"Mahabharata"

Poem Review # 108653

Asian Studies > East Asian Cultures
Literature > Poetry
Literature > World

"Mahabharata"

A detailed layout of "The Dice Game" and "Dharma" in the great epic heroic poem, "Mahabharata."

2,905 words () | 4 sources | MLA | 2006 United States

Paper Summary:

"This paper discusses one of the most famous Sanskrit texts of India, the "Mahabharata," the great epic heroic poem, which tells of the historic Great War of India between the Pandavas and the Kauravas. Encompassing over one hundred thousand verses, and steeped in cultural and religious meaning, this text presents a near impossible task for any student of India to analyze in its entirety. However, the paper notes that the most widely known act narrated by "The Mahabharata" is that of "The Dice Game", and Darupadi's disrobing. This paper analyzes the events leading up to, and following the disrobing, the larger dharmic implications this act offers, and the reflection of Hindu culture the scenario provides.

From the Paper:

"However, as a sign of the changing times, this tale, in the modern India of today has come to showcase an example of the Pandavas' male chauvinistic attitudes in treating Draupadi as their property by putting her at gambling stake, and their strange prioritizing of virtues, where pledges matter more than the honor and safety of one's family. A sharp contrast to the pillars of virtue they had previously been seen as. Not to say that the Pandava family is not still highly regarded and seen as examples of dharma and righteousness."

Sample of Sources Used:

The Mahabharata (complete text). Sacred Texts. http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m02/index.htm.
What is Dharma?. Ramesh Manocha. Knowledge of Reality Magazine. 2003.
The Dice Match. Narendra Kohli. Sahitya Academy, Delhi, India April 2004.
The Mahabharata. Sri Swami Sivananda. The Divine Life SocietySivananda Publication League. October 2004.