Musing over the Mahabharata

“Its about you….if you listen carefully, at the end you’ll be someone else” - says Vyasa in Peter Brooke’s Mahabharata

Mahabharata- the very title means the great story of the entire mankind. I could never believe those mysterious forms of births of the Pandavas. When Bhima killed Dussassana, did Draupadi feel satisfied or what did she really feel like when the war got over? Did she have any feelings left when all her children were killed in war? Did Yudhisthir have any common sense or was he a saint by birth? Can violence be justified? The epic opens so many questions in your mind. Did Kunti ask Pandavas to share Draupadi knowingly or unknowingly? Was there a bigger motive behind polyandry and polygamy in those days? Did Yudhisthir loose himself first before loosing Draupadi in the game of dice?

The wife is a property of the husband, no less than a cow or a slave…..what do you think? The questions can go on and on…

I have always enjoyed Mahabharat stories as compared to the idealistic Ramayana. In my growing years, when i was more of a rationalist i felt that both of these epics are poetries and they did not really happen. A few years back, i read Meera Uberoi’s version of the epic which is factual, unbiased and most importantly readable! Her language is very simple and she maintains the flow of the original epic. Over the last few weeks, i got caught into the web of Palace of illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. This is a story of Draupadi written in first person. It is the grand old epic in a all new package! Especially, for a busy reader who may not have the patience to read those 18 volumes, this novel gives a wonderful insight into Draupadi’s mind.

Within the past century, there have been several novels on a single character of Karna. In Marathi language alone, there is Radheya (Ranjit Desai), Karnayan (Go.Nee.Dandekar) and Mrutyunjay( Shivaji Sawant). Surprisingly, no one ever took up Draupadi or Kunti as a protagonist for a novel. Chitra Divakaruni has succeeded in bringing Panchali alive. She has voiced the opinions of several contemporary women regardless of their nationality or race.

In a novel, one can alter the story in many ways. In Picasso’s words “Art is a lie that brings us closer to the truth!” Writing a novel requires a lot creativity and imagination. The original epic may get distorted in many ways. However, it is a novel rather than those thick volumes of Mahabharata that has more readerships. Readers can appreciate a novel if they see a similarity with their own lives. When i ponder over the story, i see it happening around me. I am convinced that at least some part of Mahabharata (if not the whole) must have happened the way it is depicted.

As i read these novels and see Peter Brooke’s Mahabharata i hope to muse over some of these recurring thoughts....

Ø     Is the whole world like a huge Palace of Illusions?

Ø     Whatever you do comes back to you…. ( Karma)

Ø     Does wealth and race/caste/ bring you success and happiness?

Ø     Does it matter if one leads an ethical life?

Ø     Your education and expertise do not guarantee you success!