Mahabarata

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Recommended: Dharma in the mahabharata

Hindu thought sharply contrasts Western thought. A central theme in the Hindu religion is following one's dharma, which is an individual's "spiritual duty" (McCrae October 30 2003). This duty is "not bounded by a law code, and there is not one path to salvation" (McCrae October 30, 2003). Because there is no law code, morality is ambiguous. Its definition is unique to each individual. In The Mahabharata, fate (which works interchangeably with dharma) presides over what is traditionally right.

Yudhisthira performs avariciously in the dice games under the rationale of fate. In the Mahabharata, fate is often predicted as it is in the dice games. Sakuni predicts, "If he is invited to a game, he will not be able to resist" (Narasimhan 48). Yudhisthira gambles all his possessions away to the cheating Sakuni, but he knows he is "submitting to the will of fate and the will of the Creator" (Narasimhan 50). The consequences of the games, exile, is usually not considered beneficial, but Dhartarastra "considers them [Pandavas] to be more powerful know then ever before because of their practice of asceticism" (Narasimhan 66). This shine a positive light on the Pandavas exile, which was a consequence of Yudhisthira's irrational gambling.

War becomes inevitable through fate.

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