Explanation from an expatriate (RE:Ekalavya)
Ramana R. Juvvadi (juvvadi@horizoncomp.com)
Fri, 15 Nov 1996 09:53:37 -0500
Madhava Kumar Turumella writes:
> Explanation from an Expatriate :-( (RE: Ekalavya)
> 2. I clearly remember the Mahabharata published by "Sri Vani
> Vilas Press, Mysore" in 1910. I have accessed it from "Sri
> Ramakrishna Muth Library, Khar (W), Bombay" archives. It is
> mentioned in that book that "Ekalavya was trying to fight with
> GhatOtkaca (Son of Bhima) and fails in winning him. There
> comes Karna in to picture and helps Ekalavya in killing
> Ghatotkaca. Bhima, being outraged by the news of Ghatotkaca's
> demise, demands Arjuna to kill Karna and Ekalavya. Arjuna
> failing in finding out Karna succeeds in killing Ekalavya,
> who had taken hundreds of mighty Pandava warriors for his score."
You may or may not be right here. Not that I doubt your word that you
read it, but it is important to verify the source of this Vani Vilas
Press Mahabharata. I have a copy of Tikkana's Andhra Maha Bharatm
at home. If somebody doesn't verify Tikkana by then, I'll certainly
verify.
Is Kavitrayam the ultimate authority on Maha Bharatam? Perhaps
not. But I would put more weight on it than the modern prose
versions. Does anybody on this net have access to Vyasa's Sanskrit
Maha Barata? I'll try to see if I can get hands on a Sanskrit
copy in one of the libraries.
In any case, whether ekalavya participated in the war or not, Veluri
garu seem to have already verified that it was indeed the right thumb
and not the left thumb that ekalavya gave up.
Finally, why do you say that learning archery was a punishable
crime for non-Kshatryas (or non-military personnel??) If so,
how did Karna, who was suta putra, challenge Arjuna?
> various versions available. If I say "Valmiki is not a
> Nishada i.e. BoyavaDu even before he started writing Ramayana,
> and he is perfectly an educated scholar, I wonder, how many of
> you are going to agree with me?... I insist, I do not speak
This is a different topic. I wouldn't be surprised one way or the
other if you can conclusively establish it.
Ramana