An interesting topic to discuss - Page 7

Originally posted by: godisone

I too love the characters of Draupadi and Kunti, who suffered so much in their lifetime. I can't understand why some people dislike them so much. I feel compassion for Karna, but I also feel compassion for Kunti.

After Shri Krishna, Draupadi is my favorite character in the Mahabharata, because hers was a personality both vibrant and soft. I especially find the part where Draupadi respects Ashwathama even after he killed her five sons in a most gruesome horrible way. What kind of woman, taken by sorrow at beholding her sons' mutilated bodies, would respect their killer, because he was the son of their guru? She was one of the most intelligent women of her times. When she was dragged to Dhritarastra's hall after the dice game, she didn't sit, weep, and beg for help, but she recited parts from the Vedas and and quoted the scriptures to proove to everyone what kind of Adharmis Duryodhana, Dushashana, and Shakuni were. She made everyone see that her husbands were not to blame for what happened, and she made all the elders who were sitting there (Dhritarastra, Bhishma, Drona, Kripacharya, etc) guilty that they were doing nothing to stop Duryodhana, who was after all not even a king, and who could have been stopped with one word from Dhritarastra.

Draupadi is an example to not only us women, but to everyone as well. She is the epitome of patience and strength. Without a word, she followed her husbands on their exile when she could have enjoyed comforts in Dwaraka with the other Pandava queens. She entrusted her sons to Subhadra, who although was a kind woman, her co-wife. How many women would do that? After being harassed by Dushashana, she was againt insulted by Jayadratha, and then Kichaka. As Sairandhri, she did tought menial tasks for one year in Queen Sudeshna's chamber in Virata without a word of complaint. She saw her valiant husbands undergoing strict austerities in the forest and then doing menial jobs in Virata's palace. They, who used to be the kings of kings, were working as a dice player, cook, eunuch dance teacher, stable worker, and cowherd. With strength she bore all this, because she had a promise from Shri Krishna that the wives of those who insulted and harassed her would weep as she did. She bore with courage all the insults thrown upon her, because she knew one day her enemies would be annihilated.

Finally, when the war was declared over, her sons were brutally and heniously killed, when she had never got to know them, never got to lovingly take care of them. She was a mother of five brave valiant sons who never got to experience the joys of motherhood. Her life was a vale of tears with a bried interlude of happiness in Indraprastha, but she bore everything with patience and bravery. That is the greatness of Draupadi.

How anyone can say anything against her is beyond me.😕

Originally posted by: rajnish_here

very nice explanation👏👏👏

Originally posted by: mohit_raja

ugghhhhh why you pikcing shakuni as one of your favorite character......remember he was one of those who wanted to destroy pandava....

i dont like characters

duryodhan " a selfish, arrogant, evil person" - i praise his bravery but i dont like him.

shakuni " he always wanted to destroy pandava"

Dhritrashtra " a weak king and failure to stop duryodhan"

Draupadi " for her arrogance and rudness"

Kunti - " A coward mother who revealed secrets under an order of krishna"

Originally posted by: godisone

Originally posted by: luv_khwaish

just a suggestion....Let's stick to the original topic of this thread...therez a seperate thread for "favorite character of mahabharat" ...i feel we are discussing the same issue of arjun and karna in all the threads.completely bored and tired of it .

Originally posted by: godisone

I agree with you😊, but what else do we discusss in this topic? It's basically about the armies of the Kurukshetra.

fine yaar..we can discuss about the war and it was fair or unfair but all the discussions nowdays boil down to arjun was better or karna 🥱 draupadi was good or not..lets discuss characters in one topic, and create new topics incase discussion is deviating..😊

But to move away from the topic of Karna and Arjuna, I'll ask an opinion-based question to all of you.

While the killings of Drona, Karna, and Duryodhana were unfair killings (although needed, because they supported Adharma), do you think the killing of Bhishma Pitamah was unfair?

Here are some facts to base your opinion.

* The night before Bhishma Pitamah was killed, the five Pandavas and Shri Krishna visited his tent in the Kaurava camp and paid him obeisance.

* Yudhisthira asked Bhishma Pitamah whether it was fair that he supported the Kauravas, when the Pandavas were his grandsons as well.

* Bhishma answered that he was not happy with fighting on Adharma's side, but due to his vow that he would always support Hastinapura, he could do nothing.

* Yudhisthira asked a boon from him, so that Bhishma Pitamah would be helping both the Kauravas and Pandavas.

*Bhishma told him to ask. Shri Krishna told Yudhisthira to ask him the secret of his death.

*Obeying Shri Krishna's orders, Yudhisthira asked Bhishma the secret of his death, and Bhishma told the Pandavas the story of Amba and her re-incarnation as Shikhandi. Since Shikhandi was originally born as a girl but turned into a boy, and Bhishma had taken a vow to never fight a battle with a women, he would never fight Shikhandi.

*Bhishma told the Pandavas to place Shikhandi in front of Arjuna in his chariot, so that when the time came to face them in battle, Bhishma will let down his weapons, and welcome death.

*The Pandavas were reluctant to kill Bhishma, who after all was their grandfather. They remembered all the times Bhishma had shown the affection when they were children, and was proud of them when they were adults.

*Bhishma told them that once born, every human being has to die, and he did not want to live anymore. And no sin would be touching the Pandavas for the killing of Bhishma, because Bhishma himself had told them the secret to his death, and on the battlefield, titles like son, grandfather, father should not matter. It was crucial not to get emotional on the battlefield.

*Bhishma Pitamah blessed the Pandavas that they would attain victory in the end, because they followed Dharma, and Dharma incarnate (Shri Krishna) was on their side. Where there is Dharma, there is Shri Krishna, and where their is Shri Krishna, there is victory.

Based on this story, do you then think the killing of Bhishma was unfair when he himself told the Pandavas the secret of his death? When he himself desired death and welcomed it, and told them exactly how to bring it about, was it unfair?

Please tell me your views on this.

Bheeshma knew how important it was for Yudhistir to win the war..It would have ensured the safety of Hastinapur and Indraprastha...He wanted pandavas to win the war so he himself told them the way of removing him from the battlefield...may be if he wouldn't have done this, the war would have gone forever without any conclusion just like bheeshma vs parshuram war..now we can't debate on who was better right? parshuram or bheeshma?

Till the time Bheeshma had weapons in his hands, he had iccha mrityu vardaan , it was impossible to defeat him..he could not quit n leave the battlefield coz he was the commander in chief of kurus ..he wanted pandavas to be victorious hence it was not unfair..Also, Lord Shiva himself granted this boon to Amba that she will be the reason for his death..vardaan sach hona hi tha....

As for Drona, I believe he loved his son so much that he decided to quit when he heard the news of his death..if we look it from another angle, as the commander of kurus, he shouldn't have done so..personal relationships don't matter in the battlefield... brothers were fighting against brothers....there was so much bloodshed but Drona was fighting the battle only for the sake of his son..because Ashwathama supported Duryodhan, Drona fought for the kurus....I don't see the reason, except destiny , that he believed the news of Ashwathama's death when he knew he was immortal..till he had the mani on his head, he couldn't be killed...

The war was fought without any rules after Bheeshma's exit....none of the armies followed any rules...i still believe that kurus were killed in an unfair way but it was for the good of the society....it was all explained well in the BRs Mahabharat....IF we read our epics, we'll find similar instances..specially the devtaas vs asuras war...devaasur sangram...along with millions of people , morals and ethics were also killed..but it was done for the betterment of the society..