Mahabharata

The Mahabharata is one of the two major sanskrit epics of ancient India, the
other being The Ramayana. The Mahabharata is an epic narrative of the

Kurukshetra war and the fates of the Kauravas and the Pandava princes. It
has the honor of being the longest epic in world literature. Making it eight
times as long as Homor's Iliad and Odyssey together and over three times as
long as The Bible. Traditionally the authorship of the Mahabharata is
attributed to Vyasa. There have been many attempts to unravel its historical
growth and compositional layers. The Mahabharata continues to invoked
during every election. Every generation, in fact every individual, finds his or
her own meaning in it. As Sukthankara says: "Whether we realise it or not, it
remains a fact that we in India still stand under the spell of the
Mahabharata. There is many a different strand that is woven in the thread of
our civilization, reaching back into hoary antiquity. Amidst the deepest of
them there is more than one that is drawn originally from the ancient
Bharatvarsa and Sanskrit literature and well in the centre of this vast pile of
Sanskrit literature stands this monumental book of divine inspiration....".
The Mahabharata has not only influenced literature, art, sculpture and
painting of India but has moulded the very character of the people.
Characters from the great epic such as Bhishma, Duryodhana, Dhritrashtra,
Karna, Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Abhimanyu, Duhshasana, Shalya,
Kunti, Ghandhari, Draupadi, and others are household words and serve to
drive home in a pithy manner the point the speaker wants to convey. In times
of stress and trial, the Mahabharata has given consolation and brought a
message of hope as much to an illiterate villager as to an experienced
statesman. As Rajagopalachari says: "In these days, when there was no
printing, interpolation in a recognised classic seemed to correspond to
inclusion in the national library." Or, as Keith sums it up, "The epic has been
too essentially a living force in the life of India and it has paid the penalty in
the constant adaption and alternation, in expansion and expurgation."
By comparing two most famous books that is Vyasa's Mahabharata by J.A.B
Van Buitenen and Bhasa's Urubhangam translated from the original sanskrit
by A.N.D Haksar. I am going to illustrate and interpret the character of
Duryodhana from Vyasa's The Dicing and The Sequel To Dicing part with
the continuation to the Shattered Thigh by Bhasa.
Duryodhana seems as a great warrior, brave, courageous, greedy,

disrespectful of his elders and friend Karna, tactless and cold-blooded. An
understanding of Duryodhana's character will lead a person eastern or
western, to a neccessary understanding to the dark side of the psyche. Bhasa
gives a highly philosophic and Indian interpretation of tragedy by creating
an exceptionally brilliant dramatic situation in which his hero Duryodhana,
the epic antagonist realizes the futility of war and humiliated.
Bhasa's Urubhangam by Mahakavi Bhasa noted for pathos, fury and heroism
is a rare specimen of tragedy in the Indian concept. Set on one of the most
poignant scenes from Mahabharata, it depicts the final fall of Duryodhana.
One, the warmonger and the other his theyyam. At the ultimate moment his
thighhs are broken by Bhimsena. Bhasa gives a highly philosophic and
Indian interpretation of tragedy by creating an exceptionally brilliant
dramatic situation in which his hero Duryodhana, the epic antagonist realizes
the futility of war. A word on the brilliant hues used by Bhasa to paint the
picture of Duryodhana. Bhasa earliest and most celebrated Indian playwrites
in sanskrrit, very little is known about him. Mahakavi Bhasa wrote the
following dramas like (1) Pratigya Yougandha Rayanam, (2) Swapna
Vasavdavdattam, (3) Urubhangam, (4) Doot Vakyam, (5) Panchratram, (6)
Balcharitam. The Uru-Bhanga and Karna-Bhara are the only known tragic
sanskrit plays in ancient India. Though branded the villain of the
Mahabharata, Duryodhana is the actual hero in Uru-bhanga.
Duryodhana is a major character in the Hindu epic Mahabharata and was the
eldest of the Kauravas, the hundred sons of blind king Dhritarashtra and
queen Gandhari. Despite being the first born son of the incumbent king, he
becomes disqualified as heir to the throne of Hastinapura upon the return of
his cousins, the Pandavas, who left their rural forest dwelling upon the death
of their father Pandu, the preceeding king of Hastinapur and younger brother
to Dhritarashtra. His resultant animosity towards his cousins renders
Duryodhana the chief antagonist of the epic. Karna was the closest friend of
Duryodhana. He is worthy villain of a western interpretation because he
represents an antithesis to morality as demontrated below, showing that
many moral tenants are universal and transcendent of culture and historical
era.
This story is told by the sage Vyasa's, whose name came to mean the
"compiler". Vyasa's mother is Satyavati, whose name means truth, so he is
the "son of truth". In telling his story to a descendant of the Pandavas, Vyasa
says, "if you listen carefully, at the end you'll be someone else." Vyasa
appears infrequently throughout the story, giving advice and also fathering
Pandu and Dhritarashtra.
Duryodhana witnessed the incredible opulence of the grand celebration
Royal consecretion with a far from happy mind. In this part of the dicing
three characters come before us in their true colours. there is duryodhana
who is full of envy at yudhishthira's wealth and opulence and starts thinkig
of bringing him down and destroying his prosperity. he is a person who
cannot tolerate good of anyone and becomes gloomy and thinks evil of
them. the second character is that of shakuni who is maternal uncle of
duryodhana. he is basically clever, cunny and crooked who has given
himself to doing evil. He Seems to have taken a wow to lead their clan on
the path of destruction. The third character is that of king Dhritarashtra, who
always seems to work under duress and gives in before blackmail

Mahabharata

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The Mahabharata is one of the two major sanskrit epics of ancient India, the

other being The Ramayana. The Mahabharata is an epic narrative of the

Duryodhana seems as a great warrior, brave, courageous, greedy,

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