Abstract
This paper is an in-depth examination of the classic Vedic text, "The Mahabharata". The author discusses how and where the codes of moral honor and worldview are perceived in respect to their structure within the Hindu society. The story demonstrates various forms of codes, where the role of honor, and women?s places are defined, and how leading a spiritual and moral life is the ultimate goal. The paper includes a detailed outline.

From the paper:

"The worldview as is presented in the classic Hindi epic, "The Mahabharata" of moral and philosophical values still hold true today. "The Mahabharata" is considered to be an ideal source for examining the qualities found within Indian society. A sense of mortality is presented in many aspects of the text as we refer to the societies of the kuru and the Pandu dynasties of India. A Religious/philosophical teaching of Dharma is to live the path of our life that has been chosen for us. The independent elements of the early Indian society displayed in the Vedic text is more than just a story of Arjuna; but key elements to how world view is portrayed with emphasis on the values presented therein and the role of women in the work."

Tags:English, Hindu, Indian, literature, mythology, world, gods, Hindi

Abstract
This paper examines the world view as is presented in the classic Hindi epic, "The Mahabharata". "The Mahabharata" is considered to be an ideal source for examining the qualities found within Indian society in 5000 BCE, where many aspects of the text refer to the societies of the kuru and the paandu dynasties of India. The role of women in this work is also be investigated.

Abstract
"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."

Tags:embarrassment, shameful, treatment, callous, rude, unavoidable, fate

Abstract
This paper is on the Peter Brook production of the "Mahabharata", the Indian epic. The author contends that the process of de-contextualization of characters, plot elements and pieces of narration out of the Mahabharata's original context and into a Western mode of performance, plot construction and interpretation exhibits the latent Orientalism of the Brook production, and represents the profound and perverse commodification of the India classic. The author further explains how it was Brook's perspective and alteration of this epic that reached a broader Western audience.

From the Paper
"As a world defined by over 200 nations, and thousands of cultures, an incredibly rich history and set of traditions exists. The last century has marked a turning point in our planet's history. As never before, the distance and separation of cultures is becoming ever smaller, due to better transportation and communications infrastructures, and a desire to conduct business on a global scale. There is also an interesting and concerning adoption and synthesis of cultural practices and traditions. One could debate rather academically the merits of cultural encounter and interaction, and to say that perhaps with a synthesis of different cultural practices, a new culture is born. That may be, however the focus of this essay is to critically investigate and discuss the adoption or representation of other cultural traditions, without comprehending their meaning or significance. This is demonstrated through the Western commodification of cultures, the notion of Orientalism, and specifically focusing on the Brooks/ Carrire production of the Mahabharata."

Tags:culture, india, indian, movie, performance

Abstract
This paper shows how the figurative language in Book II of "The Mahabharata" and in the selected poems from "The Tamil Anthologies" stand in stark contrast to one another primarily because the language in "The Mahabharata" has war and heroism as its sources, whereas the poems in "The Tamil Anthologies" have the affairs of the heart as their sources. The author shows that both works rely heavily for their figurative language on the realm of nature as well, although for very divergent purposes and effects.

From the Paper
"Both works deal with both themes--war and love--but The Mahabharata clearly focuses more on war, while the selected poems from The Tamil Anthologies clearly focus more on love. Inevitably, these sources profoundly affect the figurative language of the two works and portray worlds--one of heroism in battle and conflict, the other of love and its consequences--which stand in contrast with one another. In addition, the reader finds in Book II of The Mahabharata an immediate sense of the epic, of the grand city, of conflict on as grand scale, with much at stake beyond the individual's emotional or romantic destiny. On the other hand, in the poems from The Tamil Anthologies, the reader just as immediately finds an exploration of the "small" aspects of life and human interaction and particularly those aspects which exist in the lives of individuals. The rural landscape dominates the figurative language of the poems in The Tamil Anthologies, while the urban landscapes dominates in the epic tales of The Mahabharata."

Tags:figurative, nature, language, war, heroism

Abstract
The paper discusses how Yudhisthira uses inaction to follow the path of righteousness and he used his ability of prophecy to attain righteousness not for just his family but for mankind. The paper explains that he used dharma, not adharma, to maintain and sustain his virtue and he was truly an inspiring character in the Mahabharata. The paper describes how he used inaction and passivity to achieve positive societal goals for humanity.

From the Paper
"Yudhishthira, leader of the Pandavas, was a very appealing character in the Mahabharata. He was an extremely passive character that used inaction such as in Lao Tzu's, the Chinese philosopher, Tao Te Ching. According to the Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu said, "The softest thing under heaven gallops triumphantly over the hardest thing under heaven. Nonbeing penetrates nonspace. Hence, I know the advantages of nonaction. The doctrine without words, the advantage of nonaction-few under heaven can realize these!"(Mair,11) Nowadays, we witness the result of our American troops fighting the War on..."

Tags:hinduism, theology, buddhism

Abstract
An examination of the role of the Indian woman in society. An analysis of the "Mahabharata" which goes into great depth when describing this role. The author looks at the lives of Indian women, their status, education, goals and contributions.

From the Paper
"The Mahabharata is essential for understanding human nature and the culture of India, past and present. As declared by Vyasa, "Whatever is not found in the Mahabharata cannot be found anywhere else." The Mahabharata does indeed present a complete picture of the lives of women in India, dealing with such topics as status, education, goals, marriage, achievement, family life, social life, moral codes, duty (dharma), and etiquette."

Tags:hindu, india, indian, ramayana, vedas, vishnu

Abstract
The paper mentions the fact that Krishna Vasudeva's exhortation for Arjuna to go into battle because it is dharma for a "man of action" to fight without regard for the consequences raises some interesting questions: most of all, if a man from Arjuna's class is simply to fight, then how can he possibly know that what he is doing is morally defensible? The paper also discusses the odd paradox in what Krisha says insofar as he tells Arjuna to engage in brutal practices while simultaneously telling him to do so without any larger goals in mind; in other words, Krishna is being told to kill without apparently thinking of why he is killing. The paper explains that this odd moral precept can never fully be explained and its implications - that actions of any kind are basically defensible as long as the man of action acts as an automaton - also brings out the significance of the exchange between Arjuna and Krishna; to wit, Arjuna is told that he is violating his dharma by not fighting, but - so it seems - by fighting he is violating the prescriptions of the moral dharma that warns against the shedding of blood. The paper shows how this explains why Arjuna and his brothers are unhappy for the rest of the epic "Mahabharata".

From the Paper
"The following paper will look at the significance and implications of Arjuna Pandava going against his dharma when he steps forward to do battle with the army of Duryodhana. In particular, the paper will make mention of the fact that Krishna Vasudeva's exhortation for Arjuna to go into battle because it is dharma for a "man of action" to fight without regard for the consequences raises some interesting questions: most of all, if a man from Arjuna's class is simply to fight, then how can he possibly know that what..."

Tags:mahabharata, paradox, dharma

Abstract
The "Mahabharata" is the oldest of the great epics of Hindu literature. This paper looks at its contents - including the Bhagavad Gita," or "The Lord's Song," included within it, which stands as the single most significant religious text of Hinduism. A brief history of Hinduism is provided and the "Mahabharata" is analyzed for ways it impacted the development and evolution of Hindu prayer and ritual.

From the Paper
"While there is no founder of Hinduism as such, Hinduism was shaped by the actions of a man shrouded in legend, and much of the knowledge of Hinduism as it has been passed down has been attributed to his efforts. He is said to have lived some 3,500 years ago. He was the great grandson of the sage Vasishta, the son of the sage Parasara and the fishergirl Satyavati. He was called Krishna Dvaipayana. Because he had a desire for order, he gathered together all the knowledge of his time in the form of the Vedic hymns and rituals. He edited these works into four huge volumes, producing the four Vedas, which stood as the earliest source of information on Indian thought. He was then given the title Veda Vyasa, or the Editor of Knowledge, and in this manner he created a tradition of teaching and learning through his disciples and through the legendary forest university he founded in Naimisaaranya. The writing of the masterpiece the Mahabharata has been attributed to Vyasa, though he may be more legend than real. The story in this epic concerns the legitimacy of the succession rights to the kingdom of Kurukshetra, the ancestral realm of King Bharata:"

Tags:Bhagavad, Gita, prayer, lord, song, ritual, literature, krishna

Abstract
Arjuna is an important character and presence in the Indian epic the Mahabharata, and he is a member of the main family whose actions serve as the centerpiece of this epic. The Mahabharata is the oldest of the great epics of Hindu literature and is the longest poem ever written, with 100,000 stanzas arranged in 18 books.

From the Paper
"INTRODUCTION
Arjuna is an important character and presence in the Indian epic the Mahabharata, and he is a member of the main family whose actions serve as the centerpiece of this epic. The Mahabharata is the oldest of the great epics of Hindu literature and is the longest poem ever written, with 100,000 stanzas arranged in 18 books. The work is actually a compilation of material from a number of sources from different periods, and there may have been earlier versions of varying lengths. There is no single version of the work today because not all of it has been translated and released, and the text is under restoration at the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute in Poona, India, with successive portions of the text having been edited and published from there since 1927. The work in its present form dates from about the ..."