Contents

Intent of this Book

Part-A

Introduction

Chapter 1

Introduction to the MAHABHARATA

Chapter 2

Hindu Way of Life, Modern Religion and Rituals

Chapter 3

Gods and the Hindu Way of Life

Chapter 4

Dharma and the Hindu Way of Life

Chapter 5

Hinduism and the Caste System

Chapter 6

Mahabharata and the Bhagwad Gita

Chapter 7

The Mahabharata’s Unique Construct and Characters

Part-B

Mahabharata: The Great Epic

Chapter 1

Early History of the Kuru Dynasty

Chapter 2

King Shantanu’s Marriage and Bhishma’s Birth

Chapter 3

King Shantanu Marries Satyawati

Chapter 4

Succession Vacuum in Hastinapur

Chapter 5

Ved Vyas Invited to Perform Niyoga

Chapter 6

Young Princes Grow up

Chapter 7

Marriage of Dhritarashtra

Chapter 8

Pandu Crowned King Marries Kunti and Madri

Chapter 9

Pandu along with his Wives Goes into Exile

Chapter 10

Dhritarashtra, the Blind King and his 100 Sons

Chapter 11

Kunti Returns with the Five Pandava Sons

Chapter 12

The Young Princes Growing Up

Chapter 13

Dronacharya, the Royal Tutor

Chapter 14

Karna Seeks out Parashuram as his Guru

Chapter 15

Passing Out Parade and Entry of Karna

Chapter 16

Dronacharya Seeks Dhrupad’s Humiliation

Chapter 17

Outcomes from the Passing Out Parade

Chapter 18

Power Struggle and the Assassination Attempt

Chapter 19

Pandavas Escape and Bhima Marries Hidimbi

Chapter 20

The Killing of Bakasura

Chapter 21

The Stage is Set for King Drupad’s Revenge

Chapter 22

Draupadi’s Swayamwar

Chapter 23

Arjun Wins at the Swayamwar

Chapter 24

Pandavas take Draupadi Home to Meet Kunti

Chapter 25

Draupadi Marries the Five Pandavas

Chapter 26

Pandavas Return to Hastinapur

Chapter 27

The Great Partition

Chapter 28

Pandavas Take Charge of Khandavprastha

Chapter 29

Mayasura and the Building of the Capital – Indraprastha

Chapter 30

Life in Indraprastha – the Tragedy Begins

Chapter 31

Arjun’s Year of Celibate Exile

Chapter 32

Arjun Returns to Indraprastha with Wife Subhadra

Chapter 33

Krishna Returns to Exert His Influence over the Pandavas

Chapter 34

The Assassination of Jarasandha

Chapter 35

Rajsuya Yagna and the Seeds of Discord

Chapter 36

Honouring of Krishna and Assassination of Sisupala

Chapter 37

Emperor Yudhisthir and Duryodhana’s Humiliation

Chapter 38

Shakuni and His Plan

Chapter 39

The Game of Dice

Chapter 40

The Exile

Chapter 41

Abduction of Draupadi

Chapter 42

Arjun Rescues Duryodhana

Chapter 43

Pandavas brought Back to Life

Chapter 44

Pandavas and their Final Year of Exile in Disguise

Chapter 45

Kichaka and Bhima and the Fight to Finish

Chapter 46

Kauravas Wage War on Virata

Chapter 47

Kauravas: A Divided Camp

Chapter 48

The Claim for Return of Kingdom

Chapter 49

Krishna Arrives at Hastinapur as a Pandava Emissary

Chapter 50

Krishna Presents the Pandava Claim

Chapter 51

The Preparation for War

Chapter 52

Kunti meets Karna

Chapter 53

The Conduct for War

Chapter 54

Ved Vyas Grants Sanjay Distance Vision

Chapter 55

Final Act before the Start of the Battle

Chapter 56

The Great War

Chapter 57

Pandavas Discover their Relationship with Karna

Chapter 58

Pandavas Return to Hastinapur

Chapter 59

Yudhisthir is Now King

Chapter 60

Dhritarashtra Leaves Hastinapur

Chapter 61

The Curse of Gandhari Takes Effect

Chapter 62

Parikshit is the New King of Hastinapur

Chapter 63

The Pandavas’ Last Journey

Chapter 64

Rewards and Punishment versus Heaven and Hell

Chapter 65

The Concept of Second Chance

Chapter 66

Mahabharata—Study of Relationships

Chapter 67

Pandavas—Were They Five or One

Chapter 68

Spousal Relationship in the Mahabharata

Chapter 69

A Look at the Life Stories of the Departed Souls

Chapter 70

Friendship in the Mahabharata

Chapter 71

Yudhisthir Moment in our Lives

Chapter 72

Relationships and Hurt in the Mahabharata

Chapter 73

Bhima – The Ideal Husband

Chapter 74

Krishna in the Mahabharata

Chapter 75

The Objectives of Our Epics – A Perspective

About the Author

Part-A

Introduction

Chapter 1

Introduction to the MAHABHARATA

The Epic is based around a pan-India settlement, focusing on the so-called Indo-Aryans, their culture and society. It details how kings govern their subjects and how they influence culture. It acknowledges the diversity of race, colour and cultures and their inter-action with other communities, often referred to as serpents or nagas, demons or rakshas or as vanars.

Every event in the Epic comes with a comprehensive background. The characterization is detailed, often originating in a past life. The story of an individual may begin from his previous birth and may end upon this death or may continue even beyond. Some episodes involve many characters in a single event, adding to its complexity, together with a narrative of their pain, love, suffering and attachment. It unravels their financial conditions, upbringing and social background and how these influence their behaviour.

The purpose of the Epic is to help us follow the rules of Dharma, a set of moral and social laws by which a person is bound. The author wrote the Mahabharata to bring out the significance of the Vedas, necessitating their dramatization, projecting larger-than-life characters, to convey its wisdom in the form of plays or folklore.

The Epic aimed to educate even those who could not study the Vedas, basing Dharma on examples. This has helped sustain interest in the Mahabharata until the present day. The authors dramatized the core message with the sudden materialization of a god or a celestial being. The divine intervention facilitated the move between acts.

Characters may have a divine or an undivine aura to help convey the teachings of the Vedas and of Dharma. Together they create a single reference book of what is right or wrong in the individual context and situation. Good guys are not always good, nor are the bad guys always bad. This is often perplexing as it introduces us to grey shades.

In the Indic Way of Life, we do not judge an individual; we judge his actions, because he is not always regarded as evil. His actions may be right or wrong, depending on several factors. The authors of the Mahabharata have conveyed this reality through several episodes. They have described the motivations and the circumstances of characters which predispose them to act in certain ways, through which they explain the concept of Dharma.

The Epic initially comprised 8,400 verses, but expanded to 100,000 verses, resulting from later additions. Many individuals memorized the epic down the ages, adding their own interpretations of events and episodes, which helped reinforce or elaborate its central theme to connect with the listener/reader. These nuances also reflect the social customs, culture and folklore specific to a region. These also represent the prevailing views of society when the additions were made during successive phases ever since the Epic was first composed centuries ago. Although several versions exist, the basic story remained unchanged.

There are several versions of the Mahabharata. One version does not include the Bhagwad Gita. Bards carried these versions orally over many centuries, but now they are available in written form. The Pune-based Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute undertook an examination of the different versions and published a unified narrative, known as the critical edition. Their study showed that reciters/enactors added many local nuances to existing versions to help preserve the interest in the Epic. Lately, the Epic has also been appropriated by the entertainment channels. A number of authors have narrated the story in their own style, highlighting certain perspectives to connect with the readers.

The Epic incorporates the Bhagwad Gita comprising some 700 verses, rich in meaning and content with multiple layers. The discourses of thinkers and preachers have mesmerised listeners. Fathom then the power that must be there in the 100,000 verses that make up the entire Mahabharata.

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