Mahabharatha

 I started reading 'Jaya - an illustrated retelling of Mahabharatha' by Devdutt Patnaik. Well, initial few pages, I did feel good. His writing style is engrossing but light hearted too. But may be a little bit flippant. 

On the other hand, with such a large epic, a reader needs shorter and faster sub-stories. Otherwise, he/she will have to dedicate their life to reading one book. 

So I started reading the book. As is my habit, I shared the pdf source too. 

But then I started feeling infuriated, appalled. My God, this is not the story to be revered. By women. 

Where have I read yet another 'holy' book with such infuriating, non-divine etc. stories. Ha, it is old testament! That too has too much of violence towards men and women. 

Coming back to Mahabharatha - let us consider the story of Madhavi. She is the daughter of Yayati. King Yayati. So you expect this princess to lead a normal peaceful life. But no. The kings always want to display their might and want people to know that they will not deny anything asked by holymen. This sage Galava asks 800 white horses with one black ear. Alas, Yayati does not have such horses. So what does he do? He gives away his daughter Madhavi to Galava and asks him to give this commodity to other kings and collect white horses from them. Galava does that and gives Madhavi to 4 kings in exchange for horses. How cruel can this get?

To justify this, some sources mention that Madhavi had a boon that she will give birth to 4 kings and after each birth, she will become virgin again. Wow, that is important. Not selling her again and again with the permission of her father.

And of course, you all know about the fate of Draupadi. Another princess who had to wed all the five Pandavas. The reason could have been to keep them united. But what about the lady - how did she survive with five husbands?

By the way - five husbands. Yet none of them saved her when she was being disrobed by Dushshasana. None of them saved her children from being killed. 

I am sure and I hope that all these stories were not part of the original Mahabharatha called Jaya.

I have heard people say that Mahabharatha more realistic when compared to Ramayana. Itna bhi realistic nahi hona chahiye tha.