumal Row asking him to go to Srirangapatna to present himself before the commission for settlement of Mysore. He also sent a letter to General Harris to appoint Tirumal Row as the Prime Minister of Mysore. Tirumal Row left Krishnagiri and reached Srirangapatna fort after 20 days. There he presented the letter written by Webbe to the General. The General asked him to stay in his camp for a few days. Details about Tirumal Row were placed before the commission  and examined.

Then came a twist. Rivalry, jealousy, greediness of some officials who wanted to maintain their erstwhile position and wealth came in the way of scuttling the decision of the commission.  They served under the King of Mysore and were subordinate officers to Hyder and Tipu too. Now, when the regime changed, they didn’t want to give up their positions. He did not want to work under Tirumal Row.

Acknowledging Tirumal Row’s service to the Maharani, they said it would not be appropriate for him to become the Prime Minister at that time. The reason they gave was that, having been out of the kingdom of Mysore for many years, he did not know the present state of affairs in the country. He could not have known as much sophisticated information as Purniah, who was then a minister. The group told the British that in the chaotic and disorderly state of the country at that time, it would be better if the people who had been ruling it continued to rule. Concerned about their income from the settlement the British did not mind to drop Tirumal Row.

Tirumal Row was asked to go back to Madras. Agreeing, he asked for permission to meet the Maharani at Srirangapatna Fort before leaving. But permission was not granted. The Maharani too was upset over the developments and refused to come out of the fort for three days because she could not meet her Pradhan Tirumal Row who fought for her. Fearing that this might cause some trouble again, Tirumal Row immediately wrote to the Maharani, asking her to go to Mysore. She relented and her grandson was crowned as Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadayar III on 30^th June, 1799.

Tirumal Row returned to Madras. He died in 1815 without any recognition for his efforts,  without getting his rightful place in history and losing everything he had in the arduous task of defeating Tipu Sultan, a powerful enemy, at the critical juncture of Mysore Rajdhani. His brother Narayana Row died before him in 1811.

The sacrifices of this man and his family also disappeared without anyone knowing them. Those who escaped the massacre at Srirangapatna migrated to Nagamangala, Baburayana Koppalu, Mandya Koppal and Mandya. Finally, they reached Melukote and settled there, but continued to remember the genocide that occurred on a Deepavali day. Deepavali, which is celebrated all over the country, was not celebrated in the homes of these descendants for three centuries now. That set off a spark, prompting the descendants to search for the reason for the darkness. They searched and the search led them to know the mass-scale murder of nearly 1000 members of 700 families of their ancestors by Tipu Sultan. The eventual betrayal suffered by Tirumal Row also came to light.

Today, many of those descendants are serving the society as teachers and scholars known for their knowledge, spirituality and patriotism. Is it a matter of surprise considering their descent from  Ramanuja's disciple Ananthalwan? The most prominent among them, Prof. Dr. M.A. Venkatakrishnan is the seventh-generation descendant of Tirumal Row. He was kind enough to share the details of the essay written by M.A. Sreenivasachar after a great deal of research.

Many people are praising Tipu as if he fought against the British to get freedom for the country. He opposed the British for his selfish ends and caused immense distress to the common people of this country. For opposing him, he mercilessly killed the families of Tirumal Row and others, including children. This forgotten saga of sacrifice deserves a place in the history of fight for freedom of our country.

***

Mahabharata Quiz - 59

 Click here for the previous question

Question – 59

Could there be any reason for specifically mentioning river Sindhu that it changed the flow from east to west? Which part of the Sindhu runs eastward that it was pushed backward?

Answer:

The specific mention of the reverse flow in the river Sindhu from east indicates the landing of a meteorite close to the river leaving a devastating effect. The river flows from north to south but travels in many curves, some of them east flowing at certain locations, say, for instance, near the famous archaeological site, Mohenjo-Daro.

The deviations in the flow of the river might have changed over time, but the directional evidence as seen in the above figure of the river Sindhu (google map) shows that the riverine gorge was deep in the eastern direction having survived till date. There is indeed evidence of an impact region in Mohenjo-Daro. Though no evidence of an asteroid hit is found so far in north India in the region between Sindhu and Ganga, there is indeed an evidence in Mohenjo-Daro that resembles a cosmic hit.

Click here for the next question

Mahabharata Quiz -58

 Click here for the previous question

Question – 58

How can a falling meteorite or an asteroid cause the waters of seven rivers including Sindhu to flow in the opposite direction?

Answer:

Vyasa did make an observation that there was a change of direction of seven rivers including the Sindhu from east to west. The mention of the south westerly wind in the context offers a clue to what could have happened. In the event of the fall of an asteroid or a meteorite entering the atmosphere, its trajectory and its velocity combined with the speed of the earth influence the speed of the asteroid falling on the ground. In a recent event of a meteor fall in July 2021, it was found to travel at 43,200 miles per hour, causing a pressure wave which created a strong gush of wind on its path, besides causing sonic boom (Check here)

The jet of air dragged by a falling object, while crossing the east flowing river, would obstruct the flow by which the water is pushed in the opposite (western) direction. Vyasa has indeed made a very meticulous observation of the changes in wind and water-flow.

The above figure shows the south westerly winds caused by the falling object blocking the water flow, by which the east-flowing water started flowing in the opposite (west) direction.

This impact felt across a vast region from the river Sindhu to Ganga where Hastinapura is located, could not have been caused by a single piece falling on the earth. Several pieces must have fallen from the direction of Southwest over a larger area. Several people living near different rivers must have heard the sonic boom and the gush of air pushing the water in the opposite direction. This kind of odd observation was collected by Vyasa and compiled as a single observation that seven rivers with east flowing limbs started flowing west by the force of air. 

If several asteroids are falling on the earth, it could be the case of broken parts of a larger asteroid or a comet. The dust thrown into the air blurs the directions. The asteroids hitting the ocean would cause an increase in water vapor in the air that pours down as rains following the path of the falling fragments, which is expressed as rains at the rear.

Click here for the next question

Mahabharata Quiz - 57

 Click here for the previous question

Question – 57

Did the observation of change of direction by seven rivers appear in the same context of a strong south westerly wind? If so, the causes for the nimitta can be traced to a stormy wind. Why bring in a meteor-hit to explain the events?

Answer:

The change of direction from east to west of seven rivers including the river Sindhu appears in the same context explained by Vaisampayana to king Janamejaya (MB: 5.82.6). He also said that a South-westerly wind with the harsh rattle of thunder, uprooting trees by the thousands, crushed the city of Hastinapura (MB: 5-82.10).

The south-westerly wind in this context is taken by Mr. Nilesh Oak to mean Southwest Monsoon by which he interpreted the Kaumudi Maasa (Krishna starting his peace journey) as falling in Varsha season (rainy season) notwithstanding the reference to Sharad season (autumn season) in the verse.

Nowhere Vaisampayana talked about rainfall from the Southwest wind. He only said that the wind was roaring and harsh that it crushed the city and the trees. The accompanying events refer to the absence of clouds, but thunderous noises form the sky. These indicate that this was not a rain giving monsoonal wind.

The change of direction of seven rivers including Sindhu from east to west appears odd, because not all the rivers are east flowing, certainly Sindhu was not. Then what did Vaisampayana (Vyasa) mean?

Seeking an answer for this, the rivers including Sindhu take a winding path such that in some places they move towards east for long stretches. Some force of wind had pushed such east flowing parts of the rivers towards west. 

 

Bharat or India: Which is correct? My interview in @ChanakyaTv

 Bharat or India - which was the original name of our country?

What do these names mean?
Any evidence to pinpoint the time we started calling our country by these names?
Is it right to change the name from India to Bharat?
Jambu Dweepe, Bharata Varshe, Bharata Kande... what are they? where are they?
Did the olden Tamil people recognize 'Bharat'?
How did we get the name 'Hindu'?

My interview regarding these in @ChanakyaTv 

Mahabharata Quiz - 56

 Click here for the previous question

Question – 56

Strange nimitta-s were seen in Hastinapura when Krishna travelled from Upaplavya to Hastinapura. What do those nimitta-s convey?

Answer:

First of all, the nimitta-s appeared to be natural occurrences but sudden and abnormal. Strangely none of them were observed in the places travelled by Krishna. The only comparable sighting on the way of Krishna was the shower of lotuses and fragrant flowers, that could be possible by the blow of strong winds lifting water-bound flowers. So, some unusual windiness had occurred, in certain pockets. Thunderous roars from the cloudless sky heard all around, continuous rains in the absence of clouds noticed somewhere behind, atmosphere filled with dust causing all-round haze, the trembling of the earth, the sudden change in the direction of the river-flows and water from the wells and the vessels spilling out can occur simultaneously in the event of a cosmic impact – of an object or fragments of an object colliding with the earth.

One may be tempted to attribute these sightings to an earthquake, but rains in the absence of clouds and loud roars in the sky indicate that something fell from the sky which caused the earth to tremble and water from water bodies to spill out. The sightings reported only around Hastinapura and not on the way of Krishna also lends credence to the theory that a meteor or a fragment of an asteroid had hit Hastinapura or nearby. The odd report of seven rivers changing direction and a south westerly wind causing havoc in the city are needed to be studied in depth.

Click here for the next question

Mahabharata Quiz - 55

 Click here for the previous question

Question – 55

What were the nimitta-s seen in Hastinapura when Krishna was travelling from Upaplavya to Hastinapura?

Answer:

It is said in the Mahabharata that unpleasant nimitta-s were seen all over the country of the Kuru-s. They are listed down:

·       Fires blazed up everywhere.

·       The earth trembled repeatedly.

·       The very directions seemed to be reversed and nothing could be distinguished.

·       The contents of wells and water-vessels by hundreds swelled up and ran out.

·       The whole universe was enveloped in darkness.

·       The atmosphere being filled with dust, neither the cardinal nor the subsidiary points of the horizon could be ascertained.

·       Loud roars were heard in the sky without any being visible from whom these could emanate. This phenomenon was noticed all over the country.

·       The seven large rivers including the Sindhu (Indus) though flowing eastwards then flowed in opposite direction.

(Pratyag ūhur mahānadyaḥ prāṅmukhāḥ sindhusattamāḥ

vipārītā diśaḥ sarvā na prājñāyata kiṃ cana - MB: 5.82.6)

·       A south-westerly wind, with the harsh rattle of the thunder, uprooting trees by the thousands, crushed the city of Hastinapura.

(prāmathnād dhāstina puraṃ vāto dakṣiṇapaścimaḥ

 ārujan gaṇaśo vṛkṣān paruṣo bhīmanisvanaḥ - MB: 5.82.10

 Click here for the next question