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Chapter 11. The Women
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Mahabharata, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Dharma
Pursuing Enlightenment
Heroism and Warfare
Grief, Loss, and Mourning
Stories and Storytelling
Summary
Analysis
THE DHARMA OF KINGS. The Pandavas remain by the city near the Ganga for a month to purify themselves. Yudhishthira, saddened to learn that the dead Karna was his elder half-brother, asks the seer Narada why Karna had to die in battle. Narada explains it was fate and that Karna had the choice to side with the Pandavas but decided against it.
The poem continues to explore how war can be tragic but also necessary at the same time. Narada emphasizes that Karna’s death wasn’t arbitrary but a result specifically of his decision to side with the Kauravas, suggesting that while Karna’s death may seem unnecessary, there actually was justice to it.
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Yudhishthira tells Arjuna that he’d like to retire to the forest and perform austerities, but Arjuna rebukes him, saying that it’s the dharma of a king to rule. Bhima agrees with Arjuna, and then Nakula and Sahadeva say something similar. Draupadi encourages Yudhishthira to say something, but he doesn’t, so his brothers continue to give him reasons to continue acting as king. Vyasa, then Krishna, also try to help Yudhishthira overcome his grief. Vyasa recommends Yudhishthira preform a horse sacrifice.
Yudhishthira is known for his devotion to dharma, and so the fact that even he considers abandoning his duties shows how deeply grief can affect a person. Under different circumstances, Yudhishthira’s desire to go perform austerities might be praiseworthy, but Vyasa and Krishna remind Yudhishthira that he must follow the dharma of a king, and this means continuing to act as a leader.
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Yudhishthira finally agrees to put aside his grief. He and the other Pandavas enter Hastinapura, where crowds greet them enthusiastically. Yudhishthira offers up sacrifices for all his slain relatives, and then he appoints his brothers to various positions in his kingdom. Finally, he tells his subjects they can go home.
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One day, Yudhishthira comes upon Krishna and asks what he’s meditating on. Krishna recommends that Yudhishthira go visit Bhishma, who, despite being defeated in battle and barely alive as he lies on a bed of arrows, knows many things about past, present, and future. Yudhishthira goes to see him with his brothers and a few others. Yudhishthira offers praise to Bhishma, mentioning that Krishna sent him, and in turn, Bhishma offers praise to Krishna. Bhishma is in too much pain from his arrows to talk, so Yudhishthira says they’ll come back later.
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Krishna helps ease some of Bhishma’s pain and confusion, so when Yudhishthira and the others come back to see him, he can now talk at length. Yudhishthira asks Bhishma about the dharma of kings. He asks many questions like how kings should act and why kings have authority to rule. Bhishma responds, saying that kings should be vigorous and fierce but also merciful when the occasion calls for it. Kings weren’t necessary back in the Krita Age, but greed, desire, and passion made leaders necessary.
Bhishma talks about dharma in the four stages of life (celibate student, householder, forest-dweller, renouncer). He says that going through these four classes is particularly important for Brahmins but can also be important for Sudras, Vaiśyas, and Kshatriyas. Because a king has so many subjects, he must understand all classes in society.
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Bhishma gives more advice about kingship. He says a king should be liberal and generous but also unafraid to punish those who deserve it. He gives advice on how to pick trusted aides and courtiers as well as practical advice about where in the kingdom to live and how to raise revenue.
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Yudhishthira asks questions about the Kshatriya dharma, which seems evil to him due to the violence it requires, but Bhishma explains that war is necessary and is a chance for bravery. Yudhishthira asks more questions about how a king should behave, and Bhishma stresses that a king’s highest responsibility is to protect all creatures. The only area where Bhishma can’t help Yudhishthira is to explain how a king should act when his kingdom is in ruin—for that, Bhishma says, Yudhishthira would just have to trust his instincts.
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DHARMA IN TIMES OF TROUBLE. Yudhishthira asks Bhishma about how to rule a kingdom when it’s in trouble due to an enemy at hand. Bhishma emphasizes good judgement and keeping the treasury full. When dealing with enemies, a king should be naturally distrustful. However, Bhishma praises kings who take in refugees.
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Yudhishthira asks Bhishma about how to avoid unintentionally committing sin and where evil originates from. Bhishma says that greed is the origin of sin, and so it’s possible to avoid sin by exercising self-control. They discuss dharma again, which Bhishma says is how you discover the truth, and Yudhishthira opens the discussion to include his brothers and Vidura.
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Yudhishthira goes back to questioning Bhishma, asking what type of people make good friends. Bhishma advises him to avoid ungrateful people and adds that anyone who harms his friends deserves to be shunned.
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THE DHARMA OF FINAL RELEASE. Bhishma advises Yudhishthira that a wise person should follow dharma in order to be released from the current, imperfect world. He advises that wisdom is the most important quality a person should have, even above wealth.
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Yudhishthira asks about the creation of the universe, and Bhishma tells him that the god Brahma first created the Brahmins. All humans were originally Brahmins, but then new classes arose to fulfill new necessary functions needed to make human society work. Yudhishthira asks religious questions about Vishnu and Krishna, which Bhishma answers.
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Yudhishthira wants to know about the Yoga of final release. Bhishma says that a person who wants release must avoid impure actions. The highest virtue involves “shunning all sensory objects.” When facing trouble, a king should be steadfast and avoid grief.
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Bhishma tells a story he heard about Vyasa and his son Śuka. In the story, Vyasa tells his son how to obtain release, including how yogis maintain goodness and avoid passion even in their dreams. Bhishma says more about dharma, giving yet another definition of it: “conduct of the virtuous,” based on the Vedas and other traditional teachings. He emphasizes the importance of faith.
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As he talks more about dharma, Bhishma notes that sacrifice is an important part of dharma, and for a Brahmin, non-violence is a type of sacrifice. On the other hand, chasing sensual pleasure is the opposite of dharma.
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Yudhishthira asks why he had to kill so many friends and family members as well as what role sorrow plays for humans. Bhishma cites old writings and stories about how pleasure can lead to desire and sin, noting that sometimes unpleasurable experiences are necessary. Yudhishthira then asks about the best ways that he, as a king, can prepare for his next life. Once again, the answer is dharma.
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Yudhishthira asks about Samkhya and Yoga, two major schools of thought. Bhishma says that followers of Yoga don’t believe a nonbeliever can ever find release, whereas followers of Samkhya believe even those who don’t believe in the gods can free themselves with the right knowledge. Both schools are valid, with Samkhya putting more focus on texts and Yoga putting more focus on other evidence.
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Yudhishthira asks if it’s possible to escape old age and death. Bhishma replies that nothing can stop the passage of time, which inevitably takes away human lives. He adds that sometimes life can be unpredictable, with the foolish succeeding and the wise failing.
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Bhishma then tells Yudhishthira more about various gods, including how Brahma creates a new universe every cycle, and how Narayana, a form of Vishnu, is the “universal Self.” Janamejaya interrupts the story to praise the parts about Narayana in particular. He asks to hear more about him. Vaiśampayana agrees and tells more about the relationship between Narayana and the seer Narada. Janamejaya comments that Narayana seems to be the religious figure who offers the most benefit in exchange for devotion, since, as the universal Self, Narayana is present in everything.
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Vaiśampayana believes that people have many selves but that they all connect back to the universal Self. He resumes the narrative as Bhishma and Yudhishthira again discuss dharma at different stages of life. Bhishma tells a story about a Brahmin trying to connect with the universal Self and meeting a snake. The snake told the Brahmin about his experiences serving the Sun. In his journeys with the Sun, the snake saw a being who radiated like the Sun, and the Sun told him that this being was someone who had taken a vow to live like a beggar. This inspires the Brahmin to take a similar vow.
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