Some Misconceptions

People have many misconceptions about several incidents mentioned in our scriptures. They might be due to several reasons, but unless those incidents are read carefully, those misconceptions cannot be removed and will be continued for several generations. I wish to write here some of those misconceptions so that people might be clear in their ideas.

Did Real Seetaa Enter the Fire?
It is a million dollar question? Why? In Hindi speaking North India, where Tulasee's Raam Charit Maanas is more popular than any other Raaamaayan, especially in UP, Bihaar and Madhya Pradesh areas, one may rarely find any educated house which does not have a copy of the Maanas. That is why people have only this information which is written in this Raamaayan, about Raam, Seetaa and others. Although this Maanas is written in Avadhee language but it comes with Hindi and English translation, so it is not much problem for the people to read it. People can know that which Seetaa entered Fire (Agni) and why did She have to pass this Fire test.

Raam never wanted that His Seetaa should be touched by anybody else, so He kept a shadow Seetaa in the real Seetaa's place, He  deposited His own Seetaa with Agni Dev and Agni Dev gave Him a shadow Seetaa. Since that Seetaa who was abducted by Raavan and came from Lankaa was not His own Seetaa, he had to take His Seetaa back from Agni Dev, and that is what He did, which people thought that Raam was testing her purity. Thus He took His real Seetaa back by showing Seetaa passing Fire test.

While another Raamaayan, which we claim that it is original, is written by Vaalmeeki Jee. It is written in Sanskrit language and although its Hindi and English translations are available, still is not at all popular among people. This Raamaayan say that when Raam called Seetaa from Lankaa, Raam asked her to go anywhere She liked as He could not keep Her since She lived in another man's house for so .long. Rejected and dejected Seetaa then decided to immolate herself. She prayed Agni Dev that if She was pure Agni Dev should protect Her. Since She was pure, Agni Dev appeared bringing Her with him and proving that Seetaa was pure.

Thus Vaalmeeki's Seetaa was original Seetaa who was abducted by Raavan, and wanted to immolate Herself because of Raam's rejection, but praying Agni Dev that if She was chaste, Agni Dev should protect Her. And since She was chaste, Agni Dev himself came carrying Her and handed Her over  to Raam proving Her chastity. So there are two versions.

Who Helped Draupadee in Dice Court?
Everybody believes that when Dushaasan pulled Draupadee's dress in the Dice court, she called Krishn (or Bhagavaan) and Krishn came and helped her extending her cloth to indefinite length that Dushaasan got tired pulling it and failed in his mission. There are two contradictory stories about this.

When Krishn killed Shishupaal at the time of Raajsooya Yagya of Yudhishthir, His index finger was cut with Chakra and Draupadee immediate torn her royal cloth in a strip and tied it on Krishn's finger. At that time Krishn said - "I have become grateful to you. But I will pay your debt in the way that the whole world will see it." (This incident is not recorded in MBH by Vyaas Jee)  With this reference people also believe that when Draupadee called Krishn (or Bhagavaan), Krishn came and helped her at that time and of course the whole world saw this.

But at another place, Krishn Himself said to her - "I did not know anything about this. If I had known this, this event had not taken place. I was at the war with fake Krishn. He was challenging me so I was there to accept his challenge."

Then who helped Draupadee in her difficult time? With Krishn's statement it seems that certainly Krishn did not help Draupadee. And how Krishn can tell lie? But somebody did it, then who did it?

Who Killed Bheeshm
People know that Shikhandee killed Bheeshm, but it is not so. It is true that Shikhandee was born to kill Bheeshm, but he himself did not kill Bheeshm. In Duryodhan's army, Ashwatthaamaa and Kripaachaarya were immortal, and  Bheeshm had the boon of Ichchhaa Mrityu from his father, so he also could not be killed by anybody, of course unless he himself wanted to die. So how a small warrior Shikhandee could kill him? Let us go back to original incident.

Since Shaantanu ded early leaving his two sons very young, Bheeshm took care of them. One of the, Chitraangad died early so Bheeshm decided to marry Vichitraveerya to Kaashee's three princesses. Two princesses of them accepted Vichitraveerya but the eldest princess Ambaa did not accept him as her husband and expressed her desire to marry Bheeshm. Bheeshm could not marry her as he was bound to his vow to Satyavatee's father. Ambaa felt insulted by Bheeshm, and she vowed that she would become the reason of Bheeshm's death (not that she herself will kill Bheeshm). For this she pleased Shiv Jee and got this boon from him.

On the other side, Drupad had no child so he also pleased Shiv Jee to give him a son. Shiv Jee bestowed this boon to him too. But when he had the child, he had a daughter, not a son, whom he named Shikhandin. He had faith in Shiv Jee so he brought his daughter up as a son and even married her with a girl. The girl seeing that she was married to a girl, went back to her father and reported him about the matter. Her father did not believe her. Drupad asked him to send his courtesans to test his girl's masculinity. Seeing all this Shikhandin ran away from her palace, but met a Yaksh on the way who gave her his masculinity for the time being.  He came back as a man and proved himself.

But this Shikhandee was still a woman for Bheeshm, because he knew her story, so when Shikhandee stood before Bheeshm, he did not fight with him, because he treated him as a woman and according to the war rules set by him only a man could not fight with a woman. Taking the advantage of this Arjun aimed many arrows at him till he fell down from the chariot. That is how it was not Shikhandee, but Arjun killed Bheeshm.

Did Dhrishtdyumn Really Kill Drone?
The similar rumor is in fashion that Dhrishtdyumn killed Drone, because Dhrishtdyum was born to kill Drone - King Drupad performed a Yagya even to get him with the aim of killing Drone, but did he really kill him? No. If one reads Mahaabhaarat carefully, Dhrishtdyumn killed only a dead body of Drone, not the live Drone.

When Drone heard from Bheem that Ashwatthaamaa was killed, he did not believe him. Angrily he started killing the Paandav army in thousands. Seeing this killing many great Rishi came to him and said - "Now you are killing people and animals un-righteously, come to eternal path. Your hour has come." Hearing the Rishi, remembering Bheem's words and seeing Dhrishtdyumn in front of him, Drone became indifferent from battle. He asked then Yudhishthir whether his son died or not, because he knew that Yudhishthir would not lie even for the kingdom of Tri-Lok. Krishn had already told Yudhishthir that if Drone had fought even half a day more, he will destroy your whole army, so Yudhishthir told lie to Drone - "Yes".

Drone believed him and he just sad on his chariot sad, dropping his weapons. He was extremely sad. Seeing him in this condition, Dhrishtdyumn ran to kill Drone. Drone wanted to counteract his arrow but his all weapons had left him. Still he fought with Dhrishtdyumn. After a while Drone felt weaker. He had already killed 24,000 Kshatriya and then 100,000 more. Then Bheem said - "For whom you have left your Braahman Dharm, he is lying dead in the battlefield." Hearing this Drone sat down and went in meditation. He left his body. He shone like two Suns in the sky. Only 5 people could see him going to Param Dhaam, nobody else, because all were unconscious about this, including Dhrishtdyumn. These five people were Sanjaya, Arjun, Ashwatthaamaa, Krishn and Yudhishthir. When Drone had gone then only he came to senses. Although all rebuked him for his action but he dragged the lifeless body of Drone and severed his head from his body.

Thus these are some of the several misconception among public which I have tried to remove here.

Sushma Gupta
www.sushmajee.com