Mahabharata! Then and Now ..

Mahabharata as a serial concluded it’s last episode after blind king Dhrutarashtra handed over the kingdom to young blood and honest successor Yudhisthira, an able administrator.

Thousands of years ago, the story ended with Bhishma leaving for heavenly abode believing his ‘Bharatvarsha’ was safe and prosperity was there to stay.

After hundreds of years of Mughal dynasty and British monarchy, 1947 saw ‘Bharatvarsha’ rejuvenating in the hope for Pandavas to return ending years of suppression.

If Hastinapur was the dream then Dhritarashtra was the symbol of greed but even after thousands of years, Mahabharata still runs in our society, politics and nepotism has not left its clutches on today’s Bharat(India).

Dhritarashtra is part of our culture. Blind leader is now replaced by blindfolded Chieftain.

1947 saw partition of Unified India exactly on the lines of Hastinapur and Indraprastha. It was never meant for welfare of the people, it somewhere satisfied the ambitions of the then leadership.

The leaders then and now, know that their offsprings are incompetent, are aware that their nephews/nieces are capable and they do understand the real potential of common people. However, when it comes to identifying the worthy successor for the throne, they have ensured that it remains in the family.

Mahabharata was by all means a story about coterie of people surrounding the leaders who mattered and unfortunately the equation of power has still remained the same with common public out of the scheme, as always.

In today’s Kalyuga, Kauravas and Pandavas may have changed the way they exist. They could be media, leaders or common people but the strength the Kauravas carry has the potential to overshadow the goodwill of Pandavas.

One wonders whether Bhishmacharya miscalculated the safety of Hastinapur and left very early. Whether Bhagwan Shrikrishna underestimated the spread of Kaurava mentality and assumed that the war was over.

The fact remains that Mahabharata is here to stay and the characters will keep on changing their names and faces. The Bharatvarsha will keep praying in hope for a modern day Shrikrishna to arrive in different forms and make a difference to our lives.

Image Courtesy: Jansatta

Disclaimer: The blog is personal observation and comparison between Mahabharata era with today’s world and doesn’t point out to any political party or a leader.