Himalayan Times (1953)

Six

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October *1, 19.">3

THE MAHABIIAR AT A

CIIAKKAVAUTI RA.7AO()l>AI,AClHUI

Literature is closely
related to life; the realities
of life are idealised by
genius and given the form
that makes drama, poetry,
or g'eat prose. So long
as the human family is
divided into nations, lite-
rature cannot escape the
effects of such division.
Rut the highest literature
transcends regionalism.
Through it when we are
properly attuned we rea-
lise the essential oneness
of the human family.

.The' Ratnayana and,
the Mahabharata are of
this class. They belong
to the world and not
only to India. To the
people of India, indeed,
these two'epics have been
an unfailing and perennial
source of spiritual strength.
Learnt at. the mother's
knee with reverence and
love they have inspired
great men t'o heroic deeds
as well as enabled the
humble to face their trials
with fortitude and faith.

The Mahabharata was-
'composed many thousand
years ago;' But genera-
tions ‘of gifted reciters
ha-ve . ad chid to Vyasa’s
original a great mass of
aeerttion. All the floating
literature that Was thought
to be worth ^preserving’

historical, geographical,
legendary, political, theolo-
gical and philosophical,
of nearly thirty centuries
found a place in it. In
those, days when there
was no printing, inter-
polation in a recognised
classic corresponded to
inclusion in the national
library.

Divested of these
accretions the Mahabha-
rata is a noble poem
posessing in a supreme
degree the characteristics
t of a true epic, great and
fateful movement, heroic
characters and stately dic-
tion. King Vichitravirya
had two sons Dhritarash-
tra and Paridu. The elder
being born blind, Pandit
the younger brother ascen-
ded the throne. Pandit
committed an act of thou-
ghtlessness ar.d as a penan-
ce resorted to the forest
with his two queens. In
the forest his two queens
Kunti and Madri gave
birth to fiv* sons who
became known as the
Pandavas. Pandu died
while they w re living in
the forest. The rishis in
the forest biought up the
■.five boys until Yudhishtira
the eldest attained the
age of sixtren when they
took the iads to Hnstina-
pura and entrusted them

to Hie care of Bhishmn.

Bhishma was the grand
old man of the royal
family who had chosen.:
when young, to relinquish
his rights and live a life
of celibacy. He was the
guide and philosopher of
the Royal line for three
generations. Duryotl liana,
the eldest of the hundred
sons of Dhritarashtra de-
veloped great jealousy

when he watched the Pan-
davas gaining mastery
over, all the learning and
the arts pertaining to
Kshatriya life. Duryodhana
tried to injure the Pan
Havas in various ways.
Finally Bhishma brought
about a settlement umli r
which the Pandavas and
the sons of Dhristainshtra
ruled separately from their
respective capitals It.dra-
p-astha and Hastinapur
I Hiryodha na's jealousy

was however not appeased.
As the fame of Yudhishtira
the fust: spread far and
wide, Durvodliana’s envy
rose to an intolerable pitch
and he and his maternal
uncle Sakuni planned deceit
and invited Yudhishtira
to a game of dice.

Perhaps it is really
a less tinreasonnblo way
to decide, an issue of na-
tional or royal rivalry bv
a game of chance than to

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