03-09-2005, 03:35 AM
Sunil's reply
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Hi Parsuram,
The problem with discussing the Mahabharat on BRF is avoiding the theistic implications inherent in the morality of the war. In India however we cannot avoid the Mahabharat when discussing an impending war or conflict. Once the theistic implications are carefully avoided (or more correctly restricted to the context that they were stated in), one can proceed on to a purely political analysis of the situation. This has benifits in the BRF context. However staying clear of extremely subtle stuff like the Samkhya theism is quite hard even for the most experienced scholar.
Note I am specificially leaving out the Ramayana because in terms of the kind of choices that people have to make I feel it is less transparent than the Mahabharat and disentangling the theistic aspects from the political is more difficult.
I accept Kgoan's view that these epics, given the place they occupy in Indian psyche, are a meta-narrative to our civilization - and others in the region (atleast those not suffering from acute cultural schizophrenia).<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Hi Parsuram,
The problem with discussing the Mahabharat on BRF is avoiding the theistic implications inherent in the morality of the war. In India however we cannot avoid the Mahabharat when discussing an impending war or conflict. Once the theistic implications are carefully avoided (or more correctly restricted to the context that they were stated in), one can proceed on to a purely political analysis of the situation. This has benifits in the BRF context. However staying clear of extremely subtle stuff like the Samkhya theism is quite hard even for the most experienced scholar.
Note I am specificially leaving out the Ramayana because in terms of the kind of choices that people have to make I feel it is less transparent than the Mahabharat and disentangling the theistic aspects from the political is more difficult.
I accept Kgoan's view that these epics, given the place they occupy in Indian psyche, are a meta-narrative to our civilization - and others in the region (atleast those not suffering from acute cultural schizophrenia).<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->