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Mahabharat Kee Katha
The first few pages of Buddhdev Basu’s Mahabharat Kee Katha are enough to convince the reader that it is a scholarly work of epic proportion. That the author has had the good fortune of being a teacher of comparative studies of Indo-European epics only enables him to lead the readers on a journey that enriches the mind. Thus, the reader is not only in a position to compare the characters and situations of the Mahabharata to other similar characters and situations in different epics but is also in a position to appreciate them better. Scholars, down the ages, have occupied themselves with the exercise of determining as to who is at the centre of the great epic. Basu analyses the character of Yudhishthra not only in the context of the story of the Mahabharata but also in relation to other characters. He makes him seem humane compared to others who remain seated on godly pedestals. Though he often pales in comparison to his warrior brothers Arjuna and Bhima, he holds the centrestage by the sheer strength of his intellectual curiosity and desire to be on a learning path. The discourse of the author spans over 22 chapters, beginning with the episode where Yudhishthra is forced in a dialogue by the Yaksha and then led to the test of charachter by asking him to make a choice among his brothers. The choice is made unhesitatingly and is significant as it is made under the shadow of the impending war with the Kauravas. After going through the comparison and contrast with the character of Lord Rama the chapters lead towards the final journey of the Pandavas wherein the superiority of Yudhishthra is irrevocably established when even the manifold blessed Arjuna and Bhima, as well as the Yaganseni, Draupadi, fall one by one like weak mortals. Only Yudhishthra continues his journey to his ordained place in heaven. No further proof need be asked about the centrality of his character. Reasonably priced, the book has been translated by Dr Bachchan Singh. At times the language might sound a trifle pompous and heavily Sanskritised but it goes well with the subject under discussion. |
LIKE
the Ramayana, the Mahabharata too has been written and
narrated in every nook and corner of India. Each region has its own
favourite heroes. If in Orissa, Lord Krishna is considered the hero of Mahabharata
then in Bengal, Yudhishthra is held to be the true winner.