14 Reasons for Sadness According to Mahabharata

-

A Long Thread

After the Kuru war, in the moment of a victory that has come at a great cost, Yudhishthira goes to meet Bhishma, who is in his dying breaths.

Yudhisthira’s inquisitive dialogue with Bhishma, which takes place here, spans Shanti and Anushasana parvans of the Mahabharata.

In this dialogue, Yudhishthira asks Bhishma, "Why does one feel sorrow? why does one feel pain?"

Bhishma’s answer is comprehensive, it nearly spans 18 shlokas. The reasons he enlists are both intrinsic and extrinsic in nature.

Reason 1 –

Despite of worldly comforts, when one is in a foreign land, away from home and away from the loved ones, one feels a gnawing loneliness. That makes them long and yearn.

(In Welsh language, there is a beautiful word that captures this longing for home – hiraeth)

Reason 2 –

May be because of personal flaws, but when a person is deserted by their friends and loved ones, then the home itself feels like a foreign land, and that thus makes the person sad.

5 unique archaeological sites in India

-

A brief thread

There are many prehistoric sites in India, which shed light on the history of human settlement in the country.

We find such sites all across the country.

In this thread, let us know a little bit about 5 such unique sites.

1. Bori (Pune)

(Not to be confused with BORI - we are old, but that old)

One of the oldest pieces of evidence of humans in India, reported artefacts from Bori suggest the existence of humans in India around 1.4 million years ago.

But the most amazing part is that -

The site was found covered in volcanic ash, which came from the eruption of the super-volcano Mount Toba.

Eruptions of Mount Toba over the millennia are believed to be extremely influential catalyst events in earth's history.

2. Isampur (Karnataka)

A densely concentrated complex of 200 odd sites, Isampur excavation uncovered a human settlement that is approximately 11 lakh years old site.

At Isampur, ancient man-made tools made from the bedrock can be found.

Description of Emperor Chandragupta Maurya's Pataliputra and the Dining Habits of then India

-

Excerpts from "Everyday Life in Ancient India" by Padmini Sengupta, a book published by Oxford University Press in

"Pataliputra, now known as Patna, was the capital of Chandragupta’s Empire. It was situated on the tongue of land between the rivers son and Ganges , and was an oblong city about 9 miles x 2. "

"It was defended by stockings of heavy timber. It had five 570 towers, and was pierced by 74 portcullised gates.

A deep moat about 200 yards wide surrounded the outer walls and was filled by water from the river Son. "

"The palace was magnificent ,and stood in a park where there were fish ponds, Peacocks, Pheasants, and ornamental shrubs.

The king lived in ‘barbaric splendour’ in his timber built Palace with its glided pillars, being served at his table with golden dishes 6 feet across"

"There were also copper vessels set with precious stones and Megasthenes tells us:

“When Indians or at supper, a table is placed before each person, this being like a tripod...