-3

In the translation of Anusasana Parva in Mahabharata by (Late) Sri K. M. Ganguli, we see a paragraph note in the page which states:

The Anusasana Parva, like the Santi Parva before it, is a long hiatus in the narrative of the Mahabharata. Set on the deathbed of Bhishma, the Anusasana Parva is a huge treasure-trove of Brahmanic lore which is obviously a later interpolation in the epic.

Why did (Late) Sri K. M. Ganguli state so?

Edit 2-8-2020

My question is different from another question , as in this question I am interested in knowing the view of the original translator in considering Anushasana Parva to be an interpolation.

Srimannarayana K V
  • 17,497
  • 3
  • 38
  • 128

2 Answers2

4

Mahabharata contains 100 parvas which are further grouped into 18 major parvas

Adi Parva gives list of 100 parvas which includes Anusasana as well:

Then comes 'Santi', then 'Rajadharmanusasana', then 'Apaddharma', then 'Mokshadharma'. Those that follow are called respectively 'Suka-prasna-abhigamana', 'Brahma-prasnanusana', the origin of 'Durvasa', the disputations with Maya. The next is to be known as 'Anusasanika'. Then the ascension of Bhishma to heaven. Then the horse-sacrifice, which when read purgeth all sins away.

...

The high-souled Vyasa composed these hundred parvas ...

As you can see above that these 100 parvas including Anusasana were composed by Vayasa.

The same Adi Parva chapter describes Anusasana Parva:

Next in order is the excellent Anusasana Parva. In it is described how Yudhishthira, the king of the Kurus, was reconciled to himself on hearing the exposition of duties by Bhishma, the son of Bhagirathi. This Parva treats of rules in detail and of Dharma and Artha; then the rules of charity and its merits; then the qualifications of donees, and the supreme ride-regarding gifts. This Parva also describes the ceremonials of individual duty, the rules of conduct and the matchless merit of truth. This Parva showeth the great merit of Brahmanas and kine, and unraveleth the mysteries of duties in relation to time and place. These are embodied in the excellent Parva called Anusasana of varied incidents. In this hath been described the ascension of Bhishma to Heaven. This is the thirteenth Parva which hath laid down accurately the various duties of men. The number of sections, in this is one hundred and forty-six. The number of slokas is eight thousand.

YDS
  • 24,276
  • 2
  • 58
  • 123
  • 1
    Your answer does not answer my question,please. – Srimannarayana K V Aug 01 '20 at 07:35
  • 7
    "Is Anusasana Parva an interpolation in the Mahabharata?" --this is ur Q and I quoted from Mahabharata itself which denies possibility of interpolation..so why it doesn't answer ur question? U ll get answers for supporting interpolation and few denying interpolation but all answer the Q.. it's upto u or the community which one they think is right.. – YDS Aug 01 '20 at 08:45
  • 3
    You should have taken the content in the question also into consideration, before answering. I had queried in the question content - Why did (Late) Sri K. M. Ganguli state so? @YDS . By the way, the community that you have mentioned does not exist in true sense. A community will discuss or argue at length but finally reach a healthy consensus. In this site there is no community sense, as far as I understood. Here, we can find groupism. – Srimannarayana K V Aug 01 '20 at 09:07
  • @SrimannarayanaKV, if you are unable to accept a valid counter-argument, that is not called 'groupism' – ram Sep 13 '20 at 10:09
  • I have been witnessing groupism in this site from 2015 onwards. So I need not provide evidence to the same again and again. A counter argument will be provided only if there is substance in the argument. You can downvote or flag my post :-) @ram – Srimannarayana K V Sep 13 '20 at 10:42
  • 2
    @SrimannarayanaKV, of course there is groupism. every sect will try to enforce their values. what i'm saying is that you are using the groupism-blame to cover up your lack of providing evidence and your unacceptance of provided evidence. – ram Sep 14 '20 at 04:31
  • I know how groupism works in this site. It is very common for a group of members to harass and hound members like user965167. It is also common for downvoting the unpleasant answers like this one posted by members like me and passing sarcastic remarks. @ram – Srimannarayana K V Sep 14 '20 at 06:24
  • When the group of members, who follow Sri Ramanuja, could not provide evidence for claiming Narayana and Lakshmi as SUPREME God heads, from Rig Veda, Why are you asking me for showing evidence? Further, what type of evidence are you expecting from me? Can you explain? @ram – Srimannarayana K V Sep 14 '20 at 06:26
  • 1
    @SrimannarayanaKV, I don't know what discussion you had earlier and who provided what evidence from where. But I have a simpler question - Why restrict your choice of evidence to ONLY Rig Veda ? Can you show proof that YOU exist from Rig Veda ? – ram Sep 14 '20 at 17:45
  • @SrimannarayanaKV, i don't see any sarcastic remarks in the ashvamedha answer you posted. I also don't see any evidence for your claim that it is an interpolation other than your assumption that ashvamedha yagna can only be for 1 purpose. putra kameshti is specifically for getting sons. ashvamedha is generally for lordship over earth. no yagna bears fruit if the doer is very sinful. so part of yagna is also prayaschitta to get rid of sins. You go from an assumption (ashvamedha yagna has 2 results mentioned) to claim (so uttara kanda is fake). It rightly deserves downvotes, although I did not. – ram Sep 14 '20 at 17:49
  • You failed to see the sarcasm because you are also with the Idea that the Uttarakanda is not interpolation. It is because the content in Uttarakanda suits to your Idea that Sri Rama is an incarnation of Vishnu, which is not. Anyways, be happy alongwith other members in your illusions and sarcasm. However, as yourself had admitted the groupism is existing in this site, and your silence regarding harassment and hounding of members like user965167 by your group members will itself indicates the very fact that how valid my post in META about division of HSE into sect wise SEs. @ram – Srimannarayana K V Sep 14 '20 at 21:18
  • You took so long time to understand what my ideas are. I should sympathize for your level of understanding. Thanks for sharing your valuable time and thoughts :-) @ram – Srimannarayana K V Sep 15 '20 at 01:13
  • @SrimannarayanaKV check the concerns about brigading – Pandya Sep 15 '20 at 17:15
  • 2
    @Pandya, SrimannarayanaKV is of the opinion that Sri Rama is NOT an avatar of Vishnu. If he posts an answer tomorrow saying that Sri Rama is avatara of Brahma, are you saying that we should categorize that under a 'different doctrinal point of view', and not downvote it ? I hope users continue to have the common sense to downvote obviously nonsensical answers. – ram Sep 15 '20 at 17:21
  • I am not bothered much about the down voting @Pandya. I am more concerned about harassment and hounding the members belonging to other views. If you don't act, being a moderator, a chaotic situation will creep in and many fanatic members like the one in question, will make other normal members, take exit from the site. It is your turn now – Srimannarayana K V Sep 15 '20 at 18:47
  • @SrimannarayanaKV the Rig Veda Narayana Suktam calls Vishnu supreme. I suggest you pick a school before continuing ie Yoga, Samkhya, Vaisheshika, Nyaya, Vedanta, or Minamsa. – Haridasa Jan 10 '24 at 00:05
  • @mar, wait what Sri-Rama is Mahavishnu lol! – Haridasa Jan 10 '24 at 00:06
-5

In one of the Shodhganga articles, it was stated that

It has been mentioned earlier that the Mahabharata was in the custody of the Brahmins of the Bhrgu race. The epic got its vast size even before the rise and development of the Gupta reign. The tendency to enlarge the Mahabharata text was still continued by these Brahmins.

In their own interest, these Brahmins wrote the Puranas and rearranged them.

It is a notable fact that Lord Krishna had not a prominent role to play even in the first connected epic narrative.

The studies of Sri V.S. Sukthankar reveal the fact that the very first stanza 'नारायणं नमस्कृत्य" etc. is a later interpolation to the Mahabharata, a pure Vaishnava composition.

We have to remember that Sri V.S. Sukthankar belongs to the next generation to (Late) Sri K. M. Ganguli, and thus might have read the articles of the latter.

We should revisit the words of (Late) Sri K. M. Ganguli on Anusasana Parva:

The Anusasana Parva, like the Santi Parva before it, is a long hiatus in the narrative of the Mahabharata. Set on the deathbed of Bhishma, the Anusasana Parva is a huge treasure-trove of Brahmanic lore.

Why should there be a long hiatus in the narrative of the Mahabharata, unless it was made so by later day scholars?

Further, the Vishnu Sahasranama is a part of Anusasana Parva.

If we remember the observations of Sri V.S. Sukthankar - the very first stanza 'नारायणं नमस्कृत्य" etc. is a later interpolation to the Mahabharata, a pure Vaishnava composition - we can infer that the Anusasana Parva was included at a later date just to include Brahmanic lore and Vishnu Sahasranāma and to project Vishnu as SUPREME GOD.

Thus, Anusasana Parva is an interpolation, as observed by (Late) Sri K. M. Ganguli.

Srimannarayana K V
  • 17,497
  • 3
  • 38
  • 128
  • 3
    Lol. Did Sukthankar find a written document penned by KMG where the latter gave his reasons ? If not then the above answer is just your opinion without substance. – Artist Formerly Known As CSD Aug 02 '20 at 07:25
  • 4
    Nothing offensive in this answer. Just amused by you and your motivated Questions and Answers. And despite best efforts your answer does not really answer your question - "Why KMG said so n so". Might as well have said , KMG was under pressure from "modern hindus who are against any aspect of divinity" and thus he mentioned it – Artist Formerly Known As CSD Aug 02 '20 at 07:44
  • Let us continue this discussion in chat. – Srimannarayana K V Sep 12 '20 at 15:25
  • it is well known that the makers of BORI edition (vs sukthankar being the main editor) have a leftist bias, based on their reasoning, education and lifestyle. – ram Sep 13 '20 at 10:11
  • Is their leaning towards Leftism only reason (or) is it due to unable to digest the fact that if Anusashana Parva is accepted as Interpolation, then Vishnu Sahasranamam will lost its ground? @ram – Srimannarayana K V Sep 14 '20 at 09:43
  • @SrimannarayanaKV, by extension, tomorrow they can say Bhagavad Gita is also an interpolation. And then tomorrow you will remark 'will bhagavad gita losing its ground be unable to be digested by you'. Like I said, they are leftists and their opinion can be safely ignored by those seeking truth. – ram Sep 14 '20 at 17:43
  • Yes. I am searching for such type of content. As I am in search of TRUTH, I don't hesitate on tomorrow, if I come across an evidence , delinking Sri Krishna from BG. I had stated elsewhere in this site that the insertion of episode of Sita's fire test in Ramayana by subsequent writers led to Sri Rama's character assassination. With the same confidence I will say about SRI Krishna, @ram – Srimannarayana K V Sep 14 '20 at 21:26
  • @SrimannarayanaKV, unfortunately, your evidence barometer for truth is set too low. anything written by western historians seems to take higher precedence i.e. you trust them blindly, compared to what is said by our acharyas. – ram Sep 14 '20 at 23:53
  • So be it. I am answerable to myself in search of TRUTH. I am the least bothered as to others think about me. Thanks for sharing your y my friend :-) @ram – Srimannarayana K V Sep 15 '20 at 01:12
  • @mar even in my opinion, these leftists don't understand scripture and just throw around interpolation if we continue like this there will be no scriptures left lol. I believe in rethinking/reinterpretation, putting things in another perspective or re-translation since Sanskrit words have multiple different meanings in certain cases. – Haridasa Jan 09 '24 at 23:59
  • @SrimannarayanaKV wasn't the fire test voluntary and to prove to Rama that Sita was still his better half? – Haridasa Jan 10 '24 at 00:07