What is Dharma ?
Only which promotes sustenance is Dharma , clearly outlined by Krishna for the times to follow , millenniums to remember , and epochs to imbibe !
By the lake of Yaksha , Yudhishthira requests Yaksha to awaken Nakul , the youngest , devoid of any emotions , so that at least one son from Kunti , and Madri survive . Fast forward to Kurukshetra , Yudhishthira nods to Dronacharya that indeed Ashwatthama is dead , albeit the elephant , and all the while Yudhishthira knows the context , and how Drona is going to perceive it !
But was Yudhishthira wrong ? He did what he had to sustain the Dharma , uphold the righteousness of the situation !
Which promotes sustenance , sustenance of the right , is Dharma !The bigger truth , the justice ! Sustenance of the rectitude is Dharma !
This book , by Ami Gantara , revisits Mahabharata , in its basic form how it was retold by Ugrashrava to Suanaka & his students in Naimisha forest ! This is not a reimagined version of the great history!
This publication of almost ~360 pages , celebrates women , be it Draupadi , Kunti , Madri , Gandhari ,Uloopi ,Chitraganda , Hidimba , Suvadra, and numerous others !
Draupadi , an epitome of diplomacy , whose visions if we compare to modern day diplomacy , does not differ much (off course ,you have to ignore the moralistic approach to it , for obvious reason in a current context of multi & bilateralism) , i.e. show of strength & forgiving to the weak !
Diplomacy in Mahabharat can be precisely explained in a 4-liner :
Scare the meek!
Bow to the Powerful (and dont stop building on your strength) !
Entice the greedy!
Challenge the weak!
There are scarcely any history , which embodies virtues of Raja Dharma , Dharma , and Rajanaya (Diplomacy) like Mahabharata !
Even if they were on the side of Kaurava , Visionaries like Vidura ,Sanjay ,Bhisma, Drona never shied away from outlining dharma to Dhritarashtra while maintaining their loyalty to the throne ! This is novelty in case of Mahabharata and Bharatavarsha , this is unprecedented ! Even the great Karna , knowing the consequences , hands over his karna kundala to Indra owing to an oath he had made!
Coming to Kurukshetra , Gandhari realizes the devastation , all her sons have been annihilated during bloodied war of eighteen days , battered, broken – she curses Krishna & Krishna obliges ! The curse obliterates Dwaraka , Yadava brethren , Balarama , and Krishna himself ! Gandhari’s Curse draws the culmination of Dwapara and paves the way to Kali yuga , the epoch ends !
This book narrates , once again a rarity in our history , what a son did for his father , i.e. what Bhisma did for Santanu , an oath of celibacy & giving up the throne of Hastinapura! This is unparalleled !
Once again , be it Pandavas or the Kauravas , on the cycle of Karma , paid their dues ! All the while Dharma , in its piety and piousness , was upheld !
Coming to my understanding of Mahabharata , what if Yudhishthira had denied to the game of dice , I don’t think history would have judged him on the wrong side of the truth – thus a great devastation , sheer desolation of wailing widows would have been avoided ! But again (as per the Skanda Purana) , what Barbarik (son of Ghatatkocha) , saw from the hilltop, it was Krishna who was fighting , it was Krishna who was losing , It was Krishna who was winning ! 😉
So whats your take ?
Grab this piece , indulge in the journey of Dharma & righteousness !
यः स्यात् धारणासंयुक्तः स धर्म इति निश्चयः
(Only that which promotes sustenance is, for sure, dharma.)