Ethics in Mahabharata

Krishna says in the Gita;

"Yada yada hi dharmasya

Glanir bhavathi bharata

Abhuthanam adharmasya

Tada tmanam srijamy aham

Parithranaya sadhunam

Vinasaya cha dhushkritham

Dharma samsthapanarthaya

Sambhavami yuge-yuge"

(Whenever there is decline of Dharma

And ascendance of Adharma,

O scion of Bharata race!

I incarnate myself in a body

For the protection of the good,

For the destruction of the evil,

And for the establishment of Dharma,

I am born from age to age)

Central plot in brief:

The rivalry for the throne of Hastinapura becomes the central part of the epic. Pandu, the second son of Shantanu becomes the king because his elder brother, Dhritarashtra, was born blind and was considered unfit to rule. However, due to Pandu's untimely death, he is forced to take up the throne. He had already proven that he is an able administrator during Pandu's absence at times. Now, the line of succession becomes a cause of disagreement in the family because there are two contenders for the throne of the king.

Yudhishthira, the eldest of the Pandava brothers is the heir-apparent since he was Pandu's elder son, but Duryodhana, the eldest son of Dhritarashtra also wanted to be the king. Duryodhana had a maternal uncle named Shakuni who was a great gambler and lived at the court. He inflames the jealousy in Duryodhana for the five Pandavas and does the job of the chief conspirator.

The Pandavas are sent into exile for thirteen years after losing everything in the game of dice. The Kauravas try to eliminate the Pandavas through various deceptive tricks but fail to do so. Once the exile ends the Pandavas return to claim their inheritance as was agreed, but Duryodhana refuses to return anything. Lot of peace talks ensue but to no avail. Dhritarashtra is unable to control this family feud. Krishna finally tells the Pandavas that war is the only course of action left. The people of not only Hastinapura, but all the great kingdoms of that time are forced to go into a war and the entire clan is divided into two sides to fight the battle at Kurukshetra which ends after 18 days.

The Gita forms an important part of the Mahabharata. It contains a discussion at the battlefield between Krishna and Arjuna before the start of the war. The latter asks the former for the justification and need for a war of such magnitude. Krishna has sworn not to fight himself but steers Arjuna's chariot in the battle and explains to him about his duty to fight.

Introduction

The Mahabharata is considered to be a huge monument of the Indian Literature. There are many inexplicable and enigmatic passages and situations contained in the text. The entire text has a much wider and larger scope in Indian Philosophy than just its epic or prescribed grand narrative framework.

The Mahabharata portrays the forces of good and evil in narrative form. There is a struggle between them in a socio-political context. The nature of power is a central theme in the epic. The concept of 'Dharma' deals with the proper use of this power. Wickedness of Duryodhana and weakness of Dhritarashtra are the misuse of power. Modern political systems are not essentially different from the ancient systems with respect to the use and misuse of power.

The Mahabharata represents the major clashes found in the world. It highlights the conflict between moral integrity and the need for survival. Even though the Kauravas reportedly lack moral integrity, they had their own pride. The Pandavas are said to be virtuous but they violated the code of moral integrity on many occasions.

The epic discusses the gender issue of women's place in society. The gambling episode in the epic is a very important social issue. It raises the moot question, can a woman treated as a property? Moreover Draupadi's marriage to five husbands also is another issue for social debate. The epic is supposed to be a great story of heroism and victory. But the readers find it to be a great tragedy. Nobody is happy and nobody achieves any glory.

Therefore, the readers are left with more questions than answers at the end of the day after reading the epic. The Mahabharata discusses some of the most profound questions of socio-political ethics.

A Tale, Religious Text, Narrative or Much More...

Now, the epic can be read as an excellent tale because it has all the elements of a good story yet it also includes many psychological and ethical dilemmas inherent in our lives today. We are left free to interpret the meaning of many episodes in the epic in our own way. There are many passages and episodes in the epic which give varied nuances of meaning when they are read repeatedly. They just shine like a diamond that sparkles in the sun light.

The Mahabharata is primarily treated as a religious text with the status of a scripture in Hindu tradition. Various behaviours of the righteous and wicked are portrayed in different social, political and religious life. The text is an authoritative religious literature in the Hindu tradition. In course of time, the text has gained all the attributes of a 'grand narrative' in the Indian culture about our practices and beliefs.

There are many useful discourses which take deep roots in Indian cultural and social life. We can even say that power, stability and order in social and political organizations in the country are maintained through this text. It started to serve as an ideology to explain socio-political ethics.

This made The Mahabharata a grand narrative over time, but it is a uni-dimensional reading. There are many conflicting and contradicting ideas found in the epic. The Mahabharata is sometimes considered to be a critique of grand narratives. It recognizes that such narratives mask the contradictions and instabilities in social organizations. The 'Kurukshetra' war is a great example which shows that