Themes
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 GIVING. Yudhishthira says he has a hard time staying tranquil when he sees the violent things he’s done to Bhishma, who lies dying on a bed of arrows. Bhishma suggests, however, that the real forces behind this violence are bigger than Yudhishthira himself. However, Bhishma adds that destiny is nothing without human effort. Human deeds never perish, and so both good and bad deeds have consequences in future lives.
Bhishma’s advice began in the previous book and now continues for most of the current book, emphasizing just how much wisdom he has accrued over his long life. Bhishma’s bed of arrows symbolizes all the violence and suffering of the Kurukshetra War, and so Yudhishthira’s conversation with Bhishma is also a way for him to confront the horrors of war. While destiny plays a pivotal role in the poem, Bhishma makes an important distinction in this moment, noting that destiny doesn’t merely control people like puppets: it requires human effort to come to fruition.
Themes
Yudhishthira continues to ask Bhishma a variety of questions, including whether men or women enjoy sex more. Bhishma tells the story of a king who got turned into a woman as a punishment by Indra but who eventually chose to stay a woman because of the greater pleasure during sex.
The Mahabharata was compiled within the same several hundred years as the Kama Sutra, another Sanskrit text that is one of the most famous writings about sexual pleasure in history. This passage seems to be an attempt to justify the role of women in the Mahabharata’s society, suggesting that it might seem like a punishment to be born a woman but that it actually has hidden benefits—like greater pleasure from sex.
Themes
Yudhishthira asks about the many names for Śiva. Bhishma says there are a thousand of them, listing them in a hymn, and he emphasizes how seers have benefitted from winning Śiva’s favor.
The existence of so many names for Śiva suggests his importance while also getting at the idea of reincarnation by showing how the same being can have a multitude of different names.
Themes
Yudhishthira asks more about Brahmins. Bhishma explains how Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Sudras can become Brahmins only through rebirth, and it is always difficult.
This passage once again explores the different social classes, emphasizing the importance of each but also implying that one should ultimately strive to be reborn as a Brahmin.
Themes
Get the entire Mahabharata LitChart as a printable PDF.
Returning to the topic of relationships, Yudhishthira asks questions about the nature of women. He believes they are fickle and that they are good at deceiving men. Bhishma agrees and says that Brahma created women at the request of the other gods in order to stop men from getting into heaven.
Despite being fiercely protective of certain women (like his wife Draupadi), Yudhishthira ultimately has a negative view of women overall, which Bhishma agrees with. Although the poem features virtuous female figures, this passage strongly centers men, reflecting an attitude toward sex and gender in which women are a distraction to men’s journey to enlightenment.
Themes
Yudhishthira asks more about how dharma relates to families and home life. Bhishma explains how it varies by class and how, for example, a Brahmin can have three wives but a Kshatriya only two. He also explains that only men can inherit wealth and how wealth inheritance also depends on social class and status. Bhishma also gives a hierarchy of “mixed” children who come from parents of different classes.
While the previous passage has a negative view of women, this passage somewhat offsets that negative view by suggesting that a man’s duty involves devotion to his wife and family. Nevertheless, Bhishma’s explanation of inheritance law—that only men can inherit wealth—makes it clear that these figures live in a patriarchal society where men hold more power.
Themes
Yudhishthira changes the subject to all the kings he killed and how he regrets it, suggesting that perhaps he should turn to a life of asceticism. But while Bhishma explains the benefits of an ascetic life, he also talks about the glory of a hero, which convinces Yudhishthira not to give up his kingship, pleasing the other Pandavas and Draupadi.
Even after hearing all of Bhishma’s earlier advice, Yudhishthira can’t let go of his ambition of becoming an ascetic. Bhishma once again shows Yudhishthira how he’s misguided: while it’s right to admire an ascetic life, ultimately, that is not the dharma of a leader like Yudhishthira, who has an obligation to his allies and his subjects.
Themes
Yudhishthira asks about gift-giving and how he should be generous as a king. Bhishma advises him on different gifts for different occasions, saying that food and drink are always good because they sustain life. Other honorable gifts are cattle, land, and the gift of intelligent conversation. Cattle gifts in particular have a long history and come with many rules and traditions—even the gods Indra and Brahma have a famous dialogue about cattle.
Earlier sections of the poem highlight the importance of hospitality, and in this section, Yudhishthira and Bhishma explore different types of hospitality in greater detail. The ranking of food and drink as the highest gifts is significant because it demonstrates how the purpose of a gift is to nourish the recipient—while food and drink do that in a literal way, other gifts like conversation do it more metaphorically.
Themes
Yudhishthira asks about performing śraddha (a ceremony for dead ancestors). Bhishma says all living things should honor their ancestors. He lists certain offerings and certain times of year that are best for performing śraddha.
While Bhishma advises against excessive mourning, he also praises holding śraddha ceremonies, showing that, while it’s best to avoid grief, it’s still important to show proper respect to the memory of the dead.
Themes
Yudhishthira asks Bhishma many more questions about virtue and sin. Bhishma gives several thoughts on dharma and adharma (the opposite of dharma). He believes that for a Brahmin nonviolence is the highest dharma and that they should not eat meat; however, a Kshatriya might rightfully eat the meat obtained from hunting a wild animal.
This passage seems to recommend vegetarianism, treating it as a natural consequence of supporting nonviolence, and yet it also allows that meat-eating might be dharma in certain conditions. Given how important food is in the poem (because it’s the most effective way to show hospitality), it makes sense that diet would be an important concern.
Themes
Yudhishthira asks who the one god is, and Bhishma cites Vishnu, giving 1,000 names for him. Bhishma adds that a wise person doesn’t only focus on direct perception—the only way to reach the truth is long yogic meditation. After advising Yudhishthira to say the names of several gods and seers every morning and evening, Bhishma at last falls silent. He tells Yudhishthira to come back for the winter solstice, when he has chosen to die.
The 1,000 names of Vishnu parallel the 1,000 names of Śiva and suggest that Vishnu is equally important and multi-faceted. Bhishma’s final advice to Yudhishthira mirrors the eventual ending of the Mahabharata itself, which also provides some words for people to say every morning. The cycle of morning and evening represents a miniature version of the larger cycle of rebirth and death.
Themes
BHISMA’S ASCENT TO HEAVEN. Yudhishthira goes about performing his duties as king for 50 days until it’s time to return to Bhishma with materials for a funeral pyre. There, Vyasa, Narada, and other distinguished figures attend to Bhishma. Bhishma announces that it’s finally his time to die. His life breath comes out of him and flies up to heaven. The Pandavas cremate his body and then make an offering to him by the banks of the Ganga, where the goddess Ganga herself (Bhishma’s mother) comes to mourn him.
Bhishma witnesses the events of the Kurukshetra War from the very beginning to the ending, and so his death marks a crucial turning point, as the Pandavas complete the transition from grieving what they lost in the war to getting down to the business of running their kingdom. Bhishma’s death starts with fire (his cremation) and ends with water (The Pandavas’ offering by the Ganga), showing how the wise Bhishma was at one with nature in all its forms.
Themes
