The three papers in this session all consider issues of human agency and fate in the _Mahābhārata_. Brian Black’s paper compares the two framing dialogues that introduce the story, finding that one places emphasis on the text’s ontological status and universal appeal, and the other on the genealogical history and the divine plan. He argues that the two frames work together to support the _Mahābhārata_’s claim to inclusivity and universality. Veena Howard’s paper highlights Queen Gāndhārī’s perspective, shifting the focus from heroism to the value of bodily existence, sensuality, and love. Tejas Aralere’s paper considers the roles of Draupadī, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, and Śikhaṇḍī. Though perhaps fated to be central figures in the bloody conflict, their actions also contribute to establishing peace from multiple fronts, he argues.
It is well known that the Mahābhārata has two frame dialogues that introduce the main story. While some characteristics of the Mahābhārata, such as its Vedic status and authorship, are emphasised in both frame stories, other characteristics are developed in one frame story, but not the other. I will argue that the Ugraśravas narration establishes the text’s ontological status, while also presenting the story as having universal appeal. In contrast, Vaiśampāyaṇa’s narration presents the main story in historical terms, as a chronicle of the king’s own family, as well as in cosmological terms as the unfolding of a divine plan. Addressing the creative tensions between these hermeneutical lenses, I will argue that they work together to support the Mahābhārata’s claim to inclusivity and universality.
This paper focuses on Queen Gāndhārī’s mapping of the battlefield in the “Book of Women” (Strī Parva,). After providing an overview of the narrative placement of this book, I will show how Gāndhārī’s divine vision of the battlefield reverses the gaze from masculine prowess and callous heroism to the reality of destruction and pain as experienced by women. Second, Gāndhārī, who narrates her vision to Lord Kṛṣṇa, does not recapitulate his message in the Bhagavad-Gītā of rising above emotions, rather, she elevates these emotions through the detailed description of the bodies of the dead. Gāndhārī’s lament affirms the value of body and arouses concern for war and violence. Finally, Gāndhārī reveals the cruel reality of the bodily dismemberment of the slain warriors and the unrestrained lament of the surviving women. Through the female divine sight, the Mahābhārata provides a new insight into the value of bodily existence, sensuality, and love.
This paper suggests that although one could argue that they were “fated” to serve in their roles within Kṛṣṇa’s masterplan for Pāṇḍavan victory, that the epic points to these three Pāñcālans’ as crucial in resolving the Kuru-Pāñcāla conflict by ending multiple multigenerational conflicts. They ultimately make peace possible by ending the looming individual conflicts of their predecessors, thereby contributing to the restoration of the Pāṇḍavas and Pāñcālī-Draupadī on Hastinapura’s throne. Without the Pāñcālan allies, the Pāṇḍavas would not have had a common enemy in the Kauravas, and it’s only through their marriage to Draupadi that they are forced by her - directly and indirectly – to emerge from hiding, return to Hastināpura, and wage war. While their actions certainly help precipitate and conclude the war, I also argue that their actions contribute to establishing peace from multiple fronts.