Over Burdened Earth In India And Greece

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The article "The Over-Burdened Earth in India and Greece" by J. W. De Jong explores a significant parallel theme found in both Indian (specifically the Mahābhārata) and ancient Greek literature: the Earth being oppressed by an excessive population, leading to divine intervention to alleviate this burden.

In the Mahābhārata:

• The Core Narrative: The text highlights a central myth in the Mahābhārata where the Earth, groaning under the weight of asuras (demons) and their overpopulation, appeals to Brahma, the creator god.
• Divine Incarnation: Brahma then orders the gods to descend to Earth and incarnate themselves to combat these asuras. This divine descent and subsequent battle are presented as the solution to lighten the Earth's burden.
• Scholarly Recognition: De Jong notes that scholars like Georges Dumézil and Jacques Scheuer have recognized the importance of this "over-burdened Earth" theme, with Dumézil even titling a section of his work "La Terre soulagée" (The Relieved Earth). Scheuer considers it the "central myth" of the Mahābhārata.
• Variants of the Myth: The article identifies at least three variations of this theme within the Mahābhārata:
  1. The primary myth of gods incarnating to destroy asuras and relieve the Earth's burden.
  2. The varaha (boar) myth, where Vishnu as a boar lifts the Earth that has sunk due to overpopulation.
  3. A narrative connected to the creation of Death (mṛtyu), whose existence is a consequence of the Earth suffering from an oppressive burden, though this variant doesn't directly involve the battle of incarnated gods and demons.
• Possible Indo-Iranian Connection: The author suggests that the theme of an over-populated Earth might have Indo-Iranian origins, citing a parallel in the Iranian Videvdăt II where Yama makes the Earth expand. However, the specific connection to the creation of Death seems to be an Indian development.

In Ancient Greece:

• The Iliad Prologue: The article points to the prologue of Homer's Iliad, which speaks of "pains thousandfold upon the Achaians" and heroes hurled to Hades, implying a large-scale conflict.
• The Cypria Fragment: Crucially, a fragment from the Cypria (a lost epic poem that provided a prologue to the Trojan War cycle) is quoted. This fragment explicitly states that Zeus, seeing the Earth oppressed by the "countless tribes of men," decided to "relieve the all-nurturing earth of men by causing the great struggle of the Ilian war, that the load of death might empty the world."
• Scholarly Debate: The interpretation of "the will of Zeus" (Atòç Bouλn) in the Iliad prologue has been a subject of scholarly debate. While some, like C. M. Bowra, argue against a direct connection to a specific divine plan for population control, others, like Wolfgang Kullmann, contend that this motif of Zeus intending to reduce the human population through war is pre-Homeric and present in the Cypria.
• Euripides' Reference: The presence of this theme is further supported by a reference in Euripides' Helena, where the Trojan War is described as being brought about by Zeus to "lighten mother Earth of the mass and multitude of mortals."

Conclusion and Significance:

De Jong concludes by emphasizing the striking similarity between the Mahābhārata and the Cypria in relating that the supreme deity (Brahma in India, Zeus in Greece) instigated war to alleviate the Earth's burden (Sanskrit bhāra, Greek báros). While not definitively proving a common Indo-European heritage for the entire theme, the author finds it noteworthy that this myth appears in nearly identical wording in two distinct cultures, highlighting a significant shared ancient narrative. The article serves as a contribution to understanding this thematic parallel between Indian and Greek civilizations.