What are some of the least-known facts or hidden stories in the Mahabharata?

 Mahabharat as written by Rishi Ved Vyas ji was called Jay Sanhita and had only 8,800 shlokas.

It was taught by Rishi Ved Vyas ji to his disciple Vaishampayan who later recited it to Janmejay, the grandson of Abhimanyu.

The Mahabharat itslef states that that it had 1 Lakh shlokas but sadly today no version having full 1 Lakh shlokas is available.

Janmejay is the only person in the entire human history to have conducted the snake sacrifice.

Various rishis appeared in the sky before Dronacharya and instructed him to stop fighting this war and told him that his period on earth is over now.

Dronacharya’s soul had already left his body through meditation before being beheaded by Dhristdyumn.

While Kauravas had to change 4 senapatis during the war, Pandavas did not change their senpati during the war. Dhristdyumn was their senapati from the beginning till the end of the war.

The idea of night attack on the pandava camp came to Ashwatthama after he saw an owl attacking a group of sleeping crows in the night.

Before starting the night attack, Ashwatthama offered prayers to Lord Shiv and he entered the body of Ashwatthama. That’s why Ashwatthama became too much powerful and nobody could face him that night.

Rishi Ved Vyas ji revived all the dead warriors and soldiers for one night using his ascetic powers.

Lord Krishna cursed only once in his life. He cursed Ashwatthama when he committed the heinous crime of redirecting his Brahmshira weapon towards the womb of Uttara, Abhimanyu’s wife to kill his unborn baby in order to completely finish the lineage of Pandavas.

Abhimanyu’s wife Uttara delivered his dead son which is a miracle as miscarriage happens if the baby dies inside his mother’s womb due to any reason. He was later on revived by Lord Krishna.

What are some movies with the deepest hidden meanings?

 The first movie which popped up in my mind when I saw this question was

1. Requiem for a dream : This movie deals with the problems of loneliness and addiction on various levels, and adding the background score to it makes it more deep and increases the impact on the audience.

2. Man from Earth: This movie deals with the possibility that a person has defeated death and has been living for thousands of years. The thought of living for thousands of years seems interesting at first, however the losses and the difficulties coming with it makes us analyze is it really worth it to defeat death and become an immortal.

3. Coherence: A group of friends who gather for a dinner party, experience unexplained set of experiences because of a passing comet. My mind went into a spin when I watched this movie and it was directed really well.

4. The Shining: A writer and his family agree to take care of a hotel, which is situated far away from general public. The hotel has a dark history which generally creeps out people. The son of the writer starts feeling the paranormal presence and the writer himself loses his mind because of all the events happening at that place. This movie doesn’t fail to make an impact on me whenever I watch it.

5. Aval Oru Thodar Kathai: This is a Tamizh [a language in India] movie, which was directed by K.Balachandar sir. The movie revolves around the female character who takes up the responsibility of looking after her family, in this process she loses her youth, happiness, love and loads of other things. The climax creates a really deep impact on the audience.

6. Anbe Sivam: This is one of the movies which is close to my heart. The title of the movie roughly translates to “Love is God”. Story about a person who is affected by the society and who is hurt physically but his moral spirit is always high. I am really not able to describe this movie using words, do watch it if you get time.

What are some hidden facts about the great Osho?

 

Singers : Purushottam Das Jalota , father of Anoop Jalota conducted classical music soirees in a small flat owned by Acharya Rajneesh.

He tried to persuade Jalotas to be his disciples and move to upcoming spiritual retreat in Pune.

Musician :Kalyan ji Virji Shah (Kalyan ji-Anand ji) was a disciple of Rajneesh.

He and his brother often performed in Pune ashram .

Politician : Mathura Prasad Mishra , a three time Indian Parliamentarian got impressed by Rajneesh.

He renounced his political career and became Swami Anand Maitreya.

Prime minister : Chandrasekhar was quite friendly with Rajneesh.

As a young politician , he often interacted with him.

He often defended him in his political speeches.

Actress :Parveen Babi became a disciple of Osho , when she was living in with Mahesh Bhatt.

She became Ma Yoga Karuna. She later left Osho and became a disciple of U G Krishnamurthy.

Preeti Ganguli , actress and daughter of Ashok Kumar, also became disciples of Rajneesh.

She was known as Ma Nirmala..

Film writer : Kamlesh Pandey of Tezaab, Khalnayak, Rang de Basanti fame was also a disciple.

He was known as Swami Anand Kamlesh.

Publisher : Indu Jain , chairperson of Times Group (Times of India) was a disciple of Rajneesh.

She often hosted him despite opposition from Jain community.

Journalist : Russi Karanjia , a popular editor of Blitz was friendly with Osho.

He had direct access to Osho. They were on a first name basis.

But : It is unfair to claim that Rajneesh was ever friendly with Mrs. Indira Gandhi.

He never met Morarji Desai to lecture him against urine therapy.

He was never friends with the sons of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. S Radhakrishnan.

He was never offered a blank cheque (multi millions) by JK Birla to propagate cow protection.

Perhaps : "The worst lies are the ones that are almost true." : Joe Abercrombie

Pic Credits : Google Images / Web

Hidden facts behind Kim Jong-Un's wife - The No. 1 Woman in North Korea.

• Ri Sol-Ju, she is the No. 1 woman in North Korea. Before marrying Kim Jong-Un, she used to be a cheerleader (Cheerleader).She studied music and singing in China. Being First Lady means she has to follow strict rules.

• After marrying Kim Jong-Un, she had to permanently conceal her former identity (name) to maintain her privacy. So no one knew much about her background.
• Ri Sol-Ju has also not been able to meet her family even once since her marriage to Kim Jong-Un.

• Ri Sol-Ju is not allowed to go out or even interact with people without her husband's company.

• All of Ri Sol-Ju's past life has been completely erased, leaving no trace behind. So no one knows what Ri Sol-Ju did in her past.

What is the hidden meaning behind Krishna wearing a peacock feather on his crown?

 

" Sikhandi " is a magnificent name found in the *Vishnu Sahasranama*. Adi Shankara interpreted this name to mean "one who wears a peacock feather."

Since Krishna is a complete incarnation of Vishnu, sages perceived Krishna as “ Sikhandi “ as well.

" yatra yOgESvarah KrishnO ….." — Krishna is “ yOgESvara “, the Lord of Yoga.

The *Krishna Upanishad* reveals that the sound of the divine flute is heard when the time for liberation arrives.

Similarly, Patanjali said in his yOgasAstra:

" brahma-randhrO gatO nAdO mayUrO nAda uchyatE “ — this is a verse from Patanjali's Yoga Shastra. When practitioners, while engaged in yoga, guide the vital breath (*prana*) from the *Muladhara* (root chakra) up through the *Sushumna* nadi—surpassing the *Ajna Chakra* and reaching the *Sahasrara*—they hear a wondrous sound. Patanjali describes this sound as resembling the call of a peacock (*mayura*).

This indicated that for those practicing yoga, hearing the call of a peacock signifies the completion of their spiritual practice.

Krishna is the one who can transform a spiritual aspirant into a *Yogi*. Because there is a connection between the practice of yoga and the call of the peacock, our sages envisioned Krishna wearing a peacock feather.

Subhamastu

Do you know something that most people don't?

 Hidden Facts About Kim Jong-un's Wife - North Korea's First Lady

• She is the First Lady of North Korea, Ri Sol-ju. Before marrying Kim Jong-un, she was a cheerleader. She studied music and singing in China. As the First Lady of North Korea, she must abide by several strict rules.

• Since she married Kim Jong-un, she had to permanently hide her previous name to protect her privacy, so nobody knows much about her.
• Kim Jong-un's wife was never able to see her family even once in her life after marrying him.

• Kim Jong-un's wife cannot go out or interact with the public without him, but the US First Lady can go wherever she wants.

• Because Kim Jong-un's wife's entire background has been completely erased, no one knows what she did in the past.

What are the hidden mysteries behind everyday objects that most people don't know about?

 

1. Colored toothpaste

Have you ever wondered why classic toothpaste has stripes of three colors: white, blue, and red? It turns out that each stripe has different ingredients and purposes.

• Fluoride (the white component) is the most important ingredient in toothpaste, containing the substances that whiten teeth and remove plaque.
• The blue (or green) Aqua Gel has antimicrobial and refreshing effects.
• The red gel was added later. It contains some crucial elements for healthy gums.

In reality, there's no need to divide toothpaste into different colors. It's just a clever marketing strategy.

2. The crown of the Statue of Liberty

Everyone has seen the Statue of Liberty in person or in photos. However, few people know that the seven spikes on the crown of this statue represent the seven oceans and the seven continents of the world, indicating the universal concept of freedom. And one more interesting fact: each spike weighs exactly 150 pounds (about 68 kg).

3. Ballpoint pen :

Many ballpoint pens have a small hole in the middle of the casing. Some thought it was a manufacturing error, while others believed it had no purpose. In fact, this hole was designed to allow air in and help the ink continue to flow. This air allows the ink to flow smoothly, and in moments when the pen stops working, all you needed to do was remove the ink cartridge from the casing and shake it a little!

4. The small bow on the back of most of your shirts is there for a few reasons. First, and probably the most obvious, is to hang your shirt on a hanger. In the past, men also cut this bow on the back of their shirts if they started dating a girl to signal that they were in a relationship.

5. If you've ever been on a plane and suddenly been startled to see a small hole in the window next to you, don't be afraid! The reason the holes exist is to help regulate the air pressure that passes through the inner and outer panes of the window.

6. The extra piece of fabric or material that comes with your garment isn't there as a backup in case you tear the material, as most people think. It's actually there so you can test the material with your detergent or washing machine to see if it will have any negative effect on the fabric.

7. If you can't figure out why there's a small hole between your iPhone's flash and the camera lens, don't worry, the answer is quite simple. It's actually a secondary microphone, which helps the phone filter out background noise. It also helps your phone's personal assistant, Siri, understand different accents.

8. Most lotions, shampoos, and makeup products you buy have a series of mysterious symbols. The highest symbol tells you the product's expiration date! So, if you see "12M" (as in the image below), it means you have 12 months from the time you opened the bottle to use it before it expires.

9. You know that funny little "button" at the bottom of your rearview mirror? It actually has a purpose. When you're driving at night, pressing the button backward can protect you from being blinded/dazzled by oncoming headlights without losing visibility. Who would have thought of that?

10. Hyundai:

Like many of us, when you see the logo of the South Korean multinational Hyundai, you think it's simply the first letter of the name. In fact, that's not the case; the letter "H" symbolizes two people (a customer and a company representative) shaking hands.

What are the few hidden things you know about Swami Vivekananda?

The hidden facts of Swami Vivekananda are:—

1. Swami was known for his intellect but he scored only 56% in Bachelor of Arts exam.
2. Swami's Sister Jogendra Bala had committed suicide.
3. Vivekananda was a connoisseur of tea. In those days, when the Hindu pandits were opposed to drinking tea, he introduced tea into his monastery.
4. Ramakrishna Paramahansa was the guru of Swami Vivekananda. During the initial days of learning with his teacher, Vivekananda never completely trusted him. He kept on testing Ramakrishna for everything that he said until he finally got all his answers.
5. According to the book ‘The Monk as Man' by renowned Bengali writer Shankar, Swami Vivekananda suffered from 31 ailments. The books lists insomnia, liver and kidney disease, malaria, migraine, diabetes and heart ailments as some of the 31 health problems that Vivekanand faced in the course of his life. He even suffered from asthma which got unbearable many times.
6. Though Vivekananda used to respect and worship women, entry for them was strictly prohibited in his monastery. Once when Swamiji was ill his disciples fetched his mother. Seeing his mother he shouted, “Why did you allow a woman to come in? I was the one who made the rule and it is for me that the rule is being broken.”
7. After his father’s death, his family had to struggle to get a meal a day. Swamiji often used to move out of the house so that other members had enough. After the death of his paternal uncle Taraknath, his wife Gyanadasundari ousted Vivekananda’s family from their ancestral house and filed a suit in the court. Vivekananda fought the litigation suits for 14 years and on the last Saturday of his life on 28 June 1902 he decided to put an end to the court case after paying some financial compensation
8. Swamiji used to borrow books from library and return it the next day. The librarian doubted whether he really read the books or not. So the librarian tested him by asking questions from random page of the books. Swamiji answered them correctly and also quoted lines from the same page.
9. Vivekananda’s tireless service took a toll to his physical body. His words of wisdom to his disciples were “Learn from my experiences. Don’t be so hard on your body and ruin your health. I have harmed mine. I have tortured it severely, and what has been the result? My body has become ruined during the best years of my life! And I am still paying for it.”
10. Swami Vivekananda predicted that he would not live beyond 40 years. He died on July 4, 1902 at the age of 39 years.

What's the coolest hidden historical fact you know?

 Swai Madho Singh 2 (28 August 1862 – 7 September 1922) was the ruler of princely state of Jaipur from 1880 and 1922. He was the adopted son of previous ruler Swai Man Singh 2.

He was extremely Royal to the British Crown. His troops and horses assisted British forces during the Chitral Expedition in 1894–1895 and the Tirah Expedition in1897–1898 and the Second Boer Wars in 1899–1902. He also sent his men and Machine Gun at his own expense to assist British in Mesopotamian Campaign during World War 1. He also got various Honours from British. Apart from British honours, he got honoured from the Crown of Prussia and St. John hospital of Jerusalem.

Also he commissioned 2 silver vessels, which was made by melting 14,000 silver coins in 1894. These Vassels were used to carry Gangajals to London when he attended Coronation of King Edward VIII.