Mahabharata: The Maha Epic
Author’s note- The inspiration to come up with this version of one of the greatest epic of the history comes from too many lazy and ignorant souls around me who have been too caught up in reading Harry Potter series that they completely ignored our very own, patented magical characters. Since this is going to be my take, so any guru gyan and preaching should not be expected from this article. It’s going to be short (I’ll try to keep it short) and simple as opposed to the original version which is very long (almost 100,000 lines long) and complicated because of the Sanskrit shlokas and phrases.
The narrator and the scribe:
Ved Vyasa, the compiler of the Vedas is to be credited with the story of Mahabharata. Vyasa begged Lord Ganesha to be his amanuensis. Lord Ganesha agreed on a condition that Vyasa must narrate the entire story without pause. (I think this is where the concept of breathless singing originated). Vyasa agreed to that and began to sing and Ganesha started writing.
And so it Begins
Son of king Shantanu and Goddess Ganga, the holy river, Shantanu is the prince of Hastinapur. The prince is knighted as Bhishma after he gives up sex and inheritance so that his father can marry an ambitious fisher woman, Satyavati.
Fisher woman Satyavati’s sons die childless. Poet Vyasa (the narrator), is called to impregnate the two widows who beget two sons, the elder of the two, Dhritrashtra, being born blind and the younger one named Pandu.
Pandu gets the crown, two wives and curse of death if he touches a woman. Effectively childless, he withdraws to forest.
Blind, elder Dhritrashtra becomes regent and clings to the throne. He gets a wife Gandhari, who blindfolds herself so as to prove her affection towards her blind husband.
Pandu’s first wife Kunti chants mantras and gets 3 sons from 3 gods. Same mantras gets second wife Madri twin sons.
Gandhari, on the other hand, gets 100 sons using some technically advanced skills, which modern biologists refer to as “Cloning technique”. Think of all the family planning measures undertaken by the government now-a-days!
Kauravs are raised in palace while Pandavs are raised in forest. Pandu dies soon after and Madri burns herself on Pandu’s pyre thus leaving the Pandavs in Kunti’s tutelage.
Orphaned Pandavs return to palace with Kunti and are raised alongside resentful Kauravs. Bhishma appoints Drona as joint tutor.
As tuition fee for martial training, Drona demands half of Panchala kingdom to settle an old score with Drupada, king of Panchala. Pandavs make it happen. Elated (read jealous) with their performance, their beloved blind uncle, Dhritrashtra gifts Pandavs a lac palace. Kauravs set it aflame. Pandavs somehow, manage to escape bid on life and hide in forest.
Pandavs’ Exile Season 1:
In forest, mighty Pandav Bheem kills demonic Baka and Hidimba and marries their sister “Hidimbi” who begets a son “Ghatotkacha”.
Panchala king, Drupad hopes to avenge division of his kingdom through daughter Draupadi and sons Shikhandi and Drishtadyumna. He thus, as a part of plan, arranges a Swayamvar ceremony for his fire-born daughter Draupadi.
Talented, charitable Karna is disqualified from archery contest, held as a part of the Swayamvar at Panchal as he is a charioteer’s son, unworthy of princess.
Archer Arjun disguised as priest wins the contest, wins Draupadi and shares her with brothers on mother’s orders.
With Krishna as friend and Drupad as father-in-law, Pandavs return to Hastinapur and claim their father’s inheritance.
Kingdom divided and Pandavs get the forest of Khandava, and both the parties rule separately from their respective capitals, Hastinapur and Indraprastha.
Arjun, exiled for intruding Draupadi’s privacy, travels, meets and marries Uloopi, Chitrangada and Krishna’s sister, Subhadra. Meanwhile, guided by Krishna, Bheem kills mighty Jarasandh in duel. Impressed, all kings attend Yudhishtir’s coronation.
Mahabharata: Draupadi’s disrobing and the Exile Season 2
Jealous of Pandavs’ progress, Duryodhan on uncle Shakuni’s advice invites Pandavs to gamble. Yudhishtir loses kingdom, himself, brothers and common wife Draupadi. Jubilant Kaurav Dushasan, tries to disrobe Draupadi to humiliate Pandavs but she is rescued by Krishna’s grace. Yes miracles do happen!
Infuriated Draupadi vows to tie her hair after washing it in Dushasan’s blood. In shame for allowing such a thing to happen to a woman’s honor, (Thank heavens at least now someone dared to stand up) the elders of the court cancel the entire game and return everything to the Pandavs, only to have Yudhishthir lose it all over again.This lays the foundation of the Maha war, Mahabharata.
Pandavs are then exiled in forest for 13 years. Final year as servants: humiliation as well as lesson in humility.
Maha War: Mahabharata
Exile over. Kauravs refuse to return Pandav’s land. Peace efforts fail. War declared. Armies meet at Kurukshetra. Before war, Arjun loses confidence. Krishna gives him perspective (Bhagvad Gita) and then 18 day long war starts.
Bhishma lowers bow before transsexual Shikhandi; pinned to ground by Arjun’s arrows.
Drona is next commander and gets Abhimanyu and Ghatotkacha killed by unfair means, of course only on Duryodhan and Shakuni’s insistence.False rumors that his son (or elephant) Ashwatthama is dead makes Drona lowers his bow thus giving an opportunity to Drishtadyumna of beheading him.
Then comes Karna into the scene. Leads Kauravs despite knowing he is Kunti’s eldest abandoned son. On Krishna’s advice, Arjun kills unarmed Karna. Yeah everything is fair in war. God, himself followed this plain rule.
Bheem kills all Kauravs; drinks Dushasan’s blood (definitely Hidimbi’s effect on him); washes and ties Draupadi’s hair; unlawfully strikes Duryodhan fatally on thigh (on Krishna’s persuasion; cheating again).
Pandavs celebrate victory.
Aftermath of the Maha War Mahabharata
Ashwatthama sets aflame battle camp at night and kills Draupadi’s 5 sons and 2 brothers as they sleep.
Yudhishthir crowned king. Only surviving heir alive is Abhimanyu’s unborn son, Parikshit.
Krishna’s soul dissolved back into the Supreme God Vishnu. When the Pandavs learns of this and Yudhishthir renounces kingdom. They travel to mountains. All fall to their deaths except Yudhishthir who is granted access to paradise.
Yudhishthir finds Kauravs in paradise. He is furious until he realizes as long as he clings to rage, heaven can never be his.
Moral of the story:
1. Things are not always black and white. Everything here is gray.
2. Do what needs to be done and do not cling too much to principles and morals as did Bhishma. It only leads you to the bed of arrows.
3. Good and evil coexist in the same person. Karna is the finest example.
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