Theme Of Violence In The Mahabharata

The Mahabharata, by Vyasa, uses the act of violence as a way of establishing a social code, practicing the code, and preserving it. All the characters practice a moral code of law and fight using honor. When the honor of somebody is destroyed, he or she chooses to fight to regain that honor. We see this code broken during the game of dice between Yudhisthira and Duryodhana in which violence is justified by the culture to preserve these social values. This tendency to shift towards violence occurs because the culture in the Mahabharata emphasizes honor and the characters will do anything to preserve that honor including violence. In the Mahabharata, the game of dice scene involves a gambling battle of riches between two cousins which ends in …show more content…
Destruction of the Kurus” (846). From this passage, we see Vidura using war and destruction as appropriate punishment for as little as a game of dice. Through this passage, the Mahabharata frames violence as justified response for Yudhisthira to get his honor back and restore the law of playing a fair game. Vidura is willing to kill his cousin, Duryodhana, to restore the honor code that Vidura and Yudhisthira adhere to. Even if Duryodhana is a family member, Yudhisthira and Vidura must kill him to restore social order. This goes exactly with the strict preservation of social law that The Mahabharata emphasizes. Vidura is not the only one who is angry that Duryodhana broke the honor code. Draupadi, the wife of Yudhisthira, is also angry about her husband’s honor being stolen. Although her opinions are not fully expressed in the game of dice scene, Mohamad Goenawans rewrites the Mahabharata through the lens of Drapaudi in the poem, Kali. In scene seven of this rewrite, we see Draupadi complaining to the Hindu deity Balarama about being wagered as a prize to the dishonest Duryodhana. Draupadi seeks vengeance when she says:
It was at …show more content…
From this book, we see a strict preservation of the social laws and a violent way of maintaining them through war. Duryodhana breaks this honor code and resolves to cheat in the dice game. Vidura says Duryodhana will go to hell along with his relatives for breaking the code. Rewrites of the Mahabharata like Kali also justify violence by saying the gods demand war when the truth is broken. Analysis by Laurie Sears also sheds light on violence saying directly that violence brings out the truth and maintains the honor that the gods want. The conflict of this game of dice scene revolves around social law and Vyasa uses declarations of violence as an action to preserve this order. Whether violence is the right answer cannot be answered here and will need further explanation in a later