PERSPECTIVES ON NON-VIOLENCE IN THE MOKSA-DHARMA-PARVAN OF THE MAHABHARATA
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Keywords:
NON-VIOLENCE, MAHABHARATAAbstract
It might seem that the Mahabharata will have little to offer by way of teachings on the subject of non-violence. It is after all primarily an epic tale of conflict, quarrel, war and triumph, with several lengthy passages devoted to descriptions of battle and the prowess and heroism of its principal protagonists. Furthermore, the best known of all the Mahabharata's passages of religious instruction is the Bhagavad-gita, which has as its initial premise the assertion that a warrior must wage war, both as an act of religious duty and as a form of Yoga that can lead to salvation. Hence Krsna demands of Arjuna at the very beginning of his exposition, tasmad yudhyasva bharata, 'Therefore, Bharata, you should wage war.' (2.18)
References
Sutton, N. 'Asoka and Yudhisthira: A Historical Setting for the Ideological Tensions of the Mahabharata', in Religion, Vol 27 No 4, October 1997.
The structure of the Moksa-dharma-parvan was explored in some detail by John Brockington in, 'The Structure of the Moksadharmaparvan of the Mahabharata', in P. Balcerowicz and M.. Mejor Ed, On the Understanding of Other Cultures, Warszawa, 2000, pp. 71-83.
Chapters 200 to 202, the Kesava-Mahatrnyam, the Dik-Palaka-Kirtanam and the Visnoh Varaha-Ruparn are placed together because of their focus on Visnu.
Although Bhisma does assert that Samkhya and Yoga share the common attribute of promoting compassion for all beings, tayor yuktam daya bhutesu, ( 12.289.9).
Brockington, ibid, p76.
Brockington confirms this view: 'A group of passages almost immediately thereafter may well have been placed together because of their common themes of ahimsa and veneration of the cow.' Ibid, p76.
Chapple, C. 'Ahimsa in the Mahabharata: A Story a Philosophical Perspective and an Admonishment' in S. Rosen Ed, Holy War: Violence and the Bhagavad Gita, Hampton USA, 2002, p147.
Perhaps most significant here are the condemnation of the use of the plough (12.254.44) and the phrase ksina-karman (12.255.33) both of which provide evidence of Jain influence.
