Men’s India Mahabharata – 1/14/14

Compare with Homer - 1 Mahabharata is about ten times as long as the sum of both of Homer’s books. Like the Iliad and the Odyssey it was in the many different oral tales before 800 BC, although it was codified and written later – 5th C BC – 4th C AD. Unlike the Iliad and the Odyssey, it’s a chaotic collection of interwoven stories in order to get every story in it. It’s also a nested set of stories within stories. Like the Iliad and the Odyssey, it’s written in heroic language, with great speeches between warriors about ancestry and bonds before they face-off to kill each other. Like the Iliad and the Odyssey, it’s set in the past when the Gods walked with men. Like the Iliad and the Odyssey, it does not have a creation beginning. 2 2

Compare with Homer - 2 Like the Iliad and the Odyssey, it’s the story of a warrior society, a great war and the destruction of civilization that followed. Like the Iliad and the Odyssey, it tells us who we are and how we should be and act – character, culture, values, rules. Like the Iliad and the Odyssey, in many ways their actions won’t make sense to us (“Why would they do that?”) because their culture has vastly different values and rules. Like the Iliad and the Odyssey, many people considered it sheer fabrication until excavations revealed that, of course, the myth, the truth tale had a factual basis. 3 3

Themes - 1 Mahabharata –great story of the Bharatas (an ancestor of the Kuru clan). If you listen carefully to the story, at the end, you’ll be someone different than you were. You’ll be a changed person. Karma and Reincarnation The greatest and ultimate goal is never to be reincarnated again; to get off the wheel of samsara, suffering. "O king, surely a man who meets with calamity as a result of his own acts should not blame the gods, destiny, or others. Each of us receives the just results of our actions." Caste and rigid rankings within the caste, determine everything. People of lower caste may be scorned. Karna's lowly caste (social status) will haunt him throughout the epic; later at a contest for the hand of Draupadi, she rejects him outright because he is from a servant family. For a person who desires to be measured by his accomplishments, living under this shadow is unbearable. 4 4

Themes - 2 You must honor all the values of your caste but since they are conflicting and often mutually exclusive, no matter what you do, some values will be dishonored and you’ll build some bad karma. Dharma is doing your caste (class) duty, not your individual desires. Much of the time they do that because that what a good Kshatriya must do. “Better to do your dharma poorly than to do someone else’s dharma well.” How different from “a purpose driven life” where you have to figure out God’s purpose for you. A Kshatriya (warrior) must honor his vows; you must honor every word you speak even words spoken casually (every word you speak is a vow, whether you intend it or not) so be carefully about what slips out. When Arjuna announces to his mother that he has won the “prize,” Kunti tells him to share with his brothers, before seeing Draupadi. Like an irrevocable vow, her statement, even by mistake, can’t be undone, so all five brothers marry Draupadi, the daughter of Drupada. 5 5

Themes - 3 If you do austerities (deprive yourself of pleasure, food, comfort; inflict pain on your body) and endure (tapas), the Gods must give you powers and allow you to use them even if you plan to use those powers for evil. But when you do that evil you’ll pay with more bad Karma. When the world groans with chaos and all the rules of honor and good behavior are broken, the world will need cleansed so it can start again. Vishnu will send an Avatar (Himself ) to do the cleansing – he will set up a play (Lila), do the directing and acting, and guide the events of cleansing. The appearance of Krishna introduces a major theme in the epic: dharma (cosmic order) menaced by chaos, so Krishna must step in, indicating that this is not just a family rivalry, but a conflict with universal consequences. In making war, the Pandavas try to follow Dharma (warriors, kings). When Yudhisthira doesn’t want the karma of fighting in a war that will kill millions of people, Draupadi, his wife, questions his manhood, as only eunuchs seek tranquility and avoid violence. 6 6

Themes - 4 You must honor all the values of your caste but since they are conflicting and often mutually exclusive, no matter what you do, some values will be dishonored and you’ll build some bad karma. Dharma is doing your caste (class) duty, not your individual desires. Much of the time they do that because that what a good Kshatriya must do. “Better to do your dharma poorly than to do someone else’s dharma well.” How different from “a purpose driven life” where you have to figure out God’s purpose for you. A Kshatriya (warrior) must honor his vows; you must honor every word you speak even words spoken casually (every word you speak is a vow, whether you intend it or not) so be carefully about what slips out. When Arjuna announces to his mother that he has won the “prize,” Kunti tells him to share with his brothers, before seeing Draupadi. Like an irrevocable vow, her statement, even by mistake, can’t be undone, so all five brothers marry Draupadi, the daughter of Drupada. 7 7

Themes - 5 For Kshatriyas there are just wars – they are warrior kings and born to fight but they must do so honorably. Act with honor and detachment from the fruits of your actions. Yudhishthira corrects Draupadi: "None should ever perform virtue with a desire to gain its fruits. Such a sinful trader of virtue will never reap the results. ... Do not doubt virtue because you do not see its results. Without doubt, the fruits of virtue will be manifest in time, as will the fruits of sin. The fruits of true virtue are eternal and indestructible" Respect your elders and betters on the caste/hierarchy scale Before the battle, Yudhishthira goes to both his teachers, Bhishma and Drona: “O invincible one, I bow to you. We will fight with you. Please grant us your permission and give us your blessing.” For this sign of respect, both men pray for the Pandavas’ victory, even though they must out of loyalty fight on the side of the Kauravas. 8 8

Themes - 6 God makes miracles to help the good side win. At this point Arjuna returns to the camp. Inflamed with rage and grief at the sight of his son's body, he vows to kill Jayadratha before sunset on the following day. He solemnly swears to throw himself into the sacrificial fire, should he fail. Even Krishna is alarmed by this terrible oath. On the next day, Jayadratha is heavily guarded, and Arjuna is unable to reach him. Krishna causes a momentary eclipse of the sun, convincing the enemy that, since night has come, Arjuna must have killed himself because he hasn't kept his vow. Rejoicing, they lay down their arms, leaving Jayadratha vulnerable to Arjuna's arrow. Jayadratha's father had pronounced a curse on anyone who killed his son, saying that whoever caused his son's head to fall to the ground would die. Using magical mantras, Arjuna causes his arrow not only to sever Jayadratha's head, but to carry it miles away to fall into his father's lap. Being in prayer, he doesn't realize what's happened; he stands up and the head falls, thus he dies from his own curse. 9 9

Story - 1 From closely related but different branches of the Kuru clan, there are two groups of cousins, each setting out to rule the kingdom of Hastinapura in the Ganges plain. The good guys are the 5 Pandava brothers. They are not children of their physical father but, through magic, were actually children of different Gods – the Sun, fire, Indra. The Pandavas will be joined by Krishna – an incarnation of Vishnu – who becomes the chariot driver for Arjuna, the greatest warrior of all. Plus multiple princes and soldiers. Total on their side about 1M The bad guys are the 100 Kaurava brothers, who will be joined, because of cultural bonds and rules, by the elders-teachers of both sets of cousins. All the great warriors (2M) will die except for the 5 Pandava brothers and Krishna. 10 10

Story - 2 All the sons of the Pandava brothers will die. Krishna will resurrect one of Arjuna’s sons to continue rule by that line. Krishna will die shortly afterward according to prophecy. At the end of every great age, man becomes brute, fighting and evil rage, honor and virtue are gone and mocked, all is chaos, the earth groans to the Gods for relief. Vishnu sends an avatar (Krishna in this case) to further the conflagration until the earth is cleansed and a new age can be initiated. 11 11

Story – 3 – Next Level of Detail Both Duryodhana (bad Kaurava side of the family) and Yudhishthira (good Pandava side of the family) claim the kingdom. Duryodhana is the oldest son of an older brother (Dhritarashtra) who is blind (and therefore can’t be king). Yudhishthira is the oldest son of a younger brother who was king (Pandu). Yudhishthira is older than Duryodhana so it’s really his. The Kaurava brothers, especially Duryodhana, have always been jealous and nasty to the Pandavas. Generally, the Pandavas have acted nobly, although arrogantly. When they’re adults, Pandu, the King, the father of the Pandava brothers dies, so there is an argument over who should succeed to the throne. Yudhishthira offers a compromise so they both get different shares but Duryodhana wants it all. He won’t accept the compromise. 12 12

Story - 4 Duryodhana’s pride was humiliated by Yudhishthira’s wife, Draupadi. He will let his pride and ambition get in the way of acting honorable and justly. He invites the Pandavas to see him in a palace he’s secretly coated with lac (butter) and when they’re inside, it’s ignited. The Gods, through a wise uncle, get them out. Duryodhana then challenges Yudhishthira to a dice game with steadily increasing stakes that end up with Yudhishthira losing his rule over his younger brothers, his rule over the kingdom and his own wife. Since Yudhishthira is challenged by another Kshatriya of equal status he must accept the challenge. He also is addicted to gambling. The game has been stacked by Duryodhana. He connived with an uncle who’s a known cheat to use loaded dice. Yudhishthira gambling obsession takes him over and he keeps going double-or-nothing until he loses everything. 13 13

Story - 5 During the game, Duryodhana and his allies humiliate Yudhishthira and Draupadi in ways that would warrant Yudhishthira killing Duryodhana.   Draupadi, a mere woman challenges Duryodhana and other Kaurava men. She asks, “Since Yudhisthira first lost himself in the dice game and became Duryodhana’s slave, how could he then wager his kingdom, then his brothers and his wife since they were no longer his possessions since he was a slave? Duryodhana humiliates Krishna. Krishna assumes his giant form, as Avatar/God, to show him who he’s messing with and that he’s not behaving honorably, in order to give him another chance to stop but Duryodhana still won’t stop. “Krishna laughed and as he did, his body suddenly flashed like lightning. He began to grow in size and various gods issued from him. Brahma sprang from his forehead and Shiva from his chest”. Krishna allows even the blind Dhritarashtra to see his glory. 14 14

Story - 6 A key scene that demonstrates the difference between Hinduism and Christianity; between the relationship of Jesus and Judas, as opposed to the Hindu ideas. Duryodhana continues humiliating Krishna. After Krishna shows his true aspect as God, many of the senior warriors who have participated in the humiliation beg Krishna to kill them as he had promised before they reincarnated as the bad guys in order to help Vishnu/Krishna complete the play and destroy the Kshatriyas. They say Vishnu/Krishna had promised if they’d reincarnated as the bad guys and did bad things to him, he’d kill them and then they’d be free from any further reincarnations. He addresses them as his most beloved disciples, thanks them for taking on this onerous task but says that he can’t kill them yet. They still must have the big war, then they will be killed and freed from further reincarnations. They accept God’s will and continue abusing and humiliating him. 15 15

Story - 7 Yudhishthira and his brothers and wife are exiled into the woods for 12 years after which he can return – then the great war can begin. Duryodhana demands that Krishna not fight because then the contest wouldn’t be fair with God on one side. Krishna agrees. Yudhisthira is given a choice: His side gets Krishna as a non-combatant or Krishna’s huge army. Yudhisthira chooses Krishna himself, who will act as charioteer for Arjuna. The forces line up on the field to begin the war. Arjuna, driven by his charioteer Krishna (God/Avatar), drives out to the middle of the field in between the two masses of men. He says he can’t fight – he can’t kill his teachers, mentors, relatives. No Kingdom is worth all the death involved. Also, the personal Karma would be too great. Krishna’s long answer is the Bhagavad Gita explaining all the ways of relating to God and all the reasons why Arjuna must fight. 16 16

Story - 8 After 18 days of fighting, the battle/war is over – all the great warriors on both sides are killed except the Pandava brothers and Krishna. During the battle, even the Pandava side stoops to dishonorable tactics – always stimulated and helped by Krishna. Yudhisthira must learn to be a king whose primary duty is to protect the kingdom from chaos and enemies, not to further his individual moksha. Lessons Pride goeth before the fall. You must mete out justice instead of treating treacherous enemies with mercy. Deceit is acceptable (necessary) against a deceitful foe. Know that the terrible age of Kali is at hand, marked by fierce acts and the loss of dharma.” Krishna is ushering in the 4th age of man (in this great cycle). 17 17

Story - 9 All the sons of the Pandava brothers will die. Krishna will resurrect one of Arjuna’s sons to continue rule by that line. By the way, Arjuna’s grandson is bitten by a snake and dies. A special ceremony is performed in order to destroy snakes. And that is why, dear children, that man has always make war on snakes. Yudhishthira becomes king of Hastinapura.  Krishna is cursed by the mother of Duryodhana, for killing all her sons. He accepts the curse which dooms him to die in 36 years. Krishna is killed as predicted. With the death of Krishna, and his dynasty the third age of mankind (of this great cycle) ends and the fourth and final stage, the Kali Yuga, begins – right action, morality and virtue will die. The Pandavas journey to the Himalayas where they receive spiritual instruction, die and ascend into the spirit realm. 18 18

Quotes - 1 “Excessive self-centeredness leads to unrealistic demands and unreasonable expectations from life”. Bhishma's dying advice to Yudhishthira: "There is no duty higher than Truth," but five falsehoods are not sinful: lying in jest, lying to a woman, lying at wedding, lying to save a teacher, lying to save one's life. The foremost duty of kings is to revere Brahmins. "No creature is more sinful than woman; women are the root of all evil; she is poison, she is a snake, she is fire," but at the same time, "Righteousness of men depends on women. All pleasures and enjoyments depend on women." Cows constitute the stairs that lead to heaven; cows are goddesses able to grant every wish; nothing in the world is superior; one should never go to bed or rise in the morning without reciting the names of cows." Cows provide cleansing from sin. "There is nothing unattainable for one who is devoted to cows" (this goes on for about 50 pages). 19 19

Quotes- 2 Discontent is the root of fortune. When the Gods deal defeat to a person, they first take his mind away so he sees things wrongly. With gentleness one defeats the gentle as well as the hard; there is nothing impossible to the gentle; therefore the gentle is the more severe. Be he ever so wise and strong, wealth confounds a man. In my view, anyone living in comfort fails to reason. The intoxication with power is worse than drunkenness with liquor and such, for he who is drunk with power does not come to his senses before he falls. Do not do to another what is disagreeable to yourself. Once war has been undertaken, no peace is made by pretending there is no war. "And what is the greatest wonder?" "Each day death strikes, and we live as though we were immortal. This is the greatest wonder." 20 20

Quotes- 3 Revenge is not always better, but neither is forgiveness; learn to know them both, son, so that there is no problem. Those seeds of grains they call rice and so forth, they are all alive, good Brahmin, what do you think of that? ....... Come to think of it, no one fails here to hurt. --- Hunter to the Brahmin who was critical of hunting and meat eating (The Book of the Forest) I do not blame you, Maharaja, for hitting an innocent man. For, cruelty comes quick to the powerful. Man is not the master of destiny, but a wooden doll that is strung on a string. He is a fool that practices truth without knowing the difference between truth and falsehood. Without doubt, all kings, O son, must once see Hell. 21 21