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So what does Veda mean. No, screw the philosophy, what does the word Veda mean? "Ved-a" in Sanskrit means "I see" or "I know". The root word here is vid - "to see" or "vision". Yes vision has also been derived from vid, as have been the English word wise and German wissen "to know". The common word vidya or "what is to be known", has also been derived from vid. The word video which also deals with seeing, is also a very famous derivative. Why do I believe that the Mahabharata is a made up story? Its all in the names - they are just so appropriate. Dhritirashtra, the blind king of Hastinapur, was so "blind" in the love of his sons, that he lost all sense of justice, even turning a blind eye when his sons disrobed Draupadi in his presence and in full court during the Game of Dice. In the story, he was advised by Vidura, his dutiful half-brother, who basically managed his empire and was the only voice of reason in his court. The name Vidura is also derived from vid, and means "knowledgable" or the one who can see. Vidura's sage advice is lost on Dhritirashtra. Dhritirashtra's blindness is a metaphor for his lack of moral compass. He is being urged in the right direction (albeit unsuccessfully) by a person named Vidur? I am sorry, but such beautiful metaphors happen only in stories (and in Gulzar's poetry).
But in the Mahabharata, Arjun is the dude. He is Indra's son (king of Devas), the lead archer (very fashionable), the 3rd of the 5 Pandavas (neither too old nor too young), the best friend of Krishna (well connected), the favourite disciple of Drona, and Draupadi's true love (that is revealed later). Shiva gave his bow to him, Krishna gave up his vow for him. He is the debonair prince who has young princesses across the Arya-varta swooning over him as he travels for forging pre-war alliances, he is the brave warrior who once fended off the entire Kaurava army single handedly. Vyas makes it very clear - he is the Man. No, quite literally. He is the Nar (Man), to Krishna's Narayana act (see here). He is the knight in shining armor. No, quite literally. In Sanskrit, arjun means "white, shiny". It also means silver. The modern scientific name for silver is Argentum, a Latin word derived from the Sanskrit arjun.
The Krishna of Bhagvat Purana and that of Bhagavad Geeta are two very different characters, almost as if he has dissociative identity disorder. The Krishna of Gokul and Vrindavan is a fun loving chilled out lad who spends his days playing with his flute and his nights playing with the girls - Raasleela, yes that is the word! As a kid he steals maakhan (milk cream) from his neighbors and then tells his mother that her friends themselves applied the cream on his lips to frame him. As he grows up he gets some sense. He now steals girls' clothes as they bathe in the pond, telling them it is a punishment for bathing totally naked. The entire Bhagvat Purana is a picture of Krishna's indulgence. Never before, or after, in any religion, was God portrayed as so "human". From there he suddenly comes into the main story line of Mahabharata, as a shrewd politician, a masterful strategist, the maker of kings and the destroyer of dynasties, who with his Machiavellian moves runs the entire nation into a head-on, bloody civil war. The story of this transformation is rather short and very tender. Akroor, a Yadava chief comes to Vrindavan to urge Krishna to leave his playground and deal with his evil uncle Kansa, the king of Mathura. As the Gopis (Krishna's many many girlfriends) come to know about it, they attack him the way women do - a big guilt trip, accusing him of using Krishna to fulfill his own political ends, of being heartless, insensitive, very cruel. He is painted as Kansa's ally, who was taking Krishna to Mathura only to get him killed. As Krishna's chariot drives out of the village, it leaves in its wake a swarm of love-lorn Gopis bare foot, stumbling, crying out to Krishna. Akroor is the person who tears apart that picture of Radha-Krishna in Vrindavan. But Vyas elaborates this character by his name. The word cruel came to English from Old French, where it came from Latin crudus which in turn comes from Sanskrit kroor. A-kroor, then, means one who is not cruel. Tell me that's coincidence!
But in the Mahabharata, Arjun is the dude. He is Indra's son (king of Devas), the lead archer (very fashionable), the 3rd of the 5 Pandavas (neither too old nor too young), the best friend of Krishna (well connected), the favourite disciple of Drona, and Draupadi's true love (that is revealed later). Shiva gave his bow to him, Krishna gave up his vow for him. He is the debonair prince who has young princesses across the Arya-varta swooning over him as he travels for forging pre-war alliances, he is the brave warrior who once fended off the entire Kaurava army single handedly. Vyas makes it very clear - he is the Man. No, quite literally. He is the Nar (Man), to Krishna's Narayana act (see here). He is the knight in shining armor. No, quite literally. In Sanskrit, arjun means "white, shiny". It also means silver. The modern scientific name for silver is Argentum, a Latin word derived from the Sanskrit arjun.
The Krishna of Bhagvat Purana and that of Bhagavad Geeta are two very different characters, almost as if he has dissociative identity disorder. The Krishna of Gokul and Vrindavan is a fun loving chilled out lad who spends his days playing with his flute and his nights playing with the girls - Raasleela, yes that is the word! As a kid he steals maakhan (milk cream) from his neighbors and then tells his mother that her friends themselves applied the cream on his lips to frame him. As he grows up he gets some sense. He now steals girls' clothes as they bathe in the pond, telling them it is a punishment for bathing totally naked. The entire Bhagvat Purana is a picture of Krishna's indulgence. Never before, or after, in any religion, was God portrayed as so "human". From there he suddenly comes into the main story line of Mahabharata, as a shrewd politician, a masterful strategist, the maker of kings and the destroyer of dynasties, who with his Machiavellian moves runs the entire nation into a head-on, bloody civil war. The story of this transformation is rather short and very tender. Akroor, a Yadava chief comes to Vrindavan to urge Krishna to leave his playground and deal with his evil uncle Kansa, the king of Mathura. As the Gopis (Krishna's many many girlfriends) come to know about it, they attack him the way women do - a big guilt trip, accusing him of using Krishna to fulfill his own political ends, of being heartless, insensitive, very cruel. He is painted as Kansa's ally, who was taking Krishna to Mathura only to get him killed. As Krishna's chariot drives out of the village, it leaves in its wake a swarm of love-lorn Gopis bare foot, stumbling, crying out to Krishna. Akroor is the person who tears apart that picture of Radha-Krishna in Vrindavan. But Vyas elaborates this character by his name. The word cruel came to English from Old French, where it came from Latin crudus which in turn comes from Sanskrit kroor. A-kroor, then, means one who is not cruel. Tell me that's coincidence!
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