“Don’t read the Mahabharata. It will cause family feuds,” said an aged relative with evident concern. I held myself from giving her a response, but her statement got me thinking.
My Love Affair with the Epic
Arjuna was my first crush! When in distress, I looked up to Sri Krishna. Hoping that my baby would learn something like Abhimanyu in his mother’s womb, I spent much of my pregnancy singing the songs of Krishna.
Above all, Draupadi has forever been my role model. The Critical Edition of the epic refers to her as Sri. This attribution of divinity to her intrigued me and inspired my spiritual growth. Indeed, the Mahabharata had deeply penetrated my veins.
Therefore, the derogatory view of the epic surprised me. Does the Mahabharata indeed cause families to break? Should we be blaming Sage Vyasa for our relationship woes? A million such queries erupted in my mind.
My Contemplations
To think about it, the Mahabharata is a narrative filled with distress. It contains the gut-wrenching saga of an empress being molested in the presence of her superstar husbands. There is so much destruction in there that the epic feels uncomfortable to read at times, for sure.
Confusing me further, the turmoil in my life often made me wonder if Nature was casting me in some modern rendition of the epic! In such a situation, that aged relative’s comments felt like pearls of wisdom.
Yet, another side of me argued otherwise. A sage as wise and austere as Vyasa would never chronicle anything detrimental to the world. Further, Sri Krishna wouldn’t remotely be part of anything that intended to break up families. So, something felt amiss here.
My Observations
Eventually, when I understood its profundity, my respect for the Mahabharata increased multifold!
Throughout the epic, most people were busy nurturing their egos and singing songs of self-pity. But, the Pandavas and Draupadi put in massive efforts to transform themselves.
Particularly, Yudhishthira displayed a complete lack of empathy in The Game of Dice episode. Later, indicating transformation, he even shed tears of remorse at the plight of Draupadi.
Also, during the epic, Krishna’s divinity wasn’t as well-known. Despite that, Draupadi and the Pandavas demonstrated unshakable faith in him. Reciprocating their love, Krishna ensured his righteous friends were the only ones who had the last laugh in an ocean of people.
My Experience
Moving on to my life, even today, when I’ve become firmly established in Divine Energy, I still feel close to Sri Krishna when I read the Mahabharata.
However, speaking honestly, the epic did pull me away from my extended family. But it isn’t in the way people fret.
The breaking away I experienced after internalizing the Mahabharata is called liberation! In other words, I’ve become joyful, peaceful, and non-attached.
Added to that, the compassion of Krishna and Draupadi has rubbed off on me, making me work for hours on my social cause.
Conclusion
The Mahabharata is a story to be read and contemplated upon by everyone. Sad that our ignorant minds can make even this exemplary epic a villain!
The venerable Sage Vyasa most certainly knew what he was doing. As is mostly the case, our looking glass, filled with the dirt of insecurities, requires a cleanup. It’s our perspective that needs a transformation.
To those carrying negative feelings about this epic, please don’t fall trap to such narrow-mindedness. In today’s age and times, the wisdom of the Mahabharata is the need of the hour.
More than just shedding tears in devotion to Krishna, it’s time for us to take his lead and fight against the social evils around us.
Love,
Sri Devi Om
