The Ripus of Mahabharata

Mahabharata is believed to be the longest epic describing a war between two branches of the same family. The basic idea is to show how the good and bad fight each other. But the victory is pyrrhic because, in the process of destruction, the poet reveals how the human mind oscillates between two extremes of human nature.

The story of the epic involves two branches of the family at loggerheads, the fierce war between two adversaries: the Kauravas, the children of Dhritarashtra, and those of Pandu. Dhritarashtra, i.e., the blind king, Pandu dwells in a forest because he suffers from a skin disease.

Kauravas are depicted as the mischief-makers in comparison to Pandavas. Kauravas set fire to the residence of Pandavas, who miraculously escape. At this time, the swayamvar of Draupadi (where the bride selects the husbands) takes place. In this context, Arjuna wins the prize, and Draupadi becomes the bride of all five Pandavas.

What ensued was a fierce war between Pandavas and Kauravas. The Kauravas lost everything.

Seeing the mighty armies, Arjuna experiences his first rupay (neutral enemy). Arjuna tells Krishna that fear overwhelmed him and that he is willing to quit. He also asks Krishna about the aftermath of such a terrible war.

However, Krishna dissuades him from quitting the war. He uses the philosophy of Sankhya Yoga (Atman and the body are not the enemy).