My acquaintance with the Mahabharata started at a young age with my Grand Mother narrating interesting stories to the ever observing little minds of mine and my cousins'. I used to fantasize myself as the main characters coming in those stories with magic surrounding all around me. Yeah, those were the days when I used to admire Krishna and liked to imitate his mischievious acts that are annoying and contrastingly admirable at that age. But I actually followed credulously when DD-1 broadcast these stories in series every Sunday. The five Pandavas, the Kauravas, Krishna - all of them became real and imitable. May be many a kid's imagination was captured at that time by this series. My later days saw a twist in thought with me reading some works by Collins, Wodehouse and Dickens that had real life biographies and kind of things that can happen at present. And of course some commentary work of B.G.Tilak in English about "The Gita". I realised that Gods were made in earth by the admirers and followers. My grandmother's version of a small kid dancing on the hoods of a 10 headed serpent now seemed ridiculous and perverse. Also it may be a premonition to be different from others in family who are all austere believers and followers of age old tradition and dogmas. But then I wanted to know why this epic is so great and revered even after so much bloodshed and war for worldly pleasures and wealth.And one day I happened to read an article that one of my cousins send me online the link of which I provide below. It had small articles about understanding old stories and their relevance in modern times. It was simple to read and gave ideas about why Mahabhrata is still cited as references and why people try to follow it after so long a time.
The Mahabharata teaches all of us an important lesson and this is about circumstances that make a man to take decisions. For instance Arjuna is at first not interested in war with kith and kin for power and wealth but changes mind hearing Krishna's advice. He justifies the war for dharma or virtuousness. The abridged version of the story will indeed give a plain idea of a tit for tat ideology but the broader reading would allow us to get insights into the culture and customs of the people of that times. The gambling by the heros and their suffering in exile and finally when they got their kingdom back they had to lose thier 100 cousins and dear ones. The illustrious and chivalrous Karna who was losing every time and killed treacherously in war and the ever cunning Krishna winning every time. Do this mean that good deeds always loses out in this world? No the Mahabharata serves or tries to explain that only the circumstance is the villain and what one does at one instant of time will turn against him at the other instant. Here lies the subtle clue to why this epic is much celebrated even after centuries. It gives us a cause and effect reasoning for all the things that happen with us and for good things to happen we have to be good ourselves. In this way Mahabharata really denounces the real life heros and tries to interpret that being God and devil lies in one's own thoughts and acts.
Does that mean that I'm an atheist? No I still really do not know the meaning of atheist and I'm an ardent follower of traditions and beliefs so naive and incredible in this century.
http://www.devdutt.com/category/mahabharata
The Mahabharata teaches all of us an important lesson and this is about circumstances that make a man to take decisions. For instance Arjuna is at first not interested in war with kith and kin for power and wealth but changes mind hearing Krishna's advice. He justifies the war for dharma or virtuousness. The abridged version of the story will indeed give a plain idea of a tit for tat ideology but the broader reading would allow us to get insights into the culture and customs of the people of that times. The gambling by the heros and their suffering in exile and finally when they got their kingdom back they had to lose thier 100 cousins and dear ones. The illustrious and chivalrous Karna who was losing every time and killed treacherously in war and the ever cunning Krishna winning every time. Do this mean that good deeds always loses out in this world? No the Mahabharata serves or tries to explain that only the circumstance is the villain and what one does at one instant of time will turn against him at the other instant. Here lies the subtle clue to why this epic is much celebrated even after centuries. It gives us a cause and effect reasoning for all the things that happen with us and for good things to happen we have to be good ourselves. In this way Mahabharata really denounces the real life heros and tries to interpret that being God and devil lies in one's own thoughts and acts.
Does that mean that I'm an atheist? No I still really do not know the meaning of atheist and I'm an ardent follower of traditions and beliefs so naive and incredible in this century.
http://www.devdutt.com/category/mahabharata
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