'Mahabharat- Different Versions -Perspectives' - Page 27

Originally posted by: bheegi

Has anyone read 'Yuganta?' by Irawati Karve? She has some interesting perspectives on the different characters. She's quite negative on Bhishma because he should have retired long before the war.

She has also talked about how ambitious Kunti was and therefore limited Madri to only one mantra (in those days the co-wife with more sons had a higher status) but she praised her for being unbiased in her love towards the five sons

She also states that no where in MB has Draupadi been shown to have any feelings for Karna and admonishes those who claim so.

I agree with most of her points but there is one POV that I don't agree with. She has criticized Draupadi for confronting the elders in the sabha with her question: Did Yudi lose her before or after he stakes himself? She thinks the root cause of Draupadi's insult was her display of intelligence in front of the sabha. Had she not asked the question, the insult wouldn't have gone this far. I totally disagree with this POV as that's what I like about Draupadi the most- her ability to question the elders and rendering them speechless.

I haven't finished reading the book, so will add more later

Originally posted by: DrModel

@Italicized--YES!! even Ramesh Menon in the MB that I read and understand(for its prose is MUCH MUCH MUCCHHH simpler to follow for us modern NRI folk)states the same thing about kunti's feelings on sharing another mantra with madri. Also considering, many a learned man and historian make reference to MB (i.e.OCHS) RM's is not a "wrong" translation.

And YES, NOWHERE in the MB above of Ramesh Menon or the MB of Krishna Dharma (ISKCON) does DPadi even have an iota of feeling towards Karna

Originally posted by: bheegi

Has anyone read 'Yuganta?' by Irawati Karve? She has some interesting perspectives on the different characters. She's quite negative on Bhishma because he should have retired long before the war.

She has also talked about how ambitious Kunti was and therefore limited Madri to only one mantra (in those days the co-wife with more sons had a higher status) but she praised her for being unbiased in her love towards the five sons

She also states that no where in MB has Draupadi been shown to have any feelings for Karna and admonishes those who claim so.

I agree with most of her points but there is one POV that I don't agree with. She has criticized Draupadi for confronting the elders in the sabha with her question: Did Yudi lose her before or after he stakes himself? She thinks the root cause of Draupadi's insult was her display of intelligence in front of the sabha. Had she not asked the question, the insult wouldn't have gone this far. I totally disagree with this POV as that's what I like about Draupadi the most- her ability to question the elders and rendering them speechless.

I haven't finished reading the book, so will add more later

Originally posted by: bheegi

Has anyone read 'Yuganta?' by Irawati Karve? She has some interesting perspectives on the different characters. She's quite negative on Bhishma because he should have retired long before the war.

She has also talked about how ambitious Kunti was and therefore limited Madri to only one mantra (in those days the co-wife with more sons had a higher status) but she praised her for being unbiased in her love towards the five sons

She also states that no where in MB has Draupadi been shown to have any feelings for Karna and admonishes those who claim so.

I agree with most of her points but there is one POV that I don't agree with. She has criticized Draupadi for confronting the elders in the sabha with her question: Did Yudi lose her before or after he stakes himself? She thinks the root cause of Draupadi's insult was her display of intelligence in front of the sabha. Had she not asked the question, the insult wouldn't have gone this far. I totally disagree with this POV as that's what I like about Draupadi the most- her ability to question the elders and rendering them speechless.

I haven't finished reading the book, so will add more later

Originally posted by: ashwi_d

I don't think Karve has attributed the root cause of the VH to Draupadi demanding an answer to her question in the sabha. She says that Draupadi's question was left unanswered by Bhishma for a reason. Had Bhishma said that Yudi lost rights over her when he staked her after losing himself then she would have been an abandoned wife who's fate would have been no different than a slave (had Yudhisthir still had rights over her as his wife even as a slave and hence is justified in staking her) So Draupadi's question was not not going to help her in any way. But having said this, I do disagree with Karve when she suggests the possibility that her assertiveness in the sabha and unyielding grit to get her question answered would have goaded the Kauravas to strip her.

Basically what Karve cannot fathom from the whole VH incident is as to why Draupadi does not appeal to the Kuru elders to stop her humiliation and bring forth the severity of her insult instead of asking a question whose answer was not going to change her pitiful situation in any way.