An appreciation of the period of the disguise of the Pandavas during their exile, when the five princes and the princess lived in the kingdom of Matsya, involves an appreciation of the variety of characters with heroic traits and varied personalities, acknowledging the epic theme of the battle between the divine and the evil, understanding the importance of kinship in Indian literature , listing out the didactic concepts, highlighting the formal elevated language and the repeated use of literary devices and above all enjoying the intriguing story line of the narrative.
Sanskrit, which was considered to be a scholarly language, and suitable for literature is the chosen medium for the narration of the Mahabharatha. The narration is unique, because it uses plenty of dialogue, and the characters question each other and make the readers understand what the other thinks or plans to do. The question and answer format is used to make the narrative progress. Vaishampayana recounts the story in answer to Janamejaya’s questions. But all the other characters such as Yudishtra, Bhima, Draupadi and Arjuna , converse with each other, adding a dramatic quality to the story. However, the language used is not casual or conversational but ornamental and formal. Questions are reframed and repeated several times for a rhetorical effect. For instance, when Yudishtra wants to know Arjuna’s plans for disguise, he asks a series of questions instead of one, each question making a reference to a different adventure that Arjuna undertook.The characters often refer to each other not just by their names, but with a series of epithets attached to those names.
Similes such as the one comparing the pandavas to powerful bulls make the language even more formal and stylised . Yudishtra compares the lumpy calluses formed on Arjuna’s hands, due to rigorous practise with the bow and arrow to the humps on bulls. He also uses metaphors to compare Arjuna to an ocean among lakes and a tiger among deer.
The characters in the Mahabharatha are not ordinary men, and are portrayed as complex human beings. True to the tradition of the Indian epic, they are princes, sages and demi gods, blessed with extraordinary qualities, which makes them remarkable role models for the common man. Yudishtra is righteous and takes on the responsibility of guiding the members of his family. He is also skilled in playing chess and is an expert on the ways of courtiers. Bhima is a powerful wrestler, who is surprisingly an expert chef, which makes it easy for him to find a place of obscurity in the kitchen of the king. He assures Yudishtra that he would carry heavy wood and impress the people around him. He even displays a streak of humour when he declares that being in a kitchen he can get as much as he wants to eat. Arjuna is an adventurer and it is he who lists out the names of all the kingdoms in and around their country, where they could seek refuge. This shows how much he has wandered and how well he knows the geography of his land. Yudishtra too talks admiringly of his adventures with Agni, the God of fire, and with Indira, the king of Gods. Incredibly, he can also sing well enough to teach the women at the court and disguises himself as a eunuch. Nakula and Sahadeva are described as handsome, and they too have many skills including those of tending the horses and cattle respectively, which they decide to make their jobs for the next year. Thus the human heroes are of epic proportions rise far above the average citizen in many ways.
Draupadi, the wife of the Pandavas appears to be intelligent, independent and passionate. She is an illustrious beauty, famed for her lovely eyes and long tresses. She is clear headed in selecting her course of action, both while choosing to be the queen’s hairdresser as well as when she decides to complain to Bheema about Kichaka’s advances, knowing well that she could appeal to him to avenge the insult. Her words to Bheema are paradoxical, full of praise one moment, and at the same time heated with condemnation for making their lives miserable; showing how well she understand human nature. She urges Bhima to avenge Kichaka, and points out to him that an insult to her is an insult to the tribe. She thus manages to enrage him. This proves that she lives in a patriarchal society, where there is no safety for an intelligent woman like Draupadi, who has the courage to speak up whenever she is faced with injustice. When the men in the court see her being kicked, they say that they cannot judge Kichaka, without hearing the full story. Only upon her giving a full explanation do they praise her. Still, no punishment is given to Kichaka. It appears that the humiliation of a woman in front of the whole court is not considered a punishable crime.
True to the Indian tradition, the Virata parva in the Mahabharatha abounds with advice and moral injunctions from one character to another. The virtuous woman Draupadi is warned by Yudishtra that she should not behave in such a way that men who were wicked and sinful would stare at her. Yudishtra also advises his brothers that they should somehow or the other complete the one year there, so that they may regain their position as princes.
Dhaumya, in his turn hastens to advise the pandavas on how to interact with people at the court, without drawing too much attention to themselves. He makes them wary of court politics and tells them how to behave in front of the king. They should not speak out of turn, nor indulge in meaningless eloquence. They should maintain a distance with the wives of kings and from people who have fallen out of the king’s favour. In this way, the advice seems to be based on common sense, and is meant for the common man, as much as it is to the royal princes.Virtues such as maintaining boundaries when mingling with the powerful, obedience, making a whole hearted effort at your tasks, being in tune with the court politics and giving judicious advice to the king are recommended. Vices such as pride, naivete and carelessness are condemned.
This however does not make the story dull and didactic. Marvellous acts of valour and thrilling action make the epic interesting, several centuries after it was written. This part of the epic is particularly fun filled one, with the intriguing prospect of the Pandavas donning a disguise and living a double life. To Arjuna’s question as to how Yudishtra, a king, could survive with common men, the latter gives a very entertaining answer. He proposes to play games such as chess and dice at the king’s court and instantly changes the tenor of the dialogue, which dwells on the misfortune of princes. As each character’s plan unfolds, one seems as interesting and unique as the other. Bhima’s plans to tame bulls and elephants and fight wrestlers without killing them are even more picturesque. Arjuna’s plan to teach dance, music and various musical instruments seems extremely funny. It is not smooth sailing for the Pandavas, as trouble comes in the form of Kichaka, who assaults Draupadi, and she rushes to the court to let her husbands know of the manner of which she has been insulted. Bhima kills Kichaka, which makes the Kauravas realize that the Pandavas are behind his murder. The Mahabharatha is thus a very interesting story to read, with several characters appearing in the main as well as the subplots.
This epic shows the power and importance of kinship in a predominantly tribal way of life. The brothers, entirely different in character enjoy an ideal relationship; they display implicit obedience to their elder brother and mother. However, their enemies, the Kauravas are their kinsmen as well. The rivalry between the kinsman is one of the main traditions of literature. The period of exile endured by the Pandavas, the pains they take to put up with a double life, the misery, poverty and humiliation, all go to show how hard they try to abide by the rules laid down by the elders, who wanted the rivalry to stop. They faced their troubles and kept up with their part of the agreement. Even when Draupadi rushes to the court with Kichaka in her pursuit, Yudishtra advices her that it was not the right time to seek revenge. Yudishtra wants above all to satisfy the conditions put forth by his elders.
The theme of the epic is thus dharma, or the set of rules by which people in ancient times were supposed to live. To follow the path of dharma is more important than to live a life of luxury and enjoy carnal pleasures. The concepts and truth and honour are more important than human lives. War is ugly but it is necessary and death in the battle field is the greatest honour. The Pandavas and Draupadi live a life of virtue. They were all ready to atone for the loss that befell them due to Yudishtra’s gambling. Kichaka is arrogant, lustful and ready to commit adultery. He is callous and unmindful of the public humiliation he causes Draupadi. He does not listen to her advice or her entreaty that she is already married. It is only right that he should be punished. Book Four, which is unlike the other parts that glorify war, is thematically consistent, as the evil Kichaka is killed by the virtuous Bhima.
The integration of religion in the narrative begins with the first line in which the narrator bows to Narayana and to the goddess of learning. Various Hindu Gods such as Rudra or Shiva, Aditya or the Sun God, Agni,the God of Fire, Vayu, the God of Wind, and Vasudeva, the human form of Narayana are mentioned, some of them having played a part in the lives of the characters.Various other mythological characters such as the Rakshashas, evil forces that fought against the Gods, Vasuki, the Snake God and Garuda, the king of Birds are also mentioned. But some of these Gods are not as powerful as the others. Indira, inspite of being a God, has lost in the battlefield to Arjuna.
The religious practice of maintaining the sacred fire is also mentioned, whereby every tribe should have a source of fire or Agni and it was the duty of one person to ensure that it is put off. The brahmin being a religious head takes it upon himself to arrange things for the Pandavas and he makes arrangements for the sacred fire to be taken care of. Sullivan (2011:387), in his article on Hindu Scriptural traditions says that the war between the good and evil is similar to the war between the Gods and the Rakshashas. In the same vein, Mahabharatha is compared to the fifth Veda, according to scholar of religious studies. So the epic brings people closer to their religion and makes them understand their duties through stories and myths.
A detailed study of Book Four reveals how religion and morals expounded in stylistic language, along with the adventurous action of epic heroes combine to make the Mahabharatha a source of inspiration and entertainment for many generations.
Works Cited
- Garbutt, Kathleen 2007, Mahābhārata, Book Four, Virāṭa. New York: New York University Press, JJC Foundation.
- Ganguli, Kisari Mohan,2004, April 16, 2004 The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa Bk. 4. The Project Gutenberg Ebook , http://www.gutenberg.org/files/12058/12058-h/12058-h.htm (accessed June 20,2013)
- Bruce M. Sullivan, The Religious Authority of the Mahabharata. Journal of the American Academy of Religion, LXll/2, 377-398
http://mahabharata sources.org/ola/brahma_vyasa_sullivan.pdf (accessed June 21,2013)
