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.
drona
Mahabharata and the Ukraine War
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.
Drona’s cruelty to Ekalavya
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!
Caste in the Mahabharata
The stories of discrimination that characters like Karna and Ekalavya faced in the Mahabahrata are well known.
But equally well known are the birth stories of Vyasa and Vidura who were born to mothers from a lower social strata of the society, but were nevertheless revered and respected for their ability.
So, what was the epic’s stance on the questions of ability vs. birth and purity of birth?
Do watch the video to find out!
Wit & Wordplay in Indian Stories
Language, as they say, marks the pinnacle of human evolution. And humour & wordplay form the crown of that pinnacle. Being home to such evolved Indian languages such as Sanskrit and Tamil, India, not surprisingly, is the wonderful land of stories centered around wit and wordplay.
This video takes you through some of these stories, highlighting a unique wordplay episode from the life of the great Sanskrit poet Kalidasa and a story of uncanny humour involving the Tamil scholar Avvaiyar and her favourite deity, Murugan. There is also a cute little story about how even the gods could not put a word to the relationship between Ayyappan and Goddess Lakshmi!
For all this and more, watch the video!!
Kulture Katha 