The Mahabharata Analogy in Balika Vadhu*

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AnjanaYYZ

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Posted: 12 years ago

The Mahabharata Analogy in Balika Vadhu*

Krishna - Arjuna

Mahabharata as most of us know is one of the two great Hindu EPIC poems of all time. Two key characters of Mahabharata are ARJUN and KRISHNA. This week our beloved AnSh (Anandi & Shiv) was compared to these characters by the Chief Minister. He then gifted them a miniature chariot with Arjun, the warrior and Krishna, as his charioteer. In this thread, we will explore this analogy within the current track in Balika Vadhu.

Though Mahabharata contains numerous interactions between cousins Arjuna and Krishna - they are most profound exchange takes on the cusp of Mahabharata's final war - KURUKSHETHRA. Before the war, Arjun requests Krishna to be his charioteer during the war as Krishna has vowed to not fight in it. More than charioteer, Krishna is Arjuna's guide - his counselor for life not only the infamous battle.

At Kurukshettra, Arjuna's will to fight falters before the start of the fight when he sees his kinsmen on both sides of the theater of battle. On one side his beloved brothers, the Panadavs. On the other side, his cousins (the Kauravas), his guru (Drona), his greatgrandfather (Bhisma), his kulguru, etc. With his will to fight disappearing, Arjun asks Krishna - how he can fight his kinsmen? Krishna's answer is recorded for mankind in the Bhagvad Gita as he makes Arjun see its his duty (dharma) to fight evil as a warrior, the consequences of his actions are not his concern. He just must do his duty with detachment from the bonds of moh & maya that bind him as he faces his kinsmen in the theater of war.

Anandi & Shivraj:

The Chief Minister did not elaborate who of the ADBHOOT pair is Krishna and who is Arjun. However, given that their relationship is one of equality - of jeevan saathis - Shiv is Anandi's Krishna and Anandi is Shiv's Krishna. Simply, Anandi is Shiv's guide when he's on the cusp of war - his voice of logic, reason, and strength; and he will be Anandi's guide and counselor in her battles of life:

- Anandi's warning made Shiv extra-alert to the chaal of Heth Singh and with her hint, he was able to easily foil Heth & Shambu's plan to make him seem corrupt;

- Anandi was also Shiv's guide throughout the Naher project like when determining its route to handling the objection of the Gopalpura farmers, who had been instigated by Shumbhu;

- Shiv, on the other hand, has helped Anandi move forward emotionally in life (beyond her divorce and the death of her mother)... he has also helped her make a space for herself with the majority of the Shekhar parivaar;

- Shi has also helped Anandi grapple with her turbulent feelings since the arrival of Jugdeesh in Jaitsar - be it "guilt" at her inability to forgive him or her recent repulsion vis a vis humanity/compassion during the Donkey's delirious delusion.

In the story ahead the roles will continue to interchange. But, the partnership will remain steadfast where each will be the other's voice of reason/logic and dharma as they assess what is the correct action (karma) in the situations they encounter for the rest of their lives.

*There are surely scholars or fans with better understanding and grasp Mahabharata on the forum, so please let us know where we falter and require correction.😊 We (Uma (adi2512) and I ) are doing this thread at the special request of members of the AnSh AT particularly Gina and Myraa.

Edited by AnjanaYYZ - 12 years ago

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AnjanaYYZ

@AnjanaYYZ

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Posted: 12 years ago

The Parallel - The Players**

Just as it is difficult to discern who is the Krishna and who is the Arjun, it is difficult to parallel the players from Mahabhrata directly to Balika Vadhu...especially since the comparatives won't be perfect fits and there are a lot less characters in BV then in India's MahaEpic😆 Plainly, the parallel is more art then science!

1. Anandi - Krishna/Arjuna...also Draupadi for Duryodhana (J)

2. Shivraj - Arjuna/Krishna

The Krishna - Arjuna dynamic is indeed Adbhoot (Unique). Its friendship and at the same time surrender of devotee to lord. Their friendship makes them equals and while Arjun decides how he must fight and where the chariot needs to go - he always takes the counsel of Krishna, who actually drives the chariot to destination. In sum, while Arjun is seemingly the one in charge, Krishna is in control. In fact Krishna controls the sense of his true devotees (making him Govinda). And in this way he controls Arjuna, who is his truest devotee. Similarly the AnSh dynamic, which begun with their friendship will continue onto Samarpaan (surrender) of judgment and senses to each other (a wife's surrender to her husband's judgment and a husband's to his wife's sage counsel).

3. Bhairon -Bhisma - Is the all wise elder, who senses all the games/tricks...moreover differentiates right from wrong very ably, but is bound by love/obligation to the throneholder, in whom he sees his father always. Similarly, our Bhairon always acquiesces unwillingly to the whims of his mercurial mother. Alternately, he's wise but hapless Minister - Vidur - whose sage advice Dhritarashta continually ignores to the nation's detriment.

4. Dadisaa - Dhritarashtra - the blind king full of moh who only saw what he wanted to see. DS of yore who taught J to be a selfish MCP is no more? Of that can we be sure? She dreamnt for a moment it was JaAn on the swing not AnSh and she still cares for J galore... afterall she loves him most and is most blind to his flaws galore. So, will she buy his bull and change her mind about AnSh especially if CM & Sanchi create drama and J is able to make Shiv appear momentarily corrupt?? Gandhari - or we could perceive her as Gandhari,who gets corrupted, by MOH from time to time...like when she begs Anandi to take J back. Its parallel to when towards the end of the war, Gandhari blesses Duryodhana such that he becomes near invincible. But, is still defeated by Krishna's cleverness.

5. Basant - Kripachrya - the wise family sage who is bound by the salt of the king...in this case the queen (daadisa) who adopted and raised him. As such, while he has high regard for both Shiv and Anandi, he will never cross his mother. Also, he is now indebted to J for saving Nandi;

6. Gehna - Drona - She has often be a teacher/inpiration/push behind Anandi. Supportive of her efforts to attain further education and to educate and empower women. She is just and fair and never hesitant to voice or fight against what she perceives is wrong. She detests J and abhors what he has done. But, her hands are now bound not just by loyalty to the throne but, by J's saving of her son's life.

7.Sumitra - Gandhari - the mother forever humiliated by the wrongs of her son...left befuddled as to how he became so wrong. Blind by choice not nature, she knows right from wrong and is steadfast in her devotion to the truth (a genuine devotee of shiva). We can see jhalaks of Gandhari in Sumi for sure. She is genuinely happy for AnSh and knows Shiv is the one for Anandi, whom she loves like her own daughter. But, she still feels for J - her lost son as we saw at the sagaai. In the ultimate battle btwn good and evil, she will side with good but cry from her mother's heart for J, the bad.

8. Jugya/Jagat/Jugdesh/Jagya/Jogia - Duryodhana & the Kauravas - J goes by many names and is equivalent in this story not only to Duryodhana and Dushashan but all of the Kauravas in light of his multiple evil personalities. He's the prince, who feels his kingdom has been stolen by the Pandavas (AnSh) and is determined on getting it back at all expense. There is no limit or line he won't cross on route to hell. In his Dushashan avatar, he's trying to deflie Anandi in the current track by emotionally blackmailing her to pretend to be his wife.

9. Nand Kishore - Ashwathama - this maybe an apt comparative for Nandu. Ashwathama was a bit naive and in the end mislead by Duryodhana to kill the entire Pandava army at night after the Pandavas defeated the Kurauvas including D at Kurushetra. He was "guru"bhai to both Duryhodhana and Arjuna (Pandavas), but closer to the former. The apple of his parent's eye, he was used as a weapon in the war to break the will of his father Drona during Kurukshetra. Similarly, J is manipulating naive nandu to accomplish his goals including return to the haveli and now trying to keep Anandi from moving on with Shiv. And for now J not AnSh is using Nandu's well being to gain Gehna & Basant's acquiescence to remain in the Haveli.

10. ChotiMaa:

11. Lal Singh:

**These parallels is combined effort of Uma (Adi) and me

Edited by AnjanaYYZ - 12 years ago

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Uma

@adi2512

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Posted: 12 years ago

Parallels to the plot of the story :

Jagdish always had a streak of Duryodhan in him., w.r.t his selfish temperament., fuelled by the Dritharashtra in Daadisaa.

The plot for Kurukshetra in BV has begun from the scene where in Jagdish has been sent behind bars by a righteously authoritative Shiv.,

The parallel had come into focus...with the judgmental and selfish mind of Jagdish Vs. the impartial and righteous mind of Shiv.

After a series of scenarios in the treatment of the story., the focus has been shifted to Anandi getting engaged to Shiv., with Jagdish being the witness.
This may be co related to the swayamvar of Draupadi., when Arjuna had won her hand., Duryodhan remaining a mute spectator.

When Anandi refused to forgive Jagdish for his deeds., his ego has taken a severe beating...He then vowed to take a revenge on Anandi.
This is in co relation with the scenario in The MB where in., , Duryodhan's ego got hurt when Draupadi laughed at him in Maya sabha.

This is one of the crucial point in The MB and its context in BV., as thus begins the plotting of Jagdish to reclaim his kingdom ( Haveli ) as well as usurp happiness of Anandi.

Jagdish has now become a slave to evils...personified by the Kauravas.,

CV's have been successful here in their portrayal of his division into the multiple personalities that were governed by evil intentions.

Jagdish had gotten into the character of Duryodhan as well as Sakuni with his devious plots...

starting from his plan to remain in Jeitsar, by confessing the crime that he has committed w.r.t Narayan ., in an attempt to re claim the trust he had lost with his family...PARTICULARLY Anandi.
This can be co related to Duryodhan's offering of 'LAC' house to Pandavas

He threw in his major gambles trying to win the trust of the villagers thereafter., entered Shiv's kingdom ( office )., mishandled his work., entered the hospital., that he thought now is rightfully his., and finally into his Haveli ( Kingdom ).
These are all in co relation with the rigged game of Dice played by Duryodhan with the help of Sakuni, in usurping the kingdom as well as the wife of Pandavas.

We can also., compare the LAC house incident in The MB to Jagdish's past transgressions which are being swept under the rug now.

AnSh with their polite pretense were acting as if the past never happened. But, it did.

Jagdish's wrongs against Anandi are cumulative...they have been building...he's attacked her time and again in various forms...be it belittling her or marrying Gauri or extorting his own family or insulting Anandi's dead mother with the bibhooth..

Similarly, Duryodhan attacked the Pandavas even in his childhood and his acts just escalated to offering them the LAC house in a bid to kill them and then plotting the rigged game of Dice to take over their kingdom.

There was an "All is Well" situation for a brief period in the story before AnSh's engagement.

Similarly, at Yudhistir's coronation as Emperor...where Kauravas were invited ,there was a lull in the battle between the good and the evil.

Once he got into his Haveli., it is now the payback time for what Anandi did to him. His wish is now to usurp the self respect of Anandi by forcing her to be his wife by faking a delusional state.
Here ., he has personified himself as a Dussasan., in his attempt to perform a cheer / maan haran of Draupadi with the bigwigs of Kuru Dynasty ( Singhs ) as mute spectators.

The Dice game which in turn led to the cheer haran of Draupadi is the turning point in The MB which has led to the battle of Kurukhsetra.
Even in BV., we can consider the juncture the show is at now., where in Jagdish having reclaimed his position in Haveli with an intent of destroying the self respect of Anandi as a major turning point in catalyzing the future events that will lead to a Kurukshetra.

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Parallel Added from the Epiosde aired on 22/oct/12:

When Jagdish demanded Anandi to accompany him to the washroom., Shiv had interjected by coming inbetween both of them. He had put his hand inbetween Jagdish & Anandi., so that Jagdish instead of holding Anandi's hand had to hold Shiv's...Shiv very cleverly had escorted him to the washroom instead.
This can be viewed as a parallel to Krishna coming in rescue of Draupadi., while Dussasan attempted her cheer / maan haran. Also., Duryodhan at that instance., invited her to come and sit on his thigh., demeaning her self respect.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Parallel added in context to the episode aired on 26/oct/12 :

When Anandi agreed to forgive J for the sake of the family., she has indeed wanted to bring forth a peace treaty to put a stop to J on his mission maafi...But little did J respected this decision of hers...by wanting now wanting Anandi itself...
This parrallel can be noticed in The MB., where in Krishna had suggested Duryodhan to give atleast 5 villages to Pandavas and make a peace treaty...There too., Duryodhan with his own selfish nature., did not heed Krishna's advise.

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Would like to take a pause at this moment...and will update the co relations., as the story progresses. Just before concluding to this pause., can we hope that CV's will venture into the portrayal of Shiv as The Mighty Bheema to tackle the Delirious Dussasan ..aka...Jagdish...That would be one sight of " Blistering Barnacles"...! 😉Do not you all agree...😆

Your feedback and corrections regarding any of our view points that are compiled here by Myself and Anjana... are welcome.

Edited by adi2512 - 12 years ago

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Uma

@adi2512

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Posted: 12 years ago

Analogy added in the context of Confession that will be made by Shiv Tomm..i.e., 30/oct/12:

Now we are coming to the moment of anology of Krishna - Arjuna - Duryodhan triangle.

Krishna is wanted by both Duryodhan and Arjun .

they both come to ask his hand.

Arjuna stands at his feet while Krishna was sleeping.

Duryodhan at this head...in all his selfish glory...

Krishna sees Arjuna first...and asks him his wish...he requests for Krishna himself...

Duryodhan only gets his army...

Now J - A - S triangle will be just same..

Both Jagdish and Shiv want to confess their love to Anandi.

Shiv is sincere in his love for Anandi.

Jagdish is selfish.

Shiv is going to propose to Anandi...first.

He will now have Anandi... ALL to himself...

THEY will be happy to get ONE ANOTHER...

Jagdish WILL be left only with the ARMY...i.e., His family...😆😆😆

DS in Today's episode...showed the characteristics of Gandhari... When near the end of the war, Gandhari made Duryodhana almost unbeatable...but, Krishna found a way to still defeat him..though unfairly ... with his cleverness.

The coming episodes may throw a light...on the extent ...DS goes., to get Anandi back for her grandson...Will update this analogy accordingly.

There is also an analogy that we have noticed., when Anandi questions DS...as to how justified it is to play with her as well as Shiv's emotions ., in giving away to DS's love towards her grandson.
This can be co related to the Draupadi's questioning Big Wigs in the Kurusabha...in the event of attempt of her Cheer haran

Edited by adi2512 - 12 years ago

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VerboseG

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Posted: 12 years ago

So, you kept your promise, Anjana and Uma. And, what a keeping of the promise it is...

You have spun a fine narrative, covering all (or most) of the events in BV that have been, in hindsight, inspired by the MB.

I look forward to the update of this thread as the BV story unfolds for us, the less-initiated.

Thank you so much for this.

Take a bow, people👏

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umam

@umam

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Posted: 12 years ago

Anjana and Uma,

Thanks for the the analysis.. so well brought out..👏

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MercurialMedusa

@MercurialMedusa

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Posted: 12 years ago

reserved 😳 will post my comments once I read it thoroughly..

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Myraa Khan

@QuagMyred

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Posted: 12 years ago

*reserved

p.s. My like button isnt working!!!😡

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806047

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Posted: 12 years ago

Wow! This is epic! Excellent post and parallels, guys. I have never heard of a couple being compared to Arjuna-Krishna - equals. That's how it should be.

May I offer a suggestion for Lal Singh? Shalya. Even though he had ties to Pandavas, he was tricked by Duryodhana to side with the Kauravas. He was never completely on their side though... wrt Karna.

This post cleanses the palate after a slew of bad episodes. Thanks for this.

I have to disagree with Basant as Kripacharya. However he might have rehabilitated himself, he will forever remain Dushasana in my mind because I can't forget Gehna's forced marriage track. Also, given that he was so easily swayed by Nandu's tales, don't think he's wise.

Edited by TheRedQueen - 12 years ago