An Invitation to Inquiry: Rekindling Flame of the Mahabharata

आ नो भद्राः क्रतवो यन्तु विश्वतः

‘Let noble thoughts come to us from every side’

…Rigveda 1.89.1

Enduring strength of a banyan tree's roots symbolise the advantages of tapping into the wisdom, values, and traditions passed down through generations. Just as the banyan tree draws nourishment and support from its deep and interconnected root system, individuals can find inspiration, beliefs and thoughts in their cultural history. Just as banyan tree expands its foliage, society can also learn to strengthen and reconnect with its foundations while it expands. Beliefs and ideas from the past may not directly solve the challenges of contemporary times yet they can serve as potent instruments for analysing and reflecting on modern political, social, and personal facets, thereby fostering critical thinking.

Delving into wisdom of Indian cultural history is certainly not out of context. Worldwide, efforts have been made for analysing historical texts for drawing theories of governance, interstate relations and warfare, with urge to find relevance in today’s dynamic and complex environment.

Thucydides' A History of Peloponnesian War is often regarded as a foundational text in the study of strategy and geopolitics offering insights into the dynamics of balance of power, diplomacy and warfare. Machiavelli's The Prince, a political treatise and work of political philosophy, draws on Machiavelli's observations of the political realities in Renaissance Italy. Sun Tzu's The Art of War and Kautilya’s Arthashastra offer valuable insights into strategy and statecraft, though differing in their scope, focus and philosophical underpinnings, reflecting the perspectives of their respective cultures and civilisations. 

When endeavouring to revitalise India's ancient strategic culture preceding Arthashastra, one inevitably grapples with the task of discerning between widely accepted historical frameworks and the narrative form of sacred Indian Itihasa[1]. This challenge is compounded by the question of myth and reality within these narratives. Lastly, any lessons from the past, regardless of their origin, must demonstrate their relevance for the present era and same in respect of ancient Indian texts too, requires thorough analysis.

The two epics forming core of Indian Itihasa are Ramayana and Mahabharata. Both are the most pervasive text in popular imagination of Indian civilisation. The Ramayana unfolds as a tightly woven narrative, blending palace intrigue, exile and war seamlessly. In contrast, the Mahabharata, encompasses a myriad of stories, dramas and moral teachings. Each moral dilemma, even that which is depicted in sub plots or Upakhyanas is meticulously explored, interwoven with the overarching plot in a frame story format[2]. While Ramayana unambiguously define good or bad through the frame of righteousness, it is Mahabharata which explores the grey that lies between them. The contextual reality of being good or bad gains traction in Mahabharata. The text which is eight times the combined volume of the Iliad and the Odyssey, tries to mirror human life in its entirety and its multilayered complexity[3]. Mahabharata is distinct in the sense that inspite of its core being Dharma or idealistic behaviour, it advocates a pragmatic approach to achieve that.

Myth to Mentor

Before diving deep into text to assess what it promises , it will be prudent to settle the question of myth vs reality. Saikat Bose in his work Framing the Mahabharata elaborate on this aspect[4].

…(though) it would be impractical to accept everything at face value, discarding the epic in its entirety as ahistorical would be akin to throwing the baby out with the bath-water…

He further writes,

…deal with events and characters not as historically accurate facts, but as concepts, after stripping them of hyperbole and agglomerated layers.

This should serve as the direction for integrating ancient Indian texts into the discourse of strategic thinkers and practitioners, texts that are frequently dismissed as mythological and consequently overlooked. Despite any shortcomings in establishing its historical accuracy by modern standards, the text remains invaluable for its teachings, which have been transmitted through the collective consciousness of populations across the Indian Subcontinent and neighbouring regions from generation to generation.

As it is not purely historical in modern sense, it would be inappropriate to compare it with other seminal works like Thucydides’ Peloponnesian war. Romila Thapar describes it as carrying consciousness of history yet not claiming historicity[5]. The didactic essence of the epic, qualifying it as Itihasa, inherently addresses the notion that its creation is not merely a product of the author's imagination or subsequent contributors, but rather, it is intended to impart definite lessons. What is the canvas of these lessons? Are there any enduring theories? Have any lessons been aligned with current times, and what parallels have been drawn so far? The responses to these inquiries will determine whether the epic holds true to its relevance in the present day.

Measuring the Depth

Unlike Arthashastra or other treatises on statecraft or warfare, Mahabharata is not a prescriptive text. It hosts a multitude of characters and plots. Sometimes these characters converge in their approach, sometimes diverge; they either challenge each other or reconcile. Duels in Mahabharata are waged not merely between these characters fighting for supremacy but also between ever evolving choices the characters have to make. There are duels between approaches seeking active participation and those favouring neutrality; duels between personal gain and larger societal benefits; duels between the ideas of war as a solution and of war being a problem itself.

Duels are also embodied in the dilemmas involved in doing something a character believes to be right, even though others believe it to be wrong. There is also a duel between the competing impulses towards war avoidance (no matter what the consequences) and the need to use force. The text of the Mahabharata is a testimony of failures and successes of these characters and approaches. While Dharma remains the bulwark of the entire text, the meaning and applicability of its tenets vary contextually. The Mahabharata goes beyond being just a narrative of the power struggle within the Kuru lineage; it serves as a potent tool for elucidating each of these duels and offering lessons for analysing their inherent strengths and weaknesses. 

Surveying the Landscape

Literary world enquiring Mahabharata is a crowded space. Efforts have been made to establish the text as an epic, to prove its historicity with archaeological and astronomical evidences or to disprove it. Epic has also been retold from the perspective of its characters. Dharma, remains the bulwark of all genre of interpretations of the epic. Despite being an epic having war at its core, major analytical works, have been majorly about Governance, Philosophy, Diplomacy, Leadership and Religious fervour and less at military or strategic levels.   

Echoes of the Past : Resonance in Present?

An old work, either can be reworked to suit the requirements of the perceived needs of the present or some questions may be asked from it by framing it with contemporary perspectives[6]. Mahabharata has been subjected to former methodology throughout evolution of its text[7]. The latter approach has been adopted few times in scholarly works. Lessons have been gleaned in domain of strategic management, bargaining behaviour or even of the dilemmatic reality of contemporary world. Kangle writes that the core attributes of world affairs are largely same even today. We still have the same distrust of one nation by another, the same pursuit of its own interest by every nation tempered only by the considerations of expediency, the same effort to secure alliances with same disregard of them in self-interest. Probably the timeless attributes of human behaviour makes fundamental teachings of Mahabharata immortal.

The true relevance of the past is when it enables introspective consideration of one’s own ends, ways and means. Replicating solutions of past for the problems of present has never been an option. Past should provide the tools for analysing problems both now as well as in the future and to assist in the comprehension of decision making. On this scale, Mahabharata holds promises through its literary vastness[8], richness of characterisations, complexities of decision making and transition from jus ad bellum to jus in bello. It should be further enquired extensively to extricate lessons for force build up, management and application under the ambit of Statecraft, an area that has not received the adequate amount of research it merits.

Conclusion       

In the vast oceanic knowledge of our past essence lies deep. To dive deep, we need to be equipped with discretion of viewing characters and events as concepts more than proven historical account, with referenced frame thinking, with an urge to discover the thought behind the narration with insight to contextualise the learning and last but not the least with courage to embark on this expedition without any prejudice.

Endnotes

[1] Itihasa does not correspond directly to history as in its current usage. It is didactic in nature which it widely accepts. It is not interested in whole of the past but in what is exemplary holding a salutary lesson. The past that is devoid of didactic value does not find place in Itihasa.

Bhattacharya, Dalmiya & Mukherji, Exploring Agency in Mahabharata (Routledge 2018).

[2] Frame story format is where a story is set within a story or narrative told by the main or the supporting character.

Saikat K Bose, Framing The Mahabharata: Against the Evolution of Early South Asian Society, Vij Books India Pvt Ltd 2018

[3] Bhattacharya, Dalmiya & Mukherji, Exploring Agency in Mahabharata (Routledge 2018)

[4] Saikat K Bose, Framing The Mahabharata: Against the Evolution of Early South Asian Society, Vij Books India Pvt Ltd 2018.

[5] Romila Thapar, War in the Mahabharata, https://www.jstor.org/stable/25614409.    Accessed on 10 Feb 24.

[6] Bhattacharya, Dalmiya & Mukherji, Exploring Agency in Mahabharata (Routledge 2018).

[7] Journey from Jaya (8,800 shlokas) to Bharata (24,000 shlokas) to Mahabharata. Bibek Debroy, Mahabharata.

[8] About 80000 shlokas in BORI CE.

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