Mahabharata: Alternative Reading A

Week 9: Reading

                                                                 Image Details: Gandhari, Source: Wikimedia

For this week, I read the comic book “Gandhari- A mother blinded by love.” The comic book focuses on who Gandhari was and what events led to the demise of her children. The comic book begins with princess Gandhari receiving a blessing of having 100 sons. Gandhari marries Dhritarashtra; however since her husband is blind, she wears a blindfold over her eyes to respect him. When Gandhari gives birth, it is in a form of a shapeless lump. The sage, Vyasa, tells her to prepare one hundred jars of ghee. Then Vyasa cuts the lump into one hundred pieces and placed each piece in the jars. After two years, the children take form.

After Dhritarashtra’s brother dies, Kunti and the Pandavas come to Hastinapura. Although Gandhari and Kunti have a wonderful relationship, their children do not get along. This is due to Duryodhana’s immense jealousy for his cousins and this jealously towards the Pandavas heightens when Yudhistira is named Dhritarashtra’s heir to the throne.

Duryodhana tries in many ways to defeat the Pandavas, but his attempts become futile. When Yudhistira and Sakuni engage in a game of dice, the Pandavas lose all their possessions and wealth. Also, Yudhistira gambles his brothers, himself, and his wife to the Kauravas. When Duryodhana calls for Draupadi to be stripped in front of everybody, Gandhari realizes that he is evil and tells Dhritarashtra to return the wealth and possessions back to the Pandavas.

Duryodhana prepares and wins another game against the Pandavas. The Pandavas go into exile and this devastates Gandhari. Even though Gandhari begs Duryodhana to seek peace with the Pandavas, he refuses to listen to her. Also, Gandhari refuses to bless her son’s side in the war as she can only bless the side of the righteous.

At the end of the Mahabharata, all the sons of Dhritarashtra and Gandhari die. Gandhari is torn between grief and rage after finding out about the death of her sons. She curses Krishna and performs the funeral rites for her sons as the river Ganga.

This comic book was a very interesting perspective on the inner dilemma of Gandhari. Even though she loves her children, she is faced to watch her children to go down a dangerous path. In the Mahabharata, she explains that she cannot accept the decision of her children as she knows what they are doing is absolutely wrong. However, at the end of Mahabharata, we see Gandhari as grieving and raging mother than the strong and righteous character that we see at the beginning of the story.

Bibliography: Gandhari- A mother blinded by love, Amar Chitra Katha, Vol 644.