Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata

by Devdutt Pattanaik

The point of existence in this dynamic, ever-changing world then was not to aspire or achieve, but to introspect.

Its wisdom has often been overshadowed by its entertainment value, its complexities oversimplified by well-meaning narrators, leading to ruptures in the traditional discourse.

With so many retellings and so widespread a popularity, some argue that the Mahabharata actually means the tale of the greatness of India, and not the great epic of India, for it contains all that has made Indians what they are—a tolerant people who value inner wisdom over outer achievement.

Within infinite myths lies the Eternal Truth Who sees it all? Varuna has but a thousand eyes Indra, a hundred And I, only two

Who decides what justice is? How does one end this unending spiral of revenge where everyone believes they are right and their opponents are wrong?’

Dharma is not about defeating others, it is about conquering ourselves.

‘Listen to the tale carefully, Janamejaya,’ Astika whispered in the king’s ear, ‘Do not be distracted by the plots. Within the maze of stories flows the river of wisdom. That is your true inheritance.’

Such is the nature of man-made laws: ignorant of the past and insensitive to the present.

human memory is short, and history always repeats itself.

For Bharata the criteria for kingship rested in worthiness, not bloodline. This made Bharata the noblest of kings in the eyes of the people.

Krishna would be born in the Yadava clan. Like other Yadavas, he would never be king, only a kingmaker.

The story of Vidura’s past life is an attempt to explain why bad things happen to good people.

For Krishna, there can be no dharma without the spirit of generosity. Without genuine love, laws and rules are worthless.

Vyasa portrays Arjuna as a highly insecure and competitive youth. Ekalavya’s cut thumb mocks his position as the greatest archer in the world. Through the tale Vyasa demonstrates how greatness need not be achieved by being better than others; it can also be achieved by pulling down others who are better.

Vyasa constantly draws attention to the dangers of conflict between individual aspiration and family duty imposed on children by their fathers. Driven by desire, Karna refuses to be a charioteer like his foster father. Driven by vengeance, Drona refuses to be a priest like his natural father. Krishna, though born in a warrior family, prefers being identified as a cowherd or charioteer. For it is not vocation that matters; what matters is the underlying intent.

There are a few tribes in India such as the Todas in the south and the hill tribes of Uttaranchal where polyandry is followed to prevent division of property. The household always has one kitchen and one daughter-in-law. The sons have the freedom to either share the wife or become ascetics or find pleasure elsewhere with mistresses and prostitutes, who have no legal right over the family property.

what cannot be understood by the human intellect need not be feared because it ultimately comes from God.

To protect her son, Shishupala’s mother gets from Krishna a boon that he will forgive a hundred crimes of her son. But she does not bother to warn her son never to commit a crime. Thus Vyasa draws attention to a peculiar human trait of trying to solve a problem through external means without bringing about any internal transformation.

India is the home of all kinds of board games: those that are totally dependent on luck such as snakes and ladders, those that are a mixture of luck and skill such as the dice game or chausar and those that are based totally on skill such as chess.

Hindus consider life to be a game or leela based on man-made rules. These rules create winners and losers. Winning makes us happy and losing makes us sad. By making a game of dice the cornerstone of his tale, Vyasa reminds us that ultimately all of life is a game.

Naked, the Goddess is Kali, bloodthirsty and wild as the undomesticated forest. Clothed, she is Gauri, gentle as a domesticated orchard or field. The unclothing of Draupadi is not merely the unclothing of a woman; it represents the collapse of civilization, the move from field to forest, from Gauri to Kali, when dharma is abandoned and matsya nyaya reigns supreme, so that might dominates the meek.

In the Ramayana, Vishnu upholds rules as Ram, while in the Mahabharata, Vishnu changes rules as Krishna. In the Ramayana, God is king, while in the Mahabharata, God is kingmaker.

Through the story of Ram, Vyasa is trying to explain that while we believe our problems are the greatest and our misfortunes the worst, there is always someone out there who has suffered more. And just as they survived and triumphed over their suffering, we must too.

he learnt that peace of mind does not come from renouncing worldly life; it comes from knowledge of the soul and a true understanding of the world as it is. With this knowledge in one’s heart, one can carry on doing one’s worldly duties.

Yudhishtira, enlightened by years of discussions with Rishis, said, ‘He is not the son of a Brahman as most people believe. He is one who by mastering his senses and by disciplining his mind has attained Brahma-vidya, knowledge of the eternal, infinite and boundless soul. This makes him content and gentle and generous, for he is one with the truth.’

‘What makes a Brahman?’ ‘Understanding of the Veda.’

‘What makes Brahmans worthy of worship?’ ‘Ability to control their mind.’

‘What makes Kshatriyas powerful?’ ‘Th...

‘What is more valuable than gold?’ ‘Knowledge.’

‘What is the only thing man can conquer?’ ‘His own mind.’

‘What is charity?’ ‘Helping the helpless.’

‘What is the most amazing thing about the world?’ ‘Every day creatures die, yet the rest live as if immortal.’

‘How does one know the true path?’ ‘Not through arguments—they never reach a conclusion; not from teachers—they can only give their opinions; to know the true path one must, in ...

Krishna offers Arjuna two things: what he is and what he has. Arjuna chooses what Krishna is. Duryodhana is happy with what Krishna has. This divide between him and his, me and mine, what one is and what one has, is the difference between seeking the soul and being satisfied with matter.

All their life, the Kauravas live in wealth but their life is full of envy and rage and bitterness. For most of their life, the Pandavas live in poverty, in forests, in exile, as dependants in the house of their uncle, but their life is full of learning. Thus, Vyasa shows how the presence of Lakshmi, goddess of wealth, drives away wisdom. And how poverty can, if one chooses to, bring Saraswati, goddess of knowledge, into our lives which will, if allowed to, bring wisdom as well as wealth.

Refusal to accept the flow of the world is the root of all misery.

Do not surrender to a situation that nurtures the ego. The war is not for you, Arjuna, but for civilized human conduct. Remember, the point is not to win or lose the war, the point is not to kill enemies and acquire their lands; it is to establish dharma and in doing so discover the soul.

Growth is thus not a one-time activity; it is a process where decisions to overpower the beast within have to be taken every single moment.

When the soldiers asked the talking head who the greatest warrior in Kurukshetra was, he gave a very strange reply, ‘Bhima? Arjuna? I saw neither. In fact I saw no warrior. All I saw was the Sudarshan Chakra of Vishnu whizzing past and cutting the heads of unrighteous kings. And the blood spilt consumed by the earth who spread out her tongue in the form of Kali.’

The Pandavas won not because they were better warriors; they won because God wanted them to.

Through Karna, Vyasa reiterates that our knowledge of the world is imperfect based on perceptions and false information. We are surrounded by Kuntis who hide the truth in fear. We are surrounded by Karnas, villains who are actually brothers.

‘Such is the law of karma. Every action, howsoever innocent, has a reaction, that one has to experience if not in this life, then in the next,’ said Krishna.

In establishing dharma, Krishna kills many people. They may be villains according to one measuring scale, but according to another measuring scale they are the beloved sons of doting mothers. So while Krishna is blessed for restoring faith in justice, he is also cursed for breaking a mother’s heart.

What may seem like a good deed from one point of view may not be seen as one from another point of view. Thus does Vyasa reflect on the complexity of life where even the goodness of God is challenged by man.

A Charvaka, one who does not believe in the existence of anything spiritual or metaphysical, shouted from the city square, ‘Yes, Yudhishtira, life has no point at all. So enjoy every moment for there is no tomorrow, no life after death, no soul, no fate, no bondage, no liberation, no God. Be a king if it makes you happy; don’t be a king if it does not. Pleasure alone is the purpose of life.’

Dharma is not about winning. It is about empathy and growth. Yudhishtira knows the pain of losing a child. He can empathize with his enemy rather than gloat on their defeat. In empathy, there is wisdom.

Bhishma told Yudhishtira, ‘Life is like a river. You can struggle to change its course but ultimately it will go its own way. Bathe in it, drink it, be refreshed by it, share it with everyone, but never fight it, never be swept away by its flow, and never get attached to it. Observe it. Learn from it.’

Animals spent their entire lives focused on survival. Humans could look beyond survival, seek meaning in life, harm others to save themselves, help others by sacrificing themselves. Humanity was blessed with a faculty that enabled it to empathize and exploit. It was this unique faculty that allowed humans to forsake the jungle and establish civilization.

unlike wealth, knowledge does not outlive death, hence has to be passed on to the living so that it is not lost forever.

Three months later, Yudhishtira, your yagna will conclude and the Kali yuga will dawn. A new age will dawn where nothing will be as it was. Only a quarter of the values instituted by Prithu at the dawn of civilization will survive. Man will live for pleasure, children will abandon responsibility, women will be like men, men like women. Humans will copulate like beasts. Power will be respected, justice abandoned, sacrifice forgotten and love ridiculed. The wise will argue for the law of the jungle. Every victim will, given a chance, turn victimizer.’