Elaborate upon Ved Vyas and Mahabharat.

The Vedas, the Upanishads, and the Smirities represent ancient Indian Political Thought. The political ideas found in the great epics Mahabharata is very complex and comprehensive. Vyasa, the author is a mythical figure of uncertain identity. Vyasa means arranger or compiler. Though various authors of ancient time are so designated, the term is used especially as a title of the compiler of Vedas, who has also been the author of Mahabharata. Just as we find the series of fourteen different Manus, so the Puranas tell of twenty-eight Vyasas who compiled wisdom in different periods. The arranger of Mahabharata is Krishna Dwapayan Vyasa and it is between the decedents of his two sons Dhritrastra and Pandu, that the Mahabharata was contested.

Mahabharata is a historical Text, some of the noted historians as DD Koshambi consider Mahabharata to be a historical text. It is a longest epic that has also been used for educating the general public for their day to day life. It is a compilation of existing knowledge that was available at that period of time.

Mahabharata is important in the point of view of politics, because it discuss broadly in ancient Indian Political thought. The Shantiparva and the Rajdharmanusasana chapters which present a man-made and systematic view of the political thought of ancient India. In the Shantiparva of Mahabharta Dandniti, Rajdharma, Shasanpadhiti, Mantri Parishada and Kar-Vyavstha is discussing more about Duties of king and government system, different organs of the government and so on. Shantiparva establishes the principles of origin of monarchy-Rajtantra, and it is in the Shantiparva of Mahabharata that we come across the political thought of Bhishma, which forms the subject-matter of this chapter. Bhishma's discourses in the Shantiparva as his most convincing description of Rajadharma. Yudhishthira at the end of the Great War asked Vyasa about the duties of kings as well as those of the four varna’s. The sage referred him to the well-informed and great intellectual Bhismhma, who was well versed in all the duties. Rajdharma, as given by Yudhishthira interpreting the basic ideas of Bhishma. Just as the rising sun scatters unholy darkness, so does the Rajdharma destroy all evil significances in this world. Shantiparva consists of 365 chapters and 13,716 numbers of Verses, and it further divided into three sub-parvas:

(i) Rajadharmanushasana Parva: This part describes the duties of the king and his governance.

(ii) Apaddharmaanushasana Parva: This part describes the rules of conduct when one faces emergency.

(iii) Mokshadharma Parva: This Parva describes the behavior and rules to achieve moksha or salvation.

Subcribe on Youtube - IGNOU SERVICE

For PDF copy of Solved Assignment

WhatsApp Us - 9113311883(Paid)