In the company of men

A sense has born in me to know and understand what is closer to me first; as the farther things look attractive but where I am right now is more relevant. So decided to read and understand one of the epics of India- Mahabharata. It is an interpretation by the eminent C. Rajagopalachari.

The title of the blog was my first feeling after reading the first 50 pages. Mahabharata is the story of men. There is valor, there is courage, there is righteousness, there is deceit, there is love, there is lust, there is power, there is friendship, there are relationships, there is hatred, there is plotting, there is intelligence, there is wisdom, there is pretense, there is ego, there is renouncement, there is kindness, there is cruelty, there is honor, there is respect, of course there is politics... there is every emotion known to man. Hence this epic continues to throb even after thousands of years after it happened and continues to inspire the readers.

I really loved the pure and dearly relationship between Draupadi and Krishna (she is related to Krishna only as his close friend Arjuna's wife). The way she confides in Krishna the agony she experienced in the court of Hastinapura after the fateful gamble- when even her husbands didn't come to her rescue- is heart wrenching. The friendship between Krishna-Arjuna, Duryodhana-Karna is sublime. The gentlemen involved were of highest stature, they were an institution in themselves- Bhishma, Dronacharya, Kripacharya, Karna, Vidura, Drupada, Dharmaraja, Ashwathhama and even Duryodhana and Shakuni. The ladies too were of finest demeanor- Draupadi (my favorite woman character of Mahabharata- she is femininity embodied), Kunti, Amba and Gandhari. When I imagine how that time and age would have been, it brings such joy and ecstasy. Never ever I think at least India witnessed an assembly of such towering men and women. I think the human potential had reached its zenith during Mahabharata.

I had read somewhere that India is poor and weak not because of plenty of incursions and loot that plagued her, but because she couldn't see another Mahabharata happen. I had not understood its meaning then, but now it is becoming clear the prosperity of those words.

I have read only around 150 pages, and believe me it is happening to be the best book I have read- only because of its depth. Ramayana and Srimad Bhagwata are the books that I would like to read in the future. Let's see what they have to talk with me…