What happened after the Mahabharat War?

Mahabharata is arguably one of the greatest epics ever written. The epic primarily relates to two cousin families the Pandavs and Kauravs. However, through its story and narrative, it touches on several aspects of human lives. In fact, it is said that there is nothing in Bharata that is not in Mahabharat. Almost all Indians know the story of Mahabharata. However, for most of us, knowledge is limited to the war between Kauravs and Pandav (Kurukshetra). There are very few amongst us who know what happened after the war.

In this blog, I will try to tell you the story of what happened after the Mahabharat war. Most of us know that the Mahabharata war ended with the victory of Pandavas over Kauravas.

After the Mahabharata war, the victorious Pandavas went to Kuru elders Dhritarashtra, Gandhi, Kunti, and Vidura to seek their blessings. Gandhari is filled with rage with the thought that Krishna could have easily averted the war with his power and her sons would have been alive by now. Thinking this, filled with rage Gandhari curses Krishna. In her curse, Gandhari tells "You and your Yadav clan will suffer the same fate as Kuru clan. Yadavs will kill each other and you will be compelled to watch helplessly. Later you will be hunted down like an animal by a hunter."

Hearing Gandhari utter this curse, the Pandavas are shocked and everyone urges Gandhari to pull back her curse. But word once was spoken can't be taken back. Realizing what she has done in a fit of rage Gandhari sobs uncontrollably and begs for forgiveness from Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna with a tranquil smile on his face assures Gandhari by saying "you have done nothing wrong. You have only predicted something that was destined to happen."

After this incident, Yuddhisthira is crowned the king and the Pandavas rule Hastinapur for 36 long years. On the 36th year of Pandavas rule, the unthinkable happens at Dwarka. To mourn the death of the slain warriors at Kurukshetra the Yadav decide to assemble at Prabhas.

At prabhas the yadavs start discussing the incidents of Kurukshetra war. Not long after a dispute erupts as to whether it was the Pandavas or the Kauravas who fought the war while upholding the rules. Soon, the dispute turns violent and the Yadavas start attacking each other with reeds of grass that had grown on the sea shore.

Krishna and Balaram watch helplessly as all the Yadavas kill each other. Seeing the Yadavas slain Balaram withdraws into meditation and while in medidate trance leaves his mortal body and takes the form of anant nag. With Balaram too gone; Krishna sits under a Banyan tree and ruminates over all the events that happened since his birth.

A hunter mistakes the feet of lord krishna as the ears of a deer and shoots an arrow. The arrow pierces the heel of lord krishna and he dies with the same smile on his face.

Krishna's death marks the end of Dwapara yuga and the beginning of Kali yuga. Hearing the devastation at Prabhas, Arjuna rushes to save the remaining Yadavas. While he is returning back some barbarians attack them. Arjuna, who was so skilled at archery is not able to defend the Yadavas. This signals that the main power of Arjuna's arrows was lord Krishna.

After the events at Dwarka, Yuddhisthira decides that it is time for them to retire. So he hands over the reign to Parikshit by crowning him the king and along with his brothers and wife, Draupadi decide to climb mount Mandara to reach heaven. On the way to heaven Draupadi and all the other Pandavas fall off. Only Yuddhisthira is able to reach the gates of heaven.

What happens after Yuddhisthira reaches heaven and why did other Pandavas fall while going to heaven is stuff for another blog.

Till them om tat sat!...

What is the message that the characters of Mahabharata war (Kaurav) give through blowing their conch shell?

In ancient times conch shells were blown before starting of war as a symbol that its time. In the case of Mahabharata war as described in the Gita we also have to remember that it has been described to drive home a spiritual message. The blowing of conch shells in this respect also tells about strength of each character. The trumpeting of conches is a declaration of the intention, of each of the chiefs, of what he can offer after conquest….

Tasyasanjanayanharsam,kuru-vrddhahpitamahah;
simha-nadamvinadyoccaihsankham dadhmau pratapavan

                                                     . . . B.G.CHAP1VERSE12

The mighty grandsire Bheeshm, the eldest of the Kaurav, blows his conch to produce a lion-like roar which gladdens Duryodhan’s heart. The lion represents the terrible, tooth-and-claw, aspect of nature. Our hair stands on end and our hearts beat violently when we hear the roar of a lion in a still, solitary forest even though we are miles away from the beast. Fear is a property of nature, not of God. Bheeshm is the very image of delusion. If delusion prevails, it will enwrap the material world’s forest of fear which we inhabit in yet another shroud of fear to make the existing dread even more frightening. Delusion cannot offer anything else except this. Fear, although in varying degrees, is born out of each perversion. Similar is also the message of the conches of the other Kaurav chiefs.

Tatahsankhascabheryasca,panavanaka-gomukhah;
sahasaivabhyahanyantasa, shabdas tumulo ’bhavat.

                                             ….. B.G.CHAP 1 VERSE 13

After Bheeshm’s blowing of his conch, numerous other conches, drums, and trumpets are sounded together, and they make an awesome noise. The Kaurav have no message other than that of fear. Intoxicated with a sense of false success, the outward-looking impulses that offend and demean the human Soul render the bonds of infatuation yet stronger.

What is the message that the characters of Mahabharata war (Pandavas) give through blowing their conch shell?

What is niyat(or neeyat) karma that Gita talks about ?

Lord krishna tells about niyat karma (the prescribed or ordained action that needs to be done) in sloka 8 of chapter 3.
           niyatam kuru karma tvam, karma jyayo hy akarmanah
           sarira-yatrapi ca te, na prasiddhyed akarmanah
                                    -B.G.CHAP3 SLOKA 8
English Translation-“You ought to do your prescribed action as enjoined by scripture, for doing work is better than not doing any, and in the absence of it even the journey of your body may not be completed.’’


Arjun is prompted to do the prescribed action-the ordained task which is distinct from all other kinds of work. Performance of this action is preferable to inaction, because if we do it and traverse even a small part of our way, it can rescue us from the great fear of birth and death. Performance of one’s spiritual duty - the ordained action- is, therefore, the better course. By not doing it we cannot even complete the journey of our Soul through different bodies. Here the prescribed action or niyat karma is such that will free one from the tetacles of birth and death. But what is the prescribed or ordained work that needs to be done ? This is described in the next sloka...
          yajnarthat karmano ’nyatra, loko ’yam karma-bandhanah
        tad-artham karma kaunteya, mukta-sangah samachara
                                   -B.G.CHAP-3-SLOKA 9
English Translation-“Since the conduct of yagya is the only action and all other business in which people are engaged are only forms of worldly bondage, O son of Kunti, be unattached and do your duty to God well.’’

Contemplation of God is the only real action. That conduct is action which enables the mind to concentrate on God. It is a prescribed act and, according to Krishn, tasks other than this are only forms of worldly bondage. Anything other than the performance of this yagya is a form of slavery rather than action. It is important to remind ourselves once more of Krishn’s injunction to Arjun that he shall be freed from the evils of this world only by doing the one real work. The accomplishment of this work, of yagya, is action; and Arjun is urged to do it well in a spirit of detachment. It cannot be performed without disinterest in the world and its objects.

So the conduct of yagya is action.


 But another question that now arises is what this worthwhile act of yagya is ? 


Where does yagna come from and what does it give?

What is karma according to Gita?

Lord krishna first brings the topic of karma in the 39th sloka of chapter 2
                    esa te ’bhihita sankhye buddhir yoge tv imam shrinu
                 buddhya yukto yaya partha karma-bandham prahasyasi
                                     -B.G.CHAP2-SLOKA39
English Translation-“This knowledge which I have imparted to you, O Parth is related to Gyan Yog, the Way of knowledge, and now you should listen to me on Karm Yog, the Way of Selfless Action, with which you can successfully sever the fetters of action as well as its consequence (karm).’’


Krishn tells Arjun that the knowledge, he has spoken of, is related to the Way of Knowledge. What knowledge is it except that Arjun should fight? The substance of the Way of Discrimination or Knowledge is only that if we fight according to our disposition after a careful appraisal of our capacity as well as of profit and loss, we shall attain to the state of ultimate bliss if we win, and to heavenly,godlike existence even if we are vanquished. There is gain in both cases. If we do not act, others will speak disparagingly of us and look upon us as having retreated like cowards, and we shall be disgraced. So to forge ahead on the path of action with a careful understanding of one’s innate nature is itself the Way of Knowledge or Discernment.


So Krishn asks Arjun to listen to him while he speaks of the Way of Selfless Action, armed with which he can effectively destroy the bonds of action and its consequence. Here the Yogeshwar has, for the first time, spoken of karm, although without explaining what it is. Instead of dwelling upon the nature of action, he describes its  characteristic traits.
Then he says in the next sloka describing the characterestics of Karma...
                      nehabhikrama-naso ’sti, pratyavayo na vidyate
                sv-alpam apy asya dharmasya, trayate mahato bhayat
                                      -B.G.CHAP2-SLOKA-40
English Translation-Since selfless action neither wears out the seed from which it sprang nor has any adverse consequence, even a partial observance of this dharm liberates (one) from the dire terror (of repeated birth and death)”
In the performance of action without coveting the fruits thereof, the initial impulse or the seed is not destroyed. It also does not give rise to any evil. So selfless action, even though done in small measures, frees us from the great fear represented by birth and death. That necessitates reflecting over the nature of such action and walking at least a few steps along its path. Worshippers who have renounced the vanity of earthly possessions have trodden this path, but so can those who lead the life of householders. Krishn tells Arjun to just sow the seed, for the seed is never destroyed.
He then states in the next sloka...
               vyavasayatmika buddhir, ekeha kuru-nandana
            bahu-sakha hy anantas ca, buddhayo ’vyavasayinam
                                             -B.G.CHAP2-SLOKA 41
English Translation-“On this auspicious path, O Kurunandan (Arjun), the resolute mind is one, but the minds of the ignorant are divided and many’’

The mind which is earnestly and firmly oriented to selfless action is unified. Selfless action is only one and its outcome is also one. Spiritual accomplishment is the only true achievement, The gradual realization of this attainment by fighting against forces of the material world is an enterprise. This enterprise and resolute action, with a single goal are also one and the same. 

So, it is clear that there is a certain specific action that needs to be done But what is that action but what is that action Lord krishna doesn't say it as yet. He says in the 47th 
sloka
         karmany evadhikaras te, ma phalesu kadacana
     ma karma-phala-hetur bhur, ma te sango ’stv akarmani 
                                                   -B.G.CHAP2-SLOKA-47
English Translation- “Since you are entitled only to the performance of action

but never to the fruits thereof, you should neither desire rewards of action nor be drawn to inaction.”   
So, it is cleared by Lord krishna that while performing this specific action or job you should not keep any desires of fruits of action. In other words you should have no desires while performing action, but what is the action that needs to be done? 

Who are the main characters of Mahabharata war according to Gita?

In the opening sloka of Gita Dhitarashtra asks sanjay

                                      Dharamashetr kurushetr samabeta yuyutsava
                                      Mamakah Panadavaschaiva kim kurvat sanjaya..B.G..CHAP.1..SLOKA..1


The war that has been talked about in Gita is actually the war that is fought within the body of the yogi  (explained in detail in another post. Click on the hyperlink )between good and evil forces when he goes forward in his spiritual quest.Dhitarashtr represents a mind that has been filled with ignorence. So, he is represented as blind from birth because he can't see what is good and what is evil. But he also comes to know about God through the epitome of self control (represented by sanjay). But as long as as long as his infatuation for Duryodhan born from ignorance lasts, his inner eye will be focused on the Kaurav, who symbolize the ungodly forces of negative, sinful impulses.
Sanjay says as reply
                                  Dristwa tu panwanikam byurang duryodhanostada
                                  Acharya mup sangyamya raja bachana ma brabit....B.G..CHAP.1..SLOKA..2

  Dual conduct itself is Dronacharya. When the awareness dawns that we are alienated from God there arises in the heart an acute hunger for the attainment of that exalted Spirit. Only then do we set out to seek an accomplished teacher, a realized sage (Guru). Between the two opposed impulses, this awareness is the first
initiator into wisdom, our first teacher. So Dronacharya has been referred to as acharya or guru.   


King Duryodhan, an embodiment of excessive attachment to worldly objects. Attachment is at the root of all griefs, indeed their King.So Duryodhan is the king of Kauravs (the evil side). It tempts one away from the spiritual treasure and so it is named Duryodhan. Only the Soul property is the stable property and it is attachment which generates impurity in it. It draws one to the material world. But it also provides the primary motive for enlightenment.

The army of Pandavs is led by Dhristdyumn, the son of Drupad, is the steadfast mind that treasures faith in the universal, immutable reality. He is thus the master, the type of righteous impulses that lead to selfless activity
in a spirit of egoless reverence to spiritual divinity.(B.G. Chap..1..sloka 3)

This army is composed of those who can guide souls to the Supreme Spirit, like Bheem who is an embodiment of resolute sentiment, the image of tender devotion Arjun, and many other valiant warriors such as Satyaki embodiment of satwikta(purity & piousness), Virat (believer of godliness in everything) and the great warrior leader Drupad, symbolizing consistency and steadfastness on the path of spirituality, and Dhrishtketu, the steadfast-in-duty, Chekitan, who can rein in his straying thought and concentrate it on the Supreme Spirit. The King of the holy city of Kashi (Kashiraj), an emblem of the sacredness that resides within the world of the body. Purujeet, the one who obtains victory over matter in all its forms-gross, subtle, and instrumental. Kuntibhoj, who conquers world life by doing what is worthy of doing. ThenShaibya, of virtuous conduct. The heroic Yudhmanyu of warlike temper; Uttmauj with the spirit of abandon that flows from sacred excellence; Abhimanyu (Saubhadr), Subhadra’s son, with a mind without fear because it is propped up by righteousness, and the five sons of Draupadi who herself is a form of discernment of the divine, all are great warriors named tenderness, beauty, compassion, spiritual repose and consistency. All of them are noted for their ability to traverse the path of spiritual fulfillment with perfect skill.(B.G.chap..1 sloka 4, 5 and 6)

Now the kaurava are detailed ...

The commander-in-chief is Dronacharya himself, symbolizing dual conduct. And then there is the grandsire Bheeshm, the very image of delusion. Delusion is the fountainhead of deviation from the ideal state. Since it survives till the very end, delusion is the grandsire. The whole army has perished, but Bheeshm yet lives on.He lies unconscious on his bed of arrows and still continues to breathe. Like Bheeshm, too, are Karn, a betrayer of the sacred character of Self, and the conquering warrior Kripacharya. Kripacharya represents the act of compassion by the seeker in the state before Self-realization.Ashwatthama is an image of inordinate attachment, Vikarn of indecision, and Bhurishrawa of perplexity and confusion. They are all chiefs of the outward flowing current of life.Then there is Duryodhan who has been described earlier.(B.G..CHAP1..SLOKA 8)


These are the characters from two side who take part in the war.The war that goes on actually in the body of the yogi when he tries to meditate to attain unification with supreme God. Actually at that time there goes on awar between his good and evil qualities and these characters of war are merely the representation of those qualities.What is the message that the characters of Mahabharata war (Kaurav)give through blowing their conch shell?

          

Where is Kurukshetra (the place where Mahabharata war was fought) according to GITA ?

In the first sloka of Gita Dhitarashra asks Sanjay
                       
                                  Dharmakhetre kurushetre samaveta yuyutsava
                                  Mamakah pandavaschaiva kim kurvat sanjaya...B.g.Ch-1.Sloka-1


Dhritrashtr said, ‘‘Assembled at Kurukshetr, at Dharmkshetr, and eager for combat, O Sanjay, what did my and Pandu’s sons do?”

Dhritrashtr is the very image of ignorance; and Sanjay is the embodiment of self-restraint. Ignorance lurks at the core of the objective, the outward-looking, mind. With his mind enveloped in darkness, Dhritrashtr is blind since birth, but he sees and hears through Sanjay, the epitome of self-control. He knows that God alone is real, but as long as his infatuation for Duryodhan (the form of worldly illusion) born from ignorance lasts, his inner eye will be focused on the Kaurav.

Here The human body is a field for combat. When there is abundance of divinity in the realm of the heart, the body is transmuted into a Dharmkshetr ( field of dharm ), but it degenerates into a Kurukshetr
when it is infested with demoniacal powers.

The sphere of birth and death, of that which is evolved from a previous source or prakriti (nature) is Kurukshetr, whereas the sphere of righteous impulses which guide the Self to God, the highest spiritual reality, is Dharmkshetr.

The two forces that are fighting in this shetr are the

1. Pious or good things which are born from pandu (symbol of piety; he is the one in whom virtue is awakened) who are called Pandavs

2. The kauravs who represent the demonic qualities present in the human like moha(craving for earthly joys) etc who are born from Dhitarastra (who represents ignorance, that is why he is presented as blind from birth).


So, The body itself is a field, a ring or an arena. The forces that clash on this field are twofold, the godly and the ungodly, the divine and the devilish, the offspring of Pandu and those of Dhritrashtr, the forces that are congenial to the essentially divine character of the Self and those which offend and demean it.

That the body is the shetr that Gita is talking about becomes more clear from 13 th chapter where lord Krishna says
                           Idam sarairam kaunteya shetr mityavidiyate
                           Etad yo vetti tang prahu shetragya iti tatvida....B.G..CHAP 13...SLOKA.1


The Lord said, This body is, O son of Kunti, a battlefield (kshetr) and the men who know it (kshetragya) are called wise because they have grown spiritually dexterous by perceiving its essence. When the body is only one, how can there be two spheres- Dharmkshetr and Kurukshetr-in it? In truth, within the one body there exist two distinct, primeval instincts. There is first the pioustreasure of divinity that provides access to the Supreme Spirit who stands for the most sublime dharm. On the other hand, there are the demoniacal impulses made up of impiety which lead a man to accept the mortal world as real. When there is abundance of divinity

in the realm of the heart, the body is transmuted into a Dharmkshetr (field of dharm), but it degenerates into a Kurukshetr when it is dominated by devilish forces.

In the 5th and 6th sloka of the same chapter he goes on to descrive the constituents of the shetr
                         
                                “Speaking briefly, mutable physical body is the aggregate of the five elements, ego, intellect, even the unmanifest, the ten sense organs, mind and the five objects of sense, as well as desire, malice, pleasure and pain, and intelligence and fortitude.”..B.G...CHAPTER13..SLOKA 5 & SLOKA 6

The enemy that Arjuna has to actually slay is clearly stated in the 42nd sloka of 4 th chapter

                               “So, O Bharat, dwell in yog and stand up to cut down this irresolution that has entered into your heart because of ignorance with the steel of knowledge.’’...B.G...CHAPTER 4...SLOKA...42


Arjun has to fight. But the enemy-irresolution-is within his own heart, not outside. When we proceed on the way of devotion and contemplation, it is but natural that feelings of doubt and passion will arise as obstacles before us. These enemies launch a fearful assault. To fight them and overcome them, through the destruction
of uncertainties by the practice of the ordained yagya, is the war that Arjun has to wage, and the result of this war for him will be absolute peace and victory after which there is no possibility of defeat.

The the battle is fought inside is also clear when Arjuna says that
                     
                                   ‘‘I do not see that obtaining an undisputed and profitable dominion over the whole earth or, (for that matter) even lordship over the gods, can cure the grief that is wearing out my senses.’’
.......B.G...CHAPTER 2...SLOKA...8.

And krishna replies

                                   “Rise up with determination for the war because if you diein it you will attain to heaven and, if you win, you will attain to the most exalted glory.’’.......B.G...CHAPTER 2...SLOKA...37.

By this statement lord  Krishn, the accomplished teacher, tells him that even if the time allotted to his
body expires in the course of the war and he does not succeed in reaching his goal, imbued with divine riches he will gain an existence in Swar, the changeless and eternal. If, on the other hand, he succeeds in the struggle while his temporal body is still alive, he will achieve the sublimity of God and thus attain to the state of the
highest glory.

So. Its is clear from the verses that the war is to fought within the body where one has to fight the demons within to enjoy the state of brahman and then union with the paramatma........om tatsat.