Balanceophile

Most of us have seen Game of Thrones as if there’s no tomorrow. Waking up early in the morning/late midnight to be the first one to watch the next episode. We ensured no one shared any spoilers, and discussed the Lannisters, Targaryens, and whatnot! But we all forgot India’s very own tale of Game of Thrones, an original epic the world could ever witness: The Mahabharata!!

Mahabharata had the most out-of-the-box conspiracies, challenges, and the most savage-worthy battle of all time: The Kurukshetra Battle. Now this blog is not about finding the similarities between the Mahabharata and the show Game of Thrones. It’s more about promoting our own land’s epic, with characters that we can relate to, and feel proud. Although the Mahabharata happened ages ago, the concepts that emerge from this epic are relevant to the current generation.

Why is the Mahabharata relevant today?

The varied emotions

Mahabharata is an epic filled with Navarasas (the nine emotions) and every character drafted in this epic goes above and beyond in showcasing these emotions. Be it Dhritarashtra’s love for his son, Duryodhana’s rage, or Bheema’s gluttony. Every human in the current generation can easily draw inspiration or relate to at least one character’s emotion in this epic.

These emotions hold the root of the epic and are crafted in such a way that the viewers not only relate to but are forced to think about their emotions whilst witnessing this epic.

Draupadi’s role

Who even got the thought that women are weak? Draupadi is a role model for women of the current generation. She’s the real feminist, someone who knows her bounds, respects and adores people, and whose rage, when rightly aligned, the world will not be able to handle it. Most people think that the Kurukshetra battle was initiated due to Draupadi, but, in my opinion, she was the last straw. Draupadi became a catalyst in this battle as it was evident that people could tolerate humiliation to a certain extent but pointing to a woman, that person is bound to see the end. In the current generation where molesting and abusing a woman is increasing in heinous numbers, this empowerment and respect, a strong aspect must be owned by us and be bold in our moves to protect our dignity.

The path of righteousness and its challenges

For people who have read and understood Mahabharata, we all know that the path of righteousness is not an easy one. From Bhishma’s silence during Draupadi’s Vasthraharan to Arjuna’s dilemma during the battle with Karna, being on this path takes a lot of strength and persistence. However, Mahabharata dissects the relationship between holding onto one’s oath and being on the right path in an interesting way.

Take Bhishma’s role during Draupadi’s Vasthraharan as an example, ideally, if he thought of the path of righteousness, he would have stopped Duryodhana right away, even if it meant, breaking his oath to protect the Kaurava family.

This concept is very much relevant to the current generation because, honestly, the path of righteousness is currently filled with weeds and thorns and has become almost invisible. Traveling this path would just mean struggling for life. However, as the Mahabharata narrates, Dharma always wins. Our job is to pave the way for Dharma to be relevant and powerful for future generations.

Krishna: The Sutradhari (Stager)

Mahabharata and Krishna go side by side, after all, he was the puppet master, right? Before understanding this epic, I was always angry at Krishna for promoting war and violence. I used to think the same way Gandhari felt at the end of the battle. However, after understanding this epic, I understood Krishna’s intentions. He was forced to choose this path as there were characters in this epic who were bound by their oath to serve the Adharma and Adharma, in itself, was on a huge high. Imagine, would you be able to forgive the person who has no regrets about basically ruining your life? If the Adharma had regretted their actions, the Kurukshetra war would have never happened. With all the atrocities happening around us in this Kali Yuga, no wonder, people are waiting for that Sutradhari to emerge and destroy the Adharma once and for all.

Conclusion

Overall, the Mahabharata is an epic that not only had the immersive aspects of who would win at the end but, also gave such moral thoughts and inspirations to drive the people on the path of Dharma.

I say, let’s appreciate and promote the creative talent packed with morals and ethical lessons with different perspectives that make you think about life! Maybe one could argue about the timelines of both stories, creators, etc., but strictly speaking story-wise, I feel Mahabharata is way more needed for this world.

To me: Mahabharata > Game of Thrones! What do you think?