1048 (Part 2 of 10) Why Vyasa Mahabhagavata has apparently omitted name AYODHYA in Pilgrimage Centres?

My mother tongue is Telugu, spoken by > 100 million people, spread over the Earth. Besides, I have some functional knowledge of our National Language Hindi, World Language English, apart from Sanskrit. In Part 1 of this 10 Essay Series, Click here to go to http://problemsoftelugus.blogspot.com/search/label/1046, I have covered three Verses in Volume 7 (7th Canto, Saptama Skantha) of Vyasa's Sanskrit Mahabhagavata Scripture, together with an English Gist by Shri Shrila Prabhupada of Harekrishna Movement. Recapitulation: In the nearly 20 pilgrim places mentioned in those Verses, conspicuous was the absence of the name of "Ayodhya", and the presence of "SitarAmAShrama" (English: Hermitage of Sita, and Rama). Vyasa Mahabhagavata's periodicity of Evolution into its present form as 2/3/4 Centuries A.D., i.e. the Gupta Dynasty period. There may be some general or specific reasons for the omission of "Ayodhya" in the Pilgrimage Places. Valmiki Ramayana is also believed to have evolved during the Gupta Dynasty period. The Historical Occurrence of RAmayana and Mahabharata/Mahabhagavata is, right now, a question of faith. Their Historical veracity will depend on availability and efforts for tracing out of more evidences, which is to be undertaken as a National Effect, without being influenced by biases towards "for" or "against". Now, in this blog post, I am trying to quote and examine, the information about pilgrim centres available during the period of the Great Telugu Poet Bammera Pothana (Potana), approx. periodicity according to my belief- second part of 14th Century. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pothana mentions the periodicity of Bammera Potana as 1450-1510.

First I shall quote from the Potana's Telugu Translation. The three verses of Vyasa Bhagavatam quoted in Part 1 (Post No. 1047), were rendered by Potana in "Prose". I shall quote:

Prose NO. 451, Canto 7 (saptama skantham) in Mahabhagavatam translated by Bammera Potana in 14th Century.
Prose in Telugu Script: మరియు కురుక్షేత్రంబును, గయాశీర్షంబును, ప్రయాగంబును, పులహాశ్రమంబును, నైమిశంబును, ఫాల్గునంబును, సేతువును, ప్రభాసంబును, కుశస్థలియును, వారణాసియును, మధురాపురియును, పంపా బిందు సరోవరంబులును, నారాయణాశ్రమంబును, సీతారామాశ్రమంబును, మహేంద్ర మలయాదులైన కులాచలంబులును, హరి ప్రతిమార్చన ప్రదేశంబులును, హరి సేవాపరులైన పరమ భాగవతులు వసించెడు పుణ్యక్షేత్రంబులును, శుభకాముండైన వాడు సేవించవలెను.

Roman Script: mariyu kurukshEtrambunu, gayA SIrshambunu, prayAgambunu, pulahASramambunu, naimiSambunu, phAlgunambunu, sEtuvunu, prabhAsambunu, kuSasthaliyu, vAraNAsiyu, madhurApuriyunu, pampA bindu sarOvarambulunu, nArAyaNASramambunu, SITARAMASRAMAMBUNU, mahEndra malayAdulaina kulAcalambulunu, hari pratimArcana pradESambulunu, hari sEvA parulaina parama bhAgavatulu vasinceDu puNyakshEtrambulanu SubhakAmunDaina vADu sEvinca valayu.

We shall, now, take up

ENGLISH GIST OF THE ABOVE PROSE

A person who cherishes auspiciousnesses should visit Virtuous Places of Pilgrimate:
1. kurukshEtra (now in Hariyana)
2. Gaya Sirsham (now in Bihar)
3. prayAga (present Allahabad in U.P.)
4. Hermitage of Sage pulaha
5. Naimisa Hermitage (Uttar Pradesh)
6. phalguNam (This I believe is phalguNI tirtham, Gaya in present Bihar. To be studied more).
7. sEtuvu (May be Sea in general or rAma sEtu).
8. prabhAsam
9. kuSasthali
10.varaNAsi (also known as Benares, kASi)
11. madhurApuri (madhura in U.P.)
12. pampa and bindu Lakes (linked to Ramayana's Sabari's Hermitage. According to Indian Tourist Circuit it is near Hampi, Karnataka State).
13. Hermitage of Sage nArAyaNa
14. SItA rAmA ASramam (Hermitage of Sita and Rama. This may be Chitrakoot in MP-UP or panchavati in Nasik / Bhadrachalam or any other places).
15. Superior Hills such as mahEndra and malaya. (These places may be in Odisa State).
16. hari pratimArcana pradESambulu (Places where VishNu's idols are worshipped).
17. Virtuous Places where Sincere Devotees of Lord VishNu (also known as Hari) reside.

About each of the above places, we can write a thousand pages. Conspicuous in its absence is the birth place of Shri Rama= ayOdhya.

ybrao-a-donkey's additional observations, which are not intended to be imposed on others

All India pilgrimages, not only during Mahabharata / Mahabhagavata period, or the 2-3-4C Gupta Period or the 14-15C Bammera Potana Period, or for that matter in any Century upto 1900 A.D. were not easy. There used to be a popular Telugu proverb: "kASIki veLLina vADU okaTE" English=The person who went on a pilgrimage of KASi (vAraNASi) and the person who went to grave are equal.

Very few such pilgrims return safely, because on the way Wild Animals in Inpenetrable forests may devor them. Bandits in Bundelkhand, Chambal, Narmada Valley, Chattis gadh, may rob and kill them.

There is an 19th Century Telugu book by Late Nagapudi kuppusAmi Ayya, an Employee of East India Company, who visited kASi from Chennai. He might probably used bullock carts, pallanquins, walking to traverse the hard terrain across the Deccan Plateau. I shall try to give a link for download that book, as soon as I trace it out, may be at Archive.org or somewhere else. In my boyhood, when I was studying 11th Standard, I recall we had a Prose lesson from his book. That particular lesson described the Author's visit to Sri Kalahasti, a place of Shiva Pilgrimage near Tirumala-Tirupati.

Question: Why are you writing all this?

Ans: If visiting Kasi in 19th Century was a Great hardship, what could have been the situation during the Potana's days. 1. Potana's days were full of turmoil. Those were the days of turmoil after Juna Khan (Mohd. Bin Tuglack) defeated Kakatiya Pratapa Rudra II, and took him as prisoner to Delhi. On the way, while crossing Narmada River, the Prisoner Pratapa Rudra II is believed to have jumped into the River and committed suicide.

2. Pilgrimages during the period 1001 Ghazni's Invasions) to say 1526 (Babar's Arrival) or probably even upto 1905 might have been extremely perilous.

3. Bammera Potana translated his Telugu Mahabhagavata, by and large, truthfully to the Source Sanskrit Vyasa Mahabhagavata.

4. Bammera Potana might have been working 24/7/365. Else it would not have been possible to complete the Monumental Magnum Opus during his life time. Writing one verse conforming to meter, itself is impossible for Ordinary Souls like us. Besides, Potana was spending his day time tilling the soil, sowing seeds, harvesting crop etc., apart from his daily obligations of going to River for completing his ablutions, and performing "dEvatArchana" (Worship of Gods which may take at least one hour). There were tri-sandhyAs (three Prayers of Dawn, Midday and Dusk), to perform.

Hence, discussing or inquiring about more places of pilgrimages such as ayOdhya, apart from the 17 listed above, could not have been possible for him. Then, how could he worry about visiting Ram Janm bhOOmi? (Birth Place of Rama i.e. Ayodhya?). We must not forget that Potana was indisputably an ardent devotee of Lord Shri Rama. If so, how could he not think of visiting Ayodhya (or sAkEt)? Probable answer: Very few people were aware about Ayodhya (? even before Emperor Babar built his mosque at ayOdhya after demolishing rAm janma bhUmi?).

Question: What is your perceived Historical Utility of this discussion? Do you want to prove that Ayodhya or Ram Janm bhUmi did not exist?

Ans: I expect this sort of discussions to help in tracing out facts-- whether the present Phyzabad-UP Ayodhya is the real Ayodhya, or there are one or two more places under archaeological mounds, which may be Ayodhyas. It may be too early to say that Phyzabad Ayodhya is not real Ayodhya or RJB.

Suggested Additional Reading

Click here to go http://ramayanayb.blogspot.in/search/label/124

Incomplete. Only 20% done. To come back and continue adding / deleting / modifying.