The Myth of Grand Feast History and Myth Are Always Controversial to Each Other and Have Deep Rooted in Human Development and Culture
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CHAPTER I The Myth of Grand Feast History and myth are always controversial to each other and have deep rooted in human development and culture. According to Aristotle, “History is an account of the unchangeable past.” Hence, History is a narration of the events which have happened among mankind, including an account of the rise and fall of nations, as well as of other great changes which have affected the political and social condition of the human race.1Myths are fabricated collections of general tales which explain the past. It can be define as a traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of people or explaining a natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events.2. They are mostly based on a widely alleged but fake believes or ideas or in other words it is a misinterpretation of the truth. Sometimes myths overrule the history and make difficulties to identify the truth. Indian history is always under this superseding of such myths. Consequently, myths always reflected a colourful imaginary world rather than the historical realm. During the emergence of indological studies, many historians have unveiled the myth and history that were rooted in Indian minds. 1 A.M. John . J. Anderson, A Manual of General History, New York : Clark & Maynard Publishers, 1870), 1. 2Oxford Living Dictionaries 2 Sanskrit treatises also possess such kinds of myth and history together, especially the Sanskrit dramas. The epics R¡m¡ya¸a and Mah¡bh¡rata are deeply influenced the culture of Indian society. Not only in literary way but its impact extended in religious and cultural aspects also. Various myths, legends, art, festivals, rituals, regions etc. adapted the elements of these epics with some vernacular variations. Jawaharlal Lal Nehru points out this factor in his book Discovery of India: Everywhere I found a cultural background which had exerted a powerful influence on their lives. This backgroundwas a mixture of popular philosophy, tradition, history, myth, and legend, and it was not possible todraw a line between any of these. Even the entirely uneducated and illiterate shared this background. The old epics of India, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata and other books, in popular translations and paraphrases, were widely known among the masses, and every incident and story and moral in them was engraved on the popular mind and gave a richness and content to it. Illiterate villagers would know hundreds of verses by heart and their conversation would be full of references to them or to some story with a moral, enshrined in some old classic.3 3Jawaharlal Nehru, The Discovery of India, (Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1994,6th impression), 67. 3 Festivals like „R¡ml¢la‟, „Dasara‟, „Div¡l¢‟; places like KurukÀetra, Ayodhya, Mathura; Dwaraka etc. are some popular examples of this type of epic relations. Even though these epics are mainly focused on its north Indian background, south Indian cultures are also assumed its essence. In the Epic Mah¡bh¡rata, Kera½a-s, Co½a-s, P¡¸·y¡-s and Dr¡vi·a-s were frequently cited. The translation of Mah¡bh¡rata into Tamil („M¡p¡rataÆ Tamil‟)4 was encouraged by a famous ancient P¡¸·ya king „Ne¶uÆ Cezhiyan5‟. Moreover, there are many mythsareconnecting epic Mah¡bh¡ratawith south India. The myth of grand feast by Utiyan C®ral¡tan was also a result of the influence of Mah¡bh¡ratain south Indian culture. In this myth, king Utiyan C®ral¡tan served food for the entire army in the KurukÀetra war without any favouritism. The myths are addressing almost all aspects of common people such as name of a place, folk art, rituals and so on.Among these varied types,the myths about Annad¡na (donation of food) are needs special mention. Because, giving food for those who deserves is 4 Kaviyur Murali. Puran¡n£ru Oru Paddanam, (Kottayam: DC Books, 1999), 27. 5„Ne¶uÆ Cezhiyan‟was frequently praised in the Sangam Literature. He was well known for the war of „Talaiy¡la´k¡naÆ‟ against the combined army of Co½a-s and C®ra-s. This war occurred 150 years after the establishment of C®ra Dynasty. After the victory of this battle he conducted a ritual of „Ka½ave½vi‟ (sacrifice to the goddess with the cooked flesh and blood of enemies prepared in a burner made with the heads of three victims). 4 consider as a great work all over in the world. The donation of food or Annad¡na is considered as the best donation that anyone can perform. 1.1. The concept of Anna in Sanskrit literature The word „Anna‟ or „AnnaÆ‟ ismainly indicates „¡h¡ra‟ or food referring to „what is eaten is Anna‟. According to an Ayurvedic treatise Bh¡vaprak¡¿a, the Anna or food was categorized into six- C£Àya, peya, lehya, bhojya, bhakÀya and carvya.6It is consider as the foundation of life. It purifies both mind and body. The pr¡¸a is associated with the Anna. It is a preserver of the life. Many Sanskrit works were discussed all these aspects about the greatness of Anna. Some of them are discussed here- In the seventh Anuv¡ka of Taittir¢yopaniÀad7, it is described that the „pr¡¸a‟ is associated with the Anna. ऄन्नं न िनन्ात ् । तदर् तं प्राणो वा ऄन्नम ् । शरीरमन्नादम ् । शरीरे प्राणः प्रितिितः तदते दन्नमन्ने प्रितिितम ् । स य एतदन्नमन्ने प्रितिितं वेद प्रितितिित । ऄन्नवानन्नादो भवित । महान ् भवित प्रजया पशिु भर्ब्रवर्रसेन । महान ् कीर्तयार ।8 Do not despise the Anna. It must be acknowledged as a v¤ta. The soul is Anna. The body eats then. And the body is dedicated to the soul. Pr¡¸a is embodied on the body. So this Anna is placed on 6अहारं षड्िवध祍र्ष्ू यं पेयं लें तथैव र् भो煍यं भक्ष्यं तथा र्र्व्यं ग셁ु िवाथोत्तरम ् ।। 7Taittir¢yopaniÀad is associated with the Taittir¢ya school of the Yajurveda. It is the seventh to ninth chapters of Taittir¢yaËr¡¸yaka- áikÀ¡valli, Ënandavall¢ and the Bh¤guvall¢. 8Commentary bySwami Mridananda, Taittir¢yopaniÀad Malayalam, Bh¤guvalli, (Thrissur: published by the Swami Sakrananda Ramakrishna Math, Puranattukara, 1998), 101. 5 the Anna itself. He, who knows that this Anna is dedicated to the Anna, attains the purification. He becomes the eater and eater of the Anna. He will be great with sons, richness, majesty and glory. In the eighth Anuv¡ka, Anna is connected with the water and the glory as follows- ऄन्नं न पररर्क्षीत । तदर् तम ् । अपो वा ऄन्नम ् । 煍योितरन्नादम ् । ऄꥍस ु 煍योितः प्रितिितम ् । 煍योितष्यापः प्रितििताः । तदते दन्नमन्ने प्रितिितम ् । स य एतदन्नमन्ने प्रितिितं वेद प्रितितिित । ऄन्नवानन्नादो भवित । महान ् भवित प्रजया पशिु भर्ब्रवर्रसेन । महान ् कीर्तयार । Do not give up Anna. It is a v¤ta. Water is Anna. The glory eats Anna. The glory is placed in the water. The water is placed in the glory. Hence, the Anna is placed on the Anna itself. He, who knows that this Anna is dedicated to the Anna, attains the purification. He becomes the eater and eater of the Anna. He will be great with sons, richness, majesty and glory. In the ninth Anuv¡ka, the Anna is described as given below: ऄन्नं बहु कु वीत । तदर् तम ् ।पिृ थवी वा ऄन्नम् । अकाशोऽन्नादः। पिृ थर्व्यामाकाशः प्रितिितः। अकाशे पिृ थवी प्रितििता । तदते दन्नमन्ने प्रितिितम ् ।स य एतदन्नमन्ने प्रितिितम् वेद प्रितितिित । ऄन्नवानन्नादो भवित ।महान ् भवित प्रजया पशिु भर्ब्रवर्रसेन । महान ् कीर्तयार। A lot of rice should be made. It is a V¤ta of Anna devotees. The earth is food. The sky will eat the Anna. The sky is dedicated to the earth. The earth is set in the sky. Hence, the Anna is placed on the Anna itself. He, who knows that this Anna is dedicated to the Anna, 6 attains the purification. He becomes the eater and eater of the Anna. He will be great with sons, richness, majesty and glory. ऄहमन्नमहमन्नमहमन्नम ् । ऄहमन्नादोऽहमन्नादोऽहमन्नादः । ऄह ं लोकोककृ दह ं लोकोककृ दह ं लोकोककृ त ् । ऄहमिमम प्रथमजा ऋतामय । पवू ं देवेभ्यो ऄमतृ मय नाभािय । यो मा ददाित स आदवे मावाः । ऄहमन्नमहमन्नमदन्तमाि । ऄह ं िवश्वं भवु नमभ्यभवाम ् । सवु ण र 煍योतीः य एवं वेद । आर्तयपु िनषद ् । I am the Anna and I am the eater of Anna. I am the one who makes the confluence of eating and eating (I am the maker of the day- to-day community of Anna). I was the first in the universe. I am ahead of the gods. I am the centre of immortality. Those who donate me are save me. I eat those who eat alone without giving to others. I am the one who eats the food. I have conquered every world. My light is like the sun. The UpaniÀad says that he, who knows these facts he will get the result. Moreover, Taittir¢yopaniÀad acclaimed that the Anna is the supreme deity, i.e. „AnnaÆ Brahma‟. ऄन्नाप्रै जाः प्रजायन्ते । याः काश्चपिृ थवीं ििताः ऄथो ऄन्नेनैव जीविन्त । ऄथैनदिपयन्र्तयतः। ऄन्नं िह भतू ानां 煍येिम ् । तममात ् सवौषधम楍ु यते । सवं वै तेऽन्नमाꥍनसु िन्त योऽन्नं र्ब्ोपासते । ऄन्नाूतािन जायन्ते । जातान्यन्नेन वधरन्ते । ऄतेऽित्त र् भतू ािन । तममादन्नं तद楍ु यत आित ।।9 The origin of the „Praja‟ is from Anna.