Has the Jaya Samhita (original version of Mahabharata) ended with the coronation of Yudhisthira?

 


In the concluding chapter of the currently available Mahabharata, the following shlokas can be found.

पुण्यॊ ऽयम् इतिहासाख्यः पवित्रं चॆदम् उत्तमम्।

कृष्णॆन मुनिना विप्र नियतं सत्यवादिना॥

This Itihasa (history), which is sacred, sanctifying and without peer, was composed by Rishi Krishna Dvaipayana (Vyasa), who adheres to TRUTHFUL Speech.

भारतं शृणुयान्नित्यं भारतं परिकीर्तयेत्।

भारतं भवने यस्य तस्य हस्तगतो जयः

One in whose house the Bharata occurs, has in his hands all those scriptures which are known by the name of Jaya.

——-

Parikshit, the son Abhimanyu and the only surviving descendant of Pandavas, receives a curse from an ascetic and dies due to bite of snake Takshaka. In order to avenge, Parikshit’s son Janamejaya performs Sharpa Yagna or Snake sacrifice, to eliminate all the snakes, including Takshaka. However, this yagna was stopped by another great ascetic Astika.

Thereafter, at the request of Janamejaya, Sage Vyasa ordered his disciple Vaishampayana to narrate the story of Pandavas and Kauravas.

kurūṇāṃ pāṇḍavānāṃ ca yathā bhedo 'bhavat purā
tad asmai sarvam ācakṣva yan mattaḥ śrutavān asi

guror vacanam ājñāya sa tu viprarṣabhas tadā
ācacakṣe tataḥ sarvam itihāsaṃ purātanam

tasmai rājñe sadasyebhyaḥ kṣatriyebhyaś ca sarvaśaḥ
bhedaṃ rājyavināśaṃ ca kurupāṇḍavayos tadā

"Hearing those words of Janamejaya, Krishna-Dwaipayana (Vyasa) directed his disciple Vaisampayana seated by his side, saying, 'The discord that happened between the Kurus and the Pandavas of old, narrate all to the king even as thou hast heard from me.'

"Then that blessed Brahmana, at the command of his preceptor recited the whole of that history unto the king, the Sadasyas, and all the chieftains there assembled. And he told them all about the hostility and the utter extinction of the Kurus and the Pandavas.'"

—-

And, while narrating their story, Vaishampayana first narrates the story in brief, starting from returning of Pandavas, upon the death of their father Pandu, to Hastinapura from the Forest, and only upto Pandavas becoming victorious in the war.

nālabhanta mahārāja tato yuddham avartata

tatas te sarvam utsādya hatvā duryodhanaṃ nṛpam
rājyaṃ vidruta bhūyiṣṭhaṃ pratyapadyanta pāṇḍavāḥ

evam etat purāvṛttaṃ teṣām akliṣṭakarmaṇām
bhedo rājyavināśaś ca jayaś ca jayatāṃ vara

And thereupon war was declared, and the Pandavas, after exterminating the whole race of Kshatriyas and slaying king Duryodhana, obtained back their devastated kingdom.

"This is the history of the Pandavas who never acted under the influence of evil passions; and this the account, O first of victorious monarchs of the disunion that ended in the loss of their kingdom by the Kurus and the victory of the Pandavas.'"

Please note that the following subsequent events mentioned from the Shanti Parva to Svargarohanika Parva, were not mentioned in the brief story narrated by Vaishampayana.

  1. a lengthy discussion between Yudhisthira and Bhishma, including explaining of Vishnu Sahasranama, and finally passing away of Bhishma, etc
  2. Performing Ashwamedha Yagna
  3. Passing away of Dhritarashtra, Gandhari, Kunti and Vidura
  4. Elimination of Yadu Dynasty, due to mutual fighting, and passing away of Shri Krishna and Balarama
  5. Abdication of Kingdom by Pandavas and ascension of Himalayas, death of Draupadi, Pandavas, except Yudhisthira, reaching of Heaven by Yudhisthira

——

Thereafter, Janamejaya requests Vaishampayana to narrate the complete story.

kathitaṃ vai samāsena tvayā sarvaṃ dvijottama
mahābhāratam ākhyānaṃ kurūṇāṃ caritaṃ mahat

kathāṃ tv anagha citrārthām imāṃ kathayati tvayi
vistara śravaṇe jātaṃ kautūhalam atīva me

sa bhavān vistareṇemāṃ punar ākhyātum arhati
na hi tṛpyāmi pūrveṣāṃ śṛṇvānaś caritaṃ mahat

"Janamejaya said, 'O excellent Brahmana, thou hast, indeed, told me, in brief, the history, called Mahabharata, of the great acts of the Kurus. But, O thou of ascetic wealth, recite now that wonderful narration fully. I feel a great curiosity to hear it.

—-

Hence, even the complete story should have contained narration only upto the coronation of Yudhisthira, after the great war.

However, in the currently available version of Mahabharata, we can find the story of Pandavas beyond the coronation of Yudhisthira, after the great war, and upto Svargarohanika Parva.

——

To corroborate this view, consider the following, as a side note.

—-

In Mahabharata, Shi Krishna had placed a curse on Ashwatthama that "he will carry the burden of all people's sins on his shoulders and will roam alone like a ghost without getting any love and courtesy till the end of Kaliyuga" . This was done because Ashwatthama had cowardly killed son of Pandavas.

Many people reported incidents of people spotting Ashwatthama in Villages/forests, etc.

One such meeting was narrated in the life of Narayanappa (ನಾರಾಯಣಪ್ಪ), known by his pen name Kumara Vyasa. He was an influential and classical Vaishnava poet of early 15th century in the Kannada language.

In 15th century there lived in Gadag, Karnataka Narayanappa, whose greatest desire was to write Mahaabhaarat based on original sources, and to this end he prayed day-in and day-out in the Temple of Veera Naaraayan, temple of Trikooteshwar. One day the Almighty decided to answer his prayers and appeared in his dream and said:

Attend the forthcoming Dwaadashee Paaran (Dwaadashee feast) in the Veera Naaraayan Temple. Watch out for one lone Brahman, who would leave the feast earliest. He is none other than Ashwathaama of Mahabharata. Fall at his feet and ask him to narrate the Mahabharata as it happened. You can record it in writing and claim your share of fame”.

Promptly Narayanappa attended the following Dwaadashee Paaran at the Veera Narayan Temple, and then followed the Brahmin, who finished his feast the earliest and started walking out of the Temple. He approached him and fell at his feet. Thus, he could write later a Kannada version of Mahabharata.

Kumara Vyasa's most famous work, the Karnata Bharata Kathamanjari (the Mahabharata of Karnataka) is popularly known as Gadugina Bharata and Kumaravyasa Bharata.

The work is celebrated in Kannada literature due to its universal appeal.

Interestingly, it is an adaptation of the first ten parvas (chapters) of the Mahabharata. Kumara Vyasa ends his epic with the coronation of Yudhishthira, the eldest of the Pandavas.

The remaining eight chapters that were left incomplete by Kumara Vyasa were completed by Shri M S Ananthapadmanabha Rao.

——

According to my understanding, Shri Narayanappa might have stopped with the coronation of Yudhishthira because Ashwathaamaa told him upto that stage only, as original Vyasa Mahabharata or Jaya Samhita ends with that episode.

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Thus, the inference could be that the story of Pandavas beyond the coronation of Yudhisthira, after the great war, and upto Svargarohanika Parva, might be an interpolated one.

 

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