Mahabharatha as a subject evokes deep interest amongst readers, scholars, authors, commentators and general populace alike. The timeless immortal epic provides many topics for reflection, analysis and perhaps an inspiration in the modern context too. Irrespective of the topic of interest or the problem statement at hand, as an adage goes, it will be addressed in some form in Mahabharatha. It is no wonder that the authors have chosen the Pan̄camavēda as the inspiration for their book.
In the first few pages of the book, the objective seems to unravel itself. From the generous praise on Karna and Duryodhana to labelling the Khandava forest burning as tragic, the book sets an expectation of trying to provide a different perspective to the events of the epic. However, it does come across as awkward considering that the characters and events are anything but uni-dimensional. Khandava forest burning may have been tragic, but may have been required in the overall scheme of things. A holistic approach considering the far reaching ramifications of the events, that too ahead in future would have been much more balanced. At the end of the day, all characters are bound by karma and are part of the divine play. In the first chapter, the authors have an interesting take on the spellings used in the book. While Mahabharat / Mahabharath may be the choice, I am quite surprised to note that the authors feel that using “a” as in Mahabharatha is anglicised. Every region has their own unique quirk / pronunciation methods ranging from Mahabharath to Mahabharatha or Mahabharatham to Mahabharathamu.
In the plot outline, while describing the birth of the 5 sons of Pandu, the authors make a note of “sixth son”. In the context, this is inaccurate. The son was born to Kunti when she was young and hadn’t married Pandu yet. The authors’ fascination with Karna is quite apparent in the eloquent praises that are heaped on him. While his bravado on the field was top-notch and unquestionable, I wonder about the overall character of the “tragic hero”. His behaviour in the dyut-kreeda (gambling game) and subsequent lack of empathy or respect for women is quite deplorable. I really wonder how the authors chose to overlook the same and paint him with a glorified brush. Everything is obvious in hindsight. While Draupadi’s “nāhaṁ varāmi sūtaṁ” can be analysed and judged in modern context, one has to consider the context of the time at which such a statement would have been made. Karna’s birth secret was unknown to many and he was only the benefactor of Duryodhana’s generosity. In Adi Parva chapter 187, it is clearly documented that Karna lifts the bow, doesn’t shoot the target upon hearing the words of Krsna (Draupadi). However, the authors have glorified Karna by stating that he was victorious in the competition. Quite shocking to distort or diverge away from the originals !!!
Lord Krishn - a Yadaav King : First, one needs to read the ancestry of all vamshas correctly to understand certain events in the epic. Sri Krishna was a leader, but not crowned king. Yadu had been cursed by his father Yayati that none of his progeny would become kings. Ugrasena was the actual crowned king before and after Kamsa’s time. What is shocking about this aspect is that the authors chose to overlook the fact that Sri Krishna and Pandavas were in fact cousins with Kunti being paternal aunt to Sri Krishna. The friendship and the deep relationship was personal and spiritual than political.
In the summary or quick run of the eternal epic, the authors chose to highlight the mistakes of Pandavas while ignoring the adharmic tendencies of Kauravas. In fact, the most surprising aspect to this reviewer is the total lack of acknowledgement or mention of the concept of Dharma or rather how Mahabharatha is a grand treatise of conflict between Dharma and Adharma.
The authors have taken specific stories from the epic and deriving lessons in the modern context. For example, Veda Vyasa and Ganesha partnership is considered as an example for ideal teamwork. The authors’ fascination with Karna continues with example of Shalya of being a bad choice of charioteer. However, the authors don’t consider the prowess of Shalya while fighting for Kauravas or the fact that he was the commander after Karna. Shalya Parva’s description of the battle between Shalya and Bhima & Yudishtira is not considered while judging him as a charioteer to Karna. Taking one dimensional view to a multi-dimensional context is looking for specific grains in a haystack.
The authors derive lessons for individuals as well as the broader context i.e. societies and countries from the various stories of Mahabharatha. The lessons are quite apt and relevant in the modern context to some extent, they do become quite preachy. Modern geo-political scenarios are lot more complex with multiple undercurrents and compromises that are not in public view. Hence, one should consider these lessons with a fist of salt as there could be factors that could influence the actions in a specific way, which may be contrary to public expectations.
For some unexplainable reason, the authors have a deep fascination for Duryodhana and Karna, with a clear agenda of portraying them with deep virtue. For example, Duryodhana is displayed to be meritocratic when he crowns Karna as the king of Anga. Granted this gesture of largeheartednens is indeed exemplary, one wonders why the authors chose to overlook the simple fact that Duryodhana’s actions were dictated by the situation and was selfish in some sense. He wished for a counterbalance for Arjuna, which he found readily in Karna. Duryodhana and Karna’s friendship is an example to have transcended social barriers. I wonder why not Sri Krishna and Sudama. In fact, this friendship is much more than an interpersonal bond. It transcends simple human bonds and becomes a deep relationship with the divine, with the omnipresent one knowing what’s in Bhakta’s mind without as many words being spoken.
While discussing the lessons from Duryodhana and Karna’s friendship chapter, the authors have a commentary on caste and the resulting damage of such systems. It’s a great convenience to judge events of a different timeline with modern lenses without fully comprehending or acknowledging the societal framework of the era gone by. The authors compare the Pandavas with the Global North of modern society and term Pandavas as exclusionary. Shouldn’t the evaluation be performed with a grander view of Dharma as the scale rather than minute microscopic retrofitting of events to fit a narrative.
To their credit, the authors have done a commendable job in the chapter on Srimad Bhagwad Gita and I started to believe that this could be turning point. Until, I encountered the section on the Global trade and policy. First, there is an unmistakable undercurrent of West knows Best and secondly, I am quite appalled by the suggestion that democracies around potential authoritarian states take firm steps, specially on economic front. While it’s granted that the modern day geo-politics is quite complex, we also need to take into cognisance the fact that we are trending towards a Global Village phenomenon where tradeoffs are order of the day. Foreign policies can’t be simple black and white and needs a finer balance between self-interest and self-reliance without loosing the visibility of the broader picture.
In the modern day world, I am quite surprised that the authors expect that the well read and well informed audience would be naive enough to believe the international organisations on face value on all topics, as quoted in the fake news chapter i.e. Dronacharya - Ashwatthama story. Further on, the authors seem to have a dedicated agenda on portraying that EU has the best policies and is better suited as an ally for India. Quite frankly, I am not convinced about the objectivity of this argument and feel that this is driven more from personal ambitions than rational analysis. In the lessons learnt from the Drona - Ashwatthama episode are relevant, one is also forced to consider some additional points: Why didn’t Drona have enough trust in his son’s abilities that he couldn’t overcome the impact of Yudhishtira’s words? Perhaps, fatherly emotion overpowered the rational mind !!
In the next chapter, where another glorious eulogy for Karna is presented vis-a-vis the episode of Ashwaketu, the son of Takshaka and the Nagaastra which Karna refused to remount. I wonder if this phrase from Drona parva is considered when a glorious valorous picture of Karna is presented. The context is Abhimanyu Vadha i.e. killing of Abhimanyu
त्वरमाणाः त्वरा-काले विरथम् षण् महा-रथाः ।
शर-वर्षैः अकरुणा बालम् एकम् अवाकिरन् ॥ ३३ ॥
When multiple warriors attacked a young child, one wonder where did the valour and righteousness of Karna disappear or was it more contextual or applied only when it was relevant or beneficial to the tragic hero? Now, as one reads further about the applicability of the lessons to modern day world, the authors chose to admonish the strategies adopted by Hon. EAM Sri. S. Jaishankar. While one is entitled to have an opinion, perhaps have an expert view on certain topics of specialisation, choosing to advise high placed and widely acclaimed minister seems far fetching. Quite frankly, the statements (not just in this instance, but in multiple places) reeks of an ulterior motive than an earnest recommendation of experts.
The authors need to be commended for bringing out an interesting story of Tree, Parrot and Indra, a time immemorial lesson on compassion and love. While deriving the lessons for the modern society, what surprised me is that the authors chose to overlook the most common problem faced by the modern society. Many elderly citizens are not receiving love and compassion in the twilight years of their life and is a serious problem faced by the modern society. However, the authors chose to highlight the compassion towards animals, stray dogs, they didn’t even broach this subject. Quite surprising !!
The book ends with the final episode from Mahaprasthan where Yudhishtira is subjected to one final test. This episode is turned into one large commentary on animal rights and protection. For some reason, the authors’ constantly reiterate their disapproval of the interpretation of Vasudaiva Kutumbakam. I wonder which actions of the ruling dispensation indicated that human evolution would be at the cost of other species or rather no one cares about the other flora and fauna with whom we share this Mother Earth. While compassion to stray dogs is important, one should also be pragmatic about the menace posed by them and numerous deaths / serious attacks on humans, specially children. Every single situation needs to be considered holistically, rather than looking at the same from one single perspective. Yet, the authors’ chose to highlight the one specific perspective than approach the problem with a multi-angle perspective. Finally, the authors speak about breaking the shackles of “binaries” i.e. between human and non-human.
Sanatana Dharma establishes a way where every single Jivaatma strives to achieve the ultimate union with Paramatma with worship of Prakriti and Purusha i.e. compassion for animals, awareness of ecological and natural diversity, preservation of forests are not new concepts, but integral parts of age old way of life and wisdom. I wish the authors had chosen to consider this while commentating on some modern topics. Perhaps, an alternate approach could have been to derive the lessons from the epic and reestablish what our ancestors have followed for generations.
In a nutshell, the book is good for the stories it brings out from the epics, but the accompanying commentary is laced with interior objectives, one-dimensional views and perhaps, a more personal view on generic topics, something which is not fair on the reader.
Overall, I would avoid the book. If one is interested in reading about the critical analysis of characters from Mahabharatha, I would highly recommend Gurucharan Das’ highly acclaimed book “The Difficulty of Being Good”
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