Gandhari - A tale of domestic violence

Meself

Tywin Lannister 20-4-2018 12:00 AM
What exactly do you mean by literary backing? Which version of Mahabharata will you take into cons ...

Mahabharat has a lot of region retelling along with interpolation of highest level. Even the 'canon' is an interpolated offspring of the original Jaya that had a mere 10000 verse that exploded to beyond 100000.


It's hard to say which version is more authentic than the other. So the easiest way to go by is looking for a similar retelling of the incidents. Gandhari and her situation per say was never under scrutiny. It was her choice through and through. It's the modern day apologists' argument that's screams that she was forced and abused into making a choice she normally wouldn't have. Gandhari chose to shut her eyes to the world. It has both a superficial and metaphorical meaning to it. By willingly shutting her eyes she refused to see what was happening with the Pandavas and how badly they were treated. Of course her inaction turned into being one of the causes of the great war.






About modesty and chastity, niyog was a practice pretty prevalent during the Mahabharat era. No one questioned Kunti as she was not the first woman to beget children through niyog. So the argument is a little faulty. Draupadi, too wasn't criticized for polyandry as even that practice was in prevalence. Draupadi was mostly a victim of her open mind, acumen and a face and body that every man wanted to posses. Let's not forget her dramatic swayamvar where she asserted her rights in a very vocal manner.

Tywin Lannister

Meself 19-4-2018 09:47 AM
Mahabharat has 'n' number of interpolations. So it could be that this version sprung up thanks to so ...

First of all, this is not my imagination. What I strive to learn from the epics is that : the actual happening which took place & the socio-economic effects of the same. Mahabharata is actually the glorious history of our past, but hidden in a veil of allegory. The reason of my journey, for which I consult lots of books & articles, is to lift that veil.

Anyways, if you differ from this viewpoint, you are most welcome. But, one thing, please tell me what makes u think that Dhritarashtra was "devoted" to Gandhari???

Tywin Lannister

Meself 20-4-2018 12:18 AM
Mahabharat has a lot of region retelling along with interpolation of highest level. Even the 'cano ...

Good..You are coming to the point.
Now tell me how can the daughter of a frontier province king (of Gandhara) earn a high level of respect in the magnificent Kaurava court, especially when her husband is blind by birth?
Isn't it an equal match between Dhritarashtra & Gandhari, the former being blind (& hence unworthy to become King) & the later being the daughter of a kingdom of low pedigree? In those days, women from Kashi, Madra, Koshal, etc. were considered to be of high lineage.

Also, doesn't it strike you that throughout the epic, Kunti had so much influence, while Gandhari had almost none?

Mitu.delghy

Really ?? Hard to believe anyway.

Tywin Lannister

Mitu.delghy 20-4-2018 11:02 AM
Really ?? Hard to believe anyway.

As per your wish...

soothsayer

i wd always refer to ved vyas version handed down over the ages. the others are based on what authors interpret

Tywin Lannister

soothsayer 20-4-2018 11:43 AM
i wd always refer to ved vyas version handed down over the ages. the others are based on what author ...

Unfortunately, the Ved-vyas version of "Jaya", the main epic has been interpolated in Mahabharata times as well. And the modern Mahabhrata what we see today is a revised version, the revision of which was done at the time of the Gupta Empire (who were patrons of Hinduism & compiled all the "uranas" at that time).

A detailed explanation would take another book/article on this.

Meself

Tywin Lannister 20-4-2018 12:22 AM
First of all, this is not my imagination. What I strive to learn from the epics is that : the actu ...

As it has already been established, Mahabharat has too many interpolations to be taken into consideration. Which thereby makes neutral assessment of a topic in the book quite difficult. As far as Gandhari is concerned then no, she wasn't of low pedigree. She was a princess of Gandhar, a kingdom that derived it riches from its high yielding pastoral land. She was a Shaiva Kshatriya, much like the Kurus. That was one of the reason behind Satyavati asking Bheeshma to bring her as bride for Dhritrashtra. The Kshatriya princesses, even if they were Dwij were honoured and held respectable position; because it was through them that matrimonial alliances could be forged. So even if for argument sakes we agree that Gandhari was of low pedigree it doesn't dillute her political position.




About Dhritrashtra being devoted to her, well remember it always stemmed from his own selfish motives. Dhritrashtra was the older prince, and by that the crown of Kuru should have been his, but he was blind because of which Pandu was preffered. Now if he had a wife and an heir before Pandu, he could atleast secure his position as the regent for the crown. Hence he was extremely devoted to Gandhari to fan his own selfish needs. But fate took a different trunk when after 12 long months of pregnancy Gandhari gave birth to a lump of flesh instead of their first born. By that time Kunti already had Yudhishthir.




Gandhari's case is more of a choice gone bad. She could have chosen to not wear that veil but she did. And she suffered because of her own choices.

Meself

Tywin Lannister 20-4-2018 12:33 AM
Good..You are coming to the point.
Now tell me how can the daughter of a frontier province king (o ...

As I said before Gandhar was a rich kingdom. Their militia was lacking, yes, but this had no effect on their ever growing prosperity. They had high yielding land and were rich. Also they were Shaiva Kshatriya much like the Kurus. Of course any alliance between Gandhar and Kuru would fetch Gandhar a higher position in Aryavarta and the Kurus prosperity. And it is wrong to say that only women of certain Janpada held high position. Even a Dwij was of heavy political importance because before consolidation of the entire Aryavarta, each Janpada wanted to out do the other. Kuru, Panchal and Magadha were leading the race which was ultimately won by Kuru given their alliances with Gandhar, Madra and thereafter Panchal and Dwarka.




Next up about the influences of Kunti and Gandhari. Well neither of them had any real political power. Both were dismissed in the Kuru court. Kunti had been stripped of her position as a Maharani by Pandu without her say and Gandhari was always a decorative queen. Kunti probably had two important roles in the entire retelling. Of being a catalyst by birthing Karna and then by asking Draupadi to wed all her five sons. She doesn't wield any political power like Draupadi did. So saying that she had an influence is pretty much an anomaly, if she indeed was that influencial she would have asserted for the rights of her children something she never did.

Tywin Lannister

Meself 21-4-2018 01:35 PM
As I said before Gandhar was a rich kingdom. Their militia was lacking, yes, but this had no effect ...

I second your opinion about Gandhara.

But if you say Kunti had no political power in Hastinapur court, I beg to differ. Kunti, by dint of her personality, earned a boon (or mothered a son with) Rishi Durvasha long before she became a queen, even when the odds were stacked against her. She was sent to Durvasha by Bhojraj (Kunti's foster father) to please the highly temperamental Maharshi. And Kunti turned this difficulty into an opportunity, thereby gaining a boon (or a child, Karna...Yes, Karns's biological father was Rishi Durvasha) & earning good favour from the Maharshi.

Later, when Kunti married Pandu, the handsome & efficient, but war-loving & adulterous king of Hastinapur, she quickly realized her husband's nature & learned about his dreaded disease. Pandu was impotent or contracted some STD through random sexual relations. If you don't like my words, read the Mahabharata thoroughly, which I believe you do.

Anyways, again Kunti faced an insurmountable challenge in the form of producing offsprings & thereby heir to the throne. She was closely "competed" by Gandhari, who was also in the same race. Now, Kunti came up with the masterstroke. She started relations with Vidura, the learned & wise Vidura, the only child of Ved vyas who was born out of free will, not out of some compulsion (like Niyog pratha). Thus Yudhisthira was born !!! Again if you follow the epic & the relevant books closely, you will come to this conclusion.

Yudhisthira being born earlier than any of Dhritarashtra's sons became the automatic heir to the throne & earned the support of  Ved Vyas till his last day.

And all the highest dignitaries of Hastinapura, like Bhisma KNEW all these. But they could hardly speak up because of their own obligations. Such was Kunti's political ploy. A mother hell-bent on putting her son on the throne !!!