Mahabharata Questions and Answers
Mahabharata
What is a summary of R. K. Narayan's Mahabharata?
The Mahabharata is a book written by Indian author R. K. Narayan, originally published in 1978. The book is a modern translation and abridgement of the Mahabharata—one of the most important ancient...
Mahabharata
Describe the characteristics of classical Indian epic, with special reference to the Mahabharata.
The epic, or the Mahakavya, is one of the earliest forms of Indian literature. It is also considered the specialty of the Sanskrit language. One of the characteristics of the classical Indian epic...
Mahabharata
How does Shakuntala represent the feminine ideal of Indian women in Mahabharata, and when does she fall short of that...
There are two characteristics of Shakuntala and her story which render it all but inevitable that she should represent the ideal of Indian womanhood. The first is the significant role she plays in...
Mahabharata
How does Arjuna succeed to be the master of sleep in Mahabharata? What are the elements involved?
There are some differences of opinion on this. The name "Gudakesha" is applied to Arjuna in the Bhagavad-Gita, and some take this to mean "master of sleep." In this interpretation, it refers not to...
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata contains many scenes of extreme violence, perpetrated by both the ostensible heroes of the story...
The Mahabharata says many things about the relationship between violence and morality, some of them contradictory or seemingly contradictory, because it speaks with many different voices (in...
Mahabharata
What are the flaws in Mahabharata?
Nearly every main character in Mahabharata is flawed. This might be deliberate, given how the work illuminates the challenges of living in this particular yuga, the Hindu designation for the age in...
Mahabharata
What impact does dharma have on The Mahabharata?
The idea of dharma is extremely important in The Mahabharata. The natural order that must be respected and followed is intrinsic to dharma. In the Bhagavad- Gita, the divine song, this becomes...
Mahabharata
Elaborate on the significance of the dharma and the heroic ideal in the Mahabharata, with reference to any one...
In the dicing episode of the Mahabharata, Yudhishthira is portrayed as a hero who is honorable to a foolhardy degree in the face of his opponent's dishonesty. The dharma decrees that once he has...
Mahabharata
What is the role of dharma in Mahabharata?
Webster’s dictionary defines dharma as "a. an individual's duty fulfilled by observance of custom or law; b. the basic principles of cosmic or individual existence or the divine law; and c....
Mahabharata
How many times Lord Krishna showed vishwaroopa in Mahabharata?
At a critical moment in the Mahabharatha, Arjuna, the great warrior, is tired of fighting. He has reached the point where he questions the value of fighting, the purpose of it, and whether or not...
Mahabharata
Comment on the presence of the author as a character in the Mahabharata.
The traditional author of the epic war poem the Mahabharata is credited as Vyasa, who was born from a line of sages and is closely associated with the god Vishnu. The first part of the...
Mahabharata
In the Mahabharata, how did the Brahmins challenge the heroic ideals by stressing knowledge, wisdom, and introspection?
I think that Arjuna's manner in the Mahabharata is where the traditional, heroic conceptions of a warrior are augmented with embracing the values of knowledge, wisdom, and introspection. At the...
Mahabharata
How is the role of dharma in understanding the full meaning of the Mahabharata?
If we examine dharma as a form of duty, it becomes imperative to understand it as the key to unlocking the meaning of the work. The role of dharma is evident in much of the epic. This is...
Mahabharata
What is the Mahabharata?
This is a very good question. The Mahabharata, when mentioned in passing, is often described as one of the two great Indian epic poems, the Indian answer to Homer's Iliad. A comparison with the...
Mahabharata
Was "Anadhrsti" a General in Krishna's army? What is his significance?
You are correct. He was a general and was pivotal in the march around Vasudeva. I have included a link to the text that references his name, so that you may see where to reread the section about...