Ever since my childhood days, I have been listening to recitals of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata either at home or in temples and other places. As a child, I could not make any head or tail of it. But when my Jejemaa or grandmother made things simpler for me, I could understand not only the story but also the moral behind it. My grandmother was not the only lady in the gathering for the recitals. There were galore, and they did shed tears when Ravana abducted Sita and Dushasana tried to unrobe Draupadi. Not only myself and my grandmother and the other women but also the whole of the country has been mesmerized by the two epics. Keeping in view the profound influence of the two on the great tradition of our country, our mind gets perturbed when the Ramayana and the Mahabharata are often called works of fiction. Now let us try to understand as to why the two are not treated as history:
- Not recorded in history – One of my friends, who was a student of history, once argued with me on the point that the Ramayana and the Mahabharata have been accepted as history. I did not agree with him and asked him to point out the time period—whether the epics belong to the Indus Valley period or the Vedic period or an earlier period. The fact is that the same have not yet been recorded in history and still pass off as myths.
- Long poetic works – The Ramayana and the Mahabharata are poetic works by Valmiki and Vyasadev respectively. The Ramayana contains 24,000 shlokas while the Mahabharata consists of approximately 100,000 shlokas. Though both present a brilliant picture of contemporary social life, yet as literary works, these are hardly accepted as historical evidences.
- Exaggerations – Both the epics are full of exaggerations which make a sharp deviation from the realities. The point is justified on the ground that the poet often takes recourse to exaggerations while penning his literary work. Episodes like chariots flying from one Loka to another, one archer piercing the earth with his arrow for a flow of water, arrows never ending in the Tunir, and many others appear to be exaggerations coming out of the imagination of the poet.
- Supernatural – Both the Ramayana and the Mahabharata are replete with supernatural forces throughout. In addition to human beings, there are Asuras, Devas, Gandharvas, Kinnaras, Pisachas, Apsaras and many others whose absence in the present world puts people in a dilemma. Even the human beings and animals were not ordinary but gifted with supernatural powers.
- Divine interference – In both the epics, there is not the game of human beings alone. There has always been divine interference. All the Pandava brothers were sons of gods, and Ram, Luxman, Bharat and Shatrughan were incarnations of divine power. Both the epics make it clear that it is only the divine power which controls everything. Srikrishna, who was an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, is central to the whole of the Mahabharata.
- Moral characters – From the Ramayana and the Mahabharata it becomes apparent that it has been the endeavour of the writers to paint ideal and moral characters so that future generations can learn from them. There are both good and evil characters, and the fight between good and evil seems to form the core of the epics.
- Not being fitted in a time-frame – Both the epics do not seem to fit into any time frame in the history of India or the world. Whether the two occurred prior to the Indus Valley period, prior to the Vedic period or during it, or some other period of history is not exactly known. The writers have also avoided mention of time, like the year of birth of Ram and Krishna, as they were not up to any historical works.
- Variations – There are hundreds of versions of the Ramayana and Mahabharata in Indian and other languages of the world which often deviate from the originals by sage Valmiki and sage Vyasadev. The episode of Luxman drawing the Luxman Rekha is not present in the original Ramayana, while the episode of Belalsen has been painted in a different way in the Odia Mahabharata by Sarala Das. Such variations often force people to the conclusion that these may be works of fiction.
- Differences of opinion – There are major differences of opinion on the historicity of the two epics. A group thinks that the two are nothing but pure works of fiction, while the other opines that there may be exaggerations here and there, but the events leading to the two epics did take place at one point of time.
- Incredible and superfluous – Most of the incidents in the two epics appear to be incredible and superfluous, just not possible within the capabilities of human beings. The beheaded Indrajeet laughing loudly and the beheaded Barbarik or Belalsen witnessing the eighteen-day Mahabharata war appear to be incredible and superfluous, just not possible on this mundane world.
- Mythical time calculations – The time of Brahma, the creator, vis-à-vis the time of human beings and the eternal cycle of the four yugas running into lakhs of years are mythical time calculations which just do not fit into any time frame of history.
- Absence of foreign accounts – There have been many travellers like Megasthenes, Fahien, Hiuen Tsang and many others visiting India in ancient and medieval times and narrating their accounts in memoirs. But any such account of the times of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata can hardly be found in any period of history by any traveller.
- Later interpolations – It is believed that the Uttara Ramayana has been written much later and is not the work of Valmiki. Similarly, many episodes have been added to the Mahabharata in later times. Regional versions of the two epics in different languages of India and even outside have played a key role in deviating from the original here and there, which often confuse people.
After analysing the reasons for the epics being called fictional, let us now try to understand the points in support of the two being real and historical:
- Everything cannot be recorded – Just because history has not recorded the two epics, it does not mean that they are fiction. History needs evidence. Many old incidents may not have evidence but exist in the form of hearsay, myths, legends, and traditions.
- Strong oral tradition – Strong oral tradition has enlivened the two epics in India. The places that Ram, Luxman, Sita, and the Pandava brothers visited during their exile still exist and bear imprints of their memories. Characters of fiction are not supposed to exercise such profound influence on the minds of the people for centuries together.
- Poetic, not historical works – The two epics are poetic and not historical works. Dates of incidents like birth and death can hardly be found in the two. The poets have put stress on narratives and characters through poetry. Literature holding a mirror up to the society itself is a source of history.
- Vivid descriptions of nature and places – In both the epics, there are vivid descriptions of nature and places. The poets have a great idea about the geography of the country, and literary works describing places so accurately can hardly be called fictitious. Descriptions of season, the clouds, the flowers, the sun, the moon, and the stars are also so accurate and vivid in both the epics.
- Archaeological excavations – The ASI has carried out extensive excavations in many places to probe into the historicity of both the epics. Its excavations in the old fort area of Delhi have led to discovery of items dating back to the Mahabharata times, believed to have taken place five thousand years ago. More and more such excavations will bring new facts to light.
- Places in existence – Almost all the places mentioned in the two epics like Ayodhya, Chitrakoot, Dandakaranya, Panchavati, Rameswaram, Ramsetu, Lanka, Ashok Vatika in the Ramayana and Indraprastha, Hastinapur, Kurukshetra, Gandhara and many others in the Mahabharata are still in existence and associated with hearsay and traditions. Even the place where Sita had entered the earth and the place where Krishna gave to Arjun the sermon of the Geeta are still preserved and memorised. Such vivid descriptions of places with their geographical locations are hardly expected in works of fiction.
- Natural regional variations – There have been many versions of both the epics in and outside India which show slight deviations from the originals here and there. For example, both the epics have been rewritten in Odia and while doing so the writers have tried to adapt to their contemporary society. Since regional versions are not exact translations, such variations are only natural which has nothing to do with the factual status of the original.
- Exact calculations – Exact calculations of time with respect to the two epics have not been possible as on date due to absence of mention of year in the same. Dates like the birth of Ram, the Mahabharata and the Dwapara era, the construction of the Ramsetu and the submerged Dwarika city in the sea ranging from 5000 to 10000 years ago seem to have been based on rough calculations. Procedures like carbon dating can give only a rough time frame instead of the exact time. The mythical time calculations also do not tally with that of the modern one. More efforts are required in this direction.
- Research – There has been a lot of research seconded by excavations on the historicity of the two epics which is yet to conform to evidences required for being recorded in history. More research and excavations are required in the matter.
- Strong influence on psyche – The two epics and their characters have had a profound and strong influence on the Indian psyche. Though not recorded in history, hearsay and beliefs from generation to generation have made all the characters more real than mythical. It will have no impact on the people if somebody comes forward and proves that the epics are unreal as they have been so deep-rooted in the Indian society.
- Showing contemporary society – Both the epics have been able to paint a picture of their contemporary Indian society vividly. Even their regional versions rewritten in later times have been able to do so. A proper and intensive study of the contemporary society in the epics may enable researchers and historians to make further progress regarding an exact time frame of the same. Showing contemporary society in no way makes the epics fictional or unreal.
- Rewriting history – Before independence, the writing of history could hardly be neutral. During the time of the kings and emperors, there were court historians who could hardly dissatisfy their mentors. Religion and the policies of the rulers could influence the writing of history. Then there were British historians whose writings did suit the needs of the time. So it was only after independence that Indian historians have reacted and put forth their own opinion. More research and excavations on the two epics may bring about consensus amongst historians on the historicity and exact time period of the two grand epics.
Whether the Ramayana or the Mahabharata are historical or fictional hardly matters today. The people of India have been so used to it that they just do not bother about it. The Ramayana, Mahabharata, the Bhagavat Geeta, the shastras and puranas have been so deep-rooted in the Indian society that the very culture of the country could hardly be thought of without them. Characters like Sriram and Srikrishna have reached every household, thereby creating a permanent niche in the minds of the people. It is good that in the social media, there are quality videos talking about the epics, the characters, at the same time showing the exact places of happening. ASI conducting excavations in the Purana Qila or old fort of Delhi and other places to probe into the historicity of the two epics is a welcome step. One can hardly reject outright the two epics as works of fiction. At best, one can conclude that the events as enshrined in the two epics did take place at one point of time. The imagination of the poet has only exaggerated things out of proportions here and there. The Ramayana and the Mahabharata need further research and excavations badly to find their proper place in the history of India and the world.
(The views expressed are the writer’s own)
Mr. Prafulla Kumar Majhi,
Retired Asst. Director, A. I. R, is an eminent Scholar and freelance writer in English & Odia. His areas of interests are sociocultural, economic, literary, historical and analytical studies and writings.
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