This is a speculation and represents my preliminary thought-processes on the matter. This might turn into scholarly work if Lord permits.
As the epic is so complex both in scope of fantasy and range of human condition, this question naturally arises. How did the creative framework and plots arise?
One solution would be that people wanted to write about experience of God. (Arjun's senses getting overpowered by God's vision in Gita, Book of Bhishma.) Those who achieved God vision, wrote a chronological description of their experiences creating a story with life events and other mythological frameworks. (How Vishnu became the Supreme Gdd and history of Vaishnavism from Shatpatha Brahmana is not discussed here.)
But, what solution is provided by Mahabharat, itself? In Adivansavatarana Parva in Book of Beginnings, the initial point is kept as Earth getting exploited by sons of Diti(demons). Sons of Diti were being reborn on Earth, because they were dying in wars against celestials(sons of Aditi) in heaven. Demons created oceans as boundaries and ravaged the environment with their strength and haughtiness. So, Earth requests the Creator Brahma for a solution.
The creator(Brahma/Prajapati) asks different celestials to take the war from heaven to Earth. How? The creator asks the gods to get birth on Earth and seek conflict with demons. Sakra(the king of gods) then goes to Vishnu, and asks him to be born. Vishnu agrees.
Again before the final great war, Vishnu(as Krishn) tells Arjun, that he is born again and again for the benefit of righteous and destruction of non-righteous.
Interestingly in story of Ram(son of Janmagdani, carrier of axe) also kills kshatriyas and makes a lake out of blood of countless kings. The lake(called Samanta panchaka) coincides with the battlefield of Kurukshetra. As if the same place/location/arena is being used again and again for the conflict resolution between good and evil.
As the epic is so complex both in scope of fantasy and range of human condition, this question naturally arises. How did the creative framework and plots arise?
One solution would be that people wanted to write about experience of God. (Arjun's senses getting overpowered by God's vision in Gita, Book of Bhishma.) Those who achieved God vision, wrote a chronological description of their experiences creating a story with life events and other mythological frameworks. (How Vishnu became the Supreme Gdd and history of Vaishnavism from Shatpatha Brahmana is not discussed here.)
But, what solution is provided by Mahabharat, itself? In Adivansavatarana Parva in Book of Beginnings, the initial point is kept as Earth getting exploited by sons of Diti(demons). Sons of Diti were being reborn on Earth, because they were dying in wars against celestials(sons of Aditi) in heaven. Demons created oceans as boundaries and ravaged the environment with their strength and haughtiness. So, Earth requests the Creator Brahma for a solution.
The creator(Brahma/Prajapati) asks different celestials to take the war from heaven to Earth. How? The creator asks the gods to get birth on Earth and seek conflict with demons. Sakra(the king of gods) then goes to Vishnu, and asks him to be born. Vishnu agrees.
Again before the final great war, Vishnu(as Krishn) tells Arjun, that he is born again and again for the benefit of righteous and destruction of non-righteous.
Interestingly in story of Ram(son of Janmagdani, carrier of axe) also kills kshatriyas and makes a lake out of blood of countless kings. The lake(called Samanta panchaka) coincides with the battlefield of Kurukshetra. As if the same place/location/arena is being used again and again for the conflict resolution between good and evil.
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