Week 7 Reading Diary: The Mahabharata Part C

Again, this idea that it is a man’s obligation to protect women appears in Krishna’s Visit when Draupadi inquires, “Is it not the duty of a husband to protect his wife?” The theme in both The Ramayana and The Mahabharata is consistently that those who have everything must deal with the loss of everything. This is a really interesting theme because it shows the values that our meant to be emphasized through literature and that is not the value of material things but of values of integrity, honor, and truth, as the quote below illustrates.

I absolutely LOVE what Yudhishthira preaches, “Anger is sinful; it is the cause of destruction. He that is angry cannot distinguish between right and wrong. O fair Draupadi, one should forgive every wrong. Forgiveness is holiness; it is Truth; it is Brahman.”

The characters of these stories must find this truth by abandoning their attachments to worldly things. The value of such qualities, for example patience, is emphasized again in The Himalayas.

What a beautiful depiction of the life of a hermit in Arjuna and Shiva.

I was intrigued by the explanation of Hanuman's presence on earth even still today, which was provided in the reading guide for Bhima and Hanuman. It is quite humorous that Bhima was unable to lift Hanuman in the form of a monkey. As Hanuman explains in this section, I also believe that humanity's fall away from universal truth is responsible for disease and many other calamities.

Hanuman in monkey form. Source: Flickr.