2023-05-31 04:00:34 by ambuda-bot
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.BHAGAVAD GUNA DARPANA
(1) Essence of the Mahabharata:-The Mahābhārata is
considered by great' men as a great authority, and more so,
because it is an Itihasa with clearly worded and well-constructed
sentences and phrases. Both in the Vāyu Purāṇa and the
Saiva Purana, it is said of this great Itihasa; "The venerable
Vyasa churned the ocean of the Vedas, using his intelligence
as the churning stick and produced for the good of the world
this moon called the Mahabharata ". In the Bhavishyat Purāṇa,
it is said: "Man is afraid of the astras like a diseased man of
a bitter di ug. Hence it is that the essence of all the sastras
has been used to bring forth this Mahabharata as a delightful
poem". Again, the Matsya Purana says:-"God Vishnu Him-
self was born as the son of Parasara called Krishna Dvaipayana,
by whom for the sake of lighting the world the moon named
the Mahabharata was produced." Says the Vishnu Purana:
"Know then that Vyāsa, called Dvaipāyana, is no other than
Lord Nārāyaṇa 'Himself. Who else could have produced this
great work, the Mahabharata?" So also does the Markandeya
Purana say: "This world has been sanctified and has been
made free of impurities by the floods of the (holy) words of
Vyasa, descending from the high mountain of the Vedas, and
cutting by the very roots the trees of false and perverted
dharma". In the Mahabharata itself it is mentioned that a
Brahmin who is not versed in this Itihasa, but only in the
four Vedas, Vedangas and Upanishads is not a learned
Brahmin. Thus, this Mahabharata is extolled by thousands of
sayings.
This work follows and is consistent with the Vedus, the
books of sacred law, the Itihasa and Puranas with all their
subsidiary parts or auxiliaries. Indeed, it is said:
"Only
what is found here is to be found elsewhere; whatever is not
found here cannot be found elsewhere." Thus, whatever is
performed or is to be performed for salvation, according to
the Vedas, etc., and whatever is to be performed by way of
worldly conduct are dealt with here and laid down in no uncer-
tain terms and without bias or partiality. For all these
reasons, very many wise men have concluded that the Mahā.
bharata is more precious than any other Purina. This chapter
of the Thousand Names occurs in the Anusasanika Parvan.
which is the heart of the Itihasa, and in the context of
6
(1) Essence of the Mahabharata:-The Mahābhārata is
considered by great' men as a great authority, and more so,
because it is an Itihasa with clearly worded and well-constructed
sentences and phrases. Both in the Vāyu Purāṇa and the
Saiva Purana, it is said of this great Itihasa; "The venerable
Vyasa churned the ocean of the Vedas, using his intelligence
as the churning stick and produced for the good of the world
this moon called the Mahabharata ". In the Bhavishyat Purāṇa,
it is said: "Man is afraid of the astras like a diseased man of
a bitter di ug. Hence it is that the essence of all the sastras
has been used to bring forth this Mahabharata as a delightful
poem". Again, the Matsya Purana says:-"God Vishnu Him-
self was born as the son of Parasara called Krishna Dvaipayana,
by whom for the sake of lighting the world the moon named
the Mahabharata was produced." Says the Vishnu Purana:
"Know then that Vyāsa, called Dvaipāyana, is no other than
Lord Nārāyaṇa 'Himself. Who else could have produced this
great work, the Mahabharata?" So also does the Markandeya
Purana say: "This world has been sanctified and has been
made free of impurities by the floods of the (holy) words of
Vyasa, descending from the high mountain of the Vedas, and
cutting by the very roots the trees of false and perverted
dharma". In the Mahabharata itself it is mentioned that a
Brahmin who is not versed in this Itihasa, but only in the
four Vedas, Vedangas and Upanishads is not a learned
Brahmin. Thus, this Mahabharata is extolled by thousands of
sayings.
This work follows and is consistent with the Vedus, the
books of sacred law, the Itihasa and Puranas with all their
subsidiary parts or auxiliaries. Indeed, it is said:
"Only
what is found here is to be found elsewhere; whatever is not
found here cannot be found elsewhere." Thus, whatever is
performed or is to be performed for salvation, according to
the Vedas, etc., and whatever is to be performed by way of
worldly conduct are dealt with here and laid down in no uncer-
tain terms and without bias or partiality. For all these
reasons, very many wise men have concluded that the Mahā.
bharata is more precious than any other Purina. This chapter
of the Thousand Names occurs in the Anusasanika Parvan.
which is the heart of the Itihasa, and in the context of
6