#harivamsa

[arjuna-vallabha]

Krishna, Arjuna & Balrama on Garuda", after artist Purkhu of Nainsukh Family, Guler.

[incorrectmahabharatquotes]

Recently I saw this post by @god-has-adhd (I'm not reblogging it because I saw the people they tagged and realised very quickly that it's quite likely that us reblogging the post will be unwelcome, to put it mildly. I'm tagging the OP here anyway since it's a direct response to the post and it seemed only fair to engage in the conversation. I hope they don't mind.) OP urged everyone to watch the video regardless of the political leaning so in the spirit of giving everything a fair shot, we watched it. 'We' here refers to both me and Mod G. There are things we agree on with the guy speaking in the video and there are things we disagree with/think he didn't properly research. However, there is one thing that's most relevant to this blog and to me, personally so I'll be talking primarily about it. This is your long post warning, I'm afraid.

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"The Real Story of Eklavya"

The context for people who haven't watched the video is that the guy brings up two stories, one of Satyakama Jabali from the Upanishads and that of Eklavya from the Mahabharata. He brings up both these stories in the context of caste, he helpfully titles it and everything.

What I found interesting is that he frames himself talking about the story with the words "The real story of Eklavya". If you know even the basics of storytelling or filmmaking, you know that this is quite important. This implies that you, the viewer, do not know the real story and the one you know is either incomplete or false.

He begins, in a memorable instance, by asking ChatGPT for a summary to grasp the popular interpretation of the story of Eklavya and Drona. I have THOUGHTS about using a machine learning tool that is trained on data that is infamously biased and lacking when it comes to anything that isn't American, but that would be digressing from the point. ChatGPT provides him a summary that mentions that Eklavya was denied Drona's tutelage because he was of a lower caste. After this, the guy proceeds to recite the lines where Eklavya is mentioned in the Adi parva of the Sanskrit Mahabharat that we refer to as Vyasa's Mahabharat. He expresses surprise at how Eklavya is introduced as being the son of the "king" of the nishads (I think leader is a better word that should've been used but the Sanskrit text has a notorious habit of having just really questionable ways of referring to people, if you've read it you know.) Which is found HILARIOUS. Bro, what do you mean you're surprised? This is COMMON knowledge, I fear.

He mentions how being the son of the nishaad's leader/king effectively puts him on the same level as Arjun and that they're both princes. He says that this means Eklavya isn't shudra or dalit (there is a word that's curiously absent here that I'll mention in a bit.) Now, this one of those parts where the choice information he presents the viewer with is bizarre. Since I promised I'll give it a fair shot, I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt and assume this is a fault of him not researching enough and not willful omission. Maybe he just doesn't know. The information he's given here is correct, mostly. What he DOESN'T explain is who the nishads, as a group are. I'll fill in the blanks for him.

The nishad are said to be a group of tribal people who reside in the hills. The text he reads out even has the word "tribal" in it but the guy sort of glosses over it? The nishads are sort of like an aggregate grouping of different tribal populations and not the name of a specific tribe. Kind of. But the mention is still significant. See, the Mahabharata, especially the Sanskrit text, has this Thing™ that it does where it's incredibly rare to find a mention of tribal populations who are said to be human, many of the other mentioned tribal groups are demi-humans or non-humans or just straight up rakshahsas.

Eklavya is said to be the adopted son of Hiranyadhanus, the aforementioned king/leader of the nishads. The Harivamsa Purana part of the Sanskrit text (which is a giant-ass genealogy section where it traces the family line from the start of existence to the birth of Krishna) mentions that biologically he's the son of Devashrava, Vasudev's brother, which makes him Krishna's cousin by blood. Eklavya was abandoned by Devashrava in the forest and Hiranyadhanus found him and raised him as his own.

This makes Eklavya a tribal boy, I would use the word adivasi but people might disagree so I'll just say he has a tribal heritage, not by blood but by his upbringing. The man in the video says that Eklavya isn't a shudra, or dalit or untouchable, which is technically true. There's a missing word here that's doing a lot of heavy lifting for him, though. He says that Eklavya is a Kshatriya, which is DEBATEABLE because in the epic we've seen time and time again that blood doesn't matter and it's the society that does. With this, hopefully not to y'all, new information we might understand how the guy's assertion that Arjuna and Eklavya are on equal footing is shaky at best.

He continues to explain that in the text the reasoning why Drona refuses Eklavya is because he'd already promised he'd make Arjun The Best Archer. Since, he's bound by obligation to the Kurus, he can't afford to let Eklavya outshine his kuru students. The man proceeds to assert that in the text there is no caste-based discrimination happening here. Ergo, he concludes, the story of Eklavya doesn't have a caste aspect to it. If you believe otherwise, you're uneducated and need to learn the Truth and not fall into Propoganda. (I'm trying to be charitable to the guy but his tone when he says the word "propoganda" is dripping with disdain and it's making it very hard for me to remain charitable.) He ends this section this way.

This guy says he's given you all the facts. He's cited his source and he's said the complete truth. He hasn't. In this man's viewpoint, the complete and true Mahabharat is the Sanskrit text. Which, as you know, ISN'T what the entirety of the Mahabharat is and claiming that it is is a narrow perspective to see it. (Which is FUNNY considering this guy has a whole section towards the end of the video about Nuance and it's ironic that he's unwilling to provide the same nuance about the epic to his trusting audience.) Maybe he just isn't insane enough like me to know that it isn't the entire Mahabharat. It's possible.

There is a viewpoint that declares that the Sanskrit Text is the primary source and everything else isn't "canon". There's a SPECIFIC word for it but I will not say it because it's like a boogeyman word on hindublr, at least, so I'll omit the word in this post. This man, from what I've seen, shares this viewpoint.

I disagree.

The Mahabharat, is first and foremost a collection of oral traditions of storytelling that were written down much later. This means that the entire corpus of work that is this mammoth of an epic consists of the thousands of written texts, poetry, plays, songs, folk tales, recently it also includes cinematic adaptations, bedtime stories that your elders might have told you, and lastly, popular culture for better or for worse. This is my viewpoint and I feel it provides for a much better lens to engage with the story. Otherwise, you're denying the story of the rich tradition and heritage it was forged in.

The guy in the video wonders why the story of Eklavya is more popular than Satyakama Jabali and there are a lot of reasons for it. First is that the epic is simply more popular and, in many ways, more fun than the upanishad stories. Second is that the story of Eklavya captured people's minds because it's a story that has strife and the ending is unsatisfactory. Tragedies inspire emotions and connection in a way that comedies do not. There are many more reasons but I'll stop listing them.

It's not a coincidence or happenstance that there are caste dynamics added in the popular interpretation of the story. There are even seeds of this in the Sanskrit text, if this guy is truly only looking at that alone, Eklavya being a tribal kid, the way his physical appearance is described in the text, the way he's stopped from sharing a space with the kuru princes etc. If a variety of people who have historically faced similar things especially when it comes to education and find themselves mirrored in Eklavya? That's not Propaganda, as the guy puts it. It's just how stories naturally evolve and grow. It's people reading between the lines. There's no conspiracy at play. Just people finding something to relate to when they cannot relate to any other character.

I can write essays on how caste and varna show up in the Mahabharat (and I might, if even ONE person asks me for it) but to sum it down, it's a task of examining exactly who and what KIND of people are absent from the story. The Invisible People, if you will. You can count on your fingers how many shudra, dalit and adivasi figures are in the Mahabharat.

Drona is a teacher who fails at being a teacher in this instance. (The Mahabharat in many ways is a story of people failing to do their Duty. There's a certain peacock feather wearing guy who does a whole song and dance about it. It can cover a whole book. It's quite popular. Maybe you've heard of it?) Even if you ignore the caste dynamics reading of it, you cannot deny that the man just sucked at being a teacher in that moment when he denied education to a student, whatever his reasoning may be. He brutally asks for the kid to maim himself and again, even the Sanskrit text describes this action of Drona as cruel. He creates a barrier for Eklavya to stop him from continuing to practice his archery.

It's not surprising that Drona is read as a stand in for an education system that sucks at being an education system that does its job. Again, it's not a conspiracy or propaganda. It's people trying to connect to a story through the prism of their life experiences.

It is not my place to tell people what to believe and what not to believe. It's not the guy in the video's either, despite what he says. People's interpretations are personal to them. What is my place is to remind people that it's wrong to deny people their interpretations. There are versions and interpretations of the story that I hate or dislike but I'm not standing here and telling you they're not the Truth. This is the nuance that Mahabharat requires that the guy lacks. This is also why I believe his sources and research is lacking in this department.

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Beyond Eklavya

There's a lot of other thoughts and things I want to share about the rest of the video. I'll try to summarise the highlights.

There's a part where he doesn't understand what systemic patriarchy means, exactly, even though he himself gave an EXCELLENT example of it towards the start of the video with Satyakama Jabali's mother's heritage not being considered when it comes to his gotra. It was frustrating because he SAID it. He said the perfect example himself. I almost thought he set it up as a complete circle moment but he hadn't.

I appreciate him bringing a Shaivite perspective because I'm honestly tired of so much Vaishnavism at all times. I love to see different schools of Hinduism actually being practiced and not just one dominating and subsuming the others.

Towards the start of the video, Mod G predicted that the man would go on a "Periyar sucks" rant and I was so delighted that G was so right.

The guy in the video neglects to look at any contemporary research and scholarship about the linguistics and the Aryan migration theory(which he calls the invasion theory, obviously) including the genetic studies.

There's a funny bit where whenever the guy mentions Ambedkar he has to assert that he thinks Ambedkar is anti-hindu. Even when he's praising him. It happened multiple times.

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TL;DR The man in the video fails to provide his viewers with the full picture about the story of Eklavya even when he claims he is.

- Mod S

ALSO

The structure of his arguments are poor especially in the section where he talks about why the North-South divide came about. Does he not know about the field of linguistics and how root languages are established? Telugu as a language has a 'Dravidian' (he seems to hate that word, even though Dravida is not just the anglo word for the southern parts of India) root because of certain features it has. Notice how North Indian languages use Gender. And then, notice how Southern/central or even Adivasi languages use gender. One main reason why Dravidian languages have been speculated to have another root language different to Sankskrit is the counting systems. Its not wrong to say Telugu has sanskrit INFLUENCE, but again, look at WHICH people within the language group use that type of Telugu (spoiler alert, its the 'proper' upper castes). He dismisses that entirely and makes it a whole issue about how the North South divide happened.

Its very clear to me that he has no intention of representing any of the counter arguments to his premise in an honest manner and is instead single mindedly trying to create more propaganda.

-Mod G

[achyutapriya]

🌺.𖥔˚･𝐎 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐛𝐬! 𝐁𝐲 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐡𝐨𝐣𝐚 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐊𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐧𝐚.𖥔˚･🌺

·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ Harivamsa (2.65.42)

🌺.𖥔˚･𝐘𝐨𝐮 (𝐑𝐮𝐤𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢) 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐆𝐨𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐊ṛṣṇ𝐚—𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐮ṣ𝐚. 𝐇𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐇𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐠𝐨𝐝𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝. 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐒𝐔𝐏𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓.𖥔˚･🌺

·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ Skand Purana (Dwārkā Mahatmya)

[whencyclopedia]

Krishna

Krishna (Krsna or Hari Krishna) is a major god of the Hindu pantheon and considered the eighth incarnation of Vishnu. He is perhaps the most popular of all the heroes of Hindu mythology. Krishna's adventures appear in the Mahabharata, Bhagavad Gita, Harivamsa, and the sacred texts known as the Puranas where he is described as the Supreme Being and creator of the universe.

The most ancient tales of Krishna in sacred texts involve his adventures with the Pandava princes whilst later, stories accumulated over the centuries which describe his eventful youth, when Krishna used his proficient weapons skills to good effect to defeat a host of fearsome enemies, demons and monsters.

Family & Adventurous Youth

According to tradition Krishna belonged to the Yadava - a pastoral race - and the god's birth is picturesquely described in the Mahabharata. One day Vishnu, the great Hindu god pulled two hairs from his own head, one white and one black. The black hair was planted into the womb of Devaki, a princess of the city of Mathura, and so Krishna was born into the Pandava family, his earthly father being Vasudeva. Unfortunately for Krishna his mother's brother, Kamsa, had been warned that Devaki's eighth child would kill him, and so Kamsa determined to murder the eighth child, a crime he had already carried out seven times before Krishna was born. Fortunately, Vasudeva took the precaution of hiding Krishna in the remote village of Vrindavana where the boy was brought up as a simple cowherd (in this guise he can be referred to as Govinda). There he spent an idyllic childhood and stirred the hearts of many gopis or herd-women with his dark good looks, playful charm, and mastery of music and dance.

Thus the story of Krishna contains a double concealment - Krishna is both a god disguised as a mortal and a prince disguised as a commoner. Accordingly, the myths contain many metaphors of disguise, such as a spark within a pile of ashes or a mighty sword in its scabbard, and these hint at Krishna's dual purpose as the punisher of human deeds but also as a bringer of enlightenment.

Krishna's foster parents at Vrindavana were Nanda and Yashoda, his sister is Subhadra, and his brother Balarama. Krishna's favourite consort was the cowherd woman Radha (or perhaps even his wife if they married in secret, as some sources claim). Tradition has it that the god actually acquired 16,108 wives and fathered 180,000 sons. Queen Rukmini, an earthly form of the goddess Lakshmi, is considered Krishna's second most favoured wife after Radha. With Rukmini, Krishna had a son, Pradyumna, and a daughter, Carumati.

Krishna was involved in many escapades in his adventurous youth. Notable amongst these are his various killings and thrashings of prominent enemies such as the ogress Putana, the giant bull danava, the giant snake Kaliya, and the king of the Hayas (horses). Also swiftly dealt with was the scheming tyrant Kamsa – after whose beheading Krishna established himself as king of Mathura. Krishna slew many demons and demon kings: Muru and his 7,000 sons, Pralamba – who Krishna beat up using only his fists, Naraka – son of the Earth and who had accumulated a harem of 16,000 captured women, and the sea-demon Pancajana who looked like a conch shell and who lost his magic shell to Krishna which the hero carried thereafter and used as a trumpet. Krishna also found time to lift the mountain Govardhana to foil a terrible deluge sent by Indra, to conquer Saubha, the floating city of the Titans (daityas), got the better of the sea-god Varuna, and even managed to steal the divine discus possessed by the fire-god Agni. Against mere mortals Krishna also wreaked havoc amongst the Gandharas, Bhojas, and Kalingas, amongst others.

Continue reading...

[hum-suffer]

Harivamsa mahapuran:

Ever since Lord Krishna had heard about Goddess Rukmini, he had begun to love her

Kajdksjxkskdkqksksks US FATHER USSSSSSS

[vishnavishivaa]

Hari- the Eternal Source

śaṃkara uvāca | trayī sāṃkhyavedāṃtayogāḥ purāṇaṃ tathā pañcarātraṃ prabho dharmaśāstram | tavaivātimāhātmyamekasya nityaṃ prakārairanekairhi gāyaṃti bhaktyā || 3 ||

tvadeveśa śāstrāṇi caitāni bhūmno babhūvustvadekāśrayāṇyādikalpe | ramāsevyapādāmbujaṃ śāstrayoniṃ tamādyaṃ bhavantaṃ bhaje vāsudevam || 4 ||

Śaṅkara said:

3. O Lord! The Three Vedas, Sāṅkhya, Vedānta, Yoga, Purāṇa, Pāñcarātra as well as Dharmaśāstra—all these devoutly sing in various ways the supreme majestic glory of yours alone.

4. In the first Kalpa (Ādi-Kalpa), it is from you, the great one, alone that these Śāstras were born and they have you as their only resort, O Sovereign Lord. I betake myself to you and worship you, the Primordial One whose lotus-feet are served by Ramā, who are the source of the origin of Śāstras.

(Taken from Wisdom Library )

This is a small portion of Chapter 15 of Vaasudeva Mahatmya from Skanda Purana. The essence of these verses is to talk of how Vishnu is every little and every big thing in this Universe.

There is a constant struggle about whether the Puranas are right or not, through things I have read, that contradict with what I have learned as a child, which clash with some beliefs even- and it is actually very true that they have been interpolated heavily, over the years.

That is why, the first basis of reference and understanding comes from Itihaasa- that which has happened. There are two Itihaasas or epics in Sanatana Dharma, Valmiki Ramayana and Mahabharata. Of course, Harivamsa is included in this list, as it is a khila of the Mahabharata itself.

It sounds a bit crazy when I speak of how Itihaasas come first and yet I posted something from a Purana, does it not? Well, the reason for it is to remind people that Shastras originated from the ParaBrahman- be they Vedas, Upanishads, Itihaasas, Puranas and various other works. And every form of ParaBrahman are the origin of such, based on how one's own Ishta/Aaradhya.

Many months ago, I had asked if I should post something on Sanatana, and finally, I got the time to start. As always, I wondered where to start, and this specific tab was open. Hari, as always, gave me an indication.

I will be much more consistent with posting henceforth, so expect interpretations, rants, aesthetics, story snippets and so on to be shared.

@thelekhikawrites @celestesinsight @krsnaradhika @kaal-naagin @krishnapriyakiduniya @nirmohi-premika @chemicalmindedlotus @whippersnappersbookworm @sakhiiii @ambidextrousarcher @willkatfanfromasia @nspwriteups @dr-scribbler @rupkatha-banerjee @theramblergirl @hinsaa-paramo-dharma @moon-880 @thegleamingmoon Please let me know you thoughts, and do let me know if the rest of you want to be added to the list. 

[metmuseum]

"Krishna and Balarma Fighting the Enemy", Folio from a Harivamsa (The Legend of Hari (Krishna)). ca. 1590–95. Credit line: Purchase, Edward C. Moore Jr. Gift, 1928 https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/448185

[whencyclopedes]

Krishna

Krishna (Krsna o Hari Krishna) es un dios importante del panteón hindú y se considera la octava encarnación de Visnú. Es quizás el más popular de todos los héroes de la mitología hindú. Las aventuras de Krishna aparecen en el Mahabharata, el Bhagavad Gita, el Harivamsa y los textos sagrados conocidos como los Puranas, donde se le describe como el Ser Supremo y creador del universo.

Sigue leyendo...

[chaanv]

Hey, so...um, I was doing some research, and in general, there are 9 wives of the Pandavas: Draupadi, Hidimba, Devika, Uloopi, Valandhara, Chitrangada, Subhadra, Karenumati, Vijaya, right?

In BORI CE, there is an unnamed princess who is mentioned as the wife of Bheem, who is also the sister of a monarch who always used to challenge Krishna. In the same para, it is stated that the princess of Magadha married Sahadeva. Also, in Harivamsa, it is mentioned that Bhanumati, daughter of Bhanu, a Yadava chieftain (not Krishna's son) married Sahadeva as well..... What do you think about this? Many people on wattpad are getting confused regarding this, and I wanna know your take on this topic...also, Do you believe that characters like Vatsala (who is only present in Tamil and Telugu folk plays, not even an authentic book), Suthanu, Pragati, Pragya, Samyukthana, Printha, Sumitra and Bhargavi exist?

Bhargavi is the daughter of ArSu in some versions, the rest are Draupadi's daughters....

Hi anon,

This can all get a bit complicated, but the main thing to remember here is:

The Pandavas were princes, and, as such, it’s likely they had several unknown wives whom we lost in the lore over time, partly because of their irrelevance to the overall narrative.

(I hate that I used the word “irrelevance”, but.)

In addition, the opposite may also be true; because of the popularity of the epic (and the Pandavas in it), many cultures around the world possibly came to associate their local histories with the princes. The result is several partners being mentioned more regionally than universally.

While I do leave room in my views to learn about and consider these things, many of my headcanons (which affect what I write and relay) about this subject were formed in my initial years with the epic:

I typically only incorporate the nine wives you have listed into my work.

Similarly, because I had heard of Suthanu and Pragati before the other daughters (I have only found the Pandavas’ daughters in regional takes), I include only them.

My aim is to keep myself from getting too overwhelmed by the information - even if that somewhat limits me.

[blessed1neha]

Beside Lord Krishna, if any others avatar of Lord Vishnu did ever used Sudarshan Chakra? If yes, then when?

Yes!!

Varaha avatar of Lord Vishnu used Sudarshan Chakra to kill Hiranyaksha.

Afterwards the highly powerful Hiranyaksha discharged a burning Sakti on the breast of the boar-formed Narayana which filled Brahma with surprise. Seeing that Sakti about to fall upon him the highly powerful Boar, setting up a roar, felled it on the ground. Thereupon the Lord, whirling his sunny discus, shot it on the head of the Danava king. Like unto the summit of the mount Meru clapped by a thunder-bolt the Daitya-king fell down dead on earth; on his death, all the Daityas filled with fear, fled away on all sides. ( Source :- Harivamsa Purana — 3.35 )

Although every incarnation of Lord Vishnu can use Sudarshan Chakra, but each of his incarnations has a special meaning, that is why Sudarshan Chakra was not used in those incarnations.

[buzz-london]

Krishna kills the demon Nikumbha, detached folio from a copy of the Harivamsa, opaque watercolour and gold on paper, about 1590, Mughal. Museum no. IS.6-1970. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

[whencyclopedfr]

Krishna

Krishna (Krsna ou Hari Krishna) est un dieu majeur du panthéon hindou et considéré comme la huitième incarnation de Vishnu. Il est peut-être le plus populaire de tous les héros de la mythologie hindoue. Les aventures de Krishna apparaissent dans le Mahabharata, la Bhagavad Gita, le Harivamsa et les textes sacrés connus sous le nom de Puranas, où il est décrit comme l'Être suprême et le créateur de l'univers.

Lire la suite...

[vedrishi]

The Epic Tapestry Unveiled: Harivamsa Purana - A Three-Volume Odyssey

"The Epic Tapestry Unveiled: Harivamsa Purana - A Three-Volume Odyssey" is a masterful exploration into the depths of Hindu mythology and spirituality, meticulously crafted to bring to life the intricate tales woven within the Harivamsa Purana. https://vedrishi.com/book/harivamsa-purana-in-3-volumes-text-with-english-notes-and-index/

[ghostlycreatorconnoisseur]

Odia Spritual Book Rahasa Mala By Achyutananda Das

Mahapurusa Achyutananda Dasa was a 16th-century poet seer and Vaishnava saint from Odisha, India. He was popularly known as Gopala Guru. He was considered to have the power to see the past, present and future. He was a prolific author, and one of the group of five, that led a revolution in spirituality in Odisha by translating Sanskrit texts into the Odia language for common people.

He was one of the famous five friends of spirituality and literature Panchasakha, who translated the ancient Hindu scriptures into Odia, for the people of Odisha. Achyutananda Dasa was the most prolific writer of the Panchasakha and wrote numerous books, many of which could be loosely translated as the Book of Prophecies. He is known as the Mahapurusa (a Great Person) for his vast knowledge on many subjects such as spirituality, Yoga, rituals, Yantra, Tantra, Ayurveda, and other various shastras. His major works include Harivamsa (in Oriya), Kaibarta Gita, Gopalanka-ogala, Gurubhakti Gita, Anakar-samhita, Chahayalisa-patala etc.

[imai-zumi]

i finished the mahabharata and am moving onto the harivamsa and i am finding myself very grateful that version of the mbh i read was abridged in such a way that omitted the lists of names lmao

[vishnavishivaa]

VaasudevaVasudaa Chapter 1: A Deciding Wish

This book will have only three main POVs: Krishna, Rukmini and Satyabhama. This story is a retelling of Their story, without distorting the main events of Harivamsa and Mahabharata.

********

She had awakened before the Sun rose. 

Now wrapped in Her comfortable green saree, Satyabhama sat on the cool balcony floor, gazing at the East, waiting for the Sun to rise, a kundala next to Her. She was waiting to do Surya Puja, and had been up earlier than usual, though Her habit was to arise before the Sun dawned completely. 

In fact, Satyabhama rarely slept for a long time, which had been the case since She was a seven year old girl, and had decided that She had to gain Knowledge of anything and everything that existed, triggering Her journey into the sacred scriptures of Sanatana Dharma, each of which, along with various other skills, were taught to Her by Guru Garga and his disciples, all of whom resided in Mathura. 

The restlessness of Nature was ever present in the pores of Her body, Satyabhama knew, as She stood up, swaying with the pre-dawn wind, which caressed Her gently, curly strands of hair gently escaping the loose plait that ran down Her back, settling to frame Her face, as if leaves that protected the blooming flower. She did not move the position of the stray curls, rather, letting them take their own course, more interested in the start of sounds, the awakening of animals coming together with the slow rise of the Sun. 

The large ball of fire never rose at once, rather choosing to first cast its rays into the dark Sky before slowly rising, indicating that Purusha followed Prakriti, for the Sun’s rays were often likened to Harini, Hari the Sun Himself. 

Smiling gently, She grabbed the kundala She had placed on the floor, now standing almost on Her tiptoes, bouncing in happiness as the Sun rose. 

Closing Her eyes and pouring the water in the small golden vessel, She started Her prayers, easily flowing through Her usual prayers of welcome and greeting, the Aditya Hrudhayam included in Her prayers, a feeling of familiarity washing over Her, though Her heart was focused on the wish that She was going to request of the Yadava Sabha that day. 

It was a big and important day, and She knew that only with the Universal God by Her side would She achieve Her goal. 

***

“Sakhi Satyabhama, do you have to proceed with this plan?” asked Madhavi, gently folding the pallu of Satyabhama’s saree, as Satyabhama adjusted the brooch that Her mother had given, which was a elegant peacock pin at the junction of Her neck and shoulder, ensuring the cloth was tightly wrapped around Her, refusing to let anyone outside Her close circle see Her in anything but the neatest dressed form of Herself. 

“I do, Madhavi,” Satyabhama smiled at Her friend, both grateful and reassuring, understanding the worry of Her friend. She knew well that if Satyabhama continued with the plan, Her existence will be known in a broader way throughout Aryavarta, which might cause more complications than Satyabhama frankly needed, owing to Her continuous wish to learn more, as well as very sharp intellect, which could easily see everything in a piercing way that was rarely seen amidst the Yadavas. Satyabhama continued, “From what I have heard of Devakinandan, He is very very appreciative of women and their wishes, as well as accepts them with sincerity. Taara Bhagini, who is His sister, says so, as does Sushila, who has been in love with Him since She has seen Him. And you know how much I trust both, given that They never embellish anything They tell me, come what may. That, put together with the opinion of every Yadava, including Pitashree and Jyeshta Bhrata, as well as a very powerful feeling of trust that is shooting through my heart, I believe that Vaasudeva Krishna will listen to my plea, and mostly accept my wish.”

“It is true that He does have a particularly unbiased opinion, and has been hailed by every single Yadava. But..”

“Madhavi, I can understand your worry,” Satyabhama reached out to pat Her close friend’s hand, gently holding as well, giving Madhavi strength. “But I am confident. Additionally, Pitashree and Bhrata agreed to my wish as well, and will be helping in this process.”

“But what about the chieftains of the Kula, Satyaa?”

“They are Yadavas, are they not, Madhavi?”

Satyabhama did not want to believe that Her elders would protest this wish of Hers, though it did sound much more practical than Her confidence that She would get to do as She had hoped. However, She also felt that the Yadava Kula is very understanding of the equal power of the Feminine as compared to the Masculine, which is why they believed that women deserved the same opportunities as men. Of course, Kamsa was not of the same thought, for he treated women horribly, even if he gave his now widows a lot of freedom. 

Which could also be due to who their father was, Satyabhama mused, Her face darkening. She sighed when Madhavi looked at Her in worry, smiling small to reassure Her. 

“Just thinking about the reason this has to be done, Madhavi. Indirectly, at least.”

“But Sakhi,” Madhavi said. “We all worry that your future will get complicated if the truth of your skills comes out.”

“My skills are not hidden among the Yadavas, Sakhi,” Satraajiti replied. “They may not be discussed, but they are well known. Pitashree personally has informed the King about it, and the King has also graciously accepted them. There is no need to fret.”

“But do the others know every detail?”

“Even I do not know the entire details yet, Madhavi,” Satyabhama said, sitting down on the settee, patting the seat next to Her for Madhavi, who gingerly sat down, though her eyes gleamed with curiosity. Smiling, the daughter of Satrajit continued, feeling Her face expand as She spoke. 

“My powers could be because I was not born of the womb,” Satyabhama said softly, looking at Madhavi. “I was found in a Lotus, a thousand petalled one, no less, by Pitashree. One found in the Yamuna, floating like it was meant to be there.”

“A thousand petalled Lotus is said to be present only for the most special of people, Sakhi,” Madhavi said after some moments of silence, as she now seemed to try and read Satyabhama’s every pore, something that had not been possible to anyone who was not Taara or Sushila before. 

“To me, it is Hari’s blessing that I am how I am,” Satyabhama whispered, standing up and tucking Her dagger into Her waistband, shaking Her head mildly at Her friend’s partially disapproving look. 

“What if..”

“I will manage, Sakhi,” Satyabhama said firmly, a confidence boost that held the power of the Universe entering Her. She could feel Her entire form being enveloped by a glow, a glow that She felt indicated the peak of the Divine Feminine. With a soft smile and half hug at Her childhood friend, Satyabhama walked out of the chambers, confident in stride, like a lioness and protectress, Her only aim being to reach Her father’s court, ready to go to the Yadava Sabha with him. 

******

“Are you sure, little sister?” 

Satyabhama huffed playfully, looking at Bhangakkara, whose face held both protectiveness and resignation. She giggled, especially seeing the latter emotion, knowing that he had already known that She would continue with Her plan, something She had come up with during a spontaneous discussion, everything ironed out in less than half a prahara. 

“I am Bhrata,” She smiled gently, patting his arm, their father smiling affectionately at the banter. She continued softly, “Madhavi addressed her worries as well. She believes my life might get complicated after this.”

“I know you can manage it, my child,” Satraajita said. “But I want you to be sure to proceed, Satyae.”

Satyabhama looked at Her father, smiling at the nickname. 

Satyae. 

Truth. 

“I am, Pita,” She smiled, feeling happiness fill Her. She gently took his mildly weathered hand in hers, squeezing it with utter love, giving him a boost of confidence, which reflected on his face. 

“If there is something I am proud of, that we are proud of, it is that you are part of our family,” Satraajita said, gladly holding on to Satyabhama’s hand. “That is why we are all very protective of you.”

“That, and my powers as well, which only seem to expand,” She divined, a small smile gracing Her face to show Her father that She was in no way offended. 

“Satyaa,” Bhangakkara started, looking sheepish when She shot a sweet smile at him. He picked up his words, saying, “We know you are capable of taking care of yourself. But you are the eldest jewel of this family, and it is due to Your coming that we were blessed with the births of Vratini and Praspavini.”

Satyabhama smiled again, this time a soft, delicate thing, which brought out the inner elegance of Her very self. She could feel the Sun’s rays flitting through the curtains, gently touching the tip of Her hair, lighting it brightly, the smile that was already present on Her face widening. She lightly touched the tip and turned to Her brother. 

“Bhrata, I understand your protectiveness. But it has to be me, does it not? The Yadavas can easily hold their own against Jarasandha, and I have no doubt that the two sons of YaduShiromani Vasudeva can easily fight and win against the King of Magadha’s armies, as they easily have done these past fourteen times. But would it not help the Yadavas if there are more warriors?”

“You are a fourteen year old, Satyaa.”

“How does that make a difference if I have the skill to fight, Bhrata?” She persisted, nodding back when he nodded in acceptance at Her words. 

“Satyaa, I agree that you will be one of the biggest assets on our side, which is why I agreed to your proposal without much argument,” to which Satyabhama smiled acceptingly, remembering Her brother’s quickly accepting nature, when he let Her make Her own choices, though he did make valid points, which She had thought of before making Her plan. 

“I am just overprotective,” Bhangakkara said. “Mainly because you are well known by name and nature through ear rather than actual sight. While the Yadavas know that you are indeed Satraajiti, your training has not made it easy for anyone to see you. Vratini and Praspavini, on the other hand, do know and are known by the Yadavas by sight as well. They have even met Vaasudeva Krishna.”

Krishna. 

Satyabhama had to stop Herself from involuntarily shivering, His name sending a thrill that She had never experienced before through Her body. Every time She heard His name, She felt as if Her own Soul sang a song of emotions to Him, a song that She seemed to know from the get go, and yet a song Her conscious did not seem to understand. She had never met Him officially. 

She had seen Him before He broke the Shiva Dhanusha, and had later, once… 

She forced Her thoughts down, before She could go down that memory, which would make Her blush, redder than a hibiscus at its healthiest. 

“And they do like Him,” She responded instead, patting Her father’s palm, which were clenched in worry for his girls. She looked at Satrajita, and softly said, “Pita, they are still young. Do not worry so much.”

“But they are my girls, like you are, Satyae.”

“While that is true, even you have told me multiple times of the pure goodness that comes from Devakinandan. So why are you worried? I doubt that He would hurt them in any way, whether He reciprocates their sweet affection or not.”

Satyabhama did not say more on the matter, not wanting Her father to get even more protective. She knew well, from the lyrical waxing of Krishna’s miracles from Her sisters, that They were well in the journey of loving Him, the man called the Enchanter. 

Do not go into that thought process, Satyabhama, She chided Herself mentally, forcing down the memory that came to Her fore once more, not wanting to think of it just yet. 

Which was ironic, considering She was going to meet Him once more, this time officially, in front of the entire Yadava Sabha. 

“You are right, as always, Satyae,” Satrajita said, moving forward. “Come, my children. It is time for us to head to the royal palace.”

*******

There is a ton of symbolism in this series, which will have indications of why it is so.

@ahamasmiyodhah @mahi-wayy @yehsahihai @theramblergal @krsnaradhika @ramayantika @achyutapriya @thegleamingmoon @nidhi-writes @houseofbreadpakoda @hum-suffer @kanhapriya @kaal-naagin @krishna-priyatama @willkatfanfromasia @celestesinsight @arachneofthoughts @idllyastuff The first chapter is a bit late, but it is up! Do let me know what you all think!