It was a Sunday morning and I was discussing about my favorite film Troy with my room mate Abhiram. I was telling him how I much I liked that epic story revolving around great Trojan war that happened in Greece around 1500-1300 B.C ( Correct date can't be traced ). I was moved by the characters in it and especially the performances of stars. But what I was going to learn about Trojan war on that very day was a whole different angle to view this epic war. Abhiram told me that he find some similarities among Trojan War and Mahabharat. I was surprised at first but when he told me some points which he observed, establish some kind of relationship between the two epics. I only want to make you people aware of certain similarities that truly exists between the two highly debatable epics. Some I found while researching, while some are based on observations.
Mahabharat is the greatest and the longest poem known to mankind ( basically, Hindus ) was written by Ved Vyas and was dated even back to 3000 B.C . Others believed it was fought around 1500-1200 BC . On the other hand Trojan War was described by homer in his poem '' Iliad.'' So, to start with both are originated in poem form. The Mahabharat was fought for the very reason as told by Krishna '' Dharm ki Sthapana ke liye.'' It was gruesomely fought between two parties for the throne of ''Hastinapur.'' Likewise, Trojan war was fought between Greece ( Headed by Agamemnon, Menelaus spartan king, Great warrior Achilles and his Myrmidons army, Odysseus etc ) and The Great Troy ( Ruled by Priam, His beloved son and great warrior prince Hector, and his incompetent brother Paris ). Mahabharat was fought because of rivarly created partially by a women named Drupadi. It was Draupadi that cause rivarly between the two parties ( although, Hastinapur Throne was bigger reason of the war i.e Power and Land ). On the same way in Trojan war a women named Helen causes trouble between the two parties. It was said that she was the most beautiful women crafted by the Greek Goddess of beauty, Aphrodite itself. Spartan King Menelaus invited prince Hector and Paris to a party. Party was organised because of the alliance so formed between the two great forces, Sparta and Trojans. This is where prince Paris got enchanted by the very beauty of Helen and took her with him on his return to the Troy. This troubled the great obnoxious King Menelaus. Menelaus went to Agamemnon, who was the king of all Greece and asked for vengeance. Agamemnon gathered the army and marched towards Troy. So, in a way Trojan War too was started because of a women ( Here again the prime reason was land acquisition and power as Agamemnon wanted Troy under his command from a very long time ). The great King Menelaus can be compared to Yudhister who loses his wife in gamble to another party's prince. Here, The coward little prince of Troy Paris can be compared with Duryodhana of Mahabharat. The king of Troy Priam was very old and brave and he has 100 sons. Dhritrastra, King of Hastinapur also has 100 sons called as Kauravs. Prince Hector was bold, a great warrior and a loyal servant to his motherland Troy, just like Bhisma of the great Mahabharat. It was said that without defeating Hector, walls of Troy can't be made to fall. Just like it was said that without defeating Bhism, one can't sit over the Hastinapur's Throne. Mahabharat speaks of great warrior Arjun as Indra's ( Hindu God of Thunder, lightening and Rain ) son, on the same way Achilles, great warrior of Greece was the son of Zeus ( Greek God of thunder and lightening ). Achilles is the only one who can defeat Hector but he didn't fight wars for kings. He fight for himself. So, he needed to be convinced. This was done by Odysseus. Likewise, in Mahabharat. It was impossible to defeat Bhism without making Arjun to fight who was again, convinced by Krishna, God himself ( Although, Odysseus was not treated as God in Greek mythology, but he truly shown the traits of great manipulator and master orator like that of Krishna ). Now, this is where it get's confusing. As if now you think Odysseus shows traits of Krishna and Achilles that of Arjun. Prepare yourself for the unusual as Achilles also shows traits of Krishna. How come ? Let's see. Achilles was greek demigod and was invulnerable with the exception of his knees. Likewise Krishna was invulnerable with the exception of his foot ( Guess it was his sole ). He died because of Arrow on his foot and Krishna died due to the same way ( only stories of both deaths were different ). Achilles has an invincible army. Best of the Best. A Myrmidons army. Krishna too has his TriNarayani Sena, who was the best and never defeated. Although, Myrmidons army fought with Achilles against Troy, unlike Trinarayani Sena of Krishna fought for enemies. And again Unlike Krishna, Achilles fought the great war. This shows that Achilles has both the traits of Krishna and Arjun. Achilles didn't want to fight the war, but it was the death of his beloved cousin Patroclus that filled him with rage just like Arjun got furious over his son's death Abhimanyu. Again there is partial similarities in both Patroclus and Abhimanyu. Both were great warriors and fought bravely. Patroclus wanted to fought in his big brother's Armour. Say, he wanted to be recognized and worshiped like Achilles. Or may be he worshiped Achilles and wanted to make him proud. Just like Abhimanyu tried to enter Chakravyuh which can't be penetrated except by the Arjun himself. So, it seems like Abhimanyu too wanted the same thing from his father as Patroclus wanted from his big brother. Again both were quite young and got killed in war. Here, Chakravyuh of Mahabharat can be compared to Big impeachable walls of Troy. Achilles ( Arjun of Mahabharat ) defeated Hector of Troy ( Bhisma of Hastinapur) and with the fall of Hector ( Bhisma ), it became easy for Greece ( Say army of Pandavas ) to get into Troy. The whole war was live told to king Priam by his follower as he was too old and blinded by his arrogance for his impeachable big walls just like Sanjaya told Kurukshetra war live to King Dhritrastra, who was again blinded by his fatherly loved for his fool son Duryodhan and ambition to sit in Hastinapur's throne. The war favored the Greece and the Troy was defeated. Just like the war was won by Pandavs and Hastinapur's army was defeated. Although, the whole Troy story was just a war story while Mahabharat laid foundations to Bhagwat Gita. So, in a way it was not just another war, but it led to enlightenment of mankind by the Lord Krishna ( Avatar of God Vishnu) himself.
So, in short :-
Mahabharat Trojan War
1) Dhritrastra was blind (symbolically) King 1) Priam was old and blind ( symbolically) King
2) Dhritrastra has 100 sons 2) Priam has 100 sons
3) Throne of Hastinapur was reason of war 3) Troy's throne was prime reason
4) Women named Draupadi was involved 4) Women named Helen was involved
5) Yudhistir lost her wife to Duryodhan 5) Menelaus lost his wife to Paris
6) Has Great Warrior Arjun 6) Has great warrior Achilles
7) Has loyal servant to nation Bhisma 7) Has loyal servant to nation as Hector
8) Arjun was son of God of lightening Indra 8) Achilles was son of Zeus ( greek god of lightening )
9) Krishna was invulnerable except for foot 9) Achilles was invulnerable except for knees
10) Krishna has Trinarayani sena ( The Best one) 10) Achilles has Myrmidons army ( the best )
11) Hastinapur was defeated as Bhism falls 11) Troy was perished as Hector falls
12) Chakravyuh was impenetrable 12) Troy walls can't fall
13) Abhimanyu was there 13) Patroclus was there
14) Pandavs won the war ( attacked the throne) 14) Greece won the war ( who attacked the throne)
15) Written in Poem form by Ved Vyas 15) Written in Poem form by Homer
I have already stated various similarities between both the Epics. It was believed that Mahabharat war was not only fought between Kauravs and Pandavas but was joined by many allies of both parties. Some of them includes greece, spartans, egyptians and many more foreigners. What if one of the Epics is fake? What if some Greek warrior went back to Greece and told a great story of a great war, which was changed with time to a complete different story with some similarities and became Trojan War. What if some random traveler visited India from a foreign land and told this fascinating war story to one of our kings and he decided to write it down as a Indian war story. Archaeologists have already found remains of sunken Dwarka city. This was believed to be oldest civilization dated back to 7500 B.C. They have also found out remains of Troy city which dated back to 15-1300 BC. Which story is real and which is implanted by the very imaginations of the ruling king ?. I left to you.
Mahabharat is the greatest and the longest poem known to mankind ( basically, Hindus ) was written by Ved Vyas and was dated even back to 3000 B.C . Others believed it was fought around 1500-1200 BC . On the other hand Trojan War was described by homer in his poem '' Iliad.'' So, to start with both are originated in poem form. The Mahabharat was fought for the very reason as told by Krishna '' Dharm ki Sthapana ke liye.'' It was gruesomely fought between two parties for the throne of ''Hastinapur.'' Likewise, Trojan war was fought between Greece ( Headed by Agamemnon, Menelaus spartan king, Great warrior Achilles and his Myrmidons army, Odysseus etc ) and The Great Troy ( Ruled by Priam, His beloved son and great warrior prince Hector, and his incompetent brother Paris ). Mahabharat was fought because of rivarly created partially by a women named Drupadi. It was Draupadi that cause rivarly between the two parties ( although, Hastinapur Throne was bigger reason of the war i.e Power and Land ). On the same way in Trojan war a women named Helen causes trouble between the two parties. It was said that she was the most beautiful women crafted by the Greek Goddess of beauty, Aphrodite itself. Spartan King Menelaus invited prince Hector and Paris to a party. Party was organised because of the alliance so formed between the two great forces, Sparta and Trojans. This is where prince Paris got enchanted by the very beauty of Helen and took her with him on his return to the Troy. This troubled the great obnoxious King Menelaus. Menelaus went to Agamemnon, who was the king of all Greece and asked for vengeance. Agamemnon gathered the army and marched towards Troy. So, in a way Trojan War too was started because of a women ( Here again the prime reason was land acquisition and power as Agamemnon wanted Troy under his command from a very long time ). The great King Menelaus can be compared to Yudhister who loses his wife in gamble to another party's prince. Here, The coward little prince of Troy Paris can be compared with Duryodhana of Mahabharat. The king of Troy Priam was very old and brave and he has 100 sons. Dhritrastra, King of Hastinapur also has 100 sons called as Kauravs. Prince Hector was bold, a great warrior and a loyal servant to his motherland Troy, just like Bhisma of the great Mahabharat. It was said that without defeating Hector, walls of Troy can't be made to fall. Just like it was said that without defeating Bhism, one can't sit over the Hastinapur's Throne. Mahabharat speaks of great warrior Arjun as Indra's ( Hindu God of Thunder, lightening and Rain ) son, on the same way Achilles, great warrior of Greece was the son of Zeus ( Greek God of thunder and lightening ). Achilles is the only one who can defeat Hector but he didn't fight wars for kings. He fight for himself. So, he needed to be convinced. This was done by Odysseus. Likewise, in Mahabharat. It was impossible to defeat Bhism without making Arjun to fight who was again, convinced by Krishna, God himself ( Although, Odysseus was not treated as God in Greek mythology, but he truly shown the traits of great manipulator and master orator like that of Krishna ). Now, this is where it get's confusing. As if now you think Odysseus shows traits of Krishna and Achilles that of Arjun. Prepare yourself for the unusual as Achilles also shows traits of Krishna. How come ? Let's see. Achilles was greek demigod and was invulnerable with the exception of his knees. Likewise Krishna was invulnerable with the exception of his foot ( Guess it was his sole ). He died because of Arrow on his foot and Krishna died due to the same way ( only stories of both deaths were different ). Achilles has an invincible army. Best of the Best. A Myrmidons army. Krishna too has his TriNarayani Sena, who was the best and never defeated. Although, Myrmidons army fought with Achilles against Troy, unlike Trinarayani Sena of Krishna fought for enemies. And again Unlike Krishna, Achilles fought the great war. This shows that Achilles has both the traits of Krishna and Arjun. Achilles didn't want to fight the war, but it was the death of his beloved cousin Patroclus that filled him with rage just like Arjun got furious over his son's death Abhimanyu. Again there is partial similarities in both Patroclus and Abhimanyu. Both were great warriors and fought bravely. Patroclus wanted to fought in his big brother's Armour. Say, he wanted to be recognized and worshiped like Achilles. Or may be he worshiped Achilles and wanted to make him proud. Just like Abhimanyu tried to enter Chakravyuh which can't be penetrated except by the Arjun himself. So, it seems like Abhimanyu too wanted the same thing from his father as Patroclus wanted from his big brother. Again both were quite young and got killed in war. Here, Chakravyuh of Mahabharat can be compared to Big impeachable walls of Troy. Achilles ( Arjun of Mahabharat ) defeated Hector of Troy ( Bhisma of Hastinapur) and with the fall of Hector ( Bhisma ), it became easy for Greece ( Say army of Pandavas ) to get into Troy. The whole war was live told to king Priam by his follower as he was too old and blinded by his arrogance for his impeachable big walls just like Sanjaya told Kurukshetra war live to King Dhritrastra, who was again blinded by his fatherly loved for his fool son Duryodhan and ambition to sit in Hastinapur's throne. The war favored the Greece and the Troy was defeated. Just like the war was won by Pandavs and Hastinapur's army was defeated. Although, the whole Troy story was just a war story while Mahabharat laid foundations to Bhagwat Gita. So, in a way it was not just another war, but it led to enlightenment of mankind by the Lord Krishna ( Avatar of God Vishnu) himself.
So, in short :-
Mahabharat Trojan War
1) Dhritrastra was blind (symbolically) King 1) Priam was old and blind ( symbolically) King
2) Dhritrastra has 100 sons 2) Priam has 100 sons
3) Throne of Hastinapur was reason of war 3) Troy's throne was prime reason
4) Women named Draupadi was involved 4) Women named Helen was involved
5) Yudhistir lost her wife to Duryodhan 5) Menelaus lost his wife to Paris
6) Has Great Warrior Arjun 6) Has great warrior Achilles
7) Has loyal servant to nation Bhisma 7) Has loyal servant to nation as Hector
8) Arjun was son of God of lightening Indra 8) Achilles was son of Zeus ( greek god of lightening )
9) Krishna was invulnerable except for foot 9) Achilles was invulnerable except for knees
10) Krishna has Trinarayani sena ( The Best one) 10) Achilles has Myrmidons army ( the best )
11) Hastinapur was defeated as Bhism falls 11) Troy was perished as Hector falls
12) Chakravyuh was impenetrable 12) Troy walls can't fall
13) Abhimanyu was there 13) Patroclus was there
14) Pandavs won the war ( attacked the throne) 14) Greece won the war ( who attacked the throne)
15) Written in Poem form by Ved Vyas 15) Written in Poem form by Homer
I have already stated various similarities between both the Epics. It was believed that Mahabharat war was not only fought between Kauravs and Pandavas but was joined by many allies of both parties. Some of them includes greece, spartans, egyptians and many more foreigners. What if one of the Epics is fake? What if some Greek warrior went back to Greece and told a great story of a great war, which was changed with time to a complete different story with some similarities and became Trojan War. What if some random traveler visited India from a foreign land and told this fascinating war story to one of our kings and he decided to write it down as a Indian war story. Archaeologists have already found remains of sunken Dwarka city. This was believed to be oldest civilization dated back to 7500 B.C. They have also found out remains of Troy city which dated back to 15-1300 BC. Which story is real and which is implanted by the very imaginations of the ruling king ?. I left to you.
