Meaning and the Mahabharata

Madhva's Interpretation of Mahābhārata

The Mahabharata-Tattva-Nirnaya

by

Michael Dolan, Mahayogi

 

The path in and out of the Mahabharata is an extremely complex labyrinth. And yet there is a thread leads us through the labyrinth. While there are thousands of stories in the Mahabharata, its central theme, is dharma.

 

The general meaning of dharma  is duty, religion, ethics, proper spirituality. How to define dharma  is the central problem of the Mahābharata. How to do the right thing? And is doing the right thing always best? Doing the right thing means leading a proper ethical moral life, doing one's duty to the gods and country. But what happens when social duty conflicts with spiritual belief?  When social duty demands we follow a  political line, and where spiritual conscience may lead us to take another path we face conflicts.

 

The conflict between societal duty and spiritual consciousness is an age-old conflict. How do resolve the differences between proper social life and mystical spiritual revelation?  The stories in the Mahābharata present us with one conflict after the next, even showing how the karmic dilemma plays out from one life to the next. In the face of all this conlict, what is proper dharma?

 

The Mahābhārata is difficult to interpret. The story is convoluted with many sub-plots and characters. What exactly does the book teach and how are we to understand it are questions that have puzzled pundits for centuries.  If we take Mahabharata as history, is everything literally true? Then again if it is scriptural, how can I practice it? If these are merely stories and fables, then what moral point must I draw?

 

In unraveling the meaning of Mahabharata we can take help from one of its most famous commentators.   Madhva was a great teacher of the book, so much so that he is considered a direct disciple of its author, Vedavyas.

 

Madhvacharya's commentary is enlightening. His book, called the Mahabharata-Tatpara-Nirnaya attempts to clear up some of these problems. Obviously it would be impossible to write a commentary on every shloka or verse in the Mahabharata, but he looks at some of the main ideas.   Madhvacharya writes as follows in Sanskrit.  He explains that the theme of the Mahābharata from beginning to end is dharma. He teaches that the simplest way to understand the Mahabharata's theme of dharma is to keep in mind the three different ways that the book talks about dharma.

 

According to Madhva, his interpretation follows Vyāsa Himself. Vyāsadev, the author himself has divided the themes of the Mahabharata into three distinct areas for the discussion and interpretation of dharma. He calls these asthikadi, (literary) manvadi (ethical), and ūparichar (transcendental). [1]

 

Where we are following the story for example of how the Paṇḍavas are exiled, we are looking at the literary or āsthika aspect of the book. Since the core principle of the Mahābharata is the question of dharma, we can see how this principle is illustrated in the lives of heroes like Arjuna. Here we may draw our own conclusions about dharma based on all the examples and anecdotes given. Analysis of the characters and plot twists in the book follow what Madhva calls asthika.  The word asthika  means "bare-bones," or "skeletal" which is another way of saying "superficial."

 

On the other hand, there are many sections where wise men for example Jaiminiya Rishi, Agastya Muni, Atri, Bhardwaja, Gautam, Jamadagni, Vashistha and Vishvamitra, Kashyapa and Atri Rishi, Bhrigu Muni, Kapila, Dattatreya, and so on are asked to explain the principles of dharma. In these sections wise sages and brahmanas discuss  different questions of dharma, explicitly describing the qualities of devotion, knowledge, piety, and so on. Inthe Bhiṣma-Parva for example there are long sections on the proper duties of kings.

These sections explain with aphorisms and anecdotes the correct duties of men and women, the nature of work study, austerity, good conduct, meditation, the proper understanding of Vedic principles, dietary rules, auspicious astrological moments and so on. This kind of discussion  is called manvaya,making reference to the Laws o Manu or Manu-Saṁhita where very specific rules about dharma  and criterion for proper Vedic practice are established.

The Mahabharata then instructs us about dharma through moral fables as well as particular rules for practicing dharma.

 

And yet, there is a higher sense of religion which is always deferred to. This higher sense really goes beyond mere ethics. This transcendental religion is about divine love or complete surrender to God, Bhagavan, which goes beyond the rules of ordinary human behavior.  Here, the concept of good and evil is well understood, morality is taken for granted, and proper behavior for humans is well-known.

In this transcendental level of religious life, strictures such as those found in the Laws of Manu or the Biblical ten commandments are so obvious that they are considered child's play.

In grasping this idea, one may consider how and where the Mahābhārata comes to light.

The version that we know is from Suta Goswami, speaking before the gathered sages of Naimisharanya at the beginning of this present Kali-yuga or iron age of irreligion. It is a given that the sages and saints, yogis and mystics gathered there have already absorbed the primitive ethics of the ten commandments. These sages and yogis are realized. They have no interest in lying, cheating, stealing, or coveting their neighbors wives. They are interested in higher religious principles.  They want to understand religion in terms of the relation of the soul to divinity, beyond one's duty to society.

So where the Mahābhārata often concerns itself with fables where the moral conclusion is obvious, it also offers a deeper transcendental understanding for the swan-like souls. While the book has a lot to say about karma  and dharma on another level the internal meaning of the Mahābharata is about Krishna-bhakti as made clear in the Bhagavad-Gita which is really the heart and soul of the 100,000 verses of that great epic. Whatever might be discussed generally about karma, dharma, good behaviour and ethics, the proper worship of minor Vedic gods, Madhva explains that  Krishna-Bhakti  is the central thesis of the book.  Madhva calls this deeper meaning uparichara or transcendental. He explains that where dedication and surrender to Krishna is discussed this is  uparichara, which means "to walk in the sky."

The "skywalking" or mystic bhakti devotional aspect of Mahabharata is the most important thread that ties the work together in a higher transcendental or esoteric  sense according to Madhvācārya and his school of interpretation as given in his work, the Mahabharata-Tattva-Nirnaya.

So, to summarize, one may enjoy the book on a literary level as a great story of kings and princesses that has a moral tale to tell and a Hingu religious background.  Then again, one may discover the so-called "Hindu Ethic" explained in great detail in the "manvaya" sections where Rishis and Gurus outline their understanding of dharma. But on a higher level, the asthika  or "skywalking" level we will find that yoga reaches its culmination in Krishna-bhakti where the soul surrenders completely to Krishna as does Arjuna on the battlefield.

Madhva continues in his analysis where he assigns peculiar qualities to each individual in the book. Of course, it may be said that since Krishna is Divinity anyone mentioned in the Mahabharata is related to Divinity and we can neither question their actions nor imitate them. Just as even Judas had a role to play in the development of the Christ avatar, so even the villains mentioned in the Mahabharata must have been great souls indeed to have been involved in the pastimes of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. But since an interpretation of Mahābharata can follow different lines, as Madhva has shown, he takes the time to give us a hint of how the personalities there can be seen in terms of what they represent in the sense above-mentioned.

 

In his work, Mahabharata-Tattva-Nirnaya, Madhva has analysed the different characters as follows.  In the sense that the personalities in the Mahabharata "represent" something, Madhva holds that they represent the following qualities. Bheema represents devotion, knowledge along with renunciation, a quick grasp, retentiveness, fortitude, steadiness, intelligence, vitality and strength, are designated as Bheema. As the son of the wind, since Vayu the wind-god has these qualities and so Bheema also is of that nature.

Draupadi is fireborn and  is Saraswati herself, she represents all learning.[2]

 

Madhva holds that Duryodhana is said to be Kali himself who represents ignorance and envy. His brother Dussasana represents perverted knowledge. Sakuni’s stands for materialism, while the other sons of Dhritarashtra represent all other vices.

Drona’s son Asvatthama is the Avatar of Rudra the Destroyer and represents Ahankara or false egoism while Drona, Karna, and Bheeshma represent the senses. The other warriors on the battlefield represent various sins.

The warriors on the Pandava side represent good deeds and their director is Vishnu.

The entire Mahābhārata may be said to represent the adhyātma transcendental or spiritual side of of life and for this reason the book is difficult understand even for the  gods.

 

But in short, we may sat that the origin and history of the Pandavas who are great devotees of Krishna are the central story in the Mahabharata in the bare-bones external or asthika literary sense. And yet they also follow the rules with their example. The book shows us how they stand for the proper understanding of dharma  in the manvaya sense, since they closely follow the Law of Manu. Yudhisthira is called the dharma-rāja since he never deviates from dharma. Their lives teach us how to live in proper harmony with dharma. The qualities exemplified by the Pandavas are necessary for right understanding of God along with the study of the Vedas.  We discover the manvaya or "Manuvaya" sense of the book by noting how the Pandavas stick to the law even when it causes them adversity, unless it is explicitly contravened by divinity Himself in the form of Krishna. The Vedic rules are made clear by all the saints and rishis throughout the book.

And yet, the true object of Mahabharata, according to Madhva,  is transcendental. It has a higher or uparichara purposes. The "skywalking" purpose of the book is to establish the supremacy of Vishnu. Where it would be easier to simply  outline His qualities and pastimes, we truly understand the glory of Krishna through the story of His great devotees the Pandavas. Where the supremacy of Krishna is established, this is called transcendental or uparicara.

This supremacy is established since Krishna dominates every god in the epic, controlling every outcome and manifesting his Universal Form to a shocked Arjuna.

When Madhva explores the idea of what qualities each personality in the book exemplifies he points out that in  the story of the five Pandavas, Yudhistira stands for dharma, duty, righteousness and truth. Devotion is represented by the greatest of Vishnu bhaktas, Bheemasena, who is the brother of Hanuman, the greatest servant of Lord Rama.  While Arjuna attains fame by his learning and skill, he aslo had the unique honour of hearing the sacred teaching of Gita from the Lord Himself, He therefore represents learning and surrender. Nakula and Sahadeva were famous for their courtly conduct and gentlemanly behavior. Draupadi represents Sarasvathi the Goddess of learning.

 

If the Pandavas thus represent good conduct and learning,  Duryodhana and others stand for all the bad qualities. Duryodhana, the highest of them, is the Avatar of Kali himself.

 

As a metaphor for our own spiritual struggle, the battle of Kurukṣetra represents the eternal conflict which goes on in every soul between the forces of righteousness and wickedness; to the extent that righteous succeeds, the soul is said to come out victorious on its onward march towards divine freedom. Paramātma as God within guides us in this struggle in this internal struggle just as Sri Krishna guided Arjuna in the field of Kurukshetra. Only through surrender to Krishna may we find perfect harmony and divine love. Madvha explains that this the teaching contained in Srimad Bhaghavadgita, which is the essence of the Mahabharatha.

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[1] भारतार्थस्त्रिधा प्रोक्त्ः स्वयं भगवतैव हि ।

मन्वादि केछिद् ब्रुवते ह्यास्तीकादि तथा परे ॥ २.१३९

तथोपरिछराद्यन्ये भारतं परिछक्षते ॥२.१४०

(महा. १.१.५० अस्त्)

सकृश्ह्णान् पाण्डवान् गृह्य योऽयमर्थ्ः प्रवर्तते ।

प्रातिलोम्यादिवैछित्र्यात् तमास्तीकं प्रछक्षते ॥ २.१४१

धर्मो भक्त्यादिदशक्ः श्रुतादिः शीलवैनयौ ।

सब्रह्मकास्तु ते यत्र मन्वादिं तं विदुर्बुधाः ॥ २.१४२

नारायणस्य नामानि सर्वाणि वछनानि तु ।

तत्सामर्थ्याभिधायीनि तमौपरिछरं विदुः ॥ २.१४३

 

From Mahābhārata-Tattva-Nirnaya by Madhvacārya:

bhāratārthastridhā proktḥ svayaṁ bhagavataiva hi |

manvādi kechid bruvate hyāstīkādi tathā pare || 2.139

tathoparicharādyanye bhārataṁ parichaksate ||2.140

 (mahā. 1.1.50 ast)

sakṛśhṇān pāṇḍavān gṛhya yo'yamarthḥ pravartate |

prātilomyādivaichitryāt tamāstīkaṁ prachakSate || 2.141

dharmo bhaktyādidaśakḥ śrutādiH śīlavainayau |

sabrahmakāstu te yatra manvādiṁ taṁ vidurbudhāh || 2.142

nārāyaṇasya nāmāni sarvāṇi vachanāni tu |

tatsāmarthyābhidhāyīni tamauparicharaṁ viduh || 2.143

139 - 143.

 

 

[2] भक्तिर्ज्ञानं सवैराग्यं प्रज्ञा मेधा धृतिह् स्थितिह् ।

योग्ः प्राणो बलं छैव वृकोदर इति स्मृत्ः ॥ २.१४४

२३

एतद्दशात्मको वायुस्तस्माद् भीमस्तदात्मक्ः ।

सर्वविद्या द्रौपदी तु यस्मात् सैव सरस्वती ॥ २.१४५

अज्ञानादिस्वरूपस्तु कलिर्दुर्योधन्ः स्मृत्ः ।

विपरीतं तु यज्ज्ञानं दुःशासन इतीरित्ः ॥ २.१४६

नास्तिक्यं शकुनिर्नाम सर्वदोश्हात्मकाह् परे ।

धार्तराश्ह्ट्रास्त्वहङ्कारो द्रौणी रुद्रात्मको यत्ः ॥ २.१४७

द्रोणाद्या इन्द्रियाण्येव पापान्यन्ये तु सैनिकाह् ।

पाण्डवेयाश्छ पुण्यानि तेश्हां विश्ह्णुर्नियोजक्ः ॥ २.१४८

एवमध्यात्मनिश्ह्ठं हि भारतं सर्वमुछ्यते ।

दुर्विज्ञेयमत्ः सर्वैर्भारतं तु सुरैरपि ॥ २.१४९

From the Mahabarata-Tattva-Nirnaya:

 

bhaktirjñānaṁ savairāgyaṁ prajñā medhā dhṛtih sthitih |

yogḥ prāṇo balaṁ chaiva vṛkodara iti smṛtḥ || 2.144

23

etaddaśātmako vāyustasmād bhīmastadātmakḥ |

sarvavidyā draupadī tu yasmāt saiva sarasvatī || 2.145

ajñānādisvarūpastu kalirduryodhanḥ smṛtḥ |

viparītaṁ tu yajjñānaṁ duHśāsana itīritḥ || 2.146

nāstikyaṁ śakunirnāma sarvadośhātmakāh pare |

dhārtarāśhṭrāstvahaṅkāro drauṇī rudrātmako yatḥ || 2.147

droṇādyā indriyāṇyeva pāpānyanye tu sainikāh |

pāṇḍaveyāścha puṇyāni teśhāṁ viśhṇurniyojakḥ || 2.148

evamadhyātmaniśhṭhaṁ hi bhārataṁ sarvamuchyate |

durvijñeyamatḥ sarvairbhārataṁ tu surairapi || 2.149