The Mahabaratha is a wonderful "soap opera" that highlights deceit, deception, jealousy and depicts everything that demonstrates the failings of humankind. It glorifies war and portrays how the Kshatriya's act in the name of honor and bring about death and destruction by retaliation. It describes acts of trickery, manipulation, granting of boons (with strings attached), and the casting of curses.
The epic covers a gamut of interesting socially taboo behaviour such as pre-marital sex, polygamy, polyandry. It also mentions cannibalism - human eating rakshasas. It includes advanced sci-fi concepts such as shape shifters/changelings, weapons of mass destruction (WMD) that can be willed by reciting mantras, and hyper-transportation. Also mentioned are surrogate parenthood, and the fact that Duryodhna had a hundred identical brothers suggests cloning. The very fact that this epic was conceived so many years ago and handed down by word of mouth is a miracle in itself.
The book by Rajagopalachari is a popular G version. It is a toned down narration suitable for children. One must read the 850 page Mahabharata by Kamala Subramaniam for a detailed treatise on this Epic.
Duryodhana, the son of blind Dhritarashtra, is a jealous, dissatisfied zealot who is always unhappy with what he has and covets what is not his. Not only is he an extortionist, he is an oppressor as well. In spite of grabbing what he covets, he wishes ill and hardships on the people he vanquishes. It is not surprising, that with the way in which the Mahabaratha is revered, that the "Duryodhana Complex" is pervasive in India. The lack of dysfunctional characters does not stop with Duryodhana.
The Pandavas, the sons of the Pandu (the albino) are rife with flaws as well. Yudhishthira is a vain and compulsive gambler who twice gambles away his kingdom. He also dishonors his wife by offering her as collateral, even after he has lost his kingdom. He is forgiven once by the intervention of Dhritarashtra, but that doesn't stop him from gambling again. Arjuna is a trigger-happy warrior, who does not have a mind of his own. He constantly relegates his thinking to Krishna. When he comes across Ekalavya who demonstrated better skills than him, he exhorts Drona to keep his promise that no one will surpass him. Ekalavya had approached Drona to learn Archery. But Drona says he cannot do so because Ekalavya is of a lower caste. Nevertheless, Ekalavya makes a statue of Drona and reveres Drona as his guru. When Ekalavya recounts this to Drona, Drona asks for “guru dakshina”. When Ekalavya replies that he is willing to give anything, Drona asks for his right thumb, which Ekalavya cuts off immediately and gives to Drona. This is great drama. But is this for real? Bhima is a strong man with more brawn than brains. Nakula and Sahadeva are portrayed as simple-minded innocent bystanders who go with the flow, wherever it takes them. Krishna, the all powerful, is a trickster and in many ways a con-artist who is good at finding loop holes in prevailing customs to manipulate situations to further his agenda.The Mahabaratha describes all sorts of behavior that is looked down upon in all major religions, such as pre-marital sex, extra-marital sex, adultery, polygamy, deception, jealousy, etc. etc.
Take the case of Satyavati. Satyavati was born inside a fish. A fishermen chief, caught this fish, found her in it and adopted her as his own daughter, as he had no children. Since she was born inside a fish, she had an odor of fish about her. As a youngster, she assisted her father by running a ferry service across the river. One day the great sage Parasara wanted to cross the river and availed himself of her services. Midway through the crossing, the sage was seized with a longing for this girl. He expressed this to her. She was flattered but frightened. At last she consented to his request, with the condition that no one should no of this escapade. By his yogic powers, the sage created an island in the middle of the river and surrounded it with mist, hiding it from prying eyes. In this island they consummated their relationship. The sage also granted her a boon and turned the fish-aroma into a divine fragrance. After this a miracle happened, within minutes Satyavati gave birth to a son. What is more, the son grew right away and attained adulthood. This was none other than the sage Vyaasa, who would compose the Mahabharata later. He saluted his mother and said that he would go his own way, but she only needed to think of him to command his presence. Satyavati continued her ferry service even after this incident. No one knew about her indiscretion, as her virginity had been restored by a boon from the sage. Later, the king Santanu came to visit her father. He saw Satyavati and was smitten by her beauty. Her father imposed a condition that Santanu must disinherit his only son Devavrata or the marriage would not take place. The King could not agree to this and went away in sorrow. His son however, after finding out the cause for his father's sorrow, met the chief-fisherman and renounced his claim to the throne and also took a vow of celibacy, so that he would sire no children that might pose a threat to Satyavati's children. For this terrible vow, he became known as Bishma from that point onwards.
Satyavati married Santanu and had two children named Chitrangada and Vichitraveerya. There was a Gandharva king called Chitrangada. He did not relish a mortal having his name and challenged his human namesake to a duel. The Gandharva killed Chitrangada. Vichitraveerya died of illness without leaving behind a heir. Faced with no heir to the throne, Satyavati implores Bishma, her step son to have sex with her two daughter-in-laws, who are sisters, namely Ambika and Ambalika but he balks for he took a vow not to marry, and be celibate so that her sons could become king. He suggests she adopt a son to have sex with her daughter-in-laws to sire a heir. Finally, Satyavati confesses that she had a pre-marital affair and Vyaasa is her illegitimate son. Vyaasa is a very learned sage, but very ugly. She calls upon Vyaasa and implores him to have sex with her daughter-in-laws. Vyaasa is reluctant (yeah really), and says he is ugly and it will not be a pleasant experience for the women, but finally agrees. The first women is so taken aback by his ugliness that she keeps her eyes shut all night while Vyaasa does his thing. Vyaasa reports to Satyavati that a son will be born, but he will be born blind. And so Dhritarashtra is born blind. Satyavati implores Vyaasa to sleep with the other daughter-in-law. Vyaasa protests, but agrees in the end. She is so taken aback by his ugliness that she blanches. Vyaasa reports to Satyavati that her daughter-in-law blanched and so a "pale" son will be born. And so Pandava, the son of the heroes of Mahabaratha is born an albino. Satyavati is aghast and asks Vyaasa to do the deed again. He protests and says this is the last and final effort. The chosen daughter-in-law sends her maid to have sex with Vyaasa. The maid and Vyaasa have a good time together. Vyaasa reports that a wise son will be born, but he will be ineligible for the throne. And so Vidura is born, who is wise, respected and can tell the future when he comes of age.
Pandu grows up to be an able and accomplished adult and rules the kingdom on behalf of Dhritarashtra. He takes two wives, Kunti and Maadri. When Kunti was a child, she took care of sage Durvasa, who was so pleased with her, that he taught her a Mantra. If she recited it, any Deva whom she thought of would “come to her”. She was a child and she did not understand the true implication of this Mantra. One day she was taken in by the Sun and recited the Mantra and the Sun materialized beside her. Having appeared he said he had to do his deed. Little did she know that “Come to her” actually meant that he would “Come in to her”. And so Karuna was born, who she put in a box and let it float down the river. One day Pandu was hunting in the forest and he killed a dear while it was making love to its doe. There was an understanding that hunters never killed animals in the act of love. The dear turned out to be a Sage who had taken the form a dear with his wife so that they could enjoy the joys of love. Apparently Sages were forbidden to have sex while in their human form. The dying Sage cursed Pandu, saying that he would die if and when he had sex. Poor Pandu was aghast and he left Hastinapura (the capital) to live in the forest with his wives. Many years passed and he bemoaned the fact that he had no sons. One day Kunti mentioned this Mantra of hers to Pandu and he asked her to invoke Dharma. So she did and Dharma appeared, did his deed and Yudhishthira was born to Kunti. A year later he asked Kunti to invoke Vayu. She did, he appeared, did his deed and Arjuna was born. Pandu was not satisfied he wanted another son. This time he asked Kunti to invoke Indra. She did, Indra appeared, did his deed and Bhima was born. Pandu was still not satisfied. This time Kunti suggested that she teach Maadri the mantra, since Maadri had no sons. Maadri invoked Asvini Kumara, the heavenly twins. Two of them showed up, (a two for one deal) and Nakula and Sahadeva were born to Maadri.
In addition to polygamy, polyandry is also depicted in this story. When Arjuna proudly announces to his mother Kunti, “Mother, we have brought a Bhiksha” Without seeing and assuming it is a donation she replies, “All of you can share the Bhiksha you have brought”. And so Draupadi, whose hand Arjuna won in a contest, is a shared wife amongst the five Pandava brothers.The Mahabharata does not portray a single icon that one can emulate. Surely one does not want to emulate Krishna or Yudhishthira. Bishma (the uncle) who took a vow of celibacy is the closest one could look up to but he is marginalized.
Duryodhana, the son of blind Dhritarashtra, is a jealous, dissatisfied zealot who is always unhappy with what he has and covets what is not his. Not only is he an extortionist, he is an oppressor as well. In spite of grabbing what he covets, he wishes ill and hardships on the people he vanquishes. It is not surprising, that with the way in which the Mahabaratha is revered, that the "Duryodhana Complex" is pervasive in India. The lack of dysfunctional characters does not stop with Duryodhana.
The Pandavas, the sons of the Pandu (the albino) are rife with flaws as well. Yudhishthira is a vain and compulsive gambler who twice gambles away his kingdom. He also dishonors his wife by offering her as collateral, even after he has lost his kingdom. He is forgiven once by the intervention of Dhritarashtra, but that doesn't stop him from gambling again. Arjuna is a trigger-happy warrior, who does not have a mind of his own. He constantly relegates his thinking to Krishna. When he comes across Ekalavya who demonstrated better skills than him, he exhorts Drona to keep his promise that no one will surpass him. Ekalavya had approached Drona to learn Archery. But Drona says he cannot do so because Ekalavya is of a lower caste. Nevertheless, Ekalavya makes a statue of Drona and reveres Drona as his guru. When Ekalavya recounts this to Drona, Drona asks for “guru dakshina”. When Ekalavya replies that he is willing to give anything, Drona asks for his right thumb, which Ekalavya cuts off immediately and gives to Drona. This is great drama. But is this for real? Bhima is a strong man with more brawn than brains. Nakula and Sahadeva are portrayed as simple-minded innocent bystanders who go with the flow, wherever it takes them. Krishna, the all powerful, is a trickster and in many ways a con-artist who is good at finding loop holes in prevailing customs to manipulate situations to further his agenda.The Mahabaratha describes all sorts of behavior that is looked down upon in all major religions, such as pre-marital sex, extra-marital sex, adultery, polygamy, deception, jealousy, etc. etc.
Take the case of Satyavati. Satyavati was born inside a fish. A fishermen chief, caught this fish, found her in it and adopted her as his own daughter, as he had no children. Since she was born inside a fish, she had an odor of fish about her. As a youngster, she assisted her father by running a ferry service across the river. One day the great sage Parasara wanted to cross the river and availed himself of her services. Midway through the crossing, the sage was seized with a longing for this girl. He expressed this to her. She was flattered but frightened. At last she consented to his request, with the condition that no one should no of this escapade. By his yogic powers, the sage created an island in the middle of the river and surrounded it with mist, hiding it from prying eyes. In this island they consummated their relationship. The sage also granted her a boon and turned the fish-aroma into a divine fragrance. After this a miracle happened, within minutes Satyavati gave birth to a son. What is more, the son grew right away and attained adulthood. This was none other than the sage Vyaasa, who would compose the Mahabharata later. He saluted his mother and said that he would go his own way, but she only needed to think of him to command his presence. Satyavati continued her ferry service even after this incident. No one knew about her indiscretion, as her virginity had been restored by a boon from the sage. Later, the king Santanu came to visit her father. He saw Satyavati and was smitten by her beauty. Her father imposed a condition that Santanu must disinherit his only son Devavrata or the marriage would not take place. The King could not agree to this and went away in sorrow. His son however, after finding out the cause for his father's sorrow, met the chief-fisherman and renounced his claim to the throne and also took a vow of celibacy, so that he would sire no children that might pose a threat to Satyavati's children. For this terrible vow, he became known as Bishma from that point onwards.
Satyavati married Santanu and had two children named Chitrangada and Vichitraveerya. There was a Gandharva king called Chitrangada. He did not relish a mortal having his name and challenged his human namesake to a duel. The Gandharva killed Chitrangada. Vichitraveerya died of illness without leaving behind a heir. Faced with no heir to the throne, Satyavati implores Bishma, her step son to have sex with her two daughter-in-laws, who are sisters, namely Ambika and Ambalika but he balks for he took a vow not to marry, and be celibate so that her sons could become king. He suggests she adopt a son to have sex with her daughter-in-laws to sire a heir. Finally, Satyavati confesses that she had a pre-marital affair and Vyaasa is her illegitimate son. Vyaasa is a very learned sage, but very ugly. She calls upon Vyaasa and implores him to have sex with her daughter-in-laws. Vyaasa is reluctant (yeah really), and says he is ugly and it will not be a pleasant experience for the women, but finally agrees. The first women is so taken aback by his ugliness that she keeps her eyes shut all night while Vyaasa does his thing. Vyaasa reports to Satyavati that a son will be born, but he will be born blind. And so Dhritarashtra is born blind. Satyavati implores Vyaasa to sleep with the other daughter-in-law. Vyaasa protests, but agrees in the end. She is so taken aback by his ugliness that she blanches. Vyaasa reports to Satyavati that her daughter-in-law blanched and so a "pale" son will be born. And so Pandava, the son of the heroes of Mahabaratha is born an albino. Satyavati is aghast and asks Vyaasa to do the deed again. He protests and says this is the last and final effort. The chosen daughter-in-law sends her maid to have sex with Vyaasa. The maid and Vyaasa have a good time together. Vyaasa reports that a wise son will be born, but he will be ineligible for the throne. And so Vidura is born, who is wise, respected and can tell the future when he comes of age.
Pandu grows up to be an able and accomplished adult and rules the kingdom on behalf of Dhritarashtra. He takes two wives, Kunti and Maadri. When Kunti was a child, she took care of sage Durvasa, who was so pleased with her, that he taught her a Mantra. If she recited it, any Deva whom she thought of would “come to her”. She was a child and she did not understand the true implication of this Mantra. One day she was taken in by the Sun and recited the Mantra and the Sun materialized beside her. Having appeared he said he had to do his deed. Little did she know that “Come to her” actually meant that he would “Come in to her”. And so Karuna was born, who she put in a box and let it float down the river. One day Pandu was hunting in the forest and he killed a dear while it was making love to its doe. There was an understanding that hunters never killed animals in the act of love. The dear turned out to be a Sage who had taken the form a dear with his wife so that they could enjoy the joys of love. Apparently Sages were forbidden to have sex while in their human form. The dying Sage cursed Pandu, saying that he would die if and when he had sex. Poor Pandu was aghast and he left Hastinapura (the capital) to live in the forest with his wives. Many years passed and he bemoaned the fact that he had no sons. One day Kunti mentioned this Mantra of hers to Pandu and he asked her to invoke Dharma. So she did and Dharma appeared, did his deed and Yudhishthira was born to Kunti. A year later he asked Kunti to invoke Vayu. She did, he appeared, did his deed and Arjuna was born. Pandu was not satisfied he wanted another son. This time he asked Kunti to invoke Indra. She did, Indra appeared, did his deed and Bhima was born. Pandu was still not satisfied. This time Kunti suggested that she teach Maadri the mantra, since Maadri had no sons. Maadri invoked Asvini Kumara, the heavenly twins. Two of them showed up, (a two for one deal) and Nakula and Sahadeva were born to Maadri.
In addition to polygamy, polyandry is also depicted in this story. When Arjuna proudly announces to his mother Kunti, “Mother, we have brought a Bhiksha” Without seeing and assuming it is a donation she replies, “All of you can share the Bhiksha you have brought”. And so Draupadi, whose hand Arjuna won in a contest, is a shared wife amongst the five Pandava brothers.The Mahabharata does not portray a single icon that one can emulate. Surely one does not want to emulate Krishna or Yudhishthira. Bishma (the uncle) who took a vow of celibacy is the closest one could look up to but he is marginalized.
Unlike other major religions, a person did not found Hinduism. It evolved as a philosophy that was handed down from generation to generation by word of mouth. Consequently one has to realize that perfection is an ideal notion and one has to look beyond an icon’s failing and celebrate the goodness in them.
Friday August 18, 2006
Friday August 18, 2006
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