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Cançầusions
The epics are consistent in showing all the antagonists (except Duryodhana, who belongs to the same fold as protagonists) to be the worshippers of Siva. Thas, the tales of Ravana and his clan and ancestors in RM, and of Jarāsandha and Sisupala (and even of Aśvatthāman3) in MBh, show them to be worshippers of Śiva from whom they derive their strength ultimately to lose at the hands of the protagonists who are always the incarnations of Vişnu. The tales clearly reveal the marks of the struggle for supremacy between the Vaişnava and the Saiva sectarian, the epics being shamelessly and consistently used in the service of Vaişpavism.
In the case of MBh, Sukthankar shows that the merest story of the fratricidal war Darrated with a chronicler's faithfulness is only a second-rate subject. But by adding a number of secondary tales based on the incarnation-motif, the epic-tale is presented as a mere recurring incident of the constant struggle between Devas and Asuras, as a mere pbase in the cosmic evolution. Only by its projection on an Ethical Plane in this way is achieved the real depth and significance of the epic-story. Sukthankar shows that, with the help of the stories like that of king Dambhodbhava, the same epic-story can be viewed on a metaphysical plane also. In the case of RM, as we have shown above, only on the strength of the secondary tales, a sectarian interpretation of the original tale is made possible. The secondary tales thus help project the epic-stories on the various levels of interpretation.
In the beginning of this study, we had agreed to eschew the comparative aspect of these tales for far of unwieldiness of the matter. But by making some exceptions, as, for example, in the case of Rşyaśnga-tale, Abalyā-tale, Viśvāmitra-story-cycle, Janamejaya-sarpa-satra, etc. we have also made amply clear that, in order to understand the exact implications of any tale, it must be properly viewed against the background of its full development. It must be related to its inythical, ritualistic, traditional, linguistic aspects so as to decide whether it yields any real historical data or has a ritualistic iconisation, or symbolises some philosophical concept or metaphorises some actual event. When this precaution is not taken, and the tales are studied simply as they are found in the epics-purāņas and Jätakas, the study may not turn out to be anything more significant than a mere patternistis study (as Ds. Hara's), or it may lead to false (Rşyaśộnga's historicity established by Pargiter etc.) or even contradictory (Dr. Vora on the Vyuşitāšva-Bhadrā-tale) results. A proper approach to these tales is a "must", a great desideratum. The results arrived at by.. such studies may then be used as historical or sociological data.
The Rsyaśộnga-tale, the Ahalyā-tale and the Vyuşitāśva-Bhadrā-tale very clearly show that they are purely mythical. They iconise certain ritual, agricultural or sacerdotal beliefs rooted in primitive folk-life and preserved traditionally. The characters are only symbolic. To believe them to be historical, to try to establish their contem
3 SauP. 7 and 17-18.
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