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!
Did you know that Duryodhana almost became the rightful heir to the Kuru throne but missed the chance by a cruel twist of fate?
Duryodhana was conceived first, before Yudhishtra. Yet he was born after his cousin.
What went wrong?
Click to find the story of the birth of the Kauravas from where the story of discord between the two cousins begins!
The Mahabharata is the largest treasure house of stories in the world, particularly of miraculous or super-natural births.Drona is born in a cup.
Two women come together to produce a child and a King gives birth to his son from his right thigh. These are only some of the several amazing stories in the epic.
But what was the idea behind telling these stories?
Were they merely fantasies of a fertile mind or was there was some meaning to these fantastic tales?
As always, Kulture Katha gets behind the why of the stories!
There are several theories around the birth stories of the Pandavas.
The epic, while being a little secretive on this matter, also gives us a solid clue to unravelling the mystery.
Click to listen in to the puzzling birth story of the Pandavas.
The farmer either sowed his own seed or let someone else’s seed be sown in his field. Either way, the output from the field belonged to the farmer.
That was the logic behind the Bija Kshetra nyaya, the seed-field metaphor that defined the relationship between man, woman and their heirs.
Click the link to know why knowing this rule is important for understanding the key predicament in the epic!
Also: Birth of Pandu & Dhritarshtra
Sexual freedom of women in the epic &
How Niyoga acquired a stigma
Kulture Katha 