Mahabharata Unravelled: Lesser-Known Facets of a Well-Known History

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Millennia have passed since the dharma yudhha of the cousins shook the land of Bharata. But this history of our ancestors continues to fascinate us. Even today, we have passionate discussions about the people and their actions in the epic, fervidly defending our favourites and denouncing others. The number of works on the Mahabharata-adaptations, retellings and fiction- that still get written is a testimony to its enduring relevance.

While the general storyline is largely known, a lot of questions and myths prevail, such as-What was the geographical extent of the war? Did Drona actually refuse to take on Karna as his disciple? What were Draupadi's responsibilities as the queen of Indraprastha? Did she ever mock Duryodhana? Were the women in the time of the Mahabharata meek and submissive? What were the names of the war formations during the time? What role did the sons of the Pandavas play? Does the south of India feature at all in the Mahabharata? What happened after the war? These and many other intriguing questions continue to mystify the contemporary reader.

Author Ami Ganatra debunks myths, quashes popular notions and offers insights into such aspects not commonly known or erroneously known, based solely on facts as narrated in Vyasa's Mahabharata from generally accepted authentic sources. For a history of such prominence and influence as the Mahabharata, it is important to get the story right. So pick this book up, sit back and unveil the lesser-known facts and truths about the great epic.

AMI GANATRA is an alumna of Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA). A management professional, she is also a devout yoga practitioner, a certified yoga instructor, and a student of Sanskrit and Indian knowledge systems.

Indic knowledge systems clearly differentiate between mythology and history. The Mahabharata and Ramayana have been called itihasa (iti ha asa: thus it has been), the history of our ancestors. Ramayana, as we know, is composed by Rishi Valmiki, a contemporary of Shri Rama. Mahabharata has been immortalised for us by the man who was biologically related to the involved stakeholders-the Kauravas and the Pandavas-Rishi Veda Vyasa. There cannot be a more unbiased source.

The Mahabharata is also called the pancham Veda-the fifth Veda. By way of historical narration, it provides a framework for understanding and dealing with our own ethical dilemmas. The raw emotions and motivations, the dharma sankatas, faced by the people in the Mahabharata are so relatable and real that even 5,000 years later, or 7,000 as per some recent estimates, it continues to inspire authors, artists, social scientists and us. The number of works in the mythological fiction genre that get written inspired by the Mahabharata, even today, is a testimony to its relevance.

The popularity of the epic can be further gauged from off-the-charts viewership of a recent rerun of B.R. Chopra's Mahabharat, an old TV series with not-so-sophisticated production by current standards.

The Mahabharata is the history of the descendants of Bharata, a great sovereign king of Bharatavarsha. Throughout the story, one theme stands out that of dharma. The war between the cousins-the Kauravas and the Pandavas-which forms the core of the epic is called dharma yuddha, the war for dharma. One of the most sacred texts for Hindus, the Bhagavad Gita, has its provenance in the Mahabharata. It captures the conversation between Krishna and Arjuna before the commencement of the Kurukshetra war when the latter was gripped with confusion over the merit of the war and his responsibility. The text talks extensively about dharma and swadharma. Bhishma gives a discourse to Yudhishthira on Raja Dharma from his deathbed. Vidura advises Dhritarashtra of his dharma as the king and the patriarch of the family. Draupadi and Kunti exhort Yudhishthira to follow his dharma. So, what exactly is dharma?

Dharma is routinely translated as religion, or sometimes as law. These words, while not completely wrong, are not appropriate in explaining dharma.