Kinship Caste and Class

How did Hidimba and Yudhishthira interpret dharma in their context ?

Hidimba fell in love with Bhima and transformed herself into a lovely maiden and proposed to him. She left her dharma, kin for Bheem. It was a definition of love for Hidimba and her dharma. Whereas Yudhishthira agreed for their marriage on a condition because he was keen follower of dharma but to uphold the…

“Because of the diversity of the Indian subcontinent there have always been populations whose social practices were not influenced by the Brahminical ideas during 600 BCE-600 CE.’’ Examine the statement.

Brahmanical ideas during 600 BCE-600 CE : In Sanskrit texts populations whose social practices were not influenced by Brahmanical ideas are often described as odd, uncivilised, or even animal-like. In some instances, these included forest-dwellers– for whom hunting and gathering remained an important means of subsistence. Categories such as the Nishada, to which Ekalavya is…

“The Mahabharata is a story of kinship, marriages and patriliny.” Examine the statement.

Mahabharata is a story of kinship, marriages and patriliny: The Mahabharata is a story about kinship describing a feud over land and power between the Kauravas and the Pandavas. Pandavas became victorious due to their virtues. Kinsmen claimed the throne, and, in very exceptional circumstances, women such as Prabhavati Gupta exercised power. Under patriliny, sons…

Explain the language and content of Mahabharata.

Mahabharata is one of the major epics. It was originally written in Sanskrit. Today it is available in world’s leading languages. There are versions in other languages as well i.e., Prakrit ,Pali , Tamil etc. The content of the Mahabharata is broadly divided into two sections: narrative and didactic. The ‘narrative section’ includes social messages….

Explain how you will prove that the text of Mahabharata was a dynamic one.

Mahabharata is a dynamic text: The growth of the Mahabharata did not stop with the Sanskrit version. Over the centuries, versions of the epic were written in a variety of languages through an ongoing process of dialogue between peoples, communities, and those who wrote the texts. Several stories that originated in specific regions or circulated…