What is there in Mahabharata?

Mahabharata is not just about the fight between Pandavas and Kauravas.

Details about Kuruvamsha.

How pious a lady was Gandhari.

Wisdom of Vidura.

Courage of Kunti Devi.

Greatness of Lord Krishna.

Honesty and truthfulness of Pandavas.

Evil ways of Duryodhana.

Stories of noble people who have done good karma, hundreds of them.

The complete Mahabharata has got sixty lakh shlokas in it.

Out of these 30 lakh shlokas have been released only in Devaloka, 15 lakh shlokas have been released only in Pitruloka.

14 lakh shlokas have been released only in Gandharva Loka.

So, 30 + 15 + 14 – 59 lakh shlokas of Mahabharata are not even known to us, humans.

Only one lakh are meant for humans.

Out of 60 lakhs, only one lakh are meant for humans.

Imagine the vastness of Mahabharata.

Mahabharata was told to Devas by Narada Maharshi.
To pitrus by Asita Devala.
To Gandharvas, Yakshas, and Rakshas by Shukadeva himself.

We heard Mahabharata through Vaisampayana.

Duryodhana and Yudhishthira have been compared to trees.

Duryodhana is a tree of hate and anger.

Its trunk is Karna.

Its branches are Shakuni.

Its fruits and flowers are Dusshasana.

Its roots are Dhritarashtra.

Where does a tree get its nutrients from?

From the roots.

Here Duryodhana as a tree derived its nutrients from its roots, Dhritarashtra.

What was the fault in Dhritarashtra?

Over-attachment to his sons.

That made him blind.

Blind towards dharma.

All his decisions were based on his possessive attachment to his own children.

All decisions and actions of Dhritarashtra centered around the agenda that his own children should benefit.

In this, he overlooked his duty as a king.

A king is there for the nation.

Not for the benefit of his own family.

This principle he violated.

And with the support that Dhritarashtra gave him, Duryodhana flourished as an embodiment of jealousy, hate, and anger.

If Dhritarashtra had brought him up well, kept him under control, exercised his responsibilities as a father, this would not have happened.

Karna, Shakuni, and Dusshasana were parts of the tree that was Duryodhana each contributing in his own way.

On the contrary, Yudhishthira is a tree of righteousness, dharma.

The trunk of this tree is Arjuna.

Its branches are Bhimasena.

Nakula and Sahadeva are its flowers and fruits.

Its roots are Lord Krishna, Vedas, and noble scholars.

Yudhishthira has tolerance in him, he has self-control in him, he has self-restraint in him, he has truth in him, he has ahimsa in him.

But, did he not fight a war?

If he has ahimsa, then why did he go to war?

For this, you should know what is ahimsa.

Ahimsa is the absence of para peeda, tendency to trouble others, harm others.

War was his duty as a Kshatriya.

War was for re-establishment of dharma.

Not to create adharma.

Duryodhana’s actions were adharmik.

Yudhishthira even when he fought a war, it was his duty as a Kshatriya.

What Duryodhana did was unbecoming of a Kshatriya King.

When Yudhishthira fought war there was no himsa in it because it was not meant to harm others, it was not meant for para peeda.

Ahimsa does not mean meekness, submissiveness, timidness.

You follow ahimsa does not mean that anyone can push you around whichever way they want.

Ahimsa essentially means that you don’t initiate harm to others.

Retaliation to adharmik violent acts in equal terms cannot be called himsa.

Arjuna, Bhima, Nakula and Sahadeva; they are parts of the tree that Yudhishthira is.

They are not different from him.

Their actions are always in sync with Yudhishtira’s wish and actions.

And the roots of this tree are Lord Krishna, Vedas, and noble scholars.

Pandavas acted upon the advice of Lord Krishna.
He was their guide.

Nothing can go wrong when you have Paramatma as your guide because he will ensure that divine will is executed, divine wish is executed.

When divine will is executed that means it can not deviate from dharma or the divine order.

Vedas, Shabda Brahma is where you can understand what dharma or righteousness is.

Whatever has the authority of Vedas is dharma.

Whatever Veda says is wrong is wrong.

And the noble scholars are living examples of dharmik conduct.

I am not referring to daily rituals.

How they face situations.

Even they face tough situations in life, dharma sankata in life.

On such occasions how they conduct themselves, that's why they are living examples of dharma.

Lord Krishna, Vedas, and acts of noble scholars; this is where the tree Yudhishthira derives its nutrients from.