Mahabharata/Jaya- Gita Upadesam

"Destruction of one's own family will not bring any good fortune. I only see my own family here as well as in the enemy camp. How can I kill my Grandsire, my Guru? Even Duryodhana is my brother. I do not want the piece of land attained from such calamity. I would rather beg than enjoy the land after killing my kin. My throat is drying up, my Gandiva is slipping. No I cannot fight this war. O Keshav, I am asking you as a disciple. Please let me know what I should do". Thus spoke Arjuna to Krishna surrendering himself to His will and guidance.



The Kurukshtetra war is narrated through the eyes of Sanjaya as he is relating the events to Dhritharashtra. The Bhagavad Gita or Gita Upadesam starts with both the armies staring at each other. Duryodhana then gets down from his chariot and praises the Pandav army. But then he also praises his conglomeration increasing their morale. On listening to such praises from his great grandson, Bhishma blows his conch.

At that time, Arjuna develops conflicts within himself. He requests his charioteer Krishna (Krishna's names also include Parthasarathi which means charioteer of the son of Pritha-Kunti's real name) to take his chariot between  the 2 assembled armies. He looks at both the sides clearly before expressing his moral conflict and uselessness of going for a war of such magnitude. He does not want any riches by killing his own family members as well as after spilling so much blood. Then he completely surrenders himself to Krishna for guidance.

Any urban Indian or European who considers Sanathana Dharma as a religion supporting inaction should thoroughly understand Gita. Trust only Krishna to provide a spiritual discourse in the middle of the warring factions. Bhagavad Gita is a real gem for the spiritual seekers and there is so much being discussed here. Krishna completely advocates action but warns that the result is not a controlled event. It is His understanding of human life which allows him to convince Arjuna to pick up and go to war again. He discusses how a Jnani (Enlightened man) lives to different forms of Yoga in Bhagavad Gita.

Chapter 2: Sankhya Yoga
Sankhya Yoga propounds the arithmetic of the spiritual science also known as Gyan Yoga. Actions gain rewards. Rewards might be used up. But true knowledge cannot be vanquished. Deeds performed through supreme knowledge carry no expectation or pride. Lord Krishna terms it the way to supreme peace.

Chapter 3: Karma Yoga
No one can live without doing some deed. Some people are more attuned to the ways of Karma yoga (Path of action) rather than Gyan Yoga (path of knowledge). Arjuna is one of them. Lord Krishna expels his confusions by discoursing on the path of action (karma).One should do one's deeds with detachment and without any expectations of the results.

Chapter 4: Gyankarma Sanyas Yoga
One who has gained the knowledge of reality (the eternal and changeless truth) all the other factors and aspects of life, this worldly existence become immaterial.

Chapter 5: Karma Sanyas Yoga
A Karma Yogi is unaffected by the results of his actions as he does not expect any rewards. For simple people, Karma Yoga is preferable as it is simple & easy being in harmony with nature. Path of knowledge is not easy and not for everyone.

Chapter 6: Aatmasanyam Yoga
All spiritual exercises are performed to control one's senses. Some exercises are revealed by Lord Krishna.

Chapter 7: Gyanvigyan Yoga

Spiritual world does not ignore the world but shows a truth beyond the material. One needs to harmonize the basic rules of nature with life. Such science will certainly lead to the ultimate truth.

Chapter 8: Aksharbrahma Yoga
Lord Krishna answers to Arjuna's questions "What is Brahm? What is spiritualism? What is Karma?

Chapter 9: Rajvidyarajguhya Yoga
Why worship all the deities when the same kind of devotion can bring about a union with the Supreme?

Chapter 10: Vibhooti Yoga
Where is God- is an ignorant question. He is there in every manifestation.


Chapter 11: Vishwaroopadarshan Yoga
Arjuna realises that Krishna is God himself and devotingly asks Krishna to show his real form. Krishna blesses Arjuna with divine eyesight as mere human eyes cannot bear the sight. Then he proceeds to show his real form. Sanjaya too sees this vision as he was blessed with diviine vision by Sage Vyas (so that he can relay the war to King Dhritharashtra).
The truth of God emerges when all the positives are merged with negative. Only those who has the courage to see this harsh reality can face God.

Chapter 12: Bhakti Yoga
Devotion, total surrender, too can lead to the supreme union.

Chapter 13: Kshetrakshetragyavibhag Yoga
This body is like a field where inspirations are the seeds whcih harvest deeds. Deeds begets deeds and thus, keep multiplying. The one who masters the field and gains knowledge of life in such form leads to god.

Chapter 14: Gunatrayvibhag Yoga
The one who understands the (Satva, Rajas, Tamas) tendencies and controls them finds God.

Chapter 15: Purushottam Yoga
The Universe is a tree. Eternal Para Power Supreme is its root. The main branch is Brahma and the Vedas are its leaves. A man who sees the basic truth in such form is the one who knows the meaning of Vedas.

Chapter 16: Daivasursampadvibhag Yoga
Discourse on spiritual and material world.

Chapter 17: Shraddhatrayvibhag Yoga
Devotion is the basic element of spiritual progress. But one must avoid devotion to goals of attachments and evil.

Chapter 18: Mokshasanyas Yoga
Lord Krishna gives a discourse on renunciation and asceticism. At the end of this chapter Arjuna confirms that his confusions are cleared and he is ready to fight.

Gita Upadesam can also be seen as a metaphor where Arjuna is our Ego, the horses are the senses, chariot is our body and Krishna is (the intellect/supreme) guiding us. Only when we surrender our ego and let the reins of our senses and body be run by the intellect/supreme, we will not have any conflicts and we might get enlightened.


To finish off, let me give a little excerpt from the back of the book(which I used to get the summary of the chapters).
All Upanishads are like a cow, child god Krishna is the milker, Arjuna is the calf and the great Gita wisdom is the milk and pure minded faithful is its user.

Mahabharata/Jaya- Rules of the War laid out

"I agree with the rules you have laid out and promise that we will follow them as long as your side fights by the rules". Thus spoke Dhristadhyumna to Bhishma as the two commander-in-chief met along with other main warriors to discuss on the rules of the war.

Probably, this is also the time when Bhishma promised Krishna that he will ensure that Krishna takes up arms in the war. 

This was Dharm Yudh (War for Righteousness) and the rules were to be very fair as well. Rules of the war as below:

• Fighting must begin no earlier than sunrise and end exactly at sunset.

• Multiple warriors may not attack a single warrior.

• Two warriors may "duel", or engage in prolonged personal combat, only if they carry the same weapons and they are on the same mount (no mount, a horse, an elephant, or a chariot).

• No warrior may kill or injure a warrior who has surrendered.

• One who surrenders becomes a prisoner of war and will then be subject to the protections of a prisoner of war.

• No warrior may kill or injure an unarmed warrior.

• No warrior may kill or injure an unconscious warrior.

• No warrior may kill or injure a person or animal not taking part in the war.

• No warrior may kill or injure a warrior whose back is turned away.

• No warrior may attack a woman.

• No warrior may strike an animal not considered a direct threat.

• The rules specific to each weapon must be followed. For example, it is prohibited to strike below the waist in mace warfare.

• Warriors may not engage in any "unfair" warfare.

The war lasted Eighteen days. Bhishma was the Commander-in-chief for the first 10 days, then Drona for 5 days, Karna for 2 days and Shalya for a day (actually just a half) on the side of the Kauravas while Dhrishtadhyumna survived and acted in his position for the entire duration of the war. 

A Movie trailer link- looking fwd to it's release

For us Mahabharataholics, this is a surprise. Hope they stay true to the content and spirit.

http://www.moviefirstlook.com/2012/05/arjun-official-trailer-arjun-promo.html

Mahabharata/Jaya - Arjuna performs Durga Puja

"I am ready to scarifice myself for the war. But I would like to be married first and my widow should cry just like a wife cries on the death of her husband. Then I would like to see the entire war." Thus spoke Iravan to Krishna to receive his boons.

Iravan is the son of Ulupi and Arjuna.(http://greatlittlewarrior.blogspot.in/2011/12/mahabharatajaya-indraprastha-and-arjuna.html). When Iravan realizes he is the son of Arjuna, he takes the unwilling consent of his mother and joins the war to help the Pandavas win.


In the northern versions, Iravan fights the war and dies a heroic death. But it is the Tamil version which I find interesting. 

Krishna instructs Arjuna to perform the Durga Puja as per astrological predictions made by Sahadeva. For this puja to be successful, a perfect man needs to be sacrificed. Only Arjuna, Krishna and Iravan has the essential marks which certified them to be perfect men (physically). Krishna decides that Iravan is the best choice for this human sacrifice.

That is when Iravan spells out his wishes/boon to Krishna. It was a big problem to find a wife for Iravan as no one would want to be a sure-shot widow. Since no one was ready, Krishna himself takes the form of a woman (Mohini Avatar) and marries Iravan. In some versions, they consumate their marriage. But then, Krishna cries like a woman the next day after Iravan dies.

This event is still celebrated by the trangender community. The men dress themselves as woman and marry Iravan. Then the next day they break their bangles and cry like widows.

It makes me wonder if transexuality, transgender and same sex marriage/sex was accepted during those times in southern India. India (concept and culture) always holds a great deal of mystery due to it's varied instances of folktales and stories. This is one of them. 


Krishna becoming a woman and marrying Iravan shows that man-woman, same gender marriage/sex were all the same in his eyes. He really was the all encompassing divine personality out there. India of those times would surely have been more open and liberal. 


I have heard that Krishna is the measure against which one's life need to be measured. It is true. Maybe, I will develop a habit of analysing the same through those thoughts before judging others. Maybe.

Mahabharata/Jaya- Rules of the War

"This is Dharm Yudh(War for Righteousness). Hence, the war will be fought as per the rules of Dharma (principles of righteousness)." Thus spoke Bhishma to the assembled kings and generals of the Pandavas and Kauravas before listing down the rules of the war.

The Kauravas had 11 akshauhinis and Pandavas had 7 akshauhinis.( A division (akshauhini) includes 21,870 chariots and chariot-riders, 21,870 elephants and riders, 65,610horses and riders, and 109,350 foot-soldiers (in a ratio of 1:1:3:5). The combined number of warriors and soldiers in both armies was approximately 3.94 million.^[14] Each Akshohini was under a commander or a general, apart from the Commander in chief or the generalissimo who was the head of the entire army.) Source Wikipedia.

Rules of engagement

The two supreme commanders met and framed "rules of ethical conduct", dharmayuddha, for the war. The rules included:

• Fighting must begin no earlier than sunrise and end exactly at sunset.
• Multiple warriors may not attack a single warrior.
• Two warriors may "duel", or engage in prolonged personal combat, only if they carry the same weapons and they are on the same mount (no mount, a horse, an elephant, or a chariot).
• No warrior may kill or injure a warrior who has surrendered.
• One who surrenders becomes a prisoner of war and will then be subject to the protections of a prisoner of war.
• No warrior may kill or injure an unarmed warrior.
• No warrior may kill or injure an unconscious warrior.
• No warrior may kill or injure a person or animal not taking part in the war.
• No warrior may kill or injure a warrior whose back is turned away.
• No warrior may attack a woman.
• No warrior may strike an animal not considered a direct threat.
• The rules specific to each weapon must be followed. For example, it is prohibited to strike below the waist in mace warfare.
• Warriors may not engage in any "unfair" warfare.

Source Wikipedia.

Probably, this is the time when Bhishma promises Krishna  that he (Bhishma) will make Krishna raise his weapon in the war. 

In the concluding war, we will see that both the sides breaks all the rules. There are no clear white and black. Shades of grey emerge on both the sides. As they say, history is written by the winners to glorify themselves. The actions in the war might just make us stand up and question if Pandavas were really all that valiant and just as they are made out to be. But in some ways it also shows the vision and clarity of Krishna. For him, the means was not as important as the end. He did not fight the war and yet, he was the biggest reason for Pandavas to win. 

Mahabharata/Jaya - Appointment of the Generals/Commander in Chief

“I will not fight with Shikandi who was not born as a man but became a man later in his life. Other than Shikandi, I will also not kill the Pandavas. They are as dear to me as you. I will kill 10,000 soldiers of their camp. Like this, I will ensure that the victory is yours”. Thus spoke Bhishma to Duryodhana and the other assembled king at the Kouravas’ camp.

The war preparations were on. Cavalries and chariots were now marching to Kurukshetra (the place where war will be fought). Duryodhana and his advisors thought apt to choose Bhishma as the General of their army.

The Pandavas to have a discussion. The twins are of the suggestion that it should be the old and strong King Virata or King Drupada. Arjuna opines Dhristadhyumna while Bhima suggests Shikandi. Then Yuddhistira decides on Dhristadhyumna as the general.

This selection is in ways a subtle hint. Bhishma stands for whatever is old and dying while Dhristadhyumna stands for new and change. Also, as you see Kauravas have to change the Generals over the course of the war while Dhrisadhyumna guides the Pandavas till the end. It is a clear case of old having to go for the new. That is nature, that is the law of life.

While Duryodhana’s selection of Bhishma is like a conspiracy. With Bhishma as the general, any other king/s who had any doubts about Dharma would believe that Kouravas are right. It will also give them the confidence that victory is sure with the general who has the boon of death by wish. For the Pandavas, it was just a proper war strategy. Dhristadhyumna was a student of Drona and was destined to be the killer of Drona. Dhristadhyumna was young, agile and adept at the use of vyuhas (formations).

In the Kaurava camp, Bhishma is consecrated as the General as per the rituals prescribed. After that, in the assembled place, Duryodhana requests Bhishma to state and explain the strength of both the camps.
Bhishma recounts all the Maharathas and Athirathas in the Kauravas camp. But he specifically insults Karna as not even a ratha. Bhishma states, “This friend of yours is harsh and boastful. I don’t consider him to be a ratha. He always runs from a duel. He has also given away his Kavach Kundal. He is cursed by my Guru (Parshuram) and also by the Bhramana. If I am to be the General, then he will not fight”. Karna too responds, “I will not fight as long as Bhishma is alive”.

Then Bhishma goes about recounting the strengths of Pandava army. For Karna, it looks like he is deliberately stating their strengths in a way which will create fear in the minds of the assembled kings of the war.

Ramayana and Mahabharata is referred to be as “Itihasa” which translates into “As it happened” or “Thus it happened”. The elaborate introduction of the kings and the strength of cavalry is an apt way of recording history. It is said that there were always appointed individuals who had to record the history of a kingdom. Most of them used to be “Suta” loosely translated as charioteer. Suta had a very special place in the society. They were not exactly Shudras or Vaishyas and neither Kshatriyas. Sanjaya who was the charioteer of King Dhritharashtra accompanied him till the death of the latter. Narrations have orated through him many times during the epic. It looks like he was the appointed individual for tracking the history of this kingdom. Vyasa (as the name suggest) would have compiled all the events to bring up the first original Mahabharata. As is with any mythology, folklores and other creative imaginations were then added onto it through generations. No one knows the real Mahabharata or its length. Yet, we assume the one which we have collected has been completely authored by Vyasa.

Bhishma signs off his account as mentioned in the first sentence of the post. Duryodhana accepts his decision of not killing thePandava after putting in some resistance. He knew that if he does not accept it then Bhishma will be relieved of his vow and join the Pandava camp. This will spread panic in the Kaurava camp. Also, he does not stand up for his friend Karna when his great-grandsire was insulting Karna.

Till now, we could have assumed that Duryodhana was just a fool who was being swayed by Shakuni. It is during the war that we see his full personality. His ego-management as far as Bhishma, Drona, Karna and Shalya shows him to be an able leader who could get together different people together to attain his objective. He fails in this objective is a different matter. But he was a strong leader and only if not for his strong hatred for Pandavas, he could have been a deserving ruler.

Mahabharata/Jaya - Indra visits Karna

"If you still wish to complete your vow of giving, then ensure that you ask Shakti (Indra's weapon) from him." Thus spoke Surya (Sun God) to Karna in a dream one night.

Actually this event happens during the exile of the Pandavas. Also Karna's identity is disclosed right in the beginning of the pic. For some reason, I took a cinematic liberty of keeping suspense and putting these 2 chapters of the Epic together.


Indra is worried about Arjuna as he knows that Karna will be unbeatable as long as he has his natural shield and natural earrings (Kavach Kundal). He plans on tricking Karna to rob him of these. I often wondered about this episode. Karna has shown to be vulnerable even when he had the Kavach Kundal. Take for example, in his battle with the Gandharvas or his fight with Arjuna after Draupadi's swayamwara. Maybe, this is just a later addition to magnify Indra's role in Mahabharata.


Surya (Sun god) is aware of this and comes in Karna's dream to warn him of this. This is before Karna's identity is disclosed to him. So Karna is not aware that Surya is his father.


Surya says, "Karna, tomorrow Indra will come to you in the guise of a Bhramana. He knows that after the morning ritual you never refuse a Bhramana. He will ask for your Kavach Kundal. He is doing this to protect his son, Arjuna. Don't give them to him. As long as you have them, you cannot be vanquished".

Karna replies, "I have taken a vow that I will never refuse anyone when they come and ask for a gift at that time. If they ask my life, I will give that too. No, I cannot refuse."

Surya tries to reason with Karna but Karna does not move from his stand. Surya then negotiates, "Ok, then you give the Kavach Kundal. You must ask for Shakti (Indra's weapon) in exchange for this. It is very powerful and no warrior can defy it. You can use that in your duel with Arjuna."

Next morning, Indra comes in the guise of Bhramana to Karna. Karna has just finished his rituals and asks, "O Bhramana, Ask for what you wish". Indra says, "I want your Kavach Kundal." Karna then remembers the dream he had and recognizes Indra.

Yet Karna tries to digress, "Ask for the riches of the world. Ask for the kingdom. I cannot give these things you are asking for. They have been a part of my body since birth." But Indra is firm on his demand.

In the end Karna remarks, "I know you are not a brahman but Indra himself. I was denying this so that no blame is placed on you for tricking a human. I will give you what you ask for." Then Karna goes on to remove his Kavach Kundal with a knife. He does not even wince while doing this but his body is stained with blood. Indra too melts seeing the sight.

Moved by Karna's act, Indra himself tells Karna that he would like to grant a boon. Karna recollects his dream and asks, "Actually I do not ask anything but only give. But I do not want you to be tainted with tricking a human. I am highly fortunate to be of use to you. To make this looks fair, I only ask for Shakti (Indra's weapon)." Indra agrees and grants him the weapon but on a condition, "You can have this weapon but you can only use this in a war and only once. After that, it will come back to me." Karna agrees , "I too want to use this once, to kill a great and powerful warrior". Indra confirms, "You will kill a great and powerful warrior with this weapon."

Kauravas are quite disheartened when they learn about Karna loosing his Kavach Kundal. But then they are elated to know that he has got Shakti from Indra.

Karna was known as Dhanveer (Highly chariotable person). There are fables wherein he broke off a wooden pillar from his own house to give it to a Brahman who was looking for dry wood (as it was raining at that time). Then there is a folktale wherein Karna gave away his golden teeth before taking his last breath to a old brahman (Krishna in disguise) who approached him for wealth at that time. Also, some folktales state how Krishna tricks Karna in giving away all his merits earned through righteousness during his duel with Arjuna. The goddess of righteousness was protecting him from the arrows of Arjuna and hence, Krishna had to do this. Karna gave them up as well without any hesitation. Karna's life is a great example of someone who tried his best to make his life successful and meaningful though outwardly, destiny and life treated him unfairly. Maybe, we all have a Karna in us. We all struggle against life and it's forces to derive something meaningful out of it. Not all are as righteous as him and yet, we all struggle. Some win, some loose. But it all depends on how you lived.