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The Pacifistic Reading of the Mahabharata International INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE, LITERATURE AND TRANSLATION STUDIES (IJELR) A QUARTERLY, INDEXED, REFEREED AND PEER REVIEWED OPEN ACCESS INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL http://www.ijelr.in (Impact Factor: 5.9745) (ICI) KY PUBLICATIONS RESEARCH ARTICLE ARTICLE Vol. 8. Issue.1. 2021 (Jan-Mar.) THE PACIFISTIC READING OF THE MAHABHARATA RAJ KUMAR THARU Assistant Professor of English, Tribhuvan University Mahendra Multiple Campus Nepalgunj, Nepal Email:[email protected] ABSTRACT This research article is an attempt to explore the pacifistic side of analysis in the events of stories in the great Hindu epic the Mahabharata. The epic is thought to be a complete package of knowledge that starts from the eternal religious culture to the present-day world of science and technology. As it is said that whatever exists Article information in the Mahabharata exists everywhere in the world; and whatever doesn't exist in Received:16/2/2021 the epic does not exist anywhere in the world, the book talks about every aspect of Accepted: 24/3/2021 human life including pacifism as well. It is the equally focused philosophical theory Published online:31/03/2021 doi: 10.33329/ijelr.8.1.180 in the epic is the Mahabharata, but this idea hasn't been discussed much as far as the interpretation of the epic is concerned. Pacifism is the theory that prioritizes peaceful relations in human actions and attitudes. It believes that all forms of violence, war, or killing are unconditionally wrong. This paper tries to highlight some of the major events and characters that focus on peace and nonviolence in the stories inside the epic. Pacifism is the opposite of all kinds of brutal and violent attitudes of human beings. It appeals for a kind and cooperative treatment which is the key to success and prosperity. The English translated version of Vyasa's Mahabharata has been used for the theoretical analysis in the research paper, which concludes that the great Hindu epic has equally stressed the pacifistic approaches for solving out the human problems. Keywords: ahimsa, Bhishma-Pratigya, celibacy, dharma, exile, incognito, non- violence, pacifism Introduction French peace campaigner Emile Arnaud (1864-1921) was the first person to coin the term "pacifism", which is anti-war, anti-militarism, and anti-violent in its very fundamental nature. The 10thGlasgow Universal Peace Congress held in 1901, seems to have assimilated the term pacifism in the initiation of some peace activists. It is equivalent to the Sanskrit term ahimsa, meaning not to harm others (Bolin). Hinduism, Buddhism, as well as Jainism, take ahimsa/pacifism as their central religious philosophy. It is Leo Tolstoy's book The Kingdom of God Is Within You that brought a new starting interest in pacifism. Mahatma Gandhi's (1869-1948) 'satyagraha', or nonviolent as well as peaceful steadfast was another new expansion of pacifism. According to Barua (122), Gandhi's pragmatic and down-to-earth approach to life allowed him to understand the hard realities of life, that evil is very much there, part and parcel of goodness, that himsa is also an avoidable part of ahimsa. Further, Barua mentions Gandhi to have opined non-violence “as the only antidote to evil, the only precious 180 Int.J.Eng.Lang.Lit&Trans.Studies (ISSN:2349-9451/2395-2628) Vol. 8. Issue.1. 2021 (Jan-Mar) thing an atomic bomb cannot destroy” (131). Similarly, Martin Luther King Junior's peaceful and non-violent movement in America was another milestone in the spreading of pacifism. The idea of pacifism got new importance because of the American civil rights movement led by James Lawson, Charles Beard, James Bevel, etc. Vyasa's Sanskrit version of the Mahabharata the root source of all versions of The Mahabharata. It is believed to have been composed in the 4th century BCE or earlier. Traditionally, the authorship of the Mahābhārata goes to Krishna- Dwaipayana Vyāsa. The epic is a complete package of knowledge, and wisdom of practical life. So, it has been studied from several perspectives so far. The epic has its prestigious place in the field of religion, politics, philosophy, and world literature too. The story of The Mahabharata has been shown and interpreted into several television serials; it has been enacted on the stages many times in different languages throughout the world, but the great Hindu epic has been much popular like that of the Ramayana in India, Srilanka, and Nepal. The story of the Mahabharata is not only of a religious type but it also has the stories of the modern type including the people of general to ruling classes; more significantly it has the guidance of the deities like Krishna himself. The intimate company and direct guidance to human beings through the divine form have not been mentioned elsewhere except that of Krishna's role in the Mahabharata times in the Dwapara Yuga. Krishan himself was a romantic figure and peace lover by nature. Fighting and using force was always his last option. He has given more importance to peace and nonviolence in all of the difficult situations both in the case of settling the matter between Kauravas and Pandavas and establishing peace and harmony in the country Mathura also where his maternal uncle Kansha ruled more cruelly. The story of the Mahabharata is not only the story of fierce fighting between Arjun and Karna, Duryodhana and Bhima, Bhisma and Parashuram, etc. but at the same time, it has stressed so much the necessity of pacifism, peace and nonviolence, and cooperation that is the ultimate destiny of every kind of fighting. Lord Krishna himself “has acted as a messenger of peace and mediator” (Shogimen and Spencer 50). All the possible attempts for avoiding the war had been made in the Mahabharata from various characters since“pacifism is the alternative to just war theory; it is fundamentally opposed to war unconditionally and absolutely” (Ryan). Mahabharata, the term itself is connotative of some kind of conflict to most of the South Asian people. It is thought to be the story of warfare, conspiracy, political strategies, gambling, the struggle for power, and the role of Krishna - the incarnation of Lord Vishnu as per Hindu religion. He's shown to have been inspiring Arjuna, one of the five Pandava brothers to fight. But Krishna's inspiration to Arjuna for fighting was not the first choice he suggested, it was the last option left so that his purpose of maintaining good governance, peace, and the dharma could be established on the earth. It is nobody but Krishna who advocated so much to avoid the possible war between the Kauravas and Pandavas. He did apply and suggested all possible ways of avoiding the war; which was prone to cause huge damage to the people in the Bharata Varsha. It is Krishna who initiated bringing Kauravas and Pandavas into a peaceful agreement. He was almost successful in convincing all of the vital characters for agreeing to the peace resolution except the eldest of the Kauravas – Duryodhana, who was backed up by his maternal uncle Sakuni and his brave friend Karna. Before the war of Kurukshetra, Krishan goes to the palace of King Dhritarashtra and appeals for the same in the assembly of the king in the presence of dignitaries like Bhisma, Dronacharya, Kripacharya, Bidur, etc that the best solution for avoiding the possible war is the peace agreement between the Kauravas and Pandavas. As a Shanti doot i.e. peace agent, Krishana appeals to the king to return Indraprashtha to Pandavas. He reminds the king that the king must give justice to all in his country. The giving of justice, Krishna says, will bring a peaceful environment to the country. This is a clear indication that Krishna wanted peace and nonviolence rather than the most devastating war to take place in front of him. King Dhistarashta and most of the dignitaries agreed to the peace proposal of Krishna, it was Duryodhana who didn't let his father declare the peace agreement between the two groups of brothers. Even then Krishna does not give up his hope for peace and further proposes that handing over only five villages to the Pandavas will escape the possibility of the war. This proposal is instantly Ok'd by the rest of the dignitaries but again Duryodhana rejects it outrightly and says that he would not give them even the land equaling the size of a piercing pin. The war of Mahabharata at Kurukshetra starts only after this rejection of Krishna's peace treaty by Duryodhana, but even after that many minor incidents are stressed to be held peacefully even during the war. The war would take RAJ KUMAR THARU 181 Int.J.Eng.Lang.Lit&Trans.Studies (ISSN:2349-9451/2395-2628) Vol. 8. Issue.1. 2021 (Jan-Mar) place only during the daytime, and they would rest peacefully at night in their camps. In the beginning days of the war, it was so much disciplined that it looked like a tournament competition. Christopher Isherwood in his book Bhagavad-gita: The Song Of God mentions the same idea of pacifism in the Mahabharata: In the first place, it is sometimes said that the battle of Kurukshetra cannot possibly be compared to a battle in modern war. It was, in fact, a kind of tournament, governed by all the complex and human rules of ancient chivalry. A soldier mounted upon an elephant may not attack a foot soldier. No man may be struck or shot at while running away. No one may be killed who has lost his weapons. And we are told in the Mahabharata, that the opposite armies stopped fighting every evening, and even visited each other and fraternized during the night (35).
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