ISSN No. 0974-035X An Indexed, Refereed & Peer Reviewed Journal of Higher Education Towards Excellence UGC-HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT CENTRE, GUJARAT UNIVERSITY, AHMEDABAD, INDIA ANDHAYUG: POLITICS AND ITS CONSEQUENCE Malhar Jayesh INTRODUCTION My idea or intention in this research paper is to show how politics is still we can see in our current time and its evil consequence on us and most of the people, so therefore one can aware that if we do bad politics (treachery, violence) there will be evil consequence. So we should have to contribute in the fight against bad politics and we have to do good actions with putting truth in the center and live in harmony. To justify my idea or intention, I took Dharamveer Bharati’s most famous play “Andhayug” and The story of the Mahabharata and some contemporary great people’s actions. Dharamveer Bharati (1926-1997) was a renowned Hindi novelist, poet and playwright, a Padmashree award winner. The play “Andhayug” (originally written in Hindi and translated by Alok Bhalla in English) is also called “the blind age” is a verse play written in 1954 by a renowned play writer by Dharamveer Bharati, which is based on the ancient Sanskrit epic, The Mahabharata written by sage Vedvyasa. This five act tragedy is also known as the first important play of modern age, following the 1947 partition of India atrocities, as allegory to its destruction not just human lives, but also ethical/moral values, and is metaphoric meditation on the politics of violence and aggressive selfhood. The Mahabharata war dehumanized both individual and society, thus the victor and vanquished loose eventually. Bharati made a political statement against war and violence through this work (Andhyug). Bharti wrote this play just after the independence and partition of Indian subcontinent. He wanted to show the people the moral consequence of war at that time by comparing Hindu/Muslim fighting in 1947 with pandavas/kauravas fighting in Mahabharata (kurushetra) March, 2017. VOL.9. ISSUE NO. 1 www.ascgujarat.org Page | 38 Towards Excellence: An Indexed, Refereed & Peer Reviewed Journal of Higher Education / Mr. Malhar Jayesh / Page 38-46 war. The play “Andhayug” throught gives the lesson of not fighting to their characters and the characters are shown either guilty or tired from war. Dharamveer Bharati wants to tell people through this wonderful play not to fight for land otherwise they will have to face such consequence. ABOUT POLITICS There are two types of politics one based on the treachery and the other based on truth. One serves the king’s personal interest while the other serves the nation. The aim of the first is to be on the throne forever while the aim of the second is to remain in the hearts of the people. REASONS FOR MAHABHARATA WAR As based on Epic Mahabharata it is interesting to know why the war happened and the reasons of war because everything has happened due to war. The war was occurred because of the throne of Hastinapur. Firstly as I know (because there are a lot of versions of Mahabharata) the big reason for the war was Dhritrashtra’s ambivalence and filial love for his son Duryodhana who became arrogant and has wrong ambitions. Secondly when Duryodhana at the Indraprasth (the Pandavas live after the division of Hastinapur city) which is also called Mayanagari (iluusion home) fell down into a little water pond by illusion. At that time Draupadi laughed irresponsibly at him and tells Duryodhana that, “The blind man’s son is also blind.” This leads Duryodhand hate to Draupadi and becomes revengeful. And the last reason can be said to be the game of dice between Pandavas and Kauravas leading to Mahabharat. POLITICS OF TREACHERY As talking about politics of treachery, Yudhisthir who is regarded as essence or symbol of truth was not left to do politics. He did not tell the lie but in kurushetra war. While Drona was fighting against pandavas and for kauravas side and there were no chance left to defeat him so Yudhisthir, told Drona that Aswtthama is died. (Aswtthamaa is Drona’s son’) and Drona threw his weapons down on the battlefield and at that time Dristmanyu the son of Drupad, the brother of Draupadi who was fighting for pandava in war, he seeing Droana unarmed, killed him to pieces with his sword. The politics is played here by treachery that Ashwatthama is the name of an elephant which is Yudhisthir’s half truth, which is morally not right because Drona thought that he was his son Ashwatthama. March, 2017. VOL.9. ISSUE NO. 1 www.ascgujarat.org Page | 39 Towards Excellence: An Indexed, Refereed & Peer Reviewed Journal of Higher Education / Mr. Malhar Jayesh / Page 38-46 Shakuni was regarded as the most brilliant strategist, treacherous man. First he planned to kill Bhima by giving him poison in his food when he was a child. But Bhima became stronger after having that poison. Then when Yudhistir became Yuvaraja, Shakuni crafted a plan to burn them in Laakshagraha (wax house), but Pandavas saved by Vidura’s ethics. The most cautionary politics of Mahabharata was regarded as the game of dice. Shakuni first emotionally blackmailed Dhritrashtra for arrange dice game between Pandavas and Kauravas. And tell Duryodhana that when the play begins tell I, Shakuni will play for you, it is not more that he gave his dices to Duryodhana and tell give it back in the game because Shakuni knows that Vidura’s athics will not allow to play with Shakuni’s own dices.So he made treachery by taking back his own dices by the hands of Duryodhana. The dices was army of war for Shakuni and boon for his ancestors made by bones that it has to do what Shakuni would say. The dice game between the Pandava and Kaurava became reason for the war because in that Pandavas lost their everything-wealth and honour. Even Kauravas humiliated not only Kuru clan and also whole mankind through the disorbing of Dhraupadi as she then became very angry and want revenge for that humiliation, tells pandavas that she need Dussashan’s blood to wash his hair which he had dragged in the kingdom of Hastinapur. The Krishana, the Lord of universe who is regarded as a moral centre was also playing mind politics (brain washing) He knows everything what will be happened in the future. He was the one who can stop the war if he wish but for the Dharma he was doing this.The example of krishna’s mind politics is shown, while Gandhari ordered Duryodhan that I will open my blind fold and make your body adamantine polish of precious stones. So go and bath in ganga and come return nude in front of me that Bhima will never defeat you in the fight. As Duryodhana came after the bath, Krishna saw him and stop him made Duryodhana mind brain-washed by telling him. As you had humiliated your land Hastinapur or Kuru clan and now what are going to do. You are nude and go to stand in front of your mother. Is this call a warrior? Duryodhana after krishnas words, wears a leaf cloth around his thighs and when in the Kurukshetra war Bhima and Duryodhana were fighing, Bhima was almost defeated that time it was Krishana who knows that it is the break the code of law in war to hit down the chest in a mace fight but Krishna March, 2017. VOL.9. ISSUE NO. 1 www.ascgujarat.org Page | 40 Towards Excellence: An Indexed, Refereed & Peer Reviewed Journal of Higher Education / Mr. Malhar Jayesh / Page 38-46 treacherously tell Bhima to hit at Duryodhana’s thighs (by signing language) and therefore Bhima broke Duryodhana’s thighs and killed him. As the Mahabharata story ends after so much treachery, the people finally realised that they ultimately found truth (Dharma) with the cost of millions of people’s death. The last survivoers became tired and realised the futulity of war. The story of Mahabharata gives the message of not to fight and recognize the evil ones (like Shakuni, Dhitrastra) in contempary society. The evil flourished even today as it did in ancient Hastinapur. You will see untruth disguise as truth, but if ones suffered remind the last word of Mahabharata story that, “Life is the result of your actions.” POLITICS OF VIOLENCE As we talk about politics of violence, I would like to give examples of the characters from the text ‘Andhayug’. The Characters are either became violent of violence, feels guilty or looks tired after the dangerous war of Mahabharata. As we talk about violence, revenge which was spread all around Kurukshetra or Hastinapur, we can assume that people like Ashwatthama, Bhima, Yudhisthira, Duryodhana, Kritvarma, Arjuna or many other were fighting because their mind was either brain-washed, morally blinded or they are ambitious or in a wild rage but when we saw Kripacharya who was the Kulguru of Kuru clan, Whose duty was to give lesson of not to fight but after Duryodhana’s death we saw him fighting, attacking on the Pandava camp with Ashwatthama and Kritverma burned the Pandava camp with fire. The most terrific vengeance and violence is shown from the character of Ashwatthama, which is the central character of the play. He is one of the survivors and only savior left from the Kaurava clan, who was still thirsting for revenge after the annihilation of Kaurava clan (Kuruvansh). Ashwatthama embodies what the Kaurava have stood for all along – ambition instead of peace, power instead of companionship, avoidance of responsibility instead of justice, contempt for everything instead of hope for the well being of all things.