NUCLEAR WAR OF MAHABHARAT

USE OF NUCLEAR WEAPON IN MAHABHARAT

According to Indian tradition The Mahabarata, a splendidly rich verse epic, was first collected collectively by Vyasa, maybe an appearance of the God Vishnu. It was first recited by one Vaicampayana and, at least in its present form, is reckoned to rendezvous from just about the 4th century BC to around the 4th century AD. Like The Ramayana, which is reckoned to enclose emerged at around the time when The Mahabarata was eye-catching its final shape, The Mahabarata is made up of fables, parables, essays, verse and prose from the most primitive of times. Interestingly, too, as some proof of its importance and bearing to many people today at a standstill in July 1985 it was produced by the renowned Peter Brook in Avignon (See: p.113, hallowed Writings Of World Religions, Chambers, 1992).

Though diverse in style, throughout The Mahabarata runs the story of the long war connecting the Kauravas and the Pandavas. Interestingly, too, for our purposes here, for the time of the epic we are tell of a terrible encounter during which Asvatthaman, cornered by Pandavas in a forest, launches a terrible weapon which is said to be capable of destroying an entire the human race. amazingly, even though the all powerful Krishna deflects the missile initial achievement its goal, Asvatthaman still manages to direct it as a substitute at the Pandava women, the children they are carrying, and will carry in later years. On p.677 of the Drona Parvawe we can read more about the devastating possessions of Asvatthaman wielding his awesome ‘Agneya’ weapon:

“The sun seemed to turn around. The universe scorched with heats seemed to be in a ever. The elephants and other creatures of the land wet by the energy of weapon, ran in fright, pant heavily and desirous of protection adjacent to that terrible force…”

Also in the very same channel: “A substantial gloom suddenly shrouded the… host. All points of the compass also were enveloped by that darkness. Rakshashas furthermore Vicocha crowding together uttered fierce cries. not boding well winds began to blow.”

All in all such descriptive passages amount near compelling and upsetting stuff. As Drake says on p.49 of Gods And Spacemen In The Ancient East (Sphere, 1976): “Arjuna and his companions (our warrior heroes in The Mahabarata) appear(ed) to seize an arsenal of diverse, refined nuclear weapons, different to, perhaps surpassing, the missiles of the Americans and Russians today”. Von Daniken moreover seems to agree. It is difficult not to think of Hiroshima, he says, while reading passages like the following from The Mahabarata and cited on P. 164 of his book According To The substantiation (Souvenir, 1977):

“The heavens cried out, the earth bellowed an answer, lightening flashed forth, fire flamed upwards, it rained down death. The dullness vanished, the fire was extinguished. every person who was struck by the lightening was turned to ashes”. And for a second time from the same source: “It was a ghastly sight to see. The corpses of the fallen were so mutilated they no longer looked like human beings. Never before have we seen such an awful weapon, in addition to never earlier than have we heard of such a weapon”.

Although, of course, these days we have seen and heard a propos such awful weapons and, moreover, the terrifying effects that such awful weapons cause when detonated. designed for didn’t the media relay the horror of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to awesomely horrific effect?

Reading through the above passages it would obviously be there foolish to simply dismiss outright the idea that the ancient Indian warriors did possess some horrible weapons, possibly even of a nuclear type. But perhaps it could be considered an equal oversimplification to admit that the ancient Indian warriors did unquestionably possess such weapons also. The argument still stubbornly remains as to whether such ancient writings are actually based in fact or simply inescapable to be interpreted symbolically. All of which means, of course, that the highly contestable subject of whether the ancient Indians were really given such awesome nuclear weapons by spacemen, primeval astronauts from other planets, must wait so. It seems, at this point, that we either do or do not believe. It appears to none boil down to a simple matter of faith. 

Perhaps although, this said, there is actually something else, a little more substantial even, that we are able to take away from our brief sojourn throughout the ancient Indian epics . Namely a (reinforced?) belief that peace must always be mankind’s ultimate goal. designed for certainly, whether rooted in truth or merely symbolic, the explicitly shocking descriptions of death and destruction to be bring into being in, say, The Mahabarata are undeniably terrifying and, as such, give grave forewarning to all nations of the world of the importance of steering a path of non-violence.

To this particular end, when we hear today about India’s newly (newly?) acquired nuclear capabilities or, say, American President George Bush’s proposed ‘Son Of Star Wars’ Nuclear misile Defence Programme, we should certainly be very much on the alert. Should we disclose that the ancient Indian epics can be interpreted as poetic lessons, we can consider ourselves duly warned against expanding rather than depleting the world’s nuclear stockpiles. Clearly, if nothing else, it can be interpreted that as Bhisma sought a general reconciliation at the end of The Mahabarata, so must we be resolved on reconciliation in all our global relations today, too.