A Description of the Mahabharata Essay

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The Mahabharata Response Paper If we look at the various cultures and religions across the world we will find that many of them have collections of stories or myths that are used to teach a moral or principle. This is a very useful way of instruction because those learning can be entertained by the stories while learning from them. It is a way to capture the attention of another and to help them to apply the principle or moral being taught. Many throughout the world are familiar with texts such as the Holy Bible and the Quran, and here we will be discussing yet another, The Mahabharata. This text is a valuable resource in understanding the morals that were taught and lived in the Hindu world. In this paper, we will be focusing on the importance of caste in the ancient Hindu world and on how that way of thought influenced the sense of duty and perception of right and wrong, particularly in the character of Yhudistira, and how that effected the people who read the story. We will begin by discussing the view of caste in the eyes of Yhudistira. We can learn a lot from the story of the dice game. When Yhudistira was originally invited to play he knew and felt that gambling was immoral (Narayan, 52). However, he felt honor bound to accept the challenge because of his caste. “It is against the kshatriyas’ code to refuse when invited to play a game. I will come” (Narayan, 53). In accepting the challenge, Yhudistira was placing himself and his family in a dangerous position, and he knew this, but he felt that it was better to lose the dice game, and in so doing lose their wealth and power, than to go against the codes of conduct that his caste dictated. He not only made this decision once, but rather, after losing the first time and leaving to return home, he consented to the appeal of the king to return and play again. His decision led to the banishment of his family and a time of trial and difficulty for all of them. These codes and rules of caste can be hard to understand for those of us who are unfamiliar with them. To the person who does not feel bound by something other than his own personal sense of right and wrong Yhudistira’s decision to play the dice may seem selfish and reckless, but if we take time to consider why he made such a decision we may be able to understand a little better. Dharma is an established order, rule, or virtue that existed to establish duty and justice. The kshatriyas were believed to be the protectors of Dharma, and thereby the defenders of duty and justice. Yhudisitira would therefore feel compelled to uphold Dharma by submitting to those rules and laws. Another example of this is when Sanjaya, the king’s messenger, appeals to Yhudistira to prevent the oncoming war. However, Yhudistira responds, “As a Kshatriya, I would be failing in my duty if I did not take back my kingdom by persuasion or…if driven to it, by force” (Narayan, 124). This view of caste and duty is very evident in the ancient Indian culture. It is different than what we view as a social classification. A person’s caste was not merely determined by a person’s wealth or station, but rather, they believed that caste was determined by fate and by the choices that one had made in a previous life. Thus, they felt bound by these laws and codes of conduct and were typically less eager to break them, if so doing would bring upon themselves an even lower caste in their next life. Another example of how caste and the consequent sense of duty affected the Indian culture can be found again in the behavior of the character Yhudistira. The king, Dhritarashtra, while fond of the Pandavas, was repeatedly influenced by his sons in order to eliminate the sons of Pandu. In spite of all of this, we find that Yhudistira and his brothers repeatedly place themselves beneath the authority of Dhritarashtra and continue to honor and obey him, even when he was trying to bring about their demise as a result of the urgings from
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