Nalopakhyana, from the Mahabharata, tells the story of Nala and Damayanti – their love, loss and retrieval.
Don’t be fooled by the name (Nalopakhyana)! In essence, it is the story of a woman hero – a woman who spared no efforts to gain and keep the man she loved!
Listen in to this poignant story of Damayanti and the triumph of her love amidst adversity!
Karna’s complex character has been dissected and explored by several playwrights and writers over two millennia.
This video explores what it means to be Karna as seen through the eyes of his fandom.
Check it out!
Did Draupadi secretly love Karna? That is what popular imagination would have us believe.
But was it Vyasa’s truth? Or a secret wish of the people?
Watch the video to find out more about where the video comes from!
The Mahabharata refers to Arjuna using 14 different names. One of which is Savyasachi.
Do you know what the name means?
Watch the YouTube video for the answer and to know what makes Arjuna the iconic hero of the epic.
The story of Rama had such universal appeal that it is even found in the Mahabharata.
But what is interesting is that Ramopakhyana, as it is called, is very different from the Valmiki version familiar to us.
How?
Listen in to find out!
All wars are the same. They are seeded by the egos, jealousies and insecurities of individuals. Neither the ancient Kurukshetra war nor the ongoing Ukraine war is an exception.
Listen in to the story of how vendetta between two individuals, who were once friends, set off an uncontrollable chain of events that proved to be catastrophic to all of humanity.
Why did Drona refuse to teach Ekalavya?
Was it because Ekalavya was not a Kshatriya? Because Ekalavya was supposedly a low-born compared to his other students?
Why did he extract a bloody sacrifice from Ekalavya?
Check the video on one of the most debated issues from the Mahabharata!
Pandu, the father of the Pandavas dies as a result of a curse on his head. On closer observation, one finds that Pandu’s life, bears some similarities with Bhishma’s life.
Both of them are forced to give up the throne or their claim to sovereignty when young. While Bhishma is forced to abdicate his kingship to fulfil his father Shantanu’s desire to marry Satyavati, Pandu is forced to relinquish his throne because the deer’s curse would never allow him to become a father and bear a successor for the throne.
Again, both Pandu and Bhishma are forced to give up their sex life. Bhishma after he swears to a strict vow of celibacy as part of his promise to Satyavati’s father, and Pandu, because of the dying deer’s curse. Both men are thus forced to lose their social status as well as their manhood and the right to have their basic human needs satisfied.
This is just one of the many recurring patterns in the epic. Explore what they are, and why events tend to repeat in the greatest story ever told.
Mahabharata the epic has captured and held the imagination of Indians for over two millennia.
The epic has inspired scores of literary works over the years. So, it’s hardly surprising that the epic also inspired several sculptors to tell its story in stone.
Proud to present some stories from the epic that found expression in the temples of Belur and Halebidu.
Vyasa’s Draupadi, despite being bold and beautiful, is often a victim of her circumstances.
But for a few people living deep down the south of India, Draupadi is the supreme goddess, untouched by any ugly episodes in her life.
For them, she is both a war goddess who blesses her devotees with victory in war and a guardian deity who bestows on them a peaceful domestic life.
Watch the video for a complete story on the worship of Goddess Draupadi Amman!
Kulture Katha 