The Mahabharat Series - PODCAST

The Covid Pandemic had been the most trying days the current world walked through. While the days were extremely testing our patience and endurance, it also brought the families closer than they were. These days enabled us to catch up on those moments of togetherness which we might have otherwise not invested our times in.

It was during these days of a great deal of quality time at home, that I took the courage to venture into this practice of my fantasy - creating my content and publishing my podcasts.

It was easy to come up with the theme, as mythology has been my all time favourite and amongst it the story of Mahabharat being highly intriguing and fantasizing for me. A lot of my close ones too are unaware that this story has always been my choicest preference to pursue. I recall the very deep, engaging discussions that I have had with one of my very knowledgeable uncle.

If you are the one whose preferred style is audio, then you may follow this link - https://open.spotify.com/episode/01s8GUa4pr1lRf3v09033j?si=sE0EA4MZRLqmR9mojQAH2g

For those of you who prefer reading over listening, here are the transcripts of my Spotify Podcasts.

Episode 1 - Truth or Lies, Values for Life

Don't tell hurtful truth to anyone. The unbearable words 'son of a blind is also blind' created the great war of Mahabharat.

Hello, and welcome to my podcasts on life lessons from the most profound and my favourite literary text - The Mahabharat.

I stumbled upon this quote and it gave rise to multifarious ripples of diverse thoughts and values in my deep conscience. It made me question the importance of being truthful always. And Lo - the thought of its ok to speak white lies wiped the previous thought away. As of taking pride in being able to strike a good for all involved attitude. Or let's look at it from this angle - if it doesn't harm or hurt anyone, then its ok to not being truthful.

Reasonably, we have all, across all cultures have certainly come across the maxim, "Honesty is the best policy". We learn this, or do I say we are taught this value as a kid and needless to mention that those who taught us are usually the first ones to violate the practice and thus lead us to the next obvious lesson of life.

Basically, at the moment this value is in question with regard to the most popular Indian Epic - The Mahabharat. A sagacious work of literature portraying the most realistic human psyche.

The quote clearly brings to surface the incident of Rajsuya Yagya performed by the five Pandavas along with their consort Draupadi at their newly established kingdom of Indraprasath.

Taking a sneak-peek into the past of this incident; the story goes like this - after the death of King Pandu and his second wife Madri in the forest due to a curse laid upon him, his first wife Kunti comes back to Hastinapur with her five sons, also called the Pandavas. This is not a welcome sign for the Kauravas, who are the hundred sons of Dhritrashtra, the blind elder brother of King Pandu, who was appointed as a caretaker of the throne in the absence of King Pandu. The reason is quite obvious, the eldest Kaurava - Duryodhan intended to take over the throne which was rightfully inherited by Yudhisthir - the eldest Pandava. Thus, the Kauravas tried cunning ways to harm the Pandavas. They gained a seeming victory in their attempt at the Lakshgraha, though the Pandavas found their way out of the conspiracy and saved themselves along with their mother. But, sensing harm the mother suggested that they all continue living in hiding instead of returning again to Hastinapur.

Destiny has its own ways of revealing things and so Draupadi's swayamwar brought the hour of the Pandavas being discovered alive, not just that, but one of them - the Archer Arjun, winning over Draupadi during her Swayamwar by aiming the eye of the fish.

In the event, the Pandavas were urged to return to Hastinapur. They were made to agree to be satisfied with Khandavprasth (a forest region) as their inheritance of a kingdom. Pandavas accepted the futile bargain with a large heart and set out to establish their kingdom there.

Khandavprasth is whaat they converted into Indraprasth - a beautiful kingdom built by Vishwakarma (the architect of gods) and Maya (the architect of demons) with the blessings of Indra - the rain god. The palace was one of its kind, built with enormous use of illusions. It is here that Duryodhan tripped off the illusion of water and was completely submerged in the large pool of water, seeing which Draupadi commented - "andhe ka beta andha" - like father, like son. This is the incident that the said quote refers to and suggests avoidance of hurtful truth. The quote further adds that this remark of Draupadi is the reason that led to the devastating war of Kurukshetra.

Being a mythology buff, I enjoy analyzing this text from varied perspectives. If we go by the quote stated, it is clear that the war of Kurukshetra was a consequence of Draupadi's hurtful remark which offended Duryodhan's ego to an extent that he waged a war. This perspective seems to justify the offensive attitude of the male by plainly blaming the female utterance. Am I advocating feminism, may be; may be not. Actually, I'm only bringing up another perspective - the one which I'm sure everyone will relate with - Don't we all agree that there's a friendlike relationship that a sister-in-law shares with her brother-in-law; especially the younger one. In such an instance, probably it was only a mere tease that Draupadi did. Of course, one's joke should not cross the limits of the other person's self-respect, and in such a case there could have been a dialogue between the Devar and the Bhabhi to resolve the matter. Who wages a war for such a thing? May be I'm being too broad minded with regard to this matter.

As a matter of fact, if we analyze the entire text under magnifying lens, then we are sure to identify a number of causes that could have led to the great war of Kurukshetra.

Why did the war occur when Duryodhan had already taken his revenge by calling for a dice game?

Or in that case, didn't the Pandavas along with Draupadi already fulfil the harshest punishment inflicted upon them?

Or is there some other reason pertaining to some other character in the story which could be relatively more appropriate to consider as the cause of the cataclysmic Kurukshetra War?

Will surely include all of these in my future podcasts, for now I conclude here.

Share your suggestions or questions on my insta page - @jigisha9871

Episode 2 - Fallacious Desire Or Birthright?

Hey Everyone! Hope this podcast finds you in the best of your spirits and you are equally excited, like me for this new episode.

So, did the previous episode lead you to think deep? Think beyond the obvious regarding The Mahabharat, about the events represented in the story, about the varied outcomes, about the possibilities...Yes, possibilities is the word.

In this episode, my frame of reference is - By any means, was it fallacious if Duryodhan desired the inheritance of the Majestic Throne of Hastinapur? If yes, then why?

Let's consider some facts:

• Duryodhan was the eldest of the hundred Kauravas.
• His father, Dhritrashtra was the elder brother of King Pandu.
• Well, Dhritrashtra was even the eldest prince born to Vichitravirya's first wife Ambika through Niyog practiced by Ved Vyas himself - yes, Ved Vyas, the very author of this epic.

I know, i've given rise to a lot more questions in your minds - Now, you want to know about Vichitravirya, Ambika, Niyog practice of Ved Vyas...well, we will certainly take up all these points. But for now, not loosing our tract let's go back to the story of Duryodhan and his father Dhritrashtra.

Primarily, Dhritrashtra was the eldest son of Vichitravirya, born through his first wife Ambika; but through Niyog practiced by Ved Vyas. So what's Niyog? Niyog was ancient Hindu practice where "Ni" means "without" and "Yog" means "union". We may call the IVF's, test tube babies, surrogacy as the modern counterparts of ancient Niyog.

* How amazing - this story of the treta yug mentions practises of modern science.

The story goes like - Vichitravirya, the second son of King Shantanu and Queen Satyavati died of sickness without leaving an heir to the mighty throne of Hastinapur. Consequently, Satyavati invited her sone Ved Vyas yo impregnate Vichitravirya's wives - Ambika and Ambalika, through Niyog. This is the event where we get the link for Dhritrashtra's being born blind.

It is said that, Ved Vyas's scary appearance frightened Ambika to such an extent that she closed her eyes during their union and thus, her son - Dhritrashtra was born blind.

Due to this handicap Dhritrashtra obviously was unable to wield weapons alike other kshatriyas, but had the strength of one thousand elephants due to the boon given by Ved Vyas. His strength was such that he could crush iron with his bare hands.

Now, when it was time to appoint an heir to the throne of Hastinapur - Vidur the third and youngest brother of Dhritrashtra suggested Pandu to be a better fit instead of Dhritrashtra due to his handicap.

Creditably, this sounds very logically, isn't it? But my mind being over-analytical finds this logic discriminating. Dhritrashtra was the eldest son. And has it not been a custom in our tradition to appoint the eldest son of the king to the throne?

Couldn't Pandu and Vidur, who were Dhritrashtra's younger brothers have supported Dhritrashtra in all possible ways to rule the kingdom as best as could be? Above all, they all always had by their side the intelligence, guidance, protection and experience of the Bhisma Pitamah himself. Then, how could Dhritrashtra's physical handicap become an obstacle in his appointment as the rightful heir to the throne of Hastinapur?

Principally, his handicap was not due to any fault of his. And most of all, we all who know the story, certainly know that when Pandu retired to the forest due to his curse, it was Dhritrashtra only who became the de-facto king of Hastinapur and ruled till the end of the disastrous war of kurukshetra.

Therefore, brining up my initial question again - Was it in anyway inapt if Duryodhan was desirous of inheriting the throne of Hastinapur?

Probably, had he been granted his desire, then it would have possibly left no room for the catastrophic war of kurukshetra.

Think...

I know, this episode has brought up many more questions like -

• Who was King Shantanu?
• What's the story about Vichitravirya?
• How many wives did he have?
• How come Ved Vyas, the author of this Maha Epic is the son of Satyavati?
• What's the story about Satyavati?
• What's the story about King Pandu's curse?
• Who was Vidur?
• Who was Bhishma Pitamah?
• and many more...

I promise to cater to all your questions in my future episodes. You may also send me your questions and suggestions directly on my insta account - @jigisha9871

So much for now! Have a wonderful life - B'bye from Jigisha.

Episode 3 - Destiny! Mere Chance Or Cosmic Design

Hello Everyone! So howz life? I'm sure life's fantastic. It's amazing you know to see your response to my podcasts. This feel of being heard feels so good! Makes me feel worthy of myself.

So, without much ado let's dive into today's episode.. This far we have already pondered upon two significant reasons which could have avoided the most ruinous war of Kurukshetra.

Why would it be apt to call this war 'the most ruinous' - well, because except for the five Pandavas, there was no one who survived through this war. So, what was the reason behind the five Pandavas being able to survive this war? I'm sure you would say the answer is quite simple and obvious - they had Krishna on their side, thus, they had to be saved. And by all means, they were fighting for the good and isn't it an eternal fact that good always wins over the bad.

For now, I don't wish to question the afore-mentioned beliefs. But will surely, take up in the later episodes. In that case, what's our topic of focus today? Obviously, one of the questions from the previous episode.

On public demand, let's take a peek into King Shantanu's life story. 

Wait a minute, before we begin the story, I hope you haven't lost track of the focal point of this Mahabharat Series - we are at all times looking for reasons which could be responsible in causing the devastating war of Kurukshetra along with some possible events or characters who could have ensured eschewal of the war, the war which unquestionably brought an end to a glorious era - or more specifically an entire Yug.

So, does this bring up a question in your mind - are there any strings attached to King Shantanu's life story which could be considered equally important for the occurrence of the damning war of Kurukshetra?

Hmmm, King Shantanu, by all accounts, was a Kuru King and a descendant of the Bharat race of the Chandravanshi dynasty. Shantanu was the youngest son of King Pratipa of Hastinapur and was born in the latter's old age. King Pratipa's eldest son Devapi suffered leprosy and thus, had given up his inheritance to the kingdom to become a hermit. The second son Bahlika abandoned his paternal kingdom of Hastinapur and lived with his maternal uncle in Balkh and inherited that kingdom.

* Ting-tong - some geographical facts - as per current records Balkh is a town in the Balkh Province of Afghanistan. 

So, how far across the globe were our ancestors spread and since when? The fact that ours is the culture which is timeless and eternal, keeps humbling me at all times. And which is this culture that I'm talking about - of course the culture of humanity.

Alright, moving back to our story of King Shantanu - He was crowned the King of Hastinapur as both his elder brothers had given up their inheritance.

Apparently my reasoning brings up yet another question - King Shantanu's eldest brother was well considered for the inheritance of the kingdom of Hastinapur, though he suffered leprosy; its only that he willingly gave up on his inheritance. So why was Dhritrashtra refused his rightful inheritance? These are mere questions and I clearly hold my stand as neutral.

Resuming, King Shantanu's story - Now, there was a reason why Shantanu got appointed to the Mighty throne of Hastinapur - and the reason lies in his previous birth...how astonishing - one more feature of our culture which I marvel - nothing that happens is a mere coincidence - there's a reason for everything - be it massive or trivial. Essentially in his previous birth - he was a powerful king of the Ikshvaku dynasty and was named as Mahabhisha. Due to his many virtuous qualities Mahabhisha attained heaven after his death and thus, once got an opportunity to visit Brahma - where all the other Devas were present along with Ganga. It is said that, it was here that Mahabhisha got cursed by Brahma, to be born as a mortal due to laying lustful sight on Ganga. Ganga too was cursed as she relished the mortal act. Hence, Mahabhisha was born as the youngest son to the Kuru King Pratipa and was destined to marry Ganga who would break his heart and leave him.

Fast forwarding King Shantanu's life events - it is said that one evening while he was walking casually on the bank of river Ganga, he saw a beautiful female and Oh! It was love at first sight. He urged Ganga to marry him - to which she agreed but with one condition - that Shantanu would never ask her any questions regarding any of her actions. If he questioned her, she would leave him that very moment. The king was so deep in love with her beauty that he agreed to her condition, but only to regret it - The awful day of separation came, when Shantanu couldn't stop himself from asking Ganga about her reason of trying to drown their eighth son - yes, he couldn't keep his promise after seeing seven of their sons being drowned in river by their very own janani. Dear me, thus, came the hour of Shantanu and Ganga's separation.

So, what was her reason of drowning her seven sons as soon as they were born? What happened to the eighth son? Is there any connection between this story and the Yug ending war of Kurukshetra?

Will surely take up all this in my next episode! Till then, happy listening.

Hope you enjoyed this episode!

Enjoy each moment of your life!

Signing off - yours very own Jigisha! Wov, do get in touch with me for anything you may wish to convey on my insta account - @jigisha9871

B'bye for now!

Episode 4 - Nature-Divine or Earthly

Hey Everyone! Hope it's been a merry month of May with relaxing vacations and yummy mangoes and of course the scorching heat. I'm sure you all have been waiting for this episode and wondering what has been delaying it? Well, the wait is over and here I'm super refreshed and energized after my trip to Chardham! Seems a part of me is still wandering in those snow-capped mountains of Kedar. Before I loose my this self too in the reminisces of Kedar, let's leap straight into the matter of this episode.

We catch-up the story from where we left it in the previous episode. So, of you haven't listened to that podcast, then go there, get acquainted with it and come back her to proceed.

By the way, the spectacle of the Gangotri Dham, the gushing, burbling water of Ganga, the enchanting scenery surrounding the glacier and the serene feel clearly cognized me of the fact of how charming and charismatic Goddess Ganga would have been when she would have taken the human form. It's obvious why King Shantanu would have fallen head over heels for such an extra-ordinary enchantress. So, why was such a raving beauty drowning her very own sons in the Ganges soon after their birth?

As I've already mentioned in my previous podcast - ours is a culture where we know for sure that everything that we do or happens is for a reason and is certainly not a mere coincidence.

Basically, these seven sons, whom Ganga killed by drowning them in her own waters soon after their birth, were the seven Vasus, whom she actually freed from their punishment.

Now, who were the Vasus - rather, I must say - who are the Vasus - because they are eternal and hence, exist even today, in the now - in reality without them none of us would exist.

* So time for some fact check - the Ashta Vasus are the elemental gods - representing aspects of nature - they are the five elements - the Pancha Bhootas along with - the Sun, the Moon and the Stars - the cosmic natural phenomenon. The name 'Vasu' means 'Brilliance' or 'Wealth Givers'. And we know that our physical self is made up of these Panch Bhootas and on death we dissolve in these!

Apparently, what did these Vasus do to get punished in such a manner and by whom were they punished?

The story says - the Vasus were enjoying themselves in the forest, when the wife of Dyu (one of the Vasus) spotted an excellent cow and persuaded Dyu to steal it - which he did in agreement along with the other Vasus - it is said by our folks - streehath k aage kissika kuch nahi chalta - I'm not intending to dwell even a moment on the consequences of such 'streehaths' - well this time it was unfortunate for the Vasus, as the cow they stole belonged to Muni Vasishtha - who learnt about the mortal sin through his ascetic powers and thereupon cursed the Vasus to be born on earth as mortals. The Vasus implored Muni Vashishtha taper down his curse to which he agreed but only for the seven Vasus. Dyu, who had committed the heinous act of thievery had to pay the full penalty. Thus, the Vasus, now requested the river Goddess Ganga to be their mother and relieve them of their curse soon after their birth.

So you know now, why was Ganga drowning her own sons soon after their birth, why did she put a condition before marrying King Shantanu and along these lines - why could King Shantanu not remain quiet when Ganga was to drown the eighth Vaus - obviously because that was no one else but Vasu Dyu - who was cursed to love and fulfill complete punishment.

Fair enough, as far as, we look at it as a story. But what connection does this have with the Maha-bhayankar War of Kurukshetra?

Ok! Let's take this story a little further - it was now that Ganga narrated both the stories of curses to King Shantanu - one, their own of Brahma's curse and the other of the Vasus cursed by Vasishtha. While Vasu Dyu was cursed to live long, he was also booned to be virtuous, be an obedient son, who will be conversant with all the holy scriptures. As destined, Ganga decided to take their son - named Devavratta - to heaven to train him for the King's throne. Shantanu was deeply grief-stricken to be left behind without his wife and son. As a result of this huge loss Shantanu practiced brahmacharya and focused on his kingdom and eventually got declared by all the kings as an Emperor.

It was after years when Shantanu was again walking along the banks of Ganga, that he came across a handsome boy checking the strong force of the river with his celestial weapon. He couldn't recognize his own son and called for Ganga. Ganga appeared and rightfully handed over Devavratta to Shantanu informing him that he has been imparted the knowledge of all the holy scriptures by Muni Vasishtha and trained in the art of warfare by Parshuram himself. Shantanu was overwhelmed with immense joy and sorrow. Sorrow of again being separated from Ganga, his love and joy of uniting with his able son. Upon reaching Hastinapur he crowned Devavratta as the Yuvraj of Hastinapur and performed seven Ashwamedh Yagnas on the banks of Yamuna with the help of Devavratta. Now, so far this seems to be such a happy story - with all events leading to more joy and accomplishment leading to pure satisfaction.

Well, let me check you then, the rising action of this story is just only in its initial stage - there's much more to the story of Devavratta, to the story of Shantanu and how both of their life events and decisions affect the future of Hastinapur.

This time, this story will have to be continued in the next podcast. Till then, try to ponder over the connection of these storied with the war of Kurukshetra.

I assure you, you won't have to wait long for the next podcast. I also want to thank all you listeners over there - thank you for your time, for your love, for your responses - this keeps me going. Love you all. Keep showering your love on me.

Get in touch with me to share anything that you may want to on my insta account - @jigisha9871

Signing off! God bless you all always! Yours loving Jigisha!

Episode 5 - Bhisma Pratigya - A Boon or Curse

A warm and heartfelt hello to all my listeners. Hope you are all in the best of your spirits. I do believe that you have had the time to listen to Episode 4 of this Mahabharat Series and would have certainly found it thought provoking. In case you haven't heard it yet, then please find some time and go for it. Because this episode is a continuation of Episode 4.

Without much ado, let me take you straight to this question that is constantly nagging at me - Did Devavratta's Pratigya which is popularly known as the "Bhisma Pratigya" sow the very first seed of the devastating war of Kurukshetra?

Was this decision of taking a vow of practicing celibacy and ceding his rights to the throne of Hastinapur in reality the main cause of the Yug Ending War?

Well, wasn't this vow, this pratigya of Devavratta veritably intended towards his father's happiness, and hence, a good karma? - Then, how could this be considered as one of the causes of the pernicious war of Kurukshetra?

Or do we blame this annihilative war on Devavratta's father - Yes, Emperor Shantanu, who found it difficult to check his feelings of love for Satyavati.

Else-ways do we need to look a little deeper to know, if the blame of the catastrophic war could actually be pegged to some other character in the epic, whom, we might not even be noticing?

Let us try and look at each situation giving rise to all the previously mentioned questions - one at a time.

To begin with what was this Bhisma Pratigya and what does this word "Bhisma" mean, for definite reasons this awareness is highly significant as after this incident Devavratta had come to be known as "Bhisma" throughout his span of life.

As much as the tale has it - the citizens of Hastinapur loved their newly declared Yuvraj Devavratta due to his eligibility combined with his divine background. Feeling content and relieved Shantanu spent more of his time in woods enjoying nature. It was on one such occasion that he got kind of mesmerized with a smell of some particular scent. He followed tje smell and found it to be coming from Satyavati - a fisherwoman who was operating boats crossing the Yamuna. Yet for one more time it was love at first sight for King Shantanu. 

Fast Forwarding the narrative - Satyavati's father agreed to marry her off to him on the condition that Satyavati's son must be declared the heir to the throne of Hastinapur - this was obviously an impossible demand and Shantanu's inability to fulfill it caused immense grief to him and so he started living his life in solitude. Devavratta, who was totally dedicated to his father couldn't bear his sorrow and pain and thus, reached the fisherman's cottage, begged him for Satyavati's hand for his father - this sounds quite an unusually bizarre circumstance in today's time, isn't it - the son had gone to beg for the hand of a female for his father. Our current society and culture might find this to be weird and to a large extent this might not get accepted - but to an over-analytical mind like mine the ways and norms of our current society seem highly limiting, while this incident of the Mahabharat makes me take pride in our ancestors who were, to my mind, purely open and broad minded. I wonder what led to the current conditioning of our mindsets.

Coming back to the narrative, now, Devavratta who was devoted to serve his father promised the fisherman chief to cede his rights to the throne and fulfill his condition - all only to ensure his father's happiness and pleasure. When Satyavati's father being still dissatisfied feared conflicts between his children and Satyavati's children in future, Devavratta took a vow to practice Brahmacharya, i.e. celibacy throughout his life. As soon as he announced this vow of his in his robust, intense, sonorous voice the celestials showered flowers from heaven and this was followed by the Akashvani that onwards that moment he will be known as "Bhisma" - because Bhishma means terrible, horrifying - and the vow that Devavratta took for the sake of his father's happiness was certainly one of the most horrifying, as it cost Devavratta all the happiness through his life. The cosmos also booned him by granting his "Itcha Mrityu" - meaning, he was given the right and power to decide his death day. How unearthly, isn't it? This is why I love this epic - every single incident amazes me.

Following Bhisma Pratigya, the fisherman chief permitted Bhishma to take Satyavati along with him to the palace of Hastinapur and he happily married her off to his father. This wedlock resulted into two sons of Shantanu through Satyavati - Chitrangad and Vichitravirya. But by misfortune King Shantanu died when Chitrangad and Vichitravirya were very young. So, Bhishma took care of the affairs of the Kuru Kingdom till Chitrangad grew to his adulthood. Unfortunately, Chitrangad was soon killed by a Gandharva and their arose succession crisis to the throne of Hastinapur because Vichitravirya was still too young to rule - the arrangement that Bhishma worked out was that Vichitravirya even though under age was crowned as the king, but the actual control of the kingdom was in the hands of Satyavati till he reached adulthood - throughout these times Bhishma remained a constant support to Satyavati.

These developments further bring to surface the strength and integrity of Bhishma's character - who even during the times of dire need and absence of a suitable heir to the vast empire of Hastinapur ensured to incessantly protect and manage the affairs of the kingdom, but by only remaining in the background. This shows his devotion to the kingdom, but, was this appropriate in the light of the need of the time?

As time passed Vichitravirya grew up and Bhishma decided to bring Amba, Ambika and Ambalika - the Kashi princesses to choose from as a wife for Vichitravirya - Now, if only one was to be chosen, why were all three of them abducted by Bhishma? If we try to judge this action of his - was it right? Even if we avoid being judgemental - wasn't it necessary for Bhishma to know the desire and decision of the three Kashi Princesses who were already into the ceremony of their swayamwara. Shalva Raj, the ruler of Shalva region did rise to the occasion to fight Bhishma due to his love for Amba, the princess who had already decided to marry Shalvaraj due to her love for him. Except that Bhishma being a skilled warrior, all attempts of Shalvaraj were in vain and the three princesses were taken to Hastinapur. While Ambika and Ambalika agreed to marry Vichitravirya; Amba refused informing Bhishma about her love for Shalvaraj. Learning this Bhishma respectfully sent her back to Shalvaraj.

Nonetheless, destiny has its own course and thus, Shalvaraj refused to accept Amba because - one he was humiliated during the swayamwara and two because she was already won by another man and hence, he could not accept her now - OMG - what mindset is this - "she was won by another man" - well, looking at it as just a mere expression (I mean just a way of talking) it seems fine, but taking it literally - was Amba an object to be won by anyone?

Queer incidents, queer outcomes and queer questions brought up by my queer mind!

Now, Amba was left with no other option but to return to Hastinapur where Vichitravirya too refused to marry her as she loved another man. 

All of these incidents only made Amba to blame her misery on Bhishma and decided to take her revenge. She knocked at the doors of several kings to fight against Bhishma, but all in vain.

Again, a question arises in my mind - was this treating females as objects mindset responsible for Amba seeking help from others instead of fighting her own battle? I know some questions lead only to varied sets of arguments and no clear answer.

Disheartened by several kings Amba decided to convince Parshuram, i.e. Bhishma's Guru to help her take her revenge. Parshuram agreed and asked Bhishma to marry Amba, Bhishma refused the proposal on the context of his vow and thus, the guru and the shishya fought a battle for 23 long days - each using celestial weapons. Finally, Narad Muni and other gods intervened to bring an end to this war which would otherwise lead to the end of the world and thus, Parshuram obliged. Failing at this attempt also, Amba decided to take her revenge herself and performed severe austerities to seek Shiv's blessings. Lord Shiv does grant her a blessing to be reborn and become instrumental in Bhishma's death. Satisfied Amba leaves her body by killing herself and later is reborn as Shikhandini to King Drupad of Panchal.

While here in Hastinapur, Vichitravirya rules for a few years, but falls prey to a fatal illness, my research says he suffered an illness of lungs and died without leaving a successor to the throne. So now, what? Things got back to square one. And with regard to our podcast series back to the narrative of Episode 2 where Ved Vyas - Satyavati's another son born before her marriage to king Shantanu, was called upon to perform Niyog with the wives of Vichitravirya - so that the throne gets its rightful inheritor.

Do these stories, these events kindle certain questions in your minds? Well, my mind instantly starts inquiring - Like, King Shantanu belonged to a very royal and most respectable lineage of the great Kuru Vansh - a kshatriya clan - he married to a fisherwoman, whom our current set-up of society would consider low caste - same Satyavati is the mother of a great, learned, honourable, highly regarded Sage Ved Vyas, a brahmin - supposedly considered the highest caste - his sons were Dhritrashtra, Pandu and Vidur - who ruled over the remaining era of the treta yug.

So, do we call them a race of kshatriyas, fishermen or brahmins - in line with these questions I ask where did the current caste system originate from? Was it a planned agenda to disunite humanity and create divisions leading to violence and bloodshed? So many unending ripples of thoughts. Furthermore, reviewing the questions that I raised at the beginning of this episode - who or what could be counted as one of the causes or shall I say the sole main cause of the calamatious Kurukshetra war - 

was it the Bhisma Pratigya? 

or unconventional, unbridled feelings of love of Shantanu for Satyavati?

or Satyavati's fisheman father's condition - why did he demand that? How could it have mattered to him as to whether Devavratta became the king or Satyavati's son - probably if I look at it as a lay man - may be he was just behaving like a common man, a father of a girl; whose only desire is to ensure the security of his daughter when he gives her away in marriage...or was it for some other reason - mysterious huh...

or could we say that its Bhishma's act of abducting the three Kashi princesses that cost the throne of Hastinapur its highest price - because remember Amba was blessed to be reborn only to become instrumental in Bhishma's death.

Bhishma was blessed with the boon of itcha mrityu meaning he was the sole authority to decide his doom's day - ironical isn't it? Why? Is Amba's story in anyway connected to the terminal war of Kurukshetra?

Indeed, there's certainly much of a connection. But will take it up some time later in some future episode. 

As of now, so much for this episode. Hope this narration could seed some deeper thoughts, questions, inquiries, analysis and above all gift you a different lens to view the epic, the life lessons that it generates or at least has given you an aesthetic dip into the richness of this literature!

I bid goodbye to you all with a hope to come up with many more enthralling episodes in the future...Wish you all a happy and fulfilling life!

Bdw, keep in touch. You can ping me on my insta account - @jigisha9871

Episode 6 - Wisdom VS Sensitivity

Hey Everyone! So, how have you been? I'm sure life's been good to all of you! To all of us! But in case life's been throwing lemons at you, then...I'm sure you know what to do...obviously make lemonade and chill out the scorching heat! Oh Oh! I'm not in any mood to preach you my dear listeners...I'm no good with that skill!

So, its the 6th episode of The Mahabharat Series and I'm thoroughly enjoying this journey of looking at the text with varied perspectives to actually search for a more promising cause of the savage war of Kurukshetra and believe me as soon as I start considering a certain event of character to be a good reason, there's this some other event of character that kind of raises its head... may be with a desire to get some limelight...so far, we have looked at whether it was Draupadi's remark of calling Duryodhan blind when he tripped off the illusion of water at Indraprasth - as the root of the perilicious war of Kurukshetra; which is unquestionably considered by most who know the Epic as "the Genesis" of the kurukshetra war, and thus, viewing Draupadi as the Nemesis of the entire Kurukul, especially the Kauravas.

But, as I've been already divulging deep into the text, I've been able to unveil quite some, if not more; reasonable causes of the spoken war...like Duryodhan's cupidity for the throne of Hastinapur, or the unbridled desire of King Shantanu to marry Satyavati - a fisherwoman which by all means beyond doubt resulted into Devvratta's Bhisma Pratigya and which in turn gave a ripple to Amba's misery, later rewarding her the boon of being reborn as Bhishma's nemesis.

So, these are already some of the unequivocal causes of the devastating war. And I bet, there are many more, at least to my logic and analysis...For example, could we consider Vidur, responsible to bring about such a gory end of the Treta Yug - only because of his intelligence and logical thinking. I'm sure this sounds a little weird - how could someone's intelligence and logical thinking cause devastation; that also of such a mammoth extent; that it almost caused end of humanity. Well, this question is what has led my analysis to take this new turn.

Considering bare facts, after Vichitravirya's early death due to illness and more so without leaving an heir to the throne of Hastinapur, their rose succession crisis. And, we already know that, Satyavati invited her son Ved Vyasa to impregnate the wives of Vichitravirya - Ambika and Ambalika - through Niyog.

Now, when time came to nominate an heir to the throne, vidur suggested Pandu as a better fit instead of Dhritrashtra because Pandu was not blind - this, for sure, sounds simply logical, isn't it?

While we already know the why? of Vidur's suggestion, let's first look at who he is and what is his story? Keeping first things first - let's understand the "who" factor of Vidur - Vidur was the Prime Minister of the Kuru Kingdom and a paternal uncle to both - the Kauravas and the Pandavas.

Vidur was born through Niyog by Sage Ved Vyasa and Parishrami, who was the hand maiden to the queens Ambika and Ambalika. When the queens were scared of Vyas's looks as he was not handsome looking, they sent their maiden in their place for Niyog. Thus, Vidur was the son of a hand maiden and Ved Vyasa and so the half brother to Dhritrashtra and Pandu.

Basically, the sanskrit word Vidur means skilled, intelligent or wise. Barring Krishna, Vidur was most respect3ed as an advisor by the Pandavas. And, he did live up to his name throughout the Mahabharata Saga.

Does it sound strange, that such an intelligent and wise man was just the Prime Minister of the Maha Empire of Hastinapur only because he was born through a maid. But if you go by the theory of Karma, it is only coming full circle to his past action - In reality Vidur was Yam - the God of death - also called - Dharmraj - who was cursed by Rishi Madavja to be born as a maid's son for getting the Rishi impaled without a valid reason, no wonder he was so wise - so wise as if wisdom personified.

And thus, he considered all factors instrumental in the appointment of an heir to such a grand empire of Hastinapur. But the fact is also that, this suggestion came as a bitter realization to Dhritrashtra who did accept being rejected his birthright and conceded the throne, but this utterance and rejection seeped deep into his heart giving rise to a craving obsession for the crown throughout his life. Not to mention, he also distanced himself from his half brother Vidur forever.

The theory of karma says - if the intent of your action is good, rather pure, the result will certainly fall in place. Vidur's intent was unquestionably in the larger interest of the Empire - isn't it? Did it reap a good end? Ummm,,,,factually, No - because Kurukshetra was lethal.

Could we say, that Vidur's suggestion was plainly logical, but can't be presumed to be in the good interest of all - meaning, it was far to be in any good interest of Dhritrashtra - as he felt hurt and objectively speaking, Dhritrashtra's inability to weild weapons could have been easily supplemented by his half-brother Pandu, isn't it? Does this make any sense? Well, don't be mistaken into thinking of me as advocating Dhritrashtra - I've no purpose to do that - I'm only trying to look at possibilities that could have either avoided the Yug-ending Kurukshetra War or may be could have been a strong reason for the war. Pure analysis exercise.

Because, Dhritrashtra's obsession, kind of got inherited in his DNA by Duryodhan and we already know some of the conspiracies planned by him to gain the throne.

Indirectly, Ambika and Ambalika, the widows of Vichitravirya could also be considered as a good cause for this war...how? Had not they sent their maid to Ved Vyas, then there would have been no Vidur...and no wise suggestion...no hurt...nothing at all...

If I take the liberty of going a little sidetrack - this incident of Vidur also makes me question the wisdom of wise people - heard the proverb - Ignorance is a bliss...

Weird ways of life...so much of a dilemma like Hamlet - "To be or not to be".

Ok then, I hope I've given enough food for thought to last until my next episode...stay tuned...stay blessed...enjoy you life today - because "today" is what we have!

Goodbye from your loving Jigisha...remember to get in touch with me through my insta account -  @jigisha9871

Love you all!