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Manabharana Is Not Malay (Manabharana Bukan Melayu)

In recent times, an alarming narrative has emerged within the Malaysian blogosphere, suggesting a historical event that appears to be a misinterpretation or perhaps a deliberate misinformation campaign. The claim revolves around a so called Malay prince named Manabharana from Srivijaya, purportedly attacking and conquering the Chola kingdom. This misleading story has gained traction and is spreading like wildfire across various social media platforms. The need to address and rectify such inaccuracies is crucial not only for the sake of historical accuracy but also for fostering a responsible and informed online community. To delve into the matter, it is essential to clarify that historical records reveal the existence of multiple individuals named Manabharana throughout history. However, a nuanced understanding reveals that all these figures were Tamils (Damila) hailing from the Pandya kingdom, with references to their exploits documented in Tamil inscriptions and Sri Lankan chronicles
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The Concept of Avatara Purusha

Image result for tirupathi perumal
Vishnu in the form of Venkateswara or Balaji in Tirupathi. Picture source unknown.
The Samkhya philosophy speaks about the duality of reality. Samkhya is one of the 6 valid philosophies of Hinduism. Buddhism was influenced by Samkhya. It contains humanistic and practical values.

 The cosmos is known as Purusha and the energy or nature that sustains it is called Prakriti. If Purusha is Static, Prakriti is Dynamic. The Chinese call it Yin and Yang. For the Saivites, Siva is Purusha and Sakthi is Prakriti.

 In the Vaishnava religion, Narayana or Vishnu takes up the role of Purusha. His energy is called Vaishnavi. Vishnu is also the Preserver and Protector of Dharma. As we all know, Vishnu has many Avatars or incarnations.

In the Bhagavat Gita, Krishna mentioned that whenever there is a decline in Dharma, he will be reborn again and again to uphold Dharma. This brings us back to the concept of Purusha or the cosmos itself. 

 The cosmos repairs itself. It does not have an external input to fix its internal problems. Because there is nothing external. Everything is internal and happens within the cosmos.

 Whenever there is a problem, the Purusha will manifest itself to solve it. Whenever someone stands up for the right thing and restores order during desperate times especially when all hope is lost, such person will be considered as the manifestation of the Purusha itself. 

 Krishna was needed to slay Kamsa, Rama was needed to slay Ravana. Their act restored order. Hence they are considered as Avatara Purusha; the Purusha (Vishnu) that incarnated/manifested.

 There is an Avatara Purusha in each of us. It will and it must manifest in times of need. A separate God in blue will not appear to fix the problems in our society. We are the solution for our problems. We are our own saviour.
Vishnu on Garuda Tanjore
Pic Credit: Madhurya

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