Are the stories mentioned in Indian epics true?

1. 61

   Techboy Sharathposted 10 years ago

   Are the stories mentioned in Indian epics true?
   
   I would like to stress on ramayana and mahabharatha, the stories are quite interesting, but I have my own doubts. I have observed a lot of Indians insisting that they are true to the core even though most of it sounds impossible and unbelievable. Most of the part defy the proven laws of science and thus to me they seem untrue but I would like to know whether they are  really true or just a fiction.

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2. 59

   C.V.Rajanposted 10 years ago

   Stories in the epics have a fair chance of exaggeration, taking into account their poetic form. Poets tend to exaggerate. But if you take their essence, their purport is to spread consciousness about dharma, spirituality, right conduct, principles and values and so on.
   
   I believe the main and prominent story line and characters must be true. Certain things could be symbolic. (e.g. Ravana having 10 heads). Certain aspects could have really existed as a technology that we don't understand today. (e.g.astras activated by mantras). Vanaras like Hanuman/ Vali etc could have been some tribes whose looks and behavior resembled monkeys. There could have been distortions/ additions/ omissions happening over thousands of years when the epics were propagated by word of mouth.
   
   Ramakrishna Paramahamsa says "Scriptures are like sugar and sand mixed together. Like ants, we should segregate sugar and consume it, leaving behind the sand".

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   1. 71

      manatita44posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      A very beatiful answer, Rajan. I comend you. Wonderful quote from the Great Godman Himself.

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3. 71

   manatita44posted 10 years ago

   I don't truly know except by Faith and awareness, based on where I am in terms of present Consciousness. I have a Spiritual Teacher and I dare say I am still alive, and yet, I hear many things about our Path being embellished or just not true. So things of nearly 10, 000 years ago will be much worse.
   
   The story is that all religious faiths have their myths and indeed they are even necessary for the journey to enlightenment. Hidden between the myths are solid truths and some really enlightened Teachers and when we are ready, the teachings will make sense to us. Both the books that you mentioned, seem to have produced men and women of God.

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4. 67

   chaitanyasaivbposted 9 years ago

   We may not be sure, whether they have happened or not. But, we can just taken them into account, to learn something good about man kind. They were many characters in those stories, which will teach something good to us.

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