Mahabharat is an astonishing epic. Its central character Draupadi was made the wife of five Pandav brothers by her mother-in-law Kunti who herself bore three sons with the help of angels. She even dumped an out of the wedlock son Karan in a river soon after his birth, who became an important players in the forthcoming scheme of things.
It is said, whatever is there in the world exists in Mahabharat. And what is not there in Mahabharat it doesn't exist. Some people don't keep Mahabharat in their household because the superstition is that brings problems in the family. In fact, the value system displayed in this great work don't gel with a common msn's perception. Some fear that it might give wrong ideas to the readers. But these superstitions are going away and it continues to be a bestseller. It is copywright free. Hence there are umpteen number of editions. I have chosen Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan's edition edited by Kamala Subramaniam Bhawan's founder K. M. Munshi says in his introduction that Mahabharat is a romance telling a tale heroic men and women and of some who were divine. The fulcrum of Mahabharat is Kishan who narrated the message of Gita on the battlefield of Kurukshetra.
Mahabharat is also a euphemism of war. The mother of all wars. It brought an end to the last era and a new era Kaliyug dawned after it. It is a complete literature in itself, containing a debatable code of life, a philosophy of social and ethical relations and speculative thought on human problems that is hard to rival but above all, it has for its core with Gita.
Mahabharat is an absorbing and engrossing reading and shouldn't be read critically. It is not necessary to draw conclusions but it should be taken as it exists. It has some fairy characters like Ghatokach and valiant young heroes like Abhimanyu. In fact it is difficult to imagine how such characters were carved out. They remain with. B.R. Chopra did a fascinating job in his mega TV serial which competed with its cousin epic Ramayan made by Ramanand Sagar. Unlike Ramayan, it is not a book of faith but a piece of creativity and imagination.
The biggest debate generated by Mahabharat was can a wife be pawned in a game of dice? Is she a property of one husband?
Mahabharat story has a continuous presence of the patriarch Bhisma who emotionally attached to Pandavs but bound to the throne of Dhritarasth through his vow.
In short its a story of rivalry between warring cousins for power.
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