My views on the epic 'Mahabharata' through review of a show known as 'Dharmakshetra'

 

“In order to approach a creation as sublime as the

Bhagvad-Gita with full understanding it is necessary to attune to our soul to it.”

-        Rudolph Steiner

 

We all know today about the history and story of the Mahabharata but the question is how much we understand about the epic and its message. The problem with us is that we take this epic at a very face value which distort our ability to understand and know the text deeply. Reading this epic as a piece of literature will took us much closer to reality. It describes about the social setup of the society, situation of women in the society and so on. This epic also raises some moral and ethical questions: -

A)     The Draupadi’s Vastraharan had not happened if Pandavas or any courtier had resisted it but no one came before because all of them were bound by the Dhritrashtra’s promise or orders in the name of loyalty towards the throne of Hastinapur and its safety. This event raises a question that did someone’s promise or words are much valuable than a woman’s or anyone’s honor and this question looks much bigger when it relates to another incident which happened before it when Dhritrashtra was going to declare Yudhishthira his heir and the Kauravas protested his decision in the royal court then all Pandavas take up their arms in the royal court for the protection of their elder brother’s right and the respected courtiers also backed their stand, but no one raised even their voice when Draupadi was being harassed.

B)     The Dronacharya and Eklavya’s relation shows the caste and class hierarchy much more than the sacred ‘Guru-Shishya’ relationship. The Dronacharya didn’t accepted him, as his student because he was the ‘Rajguru’ of the ‘Kuru’ dynasty and also, he had committed that Arjuna would be the best archer in the whole Aryavarta so, to keep his promise he rejected Eklavya. The other reason could be, that Eklavya was an outcaste and he was a Brahmin so if he accepts him as his student then Hastinapur’s Rajguru’s post will be in danger to accept an outcaste. The Hastinapur’s ‘Rajguru’ post was always a weapon for the Dronacharya to take revenge from his childhood friend Draupad. So, I think that Dronacharya fulfilled his duty as the ‘Rajguru’ not as the ‘Guru’.          

C)      The story of princess Amba and the Bhishma, Bhishma took all the three princesses of ‘Kashi’ Amba, Ambika and Ambalika without their will to marry his step-brother Vichitravirya but the eldest princess Amba loved Shalva the king of Saubala so she was allowed to went back to him but Shalva refused to accept her, then she again came to Bhishma but refused her proposal and at last to get rid of her misery she left her body with an oath to take revenge, this shows the misery of women in society. On the other hand, there is the story of lord Krishna and Rukmini where lord Krishna drive away Rukmini to protect her from an unwanted and unjust marriage and when she kept the marriage proposal before him, he accepted it happily.

               So, this epic is very ironical in itself and shows the bane(s) of giving overestimated value to selfish promises and words.

               I have chosen a small 26-episode TV show which is known as ‘Dharmakshetra’, this show deals with the aftermath of the Mahabharata in which its characters are being questioned for their actions and also it tries to bring forward the epic through their perspectives. I have chosen this show because it gives an insight to the epic and its story. It helps us to understand the human mind, psychology and emotions in a broader sense because in this epic one can find sin and saint walking together in one mood or different.                       

                Today many films and serials are being made on the epic but they bring the epic’s story as it is, in the public domain, its makers don’t try to make it look real. For example- the Barbarik’s tale where he is described as a beheaded man whose head is alive even after getting separated from the body and is believed to witnessed the whole battle and had the complete knowledge about the happenings in the battlefield and the Bhagvad-Gita. But this didn’t look real that a man could be alive even after being beheaded and the problem is that our directors and writers don’t try to make it real. If I would get a chance to change this scene it will be like;the Barbarik’s ‘lifeless’ head will be erected at a place from where it will look like he is witnessing the whole battle not seeing it live or a memorial made at a high place above the battlefield to symbolize his presence. Since, Mahabharata is a ‘Mahakavya’ it means that many events and happenings were being written metaphorically in the epic.

               This epic comes under a huge umbrella of society and its perspectives, one could see it as a religious text or it could be a source of inspiration for creation for someone as, it is itself a poem (a piece of literature).

               Many scholars have retold and rewrite the story through their perspective and tried to give it a lively and personal touch because everyone can find a reflection of their thought in this epic from Ramanuja, Madhavacharya, and Thomas Huxley to Hitler. This shows that this epic is not only restricted to India this is a society’s story a result of their ideologies and ambition. This epic has travelled from many hands and minds and everyone has tried to find out a reflection of their thoughts in the Mahabharata but the message of the epic has always been simple and true:

                     “This world is ephemeral and life and death are its two ends.”

References: -

 Epic channel's show 'Dharmakshetra' 

Note- All the views expressed are my personal in the blog. They are not intended to hurt anyone's feelings but if it does then I am regretted for it.