Kashyapa is a person whose job is to regenerate Earth and then populate it. So we will find different wives and different progenies including dogs (Sarameya from Sarama), River (Iravati) and so on mentioned at different times.

Consider the "Snake" described here as Naga people. The thousand "snakes" are just small but powerful groups of Naga, or may be their kingdom.

Same way, the Garuda and Arun are not birds but kingdoms.

Same way, Kadru and Vinata etc. are metaphors…not necessarily a human being.

There is another story about Indra and Vayu. Vayu's mother was asked to keep vigil while Vayu was in womb. Somehow she fell asleep. Indra went inside the womb and cut the embryo in 49 pieces. It can be realized as a Kingdom in making….jealous Indra divided the people in 49 pieces !

The basic thing is, in most places metaphors are being used to make it easy for people to remember. These Itihasa and Purana were for common people. Veda and Upanishads were for learned people. There metaphors are less, but sometimes more cryptic.

Without understanding metaphors (which, frankly speaking, most of us do not understand), literal study of any epic will create confusion. It is like a English Professor reading a physics book on Quantum mechanics !

regards

If we apply this on the myth of the chariot of the sun god Surya, it would show us, that the sun was not believed to be stationary but moving. This is because the solar system is part of a spiral arm of our galaxy. The galaxy is rotating, so the solar system as a whole is moving and there are other levels of movement too. The ancient indian people used the picture of the chariot, to point out this fact of the moving sun, while the ancient egyptian people showed the same fact by painting their gods situated in boats.

Creating a Mahabharata text after rejecting what is percieved as later addition will not be a good idea as all these later additions too have information value. It will be a futile excersise like what happened with Bible. A lot of valuable information generated during the formative period of Bible was lost due to such mindless editing and monopolistic views. Traditions which does not fall in line with the majoritarian view were declared herasies. A similar futile exerciese is already done for Mahabharata with the so called 'critical edition of Mahabharata'. Many scholars do not accept the criteria chosen to declare one verse as original and another as later addition.

Regarding your question on the glorification of death (and birth) of war heroes on the side of Kauravas (as well as those on the side of the Pandavas):- Many scholars think in this way. Mahabharata text passed through the hands of many people sympathetic to both the sides and a neutral compiler has added all of these versions into the main corpus.

Some other verses like the one you mentioned about Bhima having strength of 10000 elephants etc are pure exagerations or the liberty of the poet.

As we know the original Mahabharata compiled by Vyasa was "Jaya". Over the years many stories were added in the original book of Vyasa and it took its present form during Gupta period. There are many interpolations in Mahabharata, many myths have been added in this epic. You have done a lot of research on Mahabharata. Why don't you try to find out the original story and write a new book that is free of all these myths and interpolations ?

Do you think that the death of all the prominent warriors of Mahabharata have been dramatized by some later authors ? All of them turned into invincible warriors just before their death. I think Shikhandi and Dristidyumna killed Bhishma and Drona respectively in a fair battle and the stories of Bhishma not attacking Shikhandi and Drona's celestial weapons not appearing before his death were added later to cover up their failure. Bhishma and Drona were famed warriors but the impact of the old age on them was evident. They couldn't kill any prominent warrior. What you have to say on this ?

I think Sauti told the story of Vyasa's Jaya in an exaggerated way using ornamental language. All the prominent warriors now became equal to Indra and all the duels were similar to that of between Indra and Vritra. Particularly the final duels between Arjuna and Karna and Bhima and Duryodhana were exaggerated a lot.

It seems many myths have been created in later time to glorify some characters of Mahabharata. Such as Bhishma having the boon of "iksha mrityu",Yudhishthira going to heaven with his body, Karna having the "celestial armor and ear rings", Karna getting numerous curses in his life, Ashwattama having narayanastra and Drona having brahmadanda, Bhima having the strength of 10000 elephants etc

Even not so great warriors like Shalya became "invincible" just before their end. They have been glorified mostly using the name of krishna, Bhishma etc. We need to ignore these myths and interpolations and try to find out truth hidden behind them. I think that the core story and the 70% of Mahabharata is real and rest are interpolations and exaggerations.

As for the part of Aruna I read somewhere that only the top half of his body had developed which gave him wings and enabled him to fly and talk.
Well, I'm eager to know your opinion on this.

http://ancientvoice.wikidot.com/src-video-mbh:episode9

I have no knowledge of Naga-Manikyam, or where it can be found. I guess you are referring to the jewl mentioned as possessed by the Nagas as per many myths and fables. Naga kings were wealthy. They possessed many jewls and costly metals in their treasury. Their mansions were beautiful and made of costly materials. They wore costly robes and ornaments decked with many precious jewls. These were all later taken away by their conquerers. Probably this myth arose from this fact. Mythology portrayed all former Naga kings as snakes (yea like Cobra) and thus non-humanized them and was not willing to consider them as humans.

Aswathama who became the ruler (on behalf of Kuru kings at Hastinapura) of the city named Ahichatra (formerly a Naga city and later the northern capital of Panchala kingdom) obtained a precious jewl from the Nagas (this could be Naga-Manikyam). He made it part of his crown. When Pandavas defeated Aswathama, at the fag end of Kurukshetra-war, they took it from him for their wife Panchali.

can i get details about NAGAMANIKKAM.? (WHICH IS FROM COBRA'S HOODS..)

THANX &REGARDS
SRIRAM
CHENNAI

As I explained in this article, explanation based on alien-theories also is a valid view-point to look at some of the strange narrations found in the Indian epics and most of the Puranas of India. However I tend to incline towards an explanation that does not depend on aliens. I will wait for more evidences about alien intervention especially in ancient India, in order to shift my focus more on a view-point or theory based on alien interventions.

Probably I will discuss this in another article.

Thanks for your links.

you have skillfully illustrated the different approaches in analyzing the myths and explaining them. I am certainly not in favor of the blind acceptance or blind rejection. I am more inclined to an alien explanation though. Why can't the Devas, Gandharvas, Garuda be aliens? I think aliens interacted with ancient civilizations in India, Egypt, Atlantis etc.

Check out these link:-
http://www.world-famous.com/DavidHamelStuff/Hamel-Part4-Shop/index.htm

http://www.skepdic.com/atlantis.html