#Kurukshetra

[semioticapocalypse]

Henri Cartier-Bresson. Refugee camp. India, Punjab, Kurukshetra. 1947

I Am Collective Memories   •    Follow me, — says Visual Ratatosk

[yoddhasblog]

Mahabharat is and will always be my favourite tale to reflect upon and talk to people about. This book was immensely hyped up along with the author. I have now read three of her books. The Last Queen, which admittedly I adored. Then, the Forest Of Enchantments, the book I'd been looking forward to for such a long time. That one left me in a rage.

I went into this book expecting to be pissed off and disappointed. And I wasn't let down on that assumption.

The Palace Of Illusions is a retelling of the great Indian epic-Mahabharata. A tale incorporated so deeply into our hearts that everyone has their own takes and beliefs and opinions about it. I sincerely believe that you cannot write a retelling without angering a number of people. Well, I'm one them.

The writing style:

I didn't have too many issues except i did not get why there were so many rhetorical and philosophical questions? Literal, paragraphs that were nothing but questions.

Draupadi, the enigma, the fire-born, the one person I would fight for as long as there is life in me, why was acting as though she was a little more than a sullen child? In the book that was supposed to be from her point of view, the person, the author did the most injustice with was-Draupadi.

The plot assassination:

As I mentioned above, most of everything in the plot of the epic was butchered and mangled to fit into the author's narrative of women, good-men,bad. It is common knowledge that women's position in society was as downtrodden as depicted here. Don't get me wrong, horrific crimes happened against women and justice was also delivered adequately but the author pulled apart the entire social structure only to be able to say that every bad thing happened to Draupadi was because she is a woman.

~ In the very first chapter, Draupadi said it was egoistic of her father to give her a variation of his own name when her brother, Dhrishtadyumna got an original name. In Vyas Mahabharat, her birth name was Krishnaa but like many people in Hindu beliefs, she was also known as Draupadi, though that is the most commonly used name. So, no points to the author trying to convince everyone that this was sexist.

~ Draupadi was highly educated and trained in many things including economics and she was the one who was in charge of the treasury of Indraprastha. She was a finance minister of sorts. So, saying that King Droupad refused to let her train because she is a woman is stupid.

~Also, I've grown up listening to that Draupadi stepped out of the fire as a young woman. She wasn't a child. Some sources say she was around 16 some say around 25.

~ Are we still stuck about 50 years ago that we're going to be okay with authors portraying that all women in power are evil? Kunti and Draupadi viewed each other as rivals? Draupadi throwing temper tantrums over other women? wtf

~ Draupadi as a pick-me? Half the book Draupadi's internal dialogue is nothing but I don't know how to socialize with other women, they're jealous of each other, they're always giggling, I won't survive the world of women, I can't dance, people don't find me pretty because of my dark complexion(where did white supremacy even came in this conversation) but suddenly out of nowhere Draupadi just knows that every woman is envious of her. She adores the saris and jewellery that she used to find impossible to handle.

~ Maharishi Vyas giving Draupadi Divya drishti to see the battlefield of Kurukshetra came out of nowhere. It felt a forced action done only to show Draupadi's emotions about the deaths.

~ Draupadi harbouring hidden feelings for Karna and him secretly returning those feelings felt like a teenager's fever dream. A teenager who's hellbent on sexualizing everything they come across.

~Bhagvat Gita was witnessed by everyone on kurukshetra including the Virat roop? Again, it felt like a move forced that was done in order to show Draupadi's internal dialogue. How did the author even think she could fit Bhagvat Gita in half a chapter?

~The Pandavas just had no personality whatsoever outside of being obedient to their mother and scared of Draupadi's temper tantrums.

~Krishan ji was told to be this charismatic, carefree, silvertongued diplomat but he was simply shown as someone who randomly showed up and gave unsolicited advice.

~And I don't know what that ending was but you can't be serious telling me that Karna and Draupadi somehow end up together in heaven?

~WHAT WAS THE AUTHOR'S PROBLEM WITH RESEARCHING ABOUT MAHABHARATA???

There was no way the entire plot of Mahabharata could've fit into one book. She tried too but this book sucked. I understand it's a retelling and sometimes had to change but everything here felt so forced. The author broke everything in context to fit into her supposedly feminist ideal. Don't get me wrong, i dislike the Pandavas, the Kauravas and their elders with all my heart but they all had one dimensional personalities. They had caricature-ish depositions. I had no emotions attached to anyone in this book whatsoever. This was a headache.

[sofiamerliah]

In the Kurukshetra battlefield when Time stopped for about one hour (approx)

Arjun : I am not going to fight against my loved ones even though they are my enemies and even though they have done injustice to us 🥹🥹

Krishna : Dude do u even know what you are saying?? 😒😒

Arjun : Yes Madhav, coz now My Mind has gone to graze grasses and my body is in dire need of Caffeine 🤐

Krishna : *Facepalms* Let me tell you something Parth !!!!

Whatever you see is not true and whatever you don't see is not false either, turning into the fact that everything is untrue and that nothing is false, because everything is related to something and that in turn is related to nothing. Infinity is the ultimate Reality 🌟 (Jist of 18 chapters)

Arjun : What the !!! 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫 Hey you are not making any sense 😑

Krishna : Because I am the source of all senses and all the nonsense going on in this world. If I started making sense, everything will turn out to be a trivial matter of nonsensical issues 😌

Arjun : Okay this is getting out of hand 😮‍💨 What do you want me to do ??

Krishna : If you don't fight, I am going to eat (kill everyone) everything here and I won't leave any crumbs. That will only take 2 seconds 😈 and I am not even flexing 💪 (Only you can see with your divine eyes 👀)

Arjun : *Understanding that he would be termed as a Wuss* As you say Sir 🫡 I have understood but hey are you angry with me ??

Krishna : I am Captain Cool 😎 But, You will see that soon Kiddo 💀😉

(Not lying but I felt that after watching Geeta Chapter 😂😂)

P.S. - This is just a joke post and my own imagination. Govind is my God and He is the one who gave me this thought and I got to write it here. No hatred allowed 👎)

[musingsonthemahabharata]

Forgiveness and Justice in the Mahābhārata

The main antagonists of the Mahābhārata, namely, Duryodhana, his uncle, Śakuni, and Karṇa (yes, if antagonists are to be named, Karṇa is one per the Critical Edition and per Kṛṣṇa’s comments) commit a series of horrific actions throughout the epic, motivated by greed, jealousy, and spite. Offences include assassination attempts, deceit, sexual harassment and assault. Still, what I love is that Kṛṣṇa and the Pāṇḍavas continue to offer them opportunities for redemption, which they refuse. The war comes to be, justice is delivered, and all the Kauravas perish. However, by finding their end, they find redemption in relative terms, and, as we learn in the last parva, all proceed to svarga, or to heaven.

First, I find it significant to underline that the characters are not passively forgiven and welcomed into svarga. As they refuse to redeem themselves, they are forgiven only AFTER justice is delivered and they are made to take responsibility for what they have done, and after direct action is taken against their misdeeds. Forgiveness or compassion are therefore not passive in this context. I would maintain that what is underlined here is that forgiveness and love do not imply blindness to another’s harmful behaviour; on the contrary.

Second, I highlighted that their redemption occurs in relative terms, because, at the level of the Absolute / Consciousness, there is nothing to be redeemed as there is no fracture, only flow; however, as Ādyashanti teaches, the relative concomitantly and paradoxically very much exists in the container of its own laws.

Of course, the cosmology of the war is much more complex than this and is neither an act of punishment nor one of revenge; I would say it is more of a re-establishment of equilibrium in the relative playing field.

I think this is beautiful to ponder on. No matter how far they fell into cruelty and dejection, they found redemption. Indeed, Draupadī herself as Śrī forgives Aśvatthāmā after justice is delivered, who commits the most gruesome crime there is per Kṛṣṇa (that of killing a child).

And, so can we, can't we? Redeem ourselves and make amends for our cruelties and for our mistakes. Take action when action is needed. And rest in “redemptive love” (another beautiful coinage by Ādya. I love him so much 😊 )

IG: @musingsonthemahabharata

[sambhavami]

2 days to go! 😍😍😍

[kkrinfo]

Discover Kurukshetra: A Journey Through History and Culture

Do you know about Kurukshetra? If not, dive into our detailed blog to uncover the rich history, cultural significance, and must-visit landmarks of this ancient city. From the legendary battleground of the Mahabharata to its vibrant modern-day attractions, Kurukshetra has something for everyone. Read our blog now to explore more! https://kkrinfo.com/tour-travel/kurukshetra/

[sorru1792]

#अनसुना_पाँचवाँ_वेद

⚡️गीता अध्याय 4 श्लोक 32

सच्चिदानंदघन ब्रह्म यानि परम अक्षर ब्रह्म ने (मुखे) अपने मुख कमल से जो वाणी बोली, उस वाणी में बहुत प्रकार के (यज्ञाः) धार्मिक अनुष्ठानों की जानकारी दी है। जो साधना बताई है, वह कर्म करते-करते की जा सकती है, वह सूक्ष्मवेद यानि तत्त्वज्ञान है। उसको जानकर तू कर्म बंधन से सर्वथा मुक्त हो जाएगा यानि पूर्ण मोक्ष प्राप्त करेगा।

सूक्ष्म वेद

[zeherili-ankhein]

#mahabharat podcast

Poor Uttar he was just not made for fighting.... He was a pookie who should have done something like dancing with his sister

[maybeanerd]

Jaya: A re-telling of the Mahabharata

Jaya by Devdutt Pattanaik is a re-telling of the Hindu mythology Mahabharata. The writing style is colloquial and yet manages to capture the essence of the story. The author includes the various regional variations of the Mahabharata as one reads to get a better view of the vast spectrum of knowledge and teachings that the Mahabharata carries. A retelling, unbiased by personal opinion, and giving out the different understandings of moral values by different stories encourages the reader to think and understand the value of actions and reactions. A simple and comprehensible book, I rate it a 9/10!

[bhagavanbhakthi]

Sri Krishna with Pandavas

[dbdesigntech]

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DB Design Tech is one of the Top Graphic designing training centres in Kurukshetra. We are offering Advance courses in Graphic Designing like Video editing, Animation & VFX, 3D Architecture.

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[mysticalblizzardcolor]

Supane Me Aye Preetam Sainya (2022 Remaster)

Supane Me Aye Preetam Sainya (2022 Remaster) 

[kaal-naagin]

TRANSLATION : I asked him "What do you want?"

He wanted Me, not my Narayani sena

(The picture is of Arjuna receiving The Divine Knowledge from Krishna and the text is at the bottom of the picture)

@shyamsakhii @jukti-torko-golpo @waywardmorgann @yehsahihai @indiansapphic @ragalata @kuhuchan

[dakshvats]

नशा,रिश्वतखोरी,भ्रष्टाचार,दहेज प्रथा,जैसी सामाजिक बुराइयों को समाज सुधारक संत रामपाल जी महाराज ने समाज से समूल नष्ट करने का बीड़ा उठाया है और उनके सानिध्य में ऐसा समाज भी तैयार हो रहा है उनके अनुयायियों द्वारा।

[jatinderkumar6584]

👉दिल्ली के बादशाह सिकंदर लोधी के पीर शेख तकी ने कबीर परमेश्वर जी को “52 बार” (52 बदमाशी) मारने का षड्यंत्र रचा जिसे बावन कसनी भी कहते हैं। वह हर बार असफल रहा। क्योंकि कबीर परमेश्वर का शरीर मुरी है अर्थात अविनाशी शरीर है। इस प्रकार अविनाशी का नाश करने में कोई सक्षम नहीं हैं। परमेश्वर कबीर साहेब जी पूर्ण ब्रह्म हैं, सर्व शक्तिमान परमात्मा हैं।

शेखतकी ने जुल्म गुजारे, बावन करी बदमाशी |

खूनी हाथी आगे‌ डालै, बांध जूड अविनाशी ||

[dass-rakesh-meena]

🎯पवित्र गीता जी अध्याय 2 श्लोक 12 से स्पष्ट होता है कि गीता ज्ञान दाता भी जन्म-मृत्यु में है तो उनकी भक्ति से हमारा मोक्ष कैसे सम्भव है? अविनाशी परमात्मा और मोक्ष मार्ग को समझने के लिए आज ही निःशुल्क मंगवायें पवित्र पुस्तक ज्ञान गंगा। #mahabharat #mahabharath #GitaTeraGyanAmrit #bhagavadgita #gita #bhagavatgita #krishnaconsciousness #harekrishna #mahabharatham_tamil #kurukshetra #kurukshetra_city #gitaquotes #SantRampalJiMaharaj #SaintRampalJi #TatvadarshiSant (at Gwalior) https://www.instagram.com/p/CrLyC5ByDMS/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=