The
Mahabharata incorporated several different views and philosophies relevant to
the culture of its society. There were a
few ideas that caught my attention more than others. First, was how important keeping one’s
promises is. This goes back to the idea
of oral communication and oral contracts.
Someone’s word is all they have and they must honor it. This was witnessed in the story when the
first wife of Pandu promised the second wife of Pandu that she would treat her
sons as her own and that all the sons would share everything. The first wife never broke this vow even when
one of her own son won a bride at a competition. She declared that all five sons would share
the wife which they did.
Another
idea presented in the Mahabharata that I noticed was the honor a wife should bestow
upon her husband. This was evidenced
throughout the story but I believe it was most powerful in the case of
Dhrithastra. I was amazed that his wife,
once hearing that her husband would be blind, tied a blindfold around her own
face so she would go through life as her husband does. Through this action, she showed complete
dedication to her husband and made it clear that if he would not be able to see
then neither would she. She displayed
the characteristics that this culture believes a wife should have.
Finally, I really took note of the
philosophy of being devoted to the gods.
Not only is devotion to the gods addressed but that the gods reward
those who are faithful to them. They will
provide help to those who ask for it.
These ideas are expressed in the scene where Draupadi has just been won
in the game of dice and the Kauravas try to humiliate her by undressing her in
front of everyone. However, she prays to
Krishna and asks for his help. He
answers her prays and makes it so that the fabric she is wearing never runs
out. As the Kauravas try to pull her
clothes off, the cloth is never-ending and Draupadi remains fully clothed. Krishna protected Draupadi for her
faithfulness and answered her prayer for help.
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