Lessons From Mahabharat • Presented By:• 3st Semester • Section E Contents Introduction to Mahabharat Lessons from Mahabharat Conclusion Introduction to Mahabharat • The Mahabharata is an ancient Indian epic where the main story revolves around two branches of a family - the Pandavas and Kauravas - who, in the Kurukshetra War, battle for the throne of Hastinapura. Interwoven into this narrative are several smaller stories about people dead or living, and philosophical discourses. Krishna-Dwaipayan Vyasa, himself a character in the epic, composed it; as, according to tradition, he dictated the verses and Ganesha wrote them down. At 100,000 verses, it is the longest epic poem ever written, generally thought to have been composed in the 4th century BCE or earlier. The events in the epic play out in the Indian subcontinent and surrounding areas. It was first narrated by a student of Vyasa at a snakesacrifice of the great-grandson of one of the major characters of the story. Including within it the Bhagavad Gita, the Mahabharata is one of the most important texts of ancient Indian, indeed world, literature. LESSONS FROM MAHABHARAT Revengeful instincts can only lead to doom The Kauravas, sons of King Dhritarashtra were extremely jealous of their cousins, Pandavas ,sons of Pandu. The Pandavas, namely Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva were said to be of divine birth. Yudhishthira, the most righteous of humans, ruled Indraprastha and had garnered the respect and love of citizens and neighboring kingdoms alike He revengeful Kauravas did not stop there. They took every chance they got to kill the Pandavas, failing miserably. This hateful & revengeful conduct lead to the great war of Kurukshetra, in which the Kauravas (who had a greater army than the Pandavas) lost everything and were vanquished. The Virtue of Sacrifice, Pledge, and Devotion Bhishma Pitamaha, said to be one of the noblest warriors ever, took the pledge of celibacy, sacrificing his ‘crownprince’ title for his father Shantanu- the Kuru king of Hastinapura. The great warrior, Bhishma, protected the kingdom for years, and his integrity was unparalleled. Kings from all around the country bowed to this man owing to his pledge & devotion to the kingdom of Hastinapur. This nature & virtue of the great warrior holds true more so than ever in today’s world, even in business. When running a business you may need to make decisions at a time that might not be best for you but will make others content. While it may not look like a wise decision then, you will get fruits of it. A man of integrity goes a long way in entrepreneurship. Half-knowledge is dangerous The Kauravas deployed a strong military formation that consisted of a labyrinth of multiple defensive walls. Breaking this formation to enter required a great deal of military knowledge. The catch-coming out of this formation required separate knowledge! Arjuna’s son, Abhimanyu, learned the art of breaking this formation but never learned how to get out of it. In the great war, while his father was busy fighting another single combat with an enemy, Yudhistira asked Abhimanyu’s help to break in, promising that they would follow closely and help break out of it. But, as fate would have it, as soon as Abhimanyu broke in, the Kaurava army was swift to react and closed the breach, leaving poor Abhimanyu alone inside! Thus followed a grand battle, between Abhimanyu and the seasoned warriors of the Kaurava army, who broke the rules of battle and ruthlessly killed the poor child and celebrated their win. Hence, half-knowledge is dangerous and Even the best needs a mentor Arjuna is one of the best warriors, on the parallels of Bheesma , Drona and Karna. He has all kinds of weapons which he had obtained from Indra but nevertheless, he seeks a mentor – Krishna. He is not overconfident, he is not stubborn. He knows the value of proper guidance. It is the combination of Arjuna and Krishna that wins , not Arjuna alone. Without mentorship and proper guidance, even the best resource is directionless and cannot be used with supreme efficiency. Seek a mentor, no matter how talented you are. Dedicate yourself to a cause Karna is an exceptional character in Mahabharata. He was the eldest son of Kunti but due to unavoidable circumstances, he grew up as a charioteers son. Karna is exceptionally talented fellow, he is loyal and well built, intelligent and handsome. But he never gets what he deserves. Neither the respect, nor the legacy or love. he is a loyal friend. He knows Duryodhana is wrong but he still takes his side and not his brothers. This is because it is Duryodhana who has given him identity in the society. A friend in need is a friend indeed. In Life, you may not get what you deserve but nevertheless, you got to dedicate your life to something. What has to happen, will happen The events narrated in the Mahabharata teach us that no matter how learned you are, how wise you are, you cannot escape destiny. Men & Women of great knowledge & power, both succumbed to destiny and were unable to prevent it. During the hour of fate, we tend to make decisions that support destiny, even if the decisions may seem unnatural to us. We cannot prevent what is destined to happen, but we can live past it. Life goes on The Mahabharata narrates various stories that teach us various lessons, but the most important one being that no matter what, life always goes on. No matter how much you have been wronged, no matter how many difficulties you have gone through, life must go on. We always feel our problems are the biggest, and every one else is feeling the same thing. We must not give way to grief and must continue living our life, we must keep marching on. Ved Vyas ji Narrated the Mahabharat and Lord Ganesh wrote it Conclusion We need to remember that we are social as well as moral beings and we need to take a decision that is best suited for the maximum number of our stakeholders when faced with grey areas of decision making that impact a large number of people. • https://www.slideshare.net/jenishadomadia/cultures-ofindia-26205375 • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clothing_in_India • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_India References • https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/Indianarchitecture/623664 • https://www.esamskriti.com/e/Culture/IndianCulture/Sacred-Symbols-in-Indian-Culture-1.aspx Thank You
