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Mahaabhaarat | Kathaa | 1-Beginning
 

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The Beginning-Bharat's Democracy Aum, After bowing to Naarayan and Nar and also to Saraswatee, Jaya should be uttered. [Mahaabhaarat is not a Kathaa or a story or a fiction, it is Itihaas (true events or history) of a family in Bharat Vansh. It is fight between Truth and Untruth and Light and Darkness. Everybody's life is full of conflicts, so this event is to tell that everybody has conflicts in his life and everybody has to fight with them himself. This can be true for anybody, because anybody's life can be like that.] One day Ugrashravaa, the son of Lomharshan, went to the sages who attended the great sacrifice of Shaunak Rishi in Naimish Aranya. All Rishi welcomed him, offered his due Aasan and asked him where he had been? Soot Jee said - "After hearing stories of Mahaabhaarat, written by Vyaas Jee and told by Vaishampaayan Jee in Sarp Yagya of Janamejaya, I went to Samantpanchak where Kuru and Paandav war was fought, then I thought to see you so I came here. You are just sitting here, shall I tell you Puraan stories?" Rishi said - "Puraan were first written by Dwaipaayan Jee and then were heard by Devtaa and Rishi. We wish to hear "Bhaarat" which was also composed by Dwaipaayan Jee just as it was told by Vaishampaayan Jee in Sarp Yagya." Soot Jee said - "It is a great source of knowledge established throughout the three worlds. In this world, there was neither light, nor brightness, it was all darkness around, there appeared a mighty egg This story begins with Dushyant and Shakuntalaa's son Bharat on whose name our country is called Bhaarat Varsh. Raajaa Bharat was a Chakravartee Raajaa and he had nine sons. He sowed the first seed of democracy in his court, and told after drawing a line in between birth and actions that life is not an action main but it is Dharm main. Before him, it was a kind of customary that a father used to give his kingdom to his eldest son and retired to forest. But when Bharat had nine sons and he did not find any of them worthy to be the Crown Prince, he got confused as what should he do. He went to his Naanaa, Maharshi Kanv (Shakuntalaa's father) for his advice, and posed his problem. Maharshi Kanv said - "Because you have not won yourself that is why you are facing this problem. Go and first win yourself, you will find the solution yourself." Bharat came back and thought it over and over. He found that the problem was really in his thinking that he was trying to follow the tradition of his Vansh, while his logic was not in his heart's favor. So he concentrated on his Dharm (duties) and following it he appointed a man from public as a Crown Prince (the would be king). This action agitated his own family as well as the public because it was new to everybody. He had broken the tradition. He pleaded for his action that - "No Raajaa is higher than his duties towards his country and its public. A king's main duties are three - (1) to do justice towards his country and public, (2) to protect them, and (3) to appoint such a Crown Prince who can do both justice with his country and public as well as protect them. I don't find any of these qualities in my any son, that is why I appoint Bharadwaaj's son Yudhaamanyu as the Crown Prince of this kingdom." Once Shakuntalaa said to him - "Bharat, What kind of a father are you who had given his own son's right to somebody else." Bharat said politely - "Mother, I am not only a father, first I am a king, then I am a father. I am bound to do justice with my country and public. You are only a mother that is why you see things differently - through a mother's eyes, while I have to see things from a king's eyes. If I had appointed any of my son as a Crown Prince I would not have done justice with my country and public."  That is how Raajaa Bharat preferred an outsider to be a king, as opposed to appoint his own son and did justice with his kingdom and public. When such kind of values do not exist any more, or justice is not served, the kingdom gets destroyed, the royal families are finished. Mahaabhaarat is the story of such a family in the same Vansh (family) in which Bharat established those values. That king considered birth higher than actions.

Created by Sushma Gupta On 03/09/02
Contact: sushmajee@yahoo.com
Modified on 11/30/12