The Over-Burdened Earth in India and Greece

Abstract

In recent years Georges Dumezil and Jacques Scheuer have drawn attention to the importance of the theme of the over-burdened Earth in the Mahabharata. Dumezil has even given the title La Terre soulagee to the first part of the first volume of M 'ohe et epopee in which he studies the Mahabharata.4 In his summary of the Adiparvan Dumezil writes: ..... les personnages du Mahabharata, les principaux et beaucoup de secondaires, voire d'6pisodiques, sont des etres surnaturels, dieux et demons, incarnes sur l'ordre de Brahma en vue de la grande guerre, celle-ci ayant pour objet providentiel de soulager la terre d'un surpeuplement qu'elle ne peut tolerer.5 On p. 169 Dumezil remarks: C'est en effet pour delivrer la Terre accablee par un surpeuplement-que le Mahabhdrata explique A plusieurs reprises et de plusieurs faponsque Brahma avait decide la grande saignee et commande aux dieux de s'incarner pour l'accomplir. Dumezil also quotes a passage from the Markandeya Purana in which the same theme is to be found.6 In his book on Siva in the Mahabharata, Jacques Scheuer repeatedly refers to the theme of the overcrowded earth.7 On p. 157 he refers to it as the central myth of the Mahabharata: Nous rejoignons Ia

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