Currently Browsing: Mahabharata

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July 2023

• 377) Why does Bhaktivinoda T say that sakhya rasa, a lower rasa, manifested beyond India after vatsalya rasa, which is a higher rasa?

April 2023

• 376) Why did Draupadi not defend herself when she was being dishonored?

August 2022

• 375) How Balarama reveals Krishna’s heart in Vrindavana Mathura and Dwarka ? – Balarama appearance day
• 374) Why was Balarama kind to Duryodhana and harsh to Romharshana? – Balarama appearance day reflection

June 2022

• 373) ​How could Yudhishthira stake his own wife in gambling?
• 372) When Arjuna vowed to kill Jayadratha out of anger and vengeance, was he violating Krishna’s Gita instructions?

February 2022

• 371) Karna: Wronged hero or wrong hero: Chaitanya Charan on Kishori Jani M’s podcast

July 2021

• 370) Wouldn’t killing Ashwatthama have been just punishment & prevented his future attack with Brahmastra?

April 2021

• 369) Isnt the Pandavas’ killing their own relatives over a property dispute immoral?

February 2021

• 368) Was Parashurama’s violence against the kshatriyas disproportionate?

January 2021

• 367) Was Yudhishthira wrong to gamble and cowardly to not protect Draupadi while she was dishonored?
• 366) Those eighteen days – Day 18
• 365) Those eighteen days – Day 17
• 364) Those eighteen days – Day 16
• 363) Those eighteen days – Day 15
• 362) Those eighteen days – Day 14
• 361) Those eighteen days – Day 13
• 360) Those eighteen days – Day 12
• 359) Those eighteen days – Day 11
• 358) Those eighteen days – Day 10
• 357) Those eighteen days – Day 9
• 356) Those eighteen days – Day 8
• 355) Those eighteen days – Day 7
• 354) Those eighteen days – Day 6
• 353) Those eighteen days – Day 5
• 352) Those eighteen days – Day 4
• 351) Those eighteen days – Day 3

December 2020

• 350) Those eighteen days – Day 2
• 349) Those eighteen days – Day 1
• 348) Bhishma And Gopis – Striking Similarities – Bhishma Panchaka Special 1

October 2020

• 347) Mahabharata life lessons – Why Draupadi laughed when Duryodhana fell?
• 346) Mahabharata Life Lessons – Did the Pandavas fight to take revenge?
• 345) Mahabharata Life Lessons – How could Jarasandha do human sacrifices?
• 344) Why did Draupadi laugh at Duryodhana? – Hindi
• 343) Was Duryodhana cruel to the citizens or just to the Pandavas?

July 2020

• 342) Are the Mahabharata real or stories?

May 2020

• 341) How would the Kauravas being neutralized by the Pandavas further their spiritual evolution?
• 340) Were the Kauravas harassing their citizens – were they tyrants who needed to be removed by force?
• 339) Why did Arjuna want to be the greatest archer?

January 2020

• 338) Why did Bhishma and other elders stay silent when Draupadi was being disrobed?

October 2019

• 337) Comparing Ramayana and Mahabharata 1 – What caused the exiles
• 336) Did Krishna protect Draupadi only after she stopped trying to protect herself – does surrender mean we stop trying to do anything?
• 335) Mahabharata controversies – how life was unfair to both Karna and Arjuna
• 334) Do the ends justify the means, as your Mahabharata explanations imply? Won’t that justify terrorism too?

September 2019

• 333) When Duryodhana slipped and fell, why did the Pandavas remain silent?

August 2019

• 332) How Balarama’s causeless mercy on Duryodhana was still less for Duryodhana
• 331) Self-acceptance – Comparing Vidura and Dhritarashtra

May 2019

• 330) Can Abhimanyu’s getting trapped in Chakravuha be compared to our getting trapped in samsara-cakra?
• 329) Just as Bhishma chose the wrong side, so do we – how can we learn properly from such role models?

April 2019

• 328) Why did Vidura not instruct Dhritrashtra to apologize to the Pandavas and to thereby become offense-free for practicing bhakti?

December 2018

• 327) How to choose wisely – Learning from Karna
• 326) Dealing with fear of rejection – Analyzing Karna’s character

September 2018

• 325) If Krishna already knew that Duryodhana wasn’t going to agree to peace, then did Duryodhana have free will to choose?
• 324) If Duryodhana was generous enough to give the arrows to Arjuna why was he so hateful?
• 323) Why is Kurukshetra known as Dharma-kshetra – why was it chosen as the venue for the Mahabarata war?

August 2018

• 322) Learning from Dhritarashtra – Does destiny make us or do we make it – 2?
• 321) Learning from Dhritarashtra – Does destiny make us or do we make it – 1?
• 320) Karna character analysis – Are we doomed by destiny or by our own decisions?
• 319) Ashwatthama character analysis – Just because we are empowered doesn’t mean that we are right
• 318) Duryodhana character analysis 2 – If we don’t want help, even God can’t help
• 317) Duryodhana character analysis 1 – Are some people innately evil?
• 316) Dhritarashtra character analysis 2 – Do we need to lose everything before we lose our attachments?
• 315) Dhritarashtra character analysis 1 – Attachment makes us stone-hearted

July 2018

• 314) Why was Ekalavya treated so unfairly?

June 2018

• 313) Why does Bhishma say that he is bound by the Kauravas wealth?
• 312) Are Bhishma’s teachings of pure devotion at the end of his life contradicted by his life of service to the Kauravas?

April 2018

• 311) Why did Bhima abandon Hidimibi – did he marry her simply to gain political power?
• 310) Did Krishna use Ghatothkacha as a sacrificial pawn?

December 2017

• 309) Duryodhana felt no moral compunction while persecuting the Pandavas, but Dhirtrashtra did – why the difference?
• 308) When Abhimanyu was killed, how was Arjuna overcome by illusion?
• 307) Duryodhana character analysis 3 – Envy perpetuates dissatisfaction and invites destruction
• 306) Duryodhana character analysis 2 – Ambition distorted by envy becomes cancerous

November 2017

• 305) Duryodhana character analysis 1 – How the entitlement mentality degrades
• 304) Shakuni Character Analysis 2 – Evaluate whether our relationships bring out our best or our worst

June 2017

• 303) Why didn’t the Pandavas think that the Kauravas were simply instruments of their own past karma?
• 302) Is the Mahabharata that occurred in another age even relevant today?
• 301) Is the Mahabharata an excellent drama or is it historically true?
• 300) If everything in the Mahabharata is arranged by Krishna’s plan, why do we blame Duryodhana or Karna?
• 299) Why is Arjuna considered the greatest archer when all his power came from Krishna?
• 298) If Dhritarashtra had stopped Duryodhana from fighting, how would the Gita have been spoken?
• 297) When Dhritarashtra was forced by the modes to support Duryodhana, why is he blamed?
• 296) Did the celestial voice stopping Duryodhana from committing suicide interfere with his free will?

May 2017

• 295) When Karna abused Draupadi, why didn’t anyone punish him by taking away his position?
• 294) Karna wanted revenge and Draupadi wanted revenge – what is the difference?
• 293) When Bhishma took shelter of the Kauravas’ wealth, why did Krishna shelter him at death?

April 2017

• 292) QA with children on Ramayana-Mahabharata
• 291) When Arjuna was sinless, why did he have to go to hell?

March 2017

• 290) Was the Mahabharata war predestined?
• 289) How did Krishna as Shanti-duta use sama, dama, bheda and danda?
• 288) The Pandavas could have won a kingdom anywhere by defeating someone else – why did they win it by killing their own relatives?

January 2017

• 287) Why did Dhritarashtra stay silent when Duryodhana insulted Vidura (Hindi)?

December 2016

• 286) If the Gita is a recorded conversation reported by Sanjaya to Dhritarashtra, how does it contain Sanjaya’s speech?
• 285) Did Sanjaya report the Kurukshetra war from Kurukshetra or from Hastinapura?

November 2016

• 284) Why did Balarama favor Duryodhana?
• 283) ​Did Karna choose his fate or was he fated to die?
• 282) ​Why did Krishna not stop Yudhishthira from gambling?

October 2016

• 281) ​Why was Arjuna Krishna’s favorite among the Pandavas?
• 280) How did Draupadi have so much devotion for Krishna, more than that of even the Pandavas?
• 279) ​Did Karna ever feel that he had made a wrong choice by fighting for Duryodhana?
• 278) ​When did Kunti reveal to Karna that he was her son – why?
• 277) Does Krishna ask Karna for his punya when Karna is about to die?
• 276) ​What can we learn from Yudhishthira’s gambling?
• 275) ​Was the Pandavas’ killing Bhishma and Drona according to dharma?
• 274) Did Krishna feel confused about which pure devotee to support – Arjuna or Bhishma?
• 273) Mahabharata 3 – Karna – Deciding based on intent, content or effect
• 272) Mahabharata 2 – Draupadi – Dishonored yet honorable
• 271) ​Mahabharata 1 – Bhishma – Misunderstood by the world, understood by Krishna

September 2016

• 270) Does Draupadi not know that Krishna protected her from disrobing?
• 269) ​Tragic Hero – Life Lessons from Karna – Princeton University
• 268) ​When Krishna had vowed not to lift weapons during the Kurukshetra war, why did he lift up a wheel?
• 267) Why did Krishna first tell the Pandavas to fight and then to renounce the world because of their sins?

August 2016

• 266) Was Yudhishtira’s gambling Draupadi after he had lost himself dharmic or adharmic?
• 265) When God fails – Krishna as shanti-duta

July 2016

• 264) ​Why did Drona ask for Ekalavya’s thumb?
• 263) ​Why did Draupadi not protest when she was told to marry five husbands instead of one?
• 262) Why did Krishna’s protecting Draupadi’s honor not change the Kauravas’s evil intention?
• 261) ​Why did the Pandavas tolerate poisoning and arson, but not Draupadi’s dishonoring?
• 260) ​Why did Duryodhana put the clause of incognito stay in the Pandavas’ exile?
• 259) ​Why was Duryodhana so envious of the Pandavas?
• 258) Did Draupadi dishonor Duryodhana, thereby causing him to dishonor her?
• 257) Was Draupadi the cause of the Kurukshetra war?
• 256) Were the Pandavas not legitimate heirs to the Kuru kingdom?
• 255) ​Was the Kurukshetra war fought over a property dispute?
• 254) Why did Krishna break his vow by attacking Bhishma?
• 253) ​Why did Drona fight against the Pandavas?
• 252) Why did Bhishma fight against the Pandavas?
• 251) ​After Bhishma, why was Drona, not Karna, made the Kauravas’ commander?
• 250) ​Wasn’t Krishna’s covering the sun to deceive Jayadratha wrong?
• 249) ​Why did Arjuna target Jayadratha when Abhimanyu was killed by Durjaya?
• 248) ​Why did Bhima kill Duryodhana unfairly?
• 247) ​How could Bhima drink Dusshasana’s blood?
• 246) ​Why did the Pandavas conspire to kill Drona?
• 245) ​Why did Arjuna kill Bhishma from behind Shikhandi?
• 244) ​Why did Bhishma not stop the disrobing of Draupadi?
• 243) Despite being virtuous, why did Yudhishthira gamble?
• 242) ​Did Draupadi love Karna?
• 241) ​Was destiny against Karna?
• 240) ​When Karna was virtuous, why did he suggest that Draupadi be disrobed?
• 239) ​Did Kunti do the right thing by abandoning Karna?
• 238) ​Why did Krishna say that Karna is equal, or even superior, to Arjuna in archery?
• 237) ​Did Kunti emotionally weaken Karna by revealing that the Pandavas were his brothers?
• 236) ​Why did Draupadi dishonor Karna by rejecting him as a suitor?
• 235) ​Was Karna not discriminated against by being labeled a charioteer’s son?
• 234) ​Was Karna unfairly disadvantaged by the curses of Parashurama and the brahmana?
• 233) ​Was Karna a glorious example of faithful friendship to Duryodhana?
• 232) ​Was Karna a virtuous hero?
• 231) ​Did Indra unfairly weaken Karna by taking away his armor?
• 230) ​Was Karna the second best archer after Arjuna?
• 229) Did Karna conquer the world, but Arjuna couldn’t?
• 228) Was Karna a better archer than Arjuna?
• 227) ​Why did Arjuna kill Karna unfairly?
• 226) If Dharmaraja could expand as Vidura and Yudhisthira, why did Aryama need to officiate in his place?

June 2016

• 225) When Arjuna repeatedly defeated Karna, why are they considered equals?
• 224) ​Why were the kshatriya codes violated during the Kurukshetra war?

May 2016

• 223) ​Was Karna destined to be defeated?

April 2016

• 222) When Pandu knew about his curse, why did he take his wives with him to the forest?
• 221) Why did Shalya fight on Duryodhana’s side just because of getting good reception?
• 220) ​Did Krishna’s lifting a wheel to attack Bhishma not break his vow?
• 219) ​Didn’t Krishna protecting Arjuna from the Vaishnava astra break his vow?
• 218) ​Why did the Kauravas and the Pandavas have to involve the whole world in their mutual fight?
• 217) ​Why didn’t the Pandavas forgive the Kauravas – why did they have to fight?
• 216) Why did Mahadeva give the empowering sword to Ashwatthama?
• 215) Why didn’t Krishna stop Dhristadyumna from killing Drona?
• 214) ​Did Yudhishthira sin by not lying as per Krishna’s instruction?
• 213) Why did Karna fight on the Kauravas’ side?
• 212) Was Ashwatthama gambled – how authentic is the TV Mahabharata?
• 211) ​Disproportionate punishment can be atrocious – Ashwattama pastime analysis 2
• 210) Beware of the temptation to punish 1- Ashwattama pastime analysis

March 2016

• 209) When Vibhishana went over to the side of virtue, why didn’t Vidura do the same?
• 208) When Karna was already killed by destiny, why did Krishna invite Karna to the Pandavas side?
• 207) If Karna chose wrongly because of attachment, didn’t Bhishma do the same?

February 2016

• 206) How can we explain Krishna’s conspiracies in the Mahabharata?

January 2016

• 205) Did Draupadi love Karna?
• 204) Why did Arjuna kill Bhishma unfairly?
• 203) Was Arjuna a better archer than Karna because he got better training facilities?
• 202) Draupadi – dishonored yet honorable

October 2015

• 201) Why did Krishna not inform Karna initially that he was Kunti’s son?
• 200) Why did Barbarika’s mother tell him to fight on the weaker side instead of on the Pandavas’ side?
• 199) Was the solar eclipse a predicted event or created by the Lord to help Arjuna?
• 198) When staying silent amidst injustice is wrong, why did Yudhishthira passively accept the Kauravas’ atrocities?
• 197) How did Duryodhana win Balaram over to his side?
• 196) God proposes, Man Disposes – Understanding Krishna’s failed peace mission

August 2015

• 195) Why did Yudhisthira while gambling Draupadi describe her physical beauty publicly?
• 194) Why did Arjuna to avenge Abhimanyu kill the weaker Jayadratha and not a stronger opponent like Karna?

July 2015

• 193) How was Kunti ever truthful when she lied to conceal Bhima’s identity?
• 192) Why was there ajnata vasa in Mahabharata, but not in Ramayana?

June 2015

• 191) Why did the Pandavas blindly follow Kunti’s uninformed words to share Draupadi?
• 190) Karna’s tragic choice

April 2015

• 189) Why did Dhirtarashtra ask for eyes to see the universal form but refuse the eyes to see the Kurukshetra war?
• 188) Was Drona a pure devotee? Was he a spiritual teacher?

March 2015

• 187) How could Bhima drink Dushashana’s blood?
• 186) Did Bhima kill Duryodhana or just wound him?

January 2015

• 185) Why did Bhishma in his previous life as Vasu steal Vashistha’s cow?

November 2014

• 184) Value Education 14 – Mahabharata 8 – Draupadi – Ask not why this but how now
• 183) Value Education 13 – Mahabharata 7 – Yudhisthira 1 – Gambling
• 182) Value Education 12 – Mahabharata 6 – Karna 3 – Respond to adversity with integrity
• 181) Value Education 11 – Mahabharata 5 – Karna 2 – Life of honor is more important than
• 180) Value Education and Spirituality 10 – Mahabharata 4 – Karna 1 – Choose friends that bring out our best, not our worst

September 2014

• 179) Did the Pandavas go to heaven or the spiritual world?
• 178) If Arjuna was superior to Karna, why does Bhagavatam say he was a small fish in an ocean of giant fishes?
• 177) Value Education and Spirituality 9 – Mahabharata 3 – Vidura – Be a forgiving not a forgetful friend

August 2014

• 176) Why do we need to justify the Pandavas’ actions? Isn’t “Krishna told them to do it” enough reason?

July 2014

• 175) Mahabharata characters 73 Abhimanyu 2 Confronting conspiracy with courage
• 174) Mahabharata characters 72 Abhimanyu 1 Penetrating the impenetrable phalanx
• 173) When the Pandavas were so virtuous why did Krisha let them suffer so much?
• 172) Why was Kunti’s unknowing statement ‘share whatever you have brought’ considered absolute and Draupadai married to all the Pandavas?
• 171) Draupadi forgave Ashwatthama but not the Kauravas. Why?
• 170) Why did Krishna and Arjuna meet each other first time so late in their lives?
• 169) Why did Balaramji favor Duryodhana?
• 168) Arjuna’s virtuous victory – Don’t challenge God’s wisdom; let God’s wisdom challenge you – 2
• 167) Is the expansion of the Mahabharata from its short Jaya version a contamination?
• 166) Arjuna’s virtuous victory – Don’t challenge God’s wisdom; let God’s wisdom challenge you – 1
• 165) Mahabharata characters 71 Ashwatthama The dangerous temptation to punish
• 164) Is the Mahabharata contaminated due to interpolation?
• 163) Why did Duryodhana become vicious despite being born in a virtuous family?
• 162) Did Krishna establish dharma just for 36 years after fighting such a big war?
• 161) Why did Yaksha ask so many questions to the Pandavas?
• 160) Mahabharata characters 70 Karna 5 The tragic end of heroic misdirection
• 159) Why did Krishna not protect Yudhisthira from errors of judgment?
• 158) Draupadi’s courageous devotion amidst the disrobing – Ask not “why this?” but “how now?”
• 157) Did Vikarna get any good result for trying to defend Draupadi’s honor?
• 156) Who was Yuyutsu? How did he come from the Kaurava side to the Pandava side?
• 155) Why did Yudhisthira agree for a second gambling match after the disastrous first gambling match?
• 154) Why did the virtuous Bhishma fight on the side of the vicious Kauravas?
• 153) Did Karna have to choose the side of evil due to his past karma?
• 152) Did Duryodhana have any good qualities?
• 151) What are the authentic sources for learning the Mahabharata?
• 150) How did a ciranjeevi Ashwatthama fight against the virtuous Pandavas?
• 149) Why did Krishna and others not try to reform Duryodhana as reformation is the ultimate goal?
• 148) Mahabharata characters 69 Karna 3 Is word of honor greater than life of honor
• 147) Why do the Bhagavatam and the Mahabharata describe the same stories differently?
• 146) Duryodhana’s blame game 2 – Attribution error and alien abduction
• 145) Duryodhana’s blame game 1 – The unjustified sense of entitlement led to unnecessary envy
• 144) Mahabharata characters 68 Karna 2 Status insecurity leads to shocking immorality
• 143) Mahabharata characters 67 – Karna 1 – Did life give him a raw deal?
• 142) Mahabharata characters 66 Duryodhana 5 Baffled in words, battles and spirits
• 141) Mahabharata characters 65 Duryodhana 4 Incompetence and fault finding personified
• 140) Mahabharata characters 64 Duryodhana 3 Foolishly adding fuel to fire
• 139) Mahabharata characters 63 Duryodhana 2 Krishna’s magnanimity vs Duryodhna’s obstinacy
• 138) Mahabharata characters 62 Duryodhana 1 The humiliator is humiliated
• 137) Mahabharata characters 61 Draupadi 2 Exemplary devotion amidst tribulation
• 136) Mahabharata characters 60 Draupadi 1 Responding to vice with virtue
• 135) Mahabharata characters 59 – Sahadeva – Using intelligence in the service of dharma
• 134) Mahabharata characters 58 – Nakula – Sustaining unity amidst individuality
• 133) Mahabharata characters 57 – Arjun 20 – World conquest for Ashwamedha-yajna
• 132) Mahabharata characters 56 – Arjuna 19 – The difficult disciplining of Ashvatthama
• 131) Mahabharata characters 55 – Arjuna 18 – The final battle with Karna
• 130) Mahabharata characters 54 – Arjun 17 – Devotional surrender amidst mixed feelings at Drona’s death M
• 129) Why did Bhima kill Duryodhana unfairly by hitting him below the waist during their final battle in the Mahabharata war?
• 128) Mahabharata characters 53 – Arjuna 16 – Racing against time with the Lord of time
• 127) Mahabharata characters 52 – Arjuna 15 – Breaking through the wall of the Kaurava forces
• 126) Mahabharata characters 51 – Arjuna 14 – Besting the fearsome elephant and the formidable elephant wa
• 125) Mahabharata characters 50 – Arjuna 13 – Battling and serving the beloved grandsire
• 124) Mahabharata characters 49 – Arjuna 12 – The Gita goes far beyond violence to transcendence
• 123) Mahabharata characters 48 – Arjuna 11 – The divine heart calls the human heart to the path of love
• 122) Mahabharata Characters 47 – Arjuna 10 – Arguments against and for fighting in the Gita
• 121) Mahabharata Characters 46 – Arjuna 09 – Choose Krishna over the world
• 120) Mahabharata Characters 45 – Arjuna 08 – The stunning victory at Virata
• 119) Mahabharata Characters 44 – Arjuna 07 – Singlehanded triumph over the Nivatkavachas and Kalakanyas
• 118) Mahabharata Characters 43 – Arjuna 05 – Heaven hath no fury like a woman scorned

June 2014

• 117) Mahabharata Characters 42 – Arjuna 05 – Austerity and audacity for the pleasure of Lord Shiva
• 116) Mahabharata Characters 41 – Arjuna 04 – All the gods bested at Khandava
• 115) Mahabharata Characters 40 – Arjuna 03 – The match made with Krishna as the matchmaker
• 114) Mahabharata Characters 39 – Arjuna 02 – Accepting exile to honour virtue
• 113) Mahabharata Characters 38 – Arjuna 01 – Diligence is essential for attaining excellence
• 112) Mahabharata Characters 37 – Bhima 07 – Draupadi’s dishonorers destroyed
• 111) Mahabharata Characters 36 – Bhima 06 – Bhima decimates the Kauravas in the war’s first sixteen days
• 110) Mahabharata Characters 35 – Bhima 05 – Bhima’s heroics during incognito exile
• 109) Mahabharata Characters 34 – Bhima 04 – Meting punishment while giving forgiveness
• 108) Mahabharata Characters 33 – Bhima 03 – An attack on the gods that fulfilled a godly purpose
• 107) Mahabharata Characters 32 – Bhima 02 – No demon is a match to this human
• 106) Mahabharata Characters 31 – Bhima 01 – Growing stronger through danger and disaster
• 105) Mahabharata Characters 30 – Yudhisthira 08 – Dharmaraja’s moments of infamy and glory in the war
• 104) Mahabharata Characters 29 – Yudhisthira 07 – Steadiness through wisdom amidst the war’s worries
• 103) Mahabharata Characters 28 – Yudhisthira 06 – Wisdom wins where strength fails (Nahusha & Yaksha)
• 102) Mahabharata Characters 27 – Yudhisthira 05 – Words of wisdom vs words of anger in the forest
• 101) Mahabharata Characters 26 – Yudhisthira 04 – The Pandavas dishonoured and dispossessed
• 100) Mahabharata Characters 25 – Yudhisthira 03 – The virtuous victimized in the vicious gambling match
• 99) Mahabharata Characters 24 – Yudhisthira 02 – The world’s king glorifies the supreme king
• 98) Mahabharata Characters 23 – Yudhisthira 01 – Sticking to integrity amidst injustice
• 97) Mahabharata Characters 22 – Kunti 03 – Successful amidst misery after misery
• 96) Mahabharata Characters 21 – Kunti 02 – The glorious mother sees the glory of her sons and her Lord
• 95) Mahabharata Characters 20 – Kunti 01 – The blessing that made a nightmare and a dream come true
• 94) Mahabharata Characters 19 – Vidura 01 – A true friend, affectionate but not attached
• 93) Mahabharata Characters 18 – Dhritarashtra 04 – Losing Everything Before Losing Blindiness
• 92) Mahabharata Characters 17 – Dhritarashtra 03 – Blaming destiny for irresponsibility
• 91) Mahabharata Characters 16 – Dhritarashtra 02 – How the attached get manipulated
• 90) Mahabharata Characters 15 – Dhritarashtra 01 – The blindness of attachment begins
• 89) If Draupadi was dishonored due to her past karma, why did the Pandavas have to take revenge?
• 88) Mahabharata Characters 14 – Drona 04 – Repaying deceit with deceit
• 87) Mahabharata Characters 13 – Drona 03 – The Blunder Under Pressure

May 2014

• 86) Mahabharata Characters 12 – Drona 02 – The Teacher’s Tests
• 85) Mahabharata Characters 16 – Dhritarashtra 02 – How the attached get manipulated
• 84) Mahabharata Characters 11 – Drona 01 – From poverty to power
• 83) Mahabharata Characters 10 – Bhishma 09 – The Ideal Departure
• 82) Mahabharata Characters 09 – Bhishma 08 – The Grandsire on the arrow bed
• 81) Mahabharata Characters 08 – Bhishma 07 – Transcendental devotion amidst violent confrontation
• 80) Mahabharata Characters 07 – Bhishma 06 – The heartbreaking conflict among loved ones
• 79) Mahabharata Characters 06 – Bhishma 05 – The sacrifice of reputation for devotion
• 78) Mahabharata Characters 05 – Bhishma 04 – The celibate becomes the match-maker
• 77) Mahabharata Characters 04 – Bhishma 03 – A test of faith
• 76) Short introduction to “Fascinating Mahabharata Characters” Course
• 75) Mahabharata Characters 03 – Bhishma 02 – The fatal complication
• 74) Mahabharata Characters 02 – Bhishma 01 – The fierce vow
• 73) Mahabharata Characters 01 – Three understandings of the timeless classic
• 72) Was Arjuna’s killing Karna when he was chariot-less not unfair, being against the kshatriya codes?
• 71) How is Draupadi’s polygamy justified especially when it involves the same man being required to see her alternately as wife and as sister-in-law?
• 70) How is Draupadi’s polygamy be justified especially when the Pandavas have to sometimes see her as a wife and at other times as sister-in-law?
• 69) Did the Pandavas actually complete the full year of ajnata vasa or were they detected before time?
• 68) Karna’s critical choice – Word of honor or life of honor?
• 67) Why did Drona despite being a brahmana desire revenge against Drupada?
• 66) Why did Drona despite being virtuous come up with the unfair scheme to kill Abhimanyu?
• 65) When I hear the Mahabharata, I identify much more with Karna than Arjuna. What should I do?
• 64) Why is Parikshit considered the sole survivor of the Pandava dynasty when sons of Bhima and Arjuna like Sutasoma and Babruvahana were still alive?

April 2014

• 63) Did Krishna-Arjuna commit environmental holocaust at Khandava?
• 62) When the Pandavas meet Krishna after being exiled to the forest, why do neither mention Krishna’s protecting Draupadi during the gambling match?
• 61) Was the Karna who was defeated by Bhima during the pre-Rajasuya yajna conquest different from the Karna who befriended Duryodhana?

March 2014

• 60) The Son of the Sun – part 4
• 59) If Karna was not stronger than Arjuna why did Kunti weaken him emotionally and Indra weaken him physically before the war?
• 58) Karna’s colossal blunder
• 57) In the Mahabharata, why are other warriors like Eklavya, Ghatothakcha and Barbarika manipulated to favor Arjuna?
• 56) How do we understand Krishna’s statement to Arjuna that Karna is a better archer than him?

February 2014

• 55) The Son of the Sun – Part 3
• 54) Mahabharata Wisdom 2 – Karna 1 – Past life karma comes as this life’s problems (Hindi)
• 53) Why did Draupadi insult Duryodhana when he fell in the Maya sabha by saying ‘andhe ka beta andha’?
• 52) The Son of the Sun – Part 2
• 51) The Son of the Sun – Part 1
• 50) Mahabharata wisdom 1 – Ashwatthama – Beware of the temptation to punish (Hindi)

December 2013

• 49) If gambling makes people do foolish things, why are kshatriyas ordained to gamble when challenged?
• 48) Are the beliefs “kshatriya martyrs attain heaven” & “jehadi suicide bombers attain paradise” different?
• 47) When God Fails – The Bhakti Message in Krishna’s Peace Messenger Pastime
• 46) Did Ekalvaya fight in the Kurukshetra war?
• 45) Instead of Vyasadeva begetting a successor king in his deceased brother’s wife couldn’t he have become the king himself?

November 2013

• 44) Why did Krishna ask Arjuna to worship Durga before the Mahabharata war?
• 43) When Yudhisthira says that only foolish people seek worldly things in the famous “ascharyam” verse, why does he seek a kingdom?
• 42) Was Yudhisthira the most immoral among all the Pandavas because he gambled away all of them and even their innocent wife?
• 41) Wasn’t Arjuna’s taking on the garb of a mendicant to abduct Subhadra immoral?
• 40) When Jayadratha didn’t actually kill Abhimanyu, why did Arjuna target him to avenge Abhimanyu’s death?

September 2013

• 39) How can a butcher be advanced in spiritual knowledge as the Vyadha Gita in the Mahabharata depicts?
• 38) What does the Mahabharata pastime of Draupadi and all the Pandavas except Yudhisthira falling before they reach the top of the Himalayas signify?

August 2013

• 37) Is the Shiva-sahasra-nama that glorifies Lord Shiva as supreme an interpolation in the Mahabharata?
• 36) Did Draupadi love Arjuna more than the other Pandavas as a controversial South Indian novel claims?

July 2013

• 35) What is the significance of the Gita’s reference to Krishna as Bhagavan because Mahabharata also refers to Shiva as Bhagavan?
• 34) Does ISKCON have its commentary on the Mahabharata?
• 33) Why didnt Bhishma pitamah stop the Kurus from disrobing Draupadi?

March 2013

• 32) Isnt Vyasadeva’s birth illegitimate?

February 2013

• 31) What is the relation of Vedvyasji with Parashar Muni and King Shantanu?
• 30) If Bhishma departed on Makar Sankranti then what is Bhishmashtami?

January 2013

• 29) How do we understand that the number of people killed in the Mahabharata war was more than the earth’s population at that time
• 28) Winning the Race Against Time – New Year Eve class (Hindi)

December 2012

• 27) How could 64 crore people have fit in the small area known as Kurukshetra?
• 26) If Drona rejected Eklavya due to his character deficiency, then why didnt he reject Duryodhana too?

November 2012

• 25) How did Krishna forget the Bhagavad-gita, as he states in the Mahabharata?
• 24) Why did Bhishma and Drona fight on the side of the Kauravas?

October 2012

• 23) Mahabharata Characters 4 – Duryodhana
• 22) Why was Duryodhana born with so much power when he had such evil tendencies? (and 4 other questions about Duryodhana)
• 21) Mahabharata Characters 3 – Karna 2 (Hindi)
• 20) When Arjuna had defeated all the Kaurava heroes at Virata why does Bhagavatam refer to them as the huge fishes timingilas against whom Arjuna was like a tiny fish?
• 19) Mahabharata Characters 2 – Karna 1 (Hindi)
• 18) Mahabharata Characters 1 – Bheeshma (Hindi)

September 2012

• 17) Morality and Immorality in the Mahabharata – Hindi

August 2012

• 16) Why did Yudhishthira consider the wicked Dhritrashtra as a respectable elder who had to be obeyed? Why didnt he consult Krishna?
• 15) Why did Yudhishthira gamble despite knowing its consequences?
• 14) Please explain the union of Parasara Muni and Satyavati.
• 13) War Against Maya – Mahabharata Days 12 and 13

July 2012

• 12) What is the Vedic perspective about the book ‘Mrutyunjaya’?

April 2012

• 11) What does Prabhupada mean when he refers to Drona’s leniency?
• 10) Why did the same Arjuna who didn’t want to kill his own relatives before the war want to kill Yudhishthira?
• 9) How does Kuvera have a lake on the earth?

March 2012

• 8) Why are the names of Vedic personalities characteristic of their personalities?
• 7) Why Draupadi didn’t allow Karna to participate in her swayamvar competition?

February 2012

• 6) Why are there contradictions between Mahabharata and Bhagavatam?
• 5) When the Pandavas were born of various demigods, why are they called the sons of Pandu?

January 2012

• 4) Can you kindly clarify the position of Ekalavya?
• 3) Can you clarify the character and past-life history of Karna?
• 2) Why was Karna denigrated as suta-putra?
• 1) MBW 1 (Mahabharata Wisdom 1): The Unity of the Pandavas – Yudhisthira’s Mistake