A Perspective
By Mekhala Chakravarty
Home maker, Bangalore
Foreword by Venkat
We have often heard of the ‘Making a mountain of a molehill’ idiom. It is not so much due to the presence of an indisputable truth as the real presence of two truths in parallel. Taking example from the Mahabharata, Mekhala sweetly exposes the layers of abstraction behind the physical facts and appearances. This is an essential skill to learn – ability to look at the same thing from a different (person’s) perspective – to build the power of understanding and compassion. Mekhala has a wide range of interests across various subjects including Vedic Astrology.
A simple yet powerful message is conveyed in this article to inspire in children, a different way to absorb stories!
A Perspective
To dear young readers,
Every Indian has been brought up hearing about one or the other stories from the great epics of India Ramayana and Mahabharata. Though the incidents took place eons ago, they still play a vital part in our lives. One might wonder whether they really took place. Some may find evidence to prove that they were real, others might refute, but everybody agrees that the teachings they impart are unmatched.
My perspective on Mahabharata doesn’t involve the people mentioned there but what those people represent in our present-day dilemmas. As everyone is aware Mahabharata was fought between Pandavas who were five in number and Kauravas who were one hundred in number. This itself is a completely unmatched war when numbers are concerned. But still the five people won against the hundred people.
Is such a feat really possible? Now if we consider the Pandavas and Kauravas as people, this achievement is impossible. Think of the food, the clothing for the army, the cremation procedure after the war, the bloodshed… Unbelievable!
Now let’s use this story in our present-day situation.
The 5 Pandavas are our 5 sense organs.
The 100 Kauravas represent our hundreds of desires and distractions.
Karna, the eldest Pandava brother, is our conscience. Though he is considered to be equal to all the Pandava brothers put together, he fought against them in the war taking the side of Kauravas. The meaning is that when we cannot control our desires, our conscience always intervenes trying to justify our actions.
Drona, Kripa, Bheeshma, all the great old Acharyas, though wise, supported Kauravas showing that even older, learned people cannot control their desires. Krishna the charioteer represents our goals. Only our goals can control our desires and help us stay focused. The gist of the Mahabharata is that using our goal to control our five senses we can vanquish hundreds of distractions and desires.
Stories are not just for listening and forgetting. Collect information. Learn to analyze them. Think differently and act as per the situation you are in. When we see an object, it appears different when seen from different angles. Similarly when a person says something he is neither correct nor wrong. It’s just that the perspective varies. See, listen, explore, analyze, then execute.
By Mekhala Chakravarty
Home maker, Bangalore
Nice interpretation. Yes, the gurus and Karna appear/said to be bound by repaying the debt by way of heavy dependence, grown with the solid support of Duryodhana. Hence, even with seeing injustice on his side and the debt and consequent duty-bound on another side, dilemma over-taking all of them.
Another interpretation is we are facing such a situation in life very often in dilemmas, then decision taken.one way or other can again be interpreted as Right or wrong. Thanks. Congrats to Mekhala ji.
Thank you very much. An open mind is susceptible to more knowledge 😊