What are you reading?

cynic

Meself 24-4-2018 12:57 PM
Actually no. The Kaurava and their demand wasn't justified. The crowned king of Kuru was Pandu. He ...

I stand corrected . What about the fact that Pandavs were not the sons of Pandu, but of different demi-gods. So technically they were not heirs of the Kuru clan.

Meself

cynic 24-4-2018 03:18 PM
I stand corrected  . What about the fact that Pandavs were not the sons of Pandu, but of differe ...

Technically no one was the heir to the Kuru clan. Dhritrashtra, Pandu and Vidur were sons of Vyas and not Vichitravirya. The Kauravas were born because of some sort of science experiment (Gandhari had given birth to a mound of flesh). Pandavas were again sons of different fathers. So in that scenario no one had a right to rule the Kuru kingdom.






But since we are talking accepting niyog, that gain makes Yudhishthir the heir. As he was the oldest and the son of a crowned king .

cynic

Meself 24-4-2018 04:18 PM
Technically no one was the heir to the Kuru clan. Dhritrashtra, Pandu and Vidur were sons of Vyas  ...

Taking of niyog, wasn't that performed if the husband/king had died without an heir? Pandu was pretty much alive when Pandavs were born.

Meself

cynic 24-4-2018 10:36 PM
Taking of niyog, wasn't that performed if the husband/king had died without an heir? Pandu was pret ...

Niyog was acceptable if the man was infertile. In Pandu's case he was both impotent and adulterous. Talk about deadly combinations. So Kunti and Madri begetting children from other men was acceptable.



You know this sometimes makes me wonder, what a cool open society we once were. Whatever happens that we all lost our cool heads while coming to this era?

cynic

Meself 25-4-2018 12:05 AM
Niyog was acceptable if the man was infertile. In Pandu's case he was both impotent and adulterous ...

That's interesting. They had a loophole for everything

Ditto on the society. Its has been quite a reversal... we are a more closed society now.

jhsurti

I think Mahabharata has every possible situation covered. You think of anything, you'll find some reference to it in the book. I consider it as a brilliant story written by a brilliant mind.
And yes, we have 'progressed' to a very restrictive society and I am afraid it's going to be more so in the future, perhaps!

Meself

jhsurti 25-4-2018 12:23 PM
I think Mahabharata has every possible situation covered. You think of anything, you'll find some re ...

Vyas, very arrogantly states "Yadhihasti tadanyatra
Yannehasti na tadkvachit" which means that what doesn't exist in Mahabharat doesn't exist anywhere else in the world. And if you scrutinise it, you'll agree that he was right.




It's very unfortunate and our loss that we have moved into being a closeted society that despite all the progress is regressive in its very fabric. Ancient India was definitely the time to be alive in!

jhsurti

Meself 26-4-2018 12:09 AM
Vyas, very arrogantly states "Yadhihasti tadanyatra
Yannehasti na tadkvachit" which means that wha ...

True.
That's why I put "progress" into inverted commas! I wished to read the detailed Mahabharat but could never get down to it. There is also one recommended 8 volume book in Hindi - Mahasamar by Narendra Kohli based on Mahabharat but the sheer number of pages (~4000) has prevented me reading it. It's available in my local library but I don't have the guts to start.

Meself

jhsurti 26-4-2018 12:26 PM
True.
That's why I put "progress" into inverted commas! I wished to read the detailed Mahabharat  ...

Thing is that there is so much of reading material on Mahabharat, that it's bound to turn you off from reading. I yet have to read the canon version as I am still grappling with the interpolations and the regional takes on the same. It is one huge, complex narrative that gives you something new everytime that you explore it. No wonder Vyas so arrogantly put out that line.  

b00kz

jhsurti 26-4-2018 12:26 PM
True.
That's why I put "progress" into inverted commas! I wished to read the detailed Mahabharat  ...

For whatever reason, they decided to kindle-ise only a few books of this 10-odd series; that too not in a sequence. I have read the ones available on kindle and waiting for others to be digitised. Been a long wait already.