Wednesday, April 17, 2013

MAHABHARAT AND SYMBOLISM --JANDRATH

     I learned from reading from various sources as to the general idea and how these stories have similarity and use of similar objects to have similar conclusions . The story of Jayandratha is one such story . Once you know the different objects being used to symbolize certain , then it becomes easier to find the real meaning .
     In the story of Jayandratha , Arjuna declares that he is going to kill Jandratha before the Sunrise . So Jayandratha hides and Arjuna can not find him . As the time passes, every one is worried . So then lord Krishna covers the Sun with his Sudarshan chakra . So every one thinks that sunset has occurred . Jayandratha comes out  from his hiding place . Then the lord Krishna removes the chakra . There is bright Sun out . Arjuna kills the Jayandratha .
   To understand the meaning of this story , one has to know what the Jayandratha represents . We have several attachments in our life . We are attached to food , music or relatives or drugs , alcohol etc . We feel that we can not 'give up ' any of this easily . But we know that under various circumstances , we can give up these things . We know many people that have given up smoking , alcohol or relationship with spouse or parents or relatives There was story about the mother's love and attachment to the child . This from the Birabal and Baadashaha stories . Once they had a debate , which is stronger , mother's love or our own life . The Badashaha the king felt that it was mother's love , while Birbal felt it was attachment and desire to survive .So settle the debate they brought in a female monkey and her child . They were put in a tank where there was a small pillar in the center .. They started filling the tank with the water . As the water started rising , the mother monkey climbed the pillar and held the baby monkey as high as she could . But when the water came as high as mother's mouth , she quickly put baby down and tried to stand on it . So the attachment to our body or to survive is stronger than anything else .That is why. the most difficult of these is the attachment to our own body .We can not get detached from our body , may be because we most of the time think our self as our body .and not 'independent ' of it . This attachment is Jayandratha .As long as we think of body as 'I' we can not kill the desire or the attachment to the body , When we get the enlightenment or when the Sun comes out ( Sun represents the knowledge ). So when the Sun is out Jayandrath hides . But this is temporary . When the Sun goes out we are back to the bodily attachment. So we need help from the God and with his help once and for all kill the Jayandratha .When the Sun came out , which means when Arjuna got enlightenment , he could kill the bodily attachment .

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