Most everyone knows or at least has heard of the great epic of Mahabharat and think it was a family feud; the war between cousins over their kingdom.
Whenever there are some frictions between friends and within families, there have to be some reasons behind the disputes. Many thinkers have talked about many different reasons. Some claim it was Draupadi's fault - because she passed a comment to Duryodhan, saying "Andhay ki aulaad andhaa". Others have different ideas.
I believe the real reason for the dispute that ended up in such a terrible war, is mentioned in the very first Shloka of Bhagavad Geeta - which is very important but mostly ignored shloka. Most people consider it simply the beginning passage of a long dialogue that follows.
Let's read this shloka carefully and try to analyze it.
The Bhagavad Geeta begins with a question from Dhritrashtra to Sanjaya:
"Dharma-kshetray kuru-kshetray samavetaa yuyutsvaah
Maamekah Pandavashchaiva kimakurvat Sanjaya"
"In the open field of Kurukshetra, where both the armies are standing - facing each other -
O' Sanjaya, tell me what my children and Pandava's children are doing?"
Now, if someone does not know the previous story, will ask who was Pandava?
Pandava was Dhritrashtra's brother - who died at a young age and asked Dhritrashtra to take care of his young children. Dhritrashtra promised his brother not to worry - that he will take care of them just like his own children.
Had he considered them his own children and treated them equally - given the same love and rights to them as his own sons - then there would not have been any dispute or friction between them.
And this discriminative state of mind on part of Dhritrashtra clearly shows in this shloka. He clearly distances himself completely from them - as they have no relationship at all by asking: "Maamekah Pandavashchaiva".
He could have established some relationship at least by saying "Maamekah, Bhraatashchaiva" (my and my brother's children).
From the very beginning, seeing this kind of discrimination, the sons of Dhritrashtra must have grown up also with the same kind of mentality thinking the Pandava kids - their cousins as lower than them and with lesser rights. They considered themselves the real heirs of the kingdom and the Pandavas as their subordinates - that someday might become their opponents.
So the problem was started by Dhritrashtra himself - the father, who never considered Pandava's children equal to his own - and created the same feeling of inequality in the minds of his own sons.
So, who was at fault? What was the real cause of Mahabharata?
Discrimination by the father who was the ruler as well.
When elders do not treat everyone equally, the problems - disputes and frictions are bound to occur within the families and among friends and relatives. This could be true for the organizations as well.
'Rajan Sachdeva'
Whenever there are some frictions between friends and within families, there have to be some reasons behind the disputes. Many thinkers have talked about many different reasons. Some claim it was Draupadi's fault - because she passed a comment to Duryodhan, saying "Andhay ki aulaad andhaa". Others have different ideas.
I believe the real reason for the dispute that ended up in such a terrible war, is mentioned in the very first Shloka of Bhagavad Geeta - which is very important but mostly ignored shloka. Most people consider it simply the beginning passage of a long dialogue that follows.
Let's read this shloka carefully and try to analyze it.
The Bhagavad Geeta begins with a question from Dhritrashtra to Sanjaya:
"Dharma-kshetray kuru-kshetray samavetaa yuyutsvaah
Maamekah Pandavashchaiva kimakurvat Sanjaya"
"In the open field of Kurukshetra, where both the armies are standing - facing each other -
O' Sanjaya, tell me what my children and Pandava's children are doing?"
Now, if someone does not know the previous story, will ask who was Pandava?
Pandava was Dhritrashtra's brother - who died at a young age and asked Dhritrashtra to take care of his young children. Dhritrashtra promised his brother not to worry - that he will take care of them just like his own children.
Had he considered them his own children and treated them equally - given the same love and rights to them as his own sons - then there would not have been any dispute or friction between them.
And this discriminative state of mind on part of Dhritrashtra clearly shows in this shloka. He clearly distances himself completely from them - as they have no relationship at all by asking: "Maamekah Pandavashchaiva".
He could have established some relationship at least by saying "Maamekah, Bhraatashchaiva" (my and my brother's children).
From the very beginning, seeing this kind of discrimination, the sons of Dhritrashtra must have grown up also with the same kind of mentality thinking the Pandava kids - their cousins as lower than them and with lesser rights. They considered themselves the real heirs of the kingdom and the Pandavas as their subordinates - that someday might become their opponents.
So the problem was started by Dhritrashtra himself - the father, who never considered Pandava's children equal to his own - and created the same feeling of inequality in the minds of his own sons.
So, who was at fault? What was the real cause of Mahabharata?
Discrimination by the father who was the ruler as well.
When elders do not treat everyone equally, the problems - disputes and frictions are bound to occur within the families and among friends and relatives. This could be true for the organizations as well.
'Rajan Sachdeva'
Wow...
ReplyDeleteRemarkable analysis Rajanjee ..
ReplyDelete