keeper. In the other, the Mahabharata , he is the rule-maker. In the one, he is king. In the other, he is kingmaker. In one, he is predictable and dependable. In the other, he is manipulative and mercurial. Yet both are concerned about Dharma. What is Dharma? In the Mahabharata Bhisma tells a story to the Pandavas about King Nriga, who was cursed to be a lizard. Nriga was known for donating cows to the sages of his kingdom. One of the donated cows slipped out of her master’s cowshed and returned to the royal cowshed. Since the royal cowshed had thousands of cows, none of the royal servants noticed her return. Nriga then gave the same cow to another sage. When this sage was returning to his hermitage with Nriga’s gift, the first sage recognised his cow, claimed ownership over her and accused the second sage of theft. When the second sage clarified that he had received it from Nriga himself, the first sage accused the king of theft. ‘That cow was given to me. She is mine. Not the king’s. How then can the king gift her to another? This means the king stole my cow.’ Nriga apologised to the first sage and offered to compensate him with a hundred cows. The sage refused. He wanted his cow back. Nriga then went to the second sage who refused to return his gift. For this act of hurting his subjects, albeit unintentionally, Nriga was cursed to turn into a lizard, a punishment he accepted with grace.
Jaya to Mahabarata: A journey of stories Most Indians believe that one should not read the Mahabharata inside one’s house, for reading it invites strife. This belief is a kind of ‘imitative magic’: the ability of stories, symbols and rituals to influence the surroundings. Mahabharata is the story of a family feud that ultimately leads to division of property and a terrible war, whereas the other great epic, the Ramayana , narrates the tale of a family that struggles, and triumphs, over forces that seek to divide it. Naturally, a traditional Indian family terrified of any disruption of the family fabric prefers Ramayana over the Mahabharata . Any study of the Mahabharata necessitates a reading of the Ramayana . The epics are two sides of the same coin. In one, the Ramayana , God is the rule-
12
13
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs