Mahabharat Book Report Essay Research Paper Neil

Mahabharat Book Report Essay, Research Paper

Neil Karia MahaBharat- Book Report

Setting

1. The MahaBharat is the longest epic poem known to man. The MahaBharat has been regarded as the supreme work of philosophy on morals and manners. It was composed by the Aryan Vedas sometime between 3150 B.C.- 3120 B.C. and contains about 200,000 verses in Sanskrit. It serves as a guide for those who wish to seek bondage from the birth-death cycle. The MahaBharat period was the turning point for a new Yuga. (The universe is made up of four periods termed Yugas. The MahaBharat was the coming of the Kali Yuga, a time of corruption and sin). The essence of the MahaBharat is captured during the Bhagavad Gita, (The Lords Song) when Arjun sees many of his friends in the opposing army, and he becomes overwhelmed with compassion.

arjun uvaca

drstvemam sva-janam krsna

yuyutsum mama gatrani

sidanti ca parisusyati

mukham ca parisusyati

Translation

Arjun said: My dear Krishna, seeing my friends and relatives present before me in such a fighting spirit, I feel the limbs of my body quivering and my mouth drying up.

It is then that Lord Krishna (Arjuns charioteer) shows Arjun his universal cosmic god form. Through this, the truth of the universe is explained to Arjun, and he realizes that he must perform his duties as a Kshatriya (warrior). After this, Arjun bowed down to the Lord, picked up his bow and struck it with determination.

Arjun uvaca

drstvedam manusam rupam

tava saumyam janardana

idanim asmi samvrttah

sacetah prakrtim gatah

Translation

Arjun said: O chastiser of the enemies, seeing this humanlike form, so very beautiful, I am now composed in mind, and I am restored to my original nature.

This story takes place in the Mahrashtra region of India. According to scientists and historians, the ancestors of the Bharat Dynasty have been in existence for over 10,000 years. These periods belonged to Kings and Gods, so there was much war and unbelievable acts that seem unrealistic in today s present age.

Plot

2. This epic poem is based on the Bharat Dynasty. It tells of the struggles for power between two families, (the Pandavas and the Kauravs) and the reason for God (Krishna) descending to the earth and having to take the form of a human. Dhrtarashtra and Pandu were two brothers born to the Bharat Dynasty. Since Dhrtarashtra was blind, the thrown was passed down to his younger brother Pandu. When Pandu died, his 5 children came under the care of Dhrtarashtra. Of Dhrtarashtras 100 sons, his eldest son Duryodhan despised the Pandavas. With the consent of Dhrtarashtra, Duryodhan plotted to kill the Pandavas. Fortunately, the Pandavas survived the many attempts against their lives. The clever Duryodhan challenged the Pandavas to a gambling match. Duryodhan and his comrades took possession of Draupadi, (spouse of Pandavas) cheated the Pandavas of their kingdom, and forced them into twelve years of exile. After returning from their exile, the Pandavas requested their kingdom from Duryodhan, who refused. The Pandavas declared war. This brings us to the point at which the Bhagavad Gita begins.

Conflict

3. There were many conflicts in this story. The events of the MahaBharat took place because, over the course of time, the knowledge of the Bhagavad Gita had deminished. The events of the MahaBharat were all apart of the lords purpose to bestow the lost knowledge of the Bhagavad Gita to Arjun, his friend and devotee. The final battle at the Kurukshetra field between the Pandavas and Kauravs was in essence the final fight between good and evil. This fight brought about the end of the Bharat dynasty. There would never be such a battle on earth again.

One of the most significant events in the story was the gambling match at the Pandavas kingdom Indraprast (Dhrtarashtra built a great kingdom for the Pandavas. Duryodhan knew that the oldest of Pandu s sons, Yudhistir would be crowned ruler when his father died. This worried him very much. He went to seek aid from his cunning evil uncle Shahkuni. Together, Duryodhan and Shahkuni came up with the ultimate scheme to ruin the Pandavas. They decided to lure the Pandavas into a gambling match , in which the Kauravs would rob them of their kingdom and honor. The Pandavas lost their kingdom, all their wealth and almost Draupadi. The fate of Hastinapur was now in Duryodhans hands. To show the Pandavas how much he despised them, he summoned his younger brother Dusashan to drag Draupadi by the hair. Dusashan brought Draupadi to the gambling room and slowly removed her clothes. Draupadi cried out to the lord. No matter how hard or fast Dusashan pulled on Draupadi s sari, new layers of sheet would form. Lord Krishna saved Draupadi by his grace. After hours of pulling, Dusashan fell to the floor. Bheem then rose and vowed that he would kill Dusashan in the war by pulling out his limbs. Duryodhan sentenced the Pandavas to 12 years in the forest. It was this incident that opened the Pandavas eyes. This was their primary reason for the war.

Another significant event in the story was when Krishna revealed to Arjun his universal form. During the beginning of the war, Arjun asked Krishna to draw his chariot between the two armies, so that he may see those who d

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