Khandavprastha

"When Might Is Right: Seeing Mahabharata from the Point of View of the Forest." Published on 6th March, 2021, in The Economic Times. Hindu philosophy makes no sense without appreciation of the constant comparison of the forest (aranya) with settled communities (grama). This division begins with the Sama Veda. Since the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata were meant to propagate Vedic values, it is not surprising that forests play a key role in both epics. It is the place where princes go to when in exile; it is where they encounter sages, demons, animals and all kinds of strange creatures. A study of the Mahabharata makes ..