ACK- 117: Kumanan-The Generous Tamil King of the Sangam Age

An out of print ACK #280

This Amar Chitra Katha is about a generous king of the ‘Sangam Age’. I was unable to find any details about Kumanan, but as came to know about Sangam Age, felt proud to be an Indian. It was a discovery for me.

The ‘Sangam Age’ is the earliest known period of organized life and history of the Tamils. Though there are some disputes about the exact dates, but roughly it goes back to the period of pre-Aryan and non-Aryan. During this period the first, second and third Sangams flourished and Tamil poets of that era produced several literary works. The Tamil poets throw considerable light on the everyday life and also reveal their culture, polity and social set-up. In the Sangam age Tamil Nadu was ruled by three kingdoms namely the Cholas, Cheras and Pandyas. The Sangam Age is considered the Golden Age of Tamils.

The Sangam period

ACK-114,115 & 116: Great Sanskrit Plays:Ratnavali, Vasantasena & Udayana

Today in some states of India people are celebrating New Year as Ugadi & Gudi Padwa . It falls on the first day of the month of Chaitra (March-April).

Ugadi, as called in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh and Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra indicates the start of a new year for people in those states.
Ugadi is derived from ‘Yuga adi’ where ‘yuga’ means time, era or period and ‘adi’ means beginning. Gudi in marathi is a Bamboo stick which is decorated and at the top of which a cup or a glass is placed and Padwa means the ‘adi’ described earlier.
Note: It falls on a different day every year because the Hindu calendar is a lunisolar calendar. The Saka calendar begins with the month of Chaitra (March/April).

Plays of Ancient India

Indian drama is analyzed by Bharata in the Natya Shastra, probably from the third century CE or before. Bharata ascribed a divine origin to drama and considered it a fifth Veda; its origin seems to be from religious dancing. In the classical plays the Brahmins and noble characters speak Sanskrit, while others and most women use Prakrit vernaculars. According to Bharata poetry (kavya), dance (nritta), and mime (nritya) in life's play (lila) produce emotion (bhava), but only drama (natya) produces "flavor" (rasa). The drama uses the eight basic emotions of love, joy (humor), anger, sadness, pride, fear, aversion, and wonder, attempting to resolve them in the ninth holistic feeling of peace. These are modified by 33 less stable sentiments he listed as discouragement, weakness, apprehension, weariness, contentment, stupor, elation, depression, cruelty, anxiety, fright, envy, arrogance, indignation, recollection, death, intoxication, dreaming, sleeping, awakening, shame, demonic possession, distraction, assurance, indolence, agitation, deliberation, dissimulation, sickness, insanity, despair, impatience, and inconstancy. Causes, effects, and moods manifest the emotions. The spectators should be of good character, intelligent, and empathetic.

ACK-113: Drona

The epic Mahabharta is the source of information about life of Drona. The Mahabharta which is the longest epic poem in the world, consists of nearly 1, 00,000 slokas or Sanskrit verses.

ACK #57 (565)

DRONA. 'A bucket'. A Brahman so named from his having been generated by his father, Bharadwaja, in a bucket.

He married Kripa, half-sister of Bhishma, and by her was father of Aswatthaman. He was acharya, or teacher of the military art, both to the Kaurava and Pandava princes, and so he was called Dronacharya.

He had been slighted by Drupada, king of Panchala, and became his enemy. Through the instrumentality of the Pandavas he made Drupada prisoner, and took from him half of his kingdom; but he spared his life and gave him back the other half of his country. But the old animosity rankled, and ended in the death of both.

ACK-112: Dhruva and Ashtavakra

ACK #117 (#571)

It contains illustration of two stories: Dhruva & Ashtavakra

Dhruva: meaning both "pole star" and "fixed".

The story of Dhruva's life is often told to Hindu children as an example for perseverance, devotion, steadfastness and fearlessness. The original sources are Vishnu Purana and Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 4.

According to the Vishnu Purana, the sons of Manu Swayambhuva were Priyavrata and Uttanapada. The latter had two wives; the favourite, Suruchi, was proud and haughty; the second, Suniti or Sunrita, was humble and gentle. Suruchi had a son named Uttama, and Suniti gave birth to Dhruva. While quite a child Dhruva was contemptuously treated by Suruchi, and she told him that her own son Uttama would alone succeed to the throne. Dhruva and his mother submitted, and he declared that he wished for no other honours than such as his own actions should acquire. He was a Kshatriya, but he joined a society of Rishis, and becoming a Rishi himself, he went through a rigid course of austerities, notwithstanding the efforts of Indra to distract him. At the end he obtained the favour of Vishnu, who raised him to the skies as the pole star (DHRUVA, the Indian name of the polar star). He has the patronymic Auttanapadi, and he is called Grahadhara, `the stay or pivot of the planets.'

ACK-111: Rajbala

An out of print ACK # 328

This ACK is based on "two folktales from old Sind" (now in Pakistan):

1. Rajbala (and Ajit Singh)

2. Bir Singh and Sunderbai

Rajbala & Sunderbai both dress as a male warrior.

Many many thanks to “Apoorva Chandar” for providing Amar Chitra Katha.

ACK-110: Pulakeshi II

An out of print ACK # 394

Pulakeshi II

Pulakeshi II (610-42) is not the most glamorous of Kannada heroes. In comparison to other Kannada emperors such as Krishnadevaraya and Amoghavarsha or even Hoysala Vishnuvardhana and Ranadhira Kanthirava of Mysore, Pulakeshi hasn’t captured the attention of Kannadigas to the same extent. If Mayura was the founder of the first Kannada dynasty (Kadambas), then in the 7^th century, Pulakeshi established the first pan-Indian Kannada kingdom; Pulakeshi II and Chalukyas were the first Kannada family to establish their control beyond their core area of northern Kannada speaking regions, effectively into all the south Indian regions, south of the Vindhyas. His success in stopping Harsha, the celebrated emperor of north India, on the banks of Narmada adds to his legend as a great Kannada hero. Yet, possibly because of the absence of popular legends and folk narratives, Pulakeshi doesn’t hold the same romantic appeal, as is the case with Mayura. His association with Kannada nationalism too seems to be contrived and forced.

ACK-109: Guru Ravidas

An out of print ACK #350

Indian religious leader and founder Satguru of the "Ravidasi" beliefs, revered by most Hindus as a "Sant"; by Nirankari sect, Balmiki sect as a "Guru", by Radhasoami organization as a "Sant" and as a "Bhagat" by Sikhs, which is a somewhat lesser station than that attributed to him in other faiths. He is referred to as Guru Ravidas by followers of his beliefs.

ACK-108: The Nawab's Diwan and Other Tamil Tales

An out of print ACK # 368

If you like can post summary.

Many many thanks to “Apoorva Chandar” for this rare ACK.

ACK-107: Vidyut Chora

An out of print ACK # 330

Vaddaradhane by Shivakotiacharya is the earliest extant prose work in Kannada. It is a didactic work consisting of nineteen stories and is based on Harisena's bruhat hari katha kosha. It gives a detailed description of the life of Bhadrabahu of Shravanabelagola. The work is dated to the 9th century but some scholars advance a pre-sixth century date for the work. Based on internal evidence, it is suggested that Shivakotiacharya may have been a native of Kogali, in the Bellary district of modern Karnataka.
The list of 19 stories are

ACK-105: Shivaji & ACK-106: Tales of Shivaji

ACK #23 (#564)

Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was the founder of the Maratha Empire in western India. He is considered to be one of the greatest warriors of his time and even today, stories of his exploits are narrated as a part of the folklore. King Shivaji used the guerrilla tactics to capture a part of, the then, dominant Mughal empire. Read this biography to get more information on the warrior and his life history:

Early Life

Shivaji was born on 19th February 1630, to Sahaji and his wife, Jijabai, in the Shivneri Fort, situated almost 60 km to the north of Pune. He was named as Shiva, after the local Goddess Shivai, to whom his mother Jijabai had prayed for a son. After being defeated by the combined forces of the Mughals and Adil Shah, Sahaji was offered a jagir near the present-day Bangalore. However, he was allowed to keep his holdings in Pune. So, Sahaji left his son Shivaji to manage the Pune holdings, under the care of his mother Jijabai.

ACK-104: Ramanuja

ACK #243 (#715)

Sri Ramanuja Acharya (1017 - 1137 AD)

"Let noble thoughts come to us from every side" - Rigveda (1,89,1)

Sri Ramanuja is known as the greatest exponent of Visistadvaita Vedanta. He appeared around 1017 A.D in a pious brahmana family. He became the formost Acarya in the Sri Sampradaya and was reputed to be the incarnation of Sri Laksmana, the younger brother of Lord Sri Rama.

ACK-103: Adi Shankara

ACK #060(#656)
Shri Adi Shankaracharya (788-820)

Shri Adi Shankaracharya or the first Shankara with his remarkable reinterpretations of Hindu scriptures, especially on Upanishads or Vedanta, had a profound influence on the growth of Hinduism at a time when chaos, superstition and bigotry was rampant. Shankara advocated the greatness of the Vedas and was the most famous Advaita philosopher who restored the Vedic Dharma and Advaita Vedanta to its pristine purity and glory.

Shri Adi Shankaracharya, known as Bhagavatpada Acharya (the guru at the feet of Lord), apart from refurbishing the scriptures, cleansed the Vedic religious practices of ritualistic excesses and ushered in the core teaching of Vedanta, which is Advaita or non-dualism for the mankind. Shankara restructured various forms of desultory religious practices into acceptable norms and stressed on the ways of worship as laid down in the Vedas.

ACK-102: Madhvacharya

ACK #153 (#579)

Madhvacharya was born around 1238 A.D. eight miles south-east of the modern town of Udupi, in the Karnataka State. He is reputed to be the incarnation of Bhima, taking birth in Kali-yuga to destroy the daityas. Others refer to him as Vayu himself and it w as his life's mission to defeat the followers of Sankaracharya.

He was born in the family of very elevated brahmanas and from his early childhood performed many amazing pastimes, such as the killing of a huge serpentine demon named Maniman, simply with the big toe of his left foot.

Madhva was only eight years old when he received spiritual initiation and at the age of twelve he accepted the sannyasa order and began to travel the length and breadth of India.

ACK-101: Senapati Bapat

An out of print ACK #303

India's freedom fighters seem to have come from all walks of life and from many varied backgrounds. Of those freedom fighters one stands out as a man who had only one goal and only one vision. His fight centered not on the issue of whether to use violence or not in the struggle, nor was he too concerned about how the new India was to be governed. His goal in life was to see a free India by any means possible.

If bombs and guns brought him closer to that goal then they were good. If Gandhiji's methods of non-violence brought India closer to freedom than the methods that Senapati Bapat espoused. He was born in Ahmednagar, a district of Maharashtra, on November 12, 1880. He was fearless as a child. Having once almost drowned in a nearby stream, he didn't think twice of venturing into the stream again. He brought this same dedication and fearlessness to the aide of his motherland.

ACK-100: Jallianwala Bagh - The Beginning of the end of the British Raj

Here is 100th ACK online by HMIndia TEAM- PBC.
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ACK #358

Amritsar Massacre or Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, the shooting of unarmed Indian demonstrators by the British army on April 13, 1919, an incident that contributed to the downfall of the British Indian empire.

Prehistory

The events of the Amritsar Massacre arose from the British government’s struggle to maintain control over its Indian colony in the face of a growing movement for Indian independence after World War I (1914-1918). During the war, India contributed extensively to Britain's war effort, and Indian political leaders expected democratic concessions and greater opportunities for self-government after the war ended. However, the British government in India was worried about subversive activities that could destabilize its rule, because it had faced German-supported terrorist disturbances during the course of the war.

(from encarta.msn.com )

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"The impossible men of India shall rise and liberate their Motherland"
Mahatma Gandhi, after the Amritsar Massacre.

"The incident in Jallian Wala Bagh was 'an extraordinary event, a monstrous event, an event which stands in singular and sinister isolation"...Winston Churchill

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Jallianwalla Bagh massacre

ACK-099: Chandrapeeda and other Tales of Kashmir

An out of print ACK #320

This ACK is based on Kalhana's Rajatarangini. One more ACK based on same book is available in this blog here.

This Amar Chitra Katha is based on Kalhana's Rajatarangini. Another ACK based on same book is available here.

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Rajatarangini

historical chronicle of India (Sanskrit: “River of Kings”)

Main

historical chronicle of early India, written in Sanskrit verse by the Kashmiri Brahman Kalhana in 1148, that is justifiably considered to be the best and most authentic work of its kind. It covers the entire span of history in the Kashmir region from the earliest times to the date of its composition.

Kalhana was excellently equipped for the work. Uninvolved personally in the maelstrom of contemporary politics, he nevertheless was profoundly affected by it and stated the following to be his ideal:

That noble-minded poet alone merits praise whose word, like the sentence of a judge, keeps free from love or hatred in recording the past.

His access to minute details of contemporary court intrigues was almost direct: his father and uncle were both in the Kashmir court. Regarding the events of the past, Kalhana’s search for material was truly fastidious. He delved deep into such model works as the Harsacarita and the Brihat-samhita epics and used with commendable familiarity the local rajakathas (royal chronicles) and such previous works on Kashmir as Nripavali by Kshemendra, Parthivavali by Helaraja, and Nilamatapurana. He displayed surprisingly advanced technical expertise for the time in his concern for unconventional sources. He looked up a variety of epigraphic sources relating to royal eulogies, construction of temples, and land grants; he studied coins, monumental remains, family records, and local traditions. But his traditional conceptual framework, using uncritical assumptions and a belief in the role of the poet as an exponent of moral maxims, makes the idealizing content in his narrative, particularly for the early period, rather dominant.

Rajatarangini, which consists of 7,826 verses, is divided into eight books. Book I attempts to weave imaginary tales of Kashmir kings into epic legends. Gonanda was the first king and a contemporary and enemy of the Hindu deity Krishna. Traces of genuine history are also found, however, in references to the Mauryan emperors Ashoka and Jalauka; the Buddhist Kushan kings Hushka (Huviska), Jushka (Vajheska), and Kanishka (Kaniska); and Mihirakula, a Huna king. Book II introduces a new line of kings not mentioned in any other authentic source, starting with Pratapaditya I and ending with Aryaraja. Book III starts with an account of the reign of Meghavahana of the restored line of Gonanda and refers to the brief reign of Matrigupta, a supposed contemporary of Vikramaditya Harsha of Malwa. There too, legend is mixed with reality, and Toramana Huna is incorporated into the line of Meghavahana. The book closes with the establishment of the Karkota Naga dynasty by Durlabhaka Pratapaditya II, and it is from Book IV on that Rajatarangini takes on the character of a dependable historical narrative. The Karkota line came to a close with the usurpation of the throne by Avantivarman, who started the Utpala dynasty in 855. In Books V and VI the history of the dynasty continues to 1003, when the kingdom of Kashmir passed on to a new dynasty, the Lohara. Book VII brings the narrative to the death of King Harsha (1101), and Book VIII deals with the stormy events between the death of Harsha and the stabilization of authority under Kalhana’s contemporary Jayasimha (reigned 1128–49).

In style the Rajatarangini narrative is sometimes considered as versified prose on a massive scale, yet its strong structural appeal made it a model for later historians. In fact, the history of Kashmir was continued, along Kalhana’s line, down to some years after the annexation of Kashmir by the Mughal emperor Akbar (1586) in the following works: Rajatarangini (by Jonaraja), Jainatarangini (by Shrivara), and Rajavalipataka (by Prajyabhatta and Shuka). Neither in style nor in authenticity do these works approximate the quality of Kalhana’s Rajatarangini.

(~ From www.britannica.com)

Many many thanks to “Apoorva Chandar” for providing ACK scan.

ACK-098: Babur

An out of print ACK #134

Babur Biography

Babur, alternately spelt Babar and Baber (c.1483 - 1530) was a famous conqueror of India and founder of the Mogul dynasty.

His name was Zahir ud-din-Mahomet, and he was given the surname of Babur, meaning "the tiger". Born on February 14, 1483, he was a descendant of both Timur, the legendary Turk warrior, and Genghis Khan, the legendary Mongolian warrior. He was also the grandson of Ulugh Beg, the grandson of Timur. His father, Omar Sheik, was king of Ferghana, a district of what is now Russian Turkestan. Omar died in 1495, and Babur, though only twelve years of age, succeeded to the throne. An attempt made by his uncles to dislodge him proved unsuccessful, and no sooner was the young sovereign firmly settled than he began to meditate an extension of his own dominions.

In 1497 he attacked and gained possession of Samarkand, to which he always seems to have thought he had a natural and hereditary right. A rebellion among his nobles robbed him of his native kingdom, and while marching to recover it his troops deserted him, and he lost Samarkand. After some reverses he regained both these places, but in 1501 his most formidable enemy, Shaibani (Sheibani) Khan, ruler of the Uzbegs, defeated him in a great engagement and drove him from Samarkand. For three years he wandered about trying in vain to recover his lost possessions; at last, in 1504, he gathered some troops, and crossing the snowy Hindu Kush besieged and captured the strong city of Kabul. By this dexterous stroke he gained a new and wealthy kingdom, and completely re-established his fortunes.

In the following year he united with Hussain Mirz of Herat against Shaibani. The death of Hussain put a stop to this expedition, but Babur spent a year at Herat, enjoying the pleasures of that capital. He returned to Kabul in time to quell a formidable rebellion, but two years later a revolt among some of the leading Moguls drove him from his city. He was compelled to take to flight with very few companions, but through courage and daring struck the army of his opponents with such dismay that they again returned to their allegiance and Baber regained his kingdom. Once again, in 1510, after the death of Shaibani, he endeavoured to obtain possession of his native country. He received considerable aid from Shah Ismael of Persia, and in 1511 made a triumphal entry into Samarkand. But in 1514 he was utterly defeated by the Uzbegs (Uzbeks) and with difficulty reached Kabul.

He seemed now to have resigned all hopes of recovering Ferghana, and although at the same time he dreaded an invasion of the Uzbegs from the west, his attention was more and more drawn towards India. Several preliminary incursions had been already made, when in 1521 an opportunity presented itself for a more extended expedition. Ibrahim Lodi, sultan of the Delhi Sultanate, was detested, even by his Afghan nobles, several of whom called upon Baber for assistance. He at once assembled his forces, 12,000 strong, with some pieces of artillery and marched into India. Ibrahim, with 100,000 soldiers and numerous elephants, advanced against him. The great battle was fought at Panipat on the April 21, 1526, when Ibrahim was slain and his army routed. Babur at once took possession of Agra.

A still more formidable enemy awaited him; the Rana Sanga of Mewar collected the enormous force of 210,000 men, with which he moved against the invaders. On all sides there was danger and revolt, even Babur's own soldiers, worn out with the heat of this new climate, longed for Kabul. He restored their courage, though he was inwardly losing confidence, and in his distress he renounced the use of wine, to which he had been addicted. At Kanwaha, on the 10 March 1527, he won a great victory and made himself absolute master of northern India. The remaining years of his life he spent in arranging the affairs and revenues of his new empire and in improving his capital, Agra. He died on the December 26, 1530 in his forty-eighth year.

Babur wrote his memoirs, the Baburnama, in Chaghatay Turkish.

(~From www.biographybase.com)

Read more at: dictionary.sensagent.com; Wikipedia, islamicart.com, www.storyofpakistan.com, www.geocities.com, www.edwebproject.org, www.indiasite.com

Many many thanks to “Apoorva Chandar” for providing ACK scan.

ACK-097: The Legend of Lalitaditya

ACK #338 (690)

This ACK is based on Kalhana's Rajatarangini.

Kalhana's Rajatarangini is the most famous historical poem which records the oldest and fullest history of the legendary kings of Kashmir as well as gives accounts of the Kashmirian kings of the historical period. It consists of eight chapters and draws upon earlier sources, notably the Nilamata Purana. It represents a class of Sanskrit composition which comes nearest in character to the chronicles of Medieval Europe and of the Muhammadan East. Together with the later Kashmir chronicles which continue Kalhana's narrative, it is practically the sole extant specimen of this class. Its author's object is to offer a connected narrative of the various dynasties which ruled Kashmir from the earliest period down to his own time. The final portion of the work, considerable both in extent and historical interest, is devoted to the accounts of the events which the author knew by personal experience or from the relation of living witnesses. These events are narrated from the point of view of a more or less independent chronicler and by no means the purely panegyrical object of the court-poet.

Read more details at Wikipedia.

Read online Kalhana's Rajatarangini HERE.

Many many thanks to “Apoorva Chandar” for providing ACK scan.

ACK-096: Kannagi

ACK # 093 (666)

Most of us know about the Sanskrit epics of India Ramayana and Mahabharata. There are two Tamil works of equal importance Silappadikaaram and Manimegalai that are lesser known. These are two out of five old Tamil classics given the Tamil title Perum Kappiyangal, meaning epics. While Ramayana and Mahabharata are dated at least as long ago as mid first millennium BC, if not earlier, Silappadikaaram and Manimegalai are dated 3rd to 5th century AD. Silappadikaaram gives us a sweeping glimpse of the full story indicating what to look for in the three settings at Puhar, Madurai and Vanji cities.

The story of Silappadikaaram is simple. The heroine of the story Kannagi, the virtuous wife of Kovalan a rich merchant of Poompuhar suffers two personal misfortunes in her life. The first misfortune she pardons gracefully but to the second one she reacts forcefully and takes revenge on the offender. It is remarkable that for both these actions, her chastity (Pativrata Dharma) is the motivator. After getting married with all the pomp and glamour to her Kovalan, she soon loses him to an artful dancing courtesan. Kovalan is infatuated by Madhavi who is well versed in classical music and dance, not knowing that as a crafty courtesan she cares for his wealth rather than his love and lute-playing prowess. Kovalan loses his wealth and returns to his wife Kannagi as a prodigal husband. As a virtuous wife (Pativrata), Kannagi accepts him and offers her only remaining jewellery, a pair of anklets (Silambu) to be sold and the proceeds used for establishing new business. The couple leave to another city, Madurai the capital of Pandiyan king, escorted by a Jain nun. At Madurai, Kovalan falls into a trap of a goldsmith who had stolen the queen's gold anklet. The goldsmith incriminates Kovalan as the thief and gives away to the king. The king orders execution of Kovalan in a hasty judgement that is quickly carried out. Kannagi is shocked and enraged immensely at the injustice meted out to her beloved husband. She rushes to Pandiyan's court, accuses the king of injustice, and proves her case by breaking the silambu that was recovered from her husband. The anklet of the queen was filled with pearls and Kannagi's anklet was filled with rubies. The shock of remorse kills the king and the queen on the spot. Kannagi's rage turns to the city of Madurai and she burns it down by her spiritual powers of a chaste wife.

~ It's a part of the article by M.K.V.Narayan. Visit mkvnarayan.sulekha.com to read full article.

Many many thanks to “Apoorva Chandar” for providing ACK scan.

ACK-095: Harsha - The Great Ruler of Thaneshwar

ACK #033 (627)

Harsha or Harshavardhana (हर्षवर्धन) or "Harsha vardhan" (590–657) was an Indian Rajput emperor who ruled Northern India for fifty seven years. He was the son of Prabhakar Vardhan and younger brother of Rajyavardhan, a king of Thanesar. He was born into a royal family of the Bais Rajput, a royal Rajput clan. At the height of his power his kingdom spanned the Punjab, Bengal, Orissa and the entire Indo-Gangetic plain North of the Narmada River. After the downfall of the Gupta Empire in the middle of the sixth century C.E., North India reverted back to small republics and small monarchical states. Harsha united the small republics from Punjab to Central India, and they, at an assembly, crowned Harsha king in April 606 AD when he was merely 16 years old.

Harshavardhana's Ancestors

The origin of Harsha's ancestors is obscure and little is known about them. According to Banabhatta, Harshaćárita they were descended from a certain Pushpabhuti who founded and ruled the kingdom of Sthanvisvara or modern Thanesar, an ancient Hindu pilgrimage centre and one of the 51 Shaktipeeth's, now a small town in the vicinity of the newly created Kurukshetra in the state of Haryana north of Delhi. The name Pushpabhuti is the key to Harsha's origins and the relevant reference point is an inscription dated 181 AD and found at Gunda in the state of Gujarat. That inscription mentions a general of Rudrasimha I or Rudrasingh by the name Rudrabhuti. Rudradaman I, an ancestor of Rudrasimha I had conquered the Yaudheya, who were the original masters of Haryana.

The famous Chinese Buddhist pilgrim monk, Xuanzang, states that Harsha was a 吙舍 feishe or of the Vaishya caste^[4] but makes no comment about his family's origins.

According to Alexander Cunningham, in 1871 Xuanzang must have mistaken the Vaisa for Bais Rajput. Thomas Watters has pointed out this is most unlikely as Xuanzang, "had ample opportunities for learning the antecedents of the royal family, and he must have had some ground for his assertion." However, Banabhatta clarifies that the Bais Rajput descent must have been correct considering the Harshacarita the author Bâna never stated his background to be strangely non Kshatriya. Harsha's Royal descent being known (rulers of Sthanvisvara, modern Thanesar) and his sister being married into prominent Kshatriya families of Maukharis. (a highly contentious occurrence, had Harsha's family not been of royal or Kshatriya descent).

Moreover, upon his formal coronation ceremony, Harsha took the title Rajputra.

Pre Harsha Vardhan rule

After the downfall of the Gupta Empire in the middle of the sixth century CE, North India was split into several independent kingdoms. The Huns had established their supremacy over the Punjab and parts of central India. The northern and western regions of India passed into the hands of a dozen or more feudatory states.

Prabhakar Vardhan, the ruler of Sthanvisvara, who belonged to the Pushyabhuti family, extended his control over neighbouring states. Prabhakar Vardhan was the first king of the Vardhana dynasty with his capital at Thaneswar.

After Prabhakar Vardhan’s death in 606 CE, his eldest son, Rajya Vardhan, ascended the throne. Harsha Vardhana was Rajya Vardhan’s younger brother.

This period of kings from the same line has been referred to as the Vardhan dynasty for distinction purposes in some publications though the dynasty was not necessarily known as the Vardhan dynasty in its era.

Harsha's Ascension

Rajya Vardhan’s and Harsha’s sister Rajyasri had been married to the Maukhari king, Grahavarman. This king, some years later, had been defeated and killed by king Deva Gupta of Malwa and after his death Rajyasri had been cast into prison by the victor. Harsha's brother, Rajya Vardhan, then the king at Thanesar, could not stand this affront on his family, marched against Deva Gupta and defeated him. But it so happened at this moment that Sasanka, king of Gauda in Eastern Bengal, entered Magadha as a friend of Rajya Vardhana, but in secret alliance with the Malwa king. Accordingly, Sasanka treacherously murdered Rajya Vardhan.

On hearing about the murder of his brother, Harsha resolved at once to march against the treacherous king of Gauda and killed Deva Gupta in a battle. Harsha ascended the throne at the age of 16.

Harsha's Wars

Though quite a young man when he came to power, Harsha proved himself a great conqueror and an able administrator. After his accession, Harsha united the two kingdoms of Thanesar and Kanauj and transferred his capital from Thanesar to Kanauj. Harsha defeated Shashanka, the ruler of Bengal. He also brought Bengal, Bihar and Orissa under his control. He conquered Dhruvasena of Gujarat and gave his own daughter in marriage to him. He also conquered Ganjam, a part of the modern Orissa State.

Harsha's ambition of extending his power to the Deccan and Southern India were stopped by Pulakeshi II, the Chalukya king of Vatapi in Northern Karnataka. Pulakeshi defeated Harsha's army on the banks of the river Narmada in 620 AD. A truce was agreed upon and the river Narmada was marked as the southern boundary of Harsha's kingdom.

Patron of Buddhism and Literature

Harsha's father, Prabhākara was, apparently a sun-worshipper and of Bargujar clan, his brother followed Hinayana Buddhism while, according to Bana, Harsha himself was a Mahayana Buddhist. Harsha was a tolerant ruler and supported all faiths - Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism. Early in his life, he seems to have been a follower of Sun Worship, becoming a patron of Shaivism and Buddhism later on.

His sister Rajyashri's conversion to Buddhism presumably had a positive effect on his support to the religion. His approach to religion is evident in his celebrated play Nagananda. The play's theme is based on the Jataka tale of the Bodhisattva Jimutavahana, but Harasha introduces the Goddess Gauri, Shiva's consort, as the saviour of Jimutavahana, a feature not found in the Jataka.

According to the Chinese Pilgrim Xuanzang, who visited his kingdom in 636 CE, Harsha built numerous stupas in the name of Buddha. Xuanzang entered a grand competition organized by Harsha and won the theological debate. Harsha also became a patron of art and literature. He made numerous endowments to the University at Nalanda. Two seals of Harsha have been found in Nalanda in the course of the excavations. All these favours and donations of the great emperor were crowned by the construction of a lofty wall enclosing all the buildings of the university to defend the institution from any other possible attack. In 643 he held a Buddhist convocation at Kanauj which was reputedly attended by 20 kings and thousands of pilgrims.

In 641, following Xuanzang's visit, Harsha sent a mission to China which established the first diplomatic relations between China and India. The Chinese responded by sending an embassy consisting of Li Yibiao and Wang Xuanze, who probably traveled through Tibet and whose journey is commemorated in inscriptions at Rajagriha - modern Rajgir, and Bodhgaya.

Harsha was a noted author on his own merit. He wrote three Sanskrit plays – Nagananda, Ratnavali and Priyadarsika. His reign is comparatively well documented, thanks to his court poet Bana and Xuanzang. Bana composed an account of Harsha's rise to power in Harsha Charitha, the first historical poetic work in Sanskrit language. Xuanzang wrote a full description of his travels in India.

After Harsha

Harsha died in the year 647 AD. He ruled for 57 years. After Harsha's death, apparently without any heirs, his empire died with him. The kingdom disintegrated rapidly into small states. The succeeding period is very obscure and badly documented, but it marks the culmination of a process that had begun with the invasion of the Huns in the last years of the Gupta Empire.

Neither Bana's nor Huan Tsang's account gives any details of this period. A few tantalising glimpses are offered in some ancient Chinese and Tibetan Books. The one in the Tibetan book The White Annals tells that Harsha had sent an envoy to the Chinese Emperor, who in turn sent a Chinese one(named in the Chinese sources as Wang Xuance) with a convoy of thirty horsemen. When they reached India they found that Harsha was dead and his minister Arjuna had usurped the throne. Arjuna is said to have been persecuting the Buddhists and attacked the envoy who had to flee to Tibet. The Tibetan king decided to avenge the insult to the Chinese emperor and sent the envoy back with an army that finally managed to defeat and take Arjuna and his family as prisoners, and sent them back as prisoners to the Chinese emperor. Historians have not yet managed to unravel what the facts were from these meagre accounts.

~ From Wikipedia

Another Harsha related article is available in blog: Here

Many many thanks to “Apoorva Chandar” for providing ACK scan.

ACK-094: The Legend of Maarthaanda Varma

Out of print ACK #346

Marthanda Varma (1729-1758) unified the erstwhile state of Travancore strong enough to stem the Dutch advance in India. The resourceful Ramayyan Dalawa (prime minister) and able commander Delannoy helped him modernize his army, fortify strategic points of his kingdom and initiate reforms to help his land prosper while checking dissent. The reign of Marthanda Varma is marked as the golden age of Travancore dynasty.

Marthanda Varma had to overcome formidable challenges in the form of opposition from ‘Ettuveettil Pillamar’ (eight mighty chieftains) who supported the rival claimants to the throne, Pappu and Raman Thampis, the sons of King Ravi Varma. Once he ascended the throne, he strengthened his forces and annexed the petty states near his kingdom and gradually advanced through offensives and tact to become one of the three major kingdoms in Kerala state, which scenario prevailed till the formation of independent India.

One of the highlights of his military campaigns was the victory over the Dutch forces at Colachel in Tamil Nadu in 1741. Despite lacking the modern weapons of the Dutch, Marthanda Varma’s strategies so impressed the Dutch commander Eustchices Delannoy that he joined Marthanda Varma and attained renown as ‘Valia Kappithan’ (Chief Captain). This defeat, the first of a western power by any Asian state, sealed the fate of Dutch ambitions in India.

After expanding his kingdom, Marthanda Varma surrendered his kingdom—‘Thrippadidanam’ (surrender at the holy feet)—to Lord Padmanabha (Lord Vishnu) at Thiruvananthapuram whose temple he renovated. He continued to rule as the envoy of the Lord and earned the title of ‘Sri Padmanabha Dasa’ (servant of Lord Padmanabha), passed on to his successors.

(~ From India9.com)

Read more details: Wikipedia

Many many thanks to “Apoorva Chandar” for providing ACK scan.

ACK- 093: Vivekanand

ACK # 146 (517)

"Let us proclaim to every soul..- Arise, awake and stop not till the goal is reached. Arise, Awake from hypnotism of this weakness.
None is really weak; the soul is infintes, omnipotent and omniscient. Stand up, assert yourself, proclain the GOD within you, do not deny him!
Too much of inactivity, too much of weakness, too much of hypnotism, has been & is upon our race. O ye morden Hindus, de-hypnotise yourselves.
The way to do that is found in your own sacred books. Teach yourself, teach everyone his real nature, call upon the sleeping sould and see how it awakes.Power will come, glory will come, goodness will come, purity will come, everything that is excellent will come when this sleeping soul is roused to self-consicous activity.
Ay, If there is anything in the Gita that I like , it is these verses, coming out strong as the very gist, the very essence, of Krishana's teaching "He who sees the supreme Lord dwelling alike in all beings, the Imperishable in the things that perish, he sees indeed. For seeing the Lord as the same, everywhere present, he does not destory the self by the self, and thus he goes to the highest goal."

-Swami Vivekananda (from www.vkendra.org)

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Vivekanand

Narendra was born to Bhuvaneshwari Devi and Vishwanath Datta. This was the January of year 1863, in Calcutta. He was a very sharp child and a natural leader. One of his plays as a child was to meditate! He would do that with such concentration that, not even a snake crawling around could disturb him. He would give anything he had if asked for. Beggars would line up by his window for alms. Narendra excelled in sports and studies. He knew not what fear was.

Narendra started studying in college after he passed the matriculation exam. He read books on philosophy, religion, history, creation, science and western philosophy. He asked more and more questions about Religion and God. No body was able to satisfy him.

In early 1882, Narendra went his friends to Dakhsineshwar, to meet Sri Ramkrishna Paramahans. The Paramahans was the priest at the Kali temple. More than Narendra, the Pramahans was glad to meet Narendra! The Guru tested Narendra time and again, and the disciple tested his master. By the time Narendra completed his BA, he had also become the best disciple of Shri Pramhans.

Narendra's father died as soon as Narendra completed his BA. Narendra's family was overcome by grief and soon by poverty. Narendra started in search for job. So bad was the state of this family, that they went without meals for days. On many incedents Narendra, without food, fainted on the streets. But even in such condition, his faith in God did not decrease. Later, He took up teaching in Vidyasagar School and also started studying law.

In 1886, Sri Ramkrishna left this world. Narendra became a monk and was named "Vivekanand". Vivekanand then started travelling to spread the knowledge and teachings of his Guru. He travelled to Vrindavan, Ayodhya, Varanasi, Jaipur, Ajmer, Hyderabad, Madras, Mysore and Kanyakumari.

In Mysore it was suggested that he attend the Conference of World Religions and represent Hiduism. Vivekanand reached Chicago in July of 1893. The Conference was still 2 months away. With resources not enough to last for 2 months, Vivekanand moved to Boston, a cheaper city. Vivekanand's stay in the America was very hard. He was out of money, with no friends, hungry and without shelter.

His famous lecture at the conference that started with "Brothers and Sisters of America" received a three minute applause! Newspapers carried his photographs and speech. People flocked to hear him speak. He spoke about the culture of India and Hindu philosophy. He cleared the impression of India that had been created by the Christian missionaries. On his way back to India, he went to England. There too the people had nothing but praise for him. He found many followers in England and America.

While on this tour abroad, Vivekanand, could not help but remember the poverty of India. He would be much troubled by it and spend sleepless nights sheding tears.

Swami Vivekanand returned to India after four years. He recieved a kings welcome in Madras. He eastablished the Ramkrishna Mission in 1897. The goals of this mission included eradicating castisim, poverty. He visited the norther parts of India and established the work of Ramkrishna mission there. He then again travelled to America, and then to Paris to attend the next Religious Conference there.

At the age of 39, he attained samadhi.

(~ from www.geocities.com)

Read more about Vivekananda at: Wikipedia, vivekananda.org, freeindia.org, ramakrishnavivekananda.info, vivekananda.net, belurmath.org, btinternet.com.

It's contributed by Shailendra Rao. Apoorva send the cover & Ajnaabi cleaned with PhotoShop. Thanks friends, you are really a team.

ACK-092: Manonmani

Out of print ACK #157

This ACK is based on the play Manonmaniyam (1891) by P. Sundaram Pillai.

P. Sundaram Pillai was a Tamil scholar and also a great dramatist. He was born in Alappuzha, Kerala in 1855. Sundaram Pillai was educated at Maharaja`s College, Thiruvananthapuram. P. Sundaram Pillai worked for the Travancore Education Service and also as a professor of philosophy. He was known for his erudition in philosophy, Tamil, English and Sanskrit literature, archaeology, and education. He contributed a voluminous blank verse play To Tamil theatre.

Some of P. Sundaram Pillai`s notable works can be mentioned as Manonmaniyam in 1891. This was adapted from a story in Bulwer-Lytton`s `The Lost Tales of Miletus`. It became a landmark as the first Tamil dramatic text in the Western sense of the term. Although unstageable in full, it became very popular, dramatized in more convenient and concise prose form by mainstream commercial companies. It took the story to be one more Tamil folk legend. Several film versions resulted from its stage success. Tamils lap it up, not knowing of its origin in distant England. P. Sundaram Pillai developed a distinct southern exclusiveness eschewing all things Sanskritic and Brahmanical. The invocatory song to Manonmaniyam showered encomia on the undying vitality of the Tamil language, glowing like a crest jewel of the Dravidian land. The Dravidian movement elevated it into the anthem of Tamil nationalism. P. Sundaram Pillai died in 1897.

(~ from www.indianetzone.com)

Read more at www.saivaneri.org

Note: Manonmaniam Sundaranar University was established in 1990 by Government of Tamil Nadu.

Many many thanks to “Ajay Misra” for providing ACK scan.

ACK- 089, 090-091: Ramana Maharshi & More Tales From The Jatakas: Battle of Wits, The DeadlyFeast , The Hidden Treasure

H.M.India Team wish you:

May God gift you all the colors of life, colors of joy, colors of happiness, colors of friendship, colors of love and all other colors you want to paint in your life.

A very very HAPPY HOLI!

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ACK # 290 (628)

Introduction

Sri Ramana Maharshi was born on 30th December, 1879. He was known as Venkataraman. Born in a pious middle class Brahmin family, he went to a mission school and learnt a little English.

Flight From Home

On the 29th of August 1896, Venkataraman left his home in the district of Madurai in search of his Father, Lord Arunachala, to whom he reported himself on the 1st of September 1896, thus:

O Lord, obedient to Thy call
Here have I come, deserting all,
No boon I ask; no loss bemoan,
Take me in and make me Thine own.

From that day till the end of his earthly sojourn, Venkataraman made Arunachala (Tiruvannamalai) his abode, transmitting through Mouna, the golden language of his egoless state, the Message of Eternal Truth, to the four corners of the globe.

Venkataraman left a note behind to his rebuking brother: "I have, in search of my Father, according to His command, started from this place. On a virtuous enterprise, indeed, I have this day embarked. Therefore, for this action none need grieve or trace this one. No money need be spent for searching me".

The Great Enlightenment

"It was about six weeks before I left Madurai for good, in the middle of the year 1896, that the great change in my life took place" said Sri Ramana Maharshi, when asked by devotees as to how he was transformed, "It was so sudden. One day I sat up alone on the first floor of my uncle’s house. I was in my usual good health. But a sudden and unmistakable fear of death seized me. I felt I was going to die and at once set about thinking as to what I should do. I did not care to consult anyone, be he a doctor, elder or friend. I felt I had to solve the problem myself then and there. The shock of the fear of death made me at once introspective or ‘introverted’. I said to myself mentally, ‘Now that death is come, what does it mean? Who is it that is dying? This body dies’. I at once dramatised the situation. I extended my limbs and held them rigid as though rigor mortis had set in. I imitated a corpse to lend an air of reality to my further investigation. I held my breath and kept my mouth closed, pressing the lips tightly together, so that no sound could escape. ‘Well then’ I said to myself, ‘this body is dead. It will be carried to the crematory and there burnt and reduced to ashes. But with the death of my body, am I dead? Is the body I? This body is silent and inert. But I am still aware of the full force of my personality and even of the sound of I within myself as apart from the body. The material body dies, but the Spirit transcending it cannot be touched by death. I am therefore the deathless Spirit’. All this was not a feat of intellectual gymnastics, but came as a flash before me vividly as living Truth, which I perceived immediately, without any argument almost. I was something very real, the only real thing in that state, and all the conscious activity that was connected with my body was centred on that. The I or myself was holding the focus of attention with a powerful fascination. Fear of death vanished at once and for ever. The absorption in the Self has continued from that moment right up to now".

Tapas of Maharshi

Ramana practised Tapas in the thousand-pillared Mandapam, near the Patala Linga, in Subrahmanya’s shrine, in the Mango garden, the Sadguru Swami cave and Cora hills. From 1909 to 1916 he lived in the Virupakshi Cave.

During his days of Tapas, mischievous boys pelted him with stones and hurled tiles at him; and yet Ramana was ever peaceful and calm through the strength of meditation and penance.

Ramana Maharshi was known as Brahmana Swami in Tiruvannamalai. Kavya Kanta Ganapathy Sastri, the great Sanskrit scholar, came to Ramana’s Ashram in 1908 and stayed with Maharshi and wrote the Ramana Gita.

The life of the Maharshi was one continued meditation, Ananda Anubhavam. Maharshi established peace within. He lived in the Light of the Lord within. He encouraged others to do the same thing. To him all the world was one.

Maharshi seldom talked, and whenever he did speak, he did so only because it was absolutely necessary.

His Divine Message

Ramana was a living example of the teaching of the Upanishads. His life was at once the message and the philosophy of his teachings. He spoke to the hearts of men.

The great Maharshi found Himself within himself and then gave out to the world the grand but simple message of his great life, "Know Thyself".

"Know Thyself. All else will be known to thee of its own accord. Discriminate between the undying, unchanging, all-pervading, infinite Atma and the ever-changing, phenomenal and perishable universe and body. Enquire, ‘Who am I?’ Make the mind calm. Free yourself from all thoughts other than the simple thought of the Self or Atma. Dive deep into the chambers of your heart. Find out the real, infinite ‘I’. Rest there peacefully for ever and become identical with the Supreme Self." This is the gist of the philosophy and teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi.

Sri Ramana says, "The world is so unhappy because it is ignorant of the true Self. Man’s real nature is happiness. Happiness is inborn in the true Self. Man’s search for happiness is an unconscious search for his true Self. The true Self is imperishable; therefore, when a man finds it, he finds a happiness which does not come to an end.

"In the interior cavity of the heart, the One Supreme Being is ever glowing with the Self-conscious emanation I...I... To realise Him, enter into the heart with an one-pointed mind—by quest within or diving deep or control of breath—and abide with the Self of self".

Sri Ramana’s Who am I?, Upadesa Saram and Ullathu Narpathu are pearls of direct wisdom, expressed in aphoristic terseness.

Sri B.V. Narasimha Swami, the late President of the All India Sai Samaj, has published a thrilling life of Ramana entitled, "Self-realisation". Yogi Suddhananda Bharati has written the life of Sri Ramana in Tamil.

Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi has set at naught the prattle of materialists that Self-realisation and Samadhi are things of the remote past, and that in the present age, they are impossible of achievement to man. He has shown by his lifelong Samadhi that it is still possible to realise the Supreme and live in that realisation.

Beloved aspirant! Take heart. Gird up your loins. Apply yourself intensely to Yoga Sadhana. You will soon attain Videha Kaivalya and shine for ever as an illumined sage.

The Light Shines Brighter Than Ever

Lieut-Col. P.V. Karamchandani, I.M.S., D.M.O., North Arcot District, attended on Sri Ramana when the latter suffered from a kind of malignant tumour in his upper left arm above the elbow. The Maharshi was operated four times.

A meteor hit the sky at 8-47 p.m. on the 14th April, 1950, when Sri Ramana Maharshi left his mortal coil and entered Mahasamadhi.

The all-pervading Light which shone through the embodiment of that Light in Maharshi Ramana had once again resolved itself into its original state. A lifelong proof of the Upanishads was what we called Maharshi Ramana. That proof will for ever exist, reassuring us of the Ultimate Reality.

The saint is no more in his mortal frame. But the Light of his soul is now merged in every receptive individual soul. Maharshi Ramana lives in our heart. His passing away should not be grieved for. For he had fulfilled the mission of his life. He had achieved the highest goal, Self-realisation. So there is nothing to grieve for. The death of only those that are not able to achieve the goal of life or do their duty has any reason to be mourned. The Light of the Maharshi’s soul shines today brighter than ever.

In the heart of humanity the saint shall live for ever, guiding, encouraging, goading and inspiring, so that millions and millions might seek and find the Great Truth that Ramana realised.

Too well did Sri Ramana expound the Vedanta philosophy, not through bookish knowledge, but by practical experience. His teachings imparted through all-absorbing ‘Silence’ embodied the highest ideals and the ultimate reaches in divine realisation. To ever assert one’s latent divinity, to ever strive to live in the consciousness of the immortal Self and to remain as an unaffected witness of the transitory phases of life immersed in that Supreme Silence—was the clarion call of the Maharshi. Dogmas and religious prejudices he cared not for! For he was far above those mundane limitations. With him lived orthodox Brahmin priests, Moslems and Christians and the so-called Indian untouchables. They were all alike to him.

As an architect-supreme of Truth-transcendental, Ramana Maharshi led, and now leads on, the weary travellers on earth towards the Goal through his unfathomable Silence.

To pay the most befitting homage to that saintly personality is to follow his teachings and to grow up in that ideal model.

May peace be unto all!

(~ from www.dlshq.org)

Read more details at Wikipedia, www.geocities.com, www.realization.org

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More Tales From The Jatakas

Includes the following titles:

#342 (625) Battle of Wits

#400 (665) The DeadlyFeast

#264 (617) The Hidden Treasure (This one is already post as separate ACK, that's why the header of post contains 3 ACK numbers instead of 4.)

Recommend to read, you will like these.

Many many thanks to “Apoorva Chandar” for providing ACK scan.