Introduction:

The term itihaasa, literally "verily did it exist thus", denotes history. The occidental historian is pre-occupied with dry statistics such as date, time, or location. He is carried away by the discovery of a piece of pottery or a coin or a stamp or a stone implement and gets busy trying to prove or disprove if something 'really' happened and if yes where and when. This is what he thinks is history. The Indian mind does not think this kind of history has much value. So what, we ask. What is important, on the other hand, is the effect a thing of the past has had on the minds of the people, the effect on the life-style of people and the values that the society cherishes. raama and kRSNa are the very breath of millions of people even today - we greet one another not with a hollow 'good morning' but with a sincere 'jay raam-jii-ki' (victory/glory to raama). History is a thing of the past whose effect is seen today. raamaayaNa and mahaabhaarata are surely history in this sense. Dry facts do not enthuse us so much. That is why most students do not like history as it is taught in schools today.

raamaayaNa and mahaabhaarata, the two great epics, have captivated the hearts of the people of India for thousands of years. There is no aspect of life which is not influenced by these epics - religion, social values, literature, arts, crafts, music, dance, drama, painting, sculpture, temple motifs, whatever. raama, kRSNa, and other characters in these epics live in the minds of people all the time. There is no place that does not have an affectionate bond with the immaculate heroes in these epics - this rock contains the foot print of raama, that mountain split into two unable to bear the weight of hanumaan, the water of this rivulet is coloured since siita washed her clothes here or kRSNa played with his friends here. raama and kRSNa are the very avataara-s (incarnations) of Lord viSNu - they always live in the hearts of the people. raamaayaNa and mahaabhaarata are therefore considered to be itihaasa, history. These are not mere stories or imaginations. Modern scholars also accept that at least the characters must have really existed and the core parts of these epics must have actually happened. There are simply too many connections to things we can see today, to rule out the whole thing as mere fiction.

• raamaayaNa
• mahaabhaarata
  • bhagavadgiita