MAARKANDEYA presents MAHAABHAARATHAM

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W E L C O M E

"After praying to Naaraayana, Nara, Sarasvathi and Vyaasa, then one should recite the Jayam."

DEDICATED TO MY DEAR NIECE VYSHNAVI KRISHNA

SANJAYA

( The Y in this name is a consonant and is pronounced like ý'in 'You'.)

Sanjaya was a sootha by birth. He was a close associate of Dhritharaashtra till his end. He was referred to as Gaavalgani ie son of Gavalgana or Gaavalgana.

(Another person of the same name was referred to by Kunti while she was relating the episode of dialogue betwen queen Vidula and her son Sanjaya.See the link 'sanjaya1'. Note to avoid confusion with these same names.)

His prominence is so high that Dhritharaashtra chose him as his envoy to send to the paandavas soon after they returned from the exile and started their efforts for the war. This is the frst notable mention of Sanjaya's role. Sanjaya played his role very skillfully while he conveyed Dhritharaashtra's message to the Paandavas, all the while prevailing upon them to make peace but never giving any hint asto the returning of their due share of their kingdom. It was very clear that his message considerably reduced the gravity of Yudhishthira's intention to go for war.

After he returned to Dhritharaashtra, he clearly conveyed the response of the Paandavas, especially that of Arjuna that made Dhritharaashtra dread the war. He was so open that he did not hesitate that his conveyance of true words of the Paandavas might displease his king. He many times openly told Dhritharaashtra that the later's sons were wicked and their death need not be lamented for.

The second assignment he was given to fulfil was reporting of the war news to Dhrithraashtra. Vyaasa offered supersensory vision to the blind Dhritharaashtra if he wanted to view the war himself. But Dhritharaashtra chose not to see but to listen from Sanjaya, in detail. Vyaasa obliged his desire and graced Sanjaya with divine vision to be able to know the intentions and movements of everybody all the while on either side and also with the boon that he would not be hurt by any one with any missile even though he moved around in the battle field.

Sanjaya witnessed the entire war with the power of his divine vision. In the first instance, he was in the war-field for ten days untill Bheeshma fell on the tenth day and returned to Dhritharaashtra to relate the entire course of war of those ten days. He completed the first report and reached the war-field by dawn . In the second instance, he stayed in the war-field for five days till Drona's fall on the fifteenth day and returned to Dhritharaashtra to relate the course of the war of those five days. As earlier, he completed his seond war-report and returned to the war-field by dawn. In the third instance, he stayed in the war-field for two days untill Karna fell on the seventeenth day and returned to Dhritharaashtra to relate the course of war of those two days. Again, his war naaration was over by dawn and he returned to the battle field. In the fourth and last instance, he spent in the field till the fall of Duryodhana in late evening of the eighteenth day and Ashvaththaama's destroying the paandavas camp that night and then returned to Dhritharaashtra, in the forenoon of the next day. He related the entire course of the incidents of the last i.e eighteenth day and that night. His power ended with Duryodhana's fall.

During his war-coverage he happened to hear the conversation of Arjuna and Krishna at the beginning of the war, ie, the celebrated Geetha too. Thus he had the great advantage of directly hearing that great discourse.

During his reports to his king, Sanjaya was never partial. He exactly reported the actual incidents, be it in favour of his king's side or the other side. He clearly and bitterly found fault with Dhritharaashtra and his sons, whenever the latter lamented for the defeat of his sons. He never distorted the reports to please his king, eventhough he was reporting adverse news to him.

After the war is over, Sanjaya waited upon Dhritharaashtra as he was doing earlier as one of his close associates. When Dhritharaashtra retired to the forests after around thirteen years after the war, Sanjayaa too followed him and served him there faithfully. After three years of penance there, a forest conflagration cornered the blind king accompanied by the debilitated Gaandhaari, Kunthi and Sanjaya. Dhritharaashtra told Sanjaya to save himself leaving them to their fate. Though unwilling to do so, Sanjaya followed his king's words as he could not do anything better to save them. He advised his king to adopt yoga and sit in meditation as the fire was coming closer and closer. Then he left them for Himaalaya mountains for continuing his penance there. No further details about him were given in the epic.

"After praying to Naaraayana, Nara, Sarasvathi and Vyaasa, then one should recite the Jayam."

DEDICATED TO MY DEAR NIECE VYSHNAVI KRISHNA