Since 22 April 2022, when I completed my reading of Mahabharata (through translation), I have been wondering what was it that I learned? and what should I do next?
There is a lot to do. Few priorities :
- Want to distill the five key messages of Mahabharata - what was it that Rishi Krishna Dvaipayana Vyasa/Rishi Vaishampayana/Suta Ugrashrava tried to tell us, through Mahabharata?
- Mahabharata claims to be the Fifth Veda. What are the Vedic concepts - such as Srushti, Laya, Kala, Lokas, Devas, Pitris, Asuras, Punya, Papa, Moksha etc., that are explained/expanded/described in Mahabharata?
- What do we understand of each character. Would like to first count the number of characters, by categories (whether they had their births and deaths within the period beginning with Shantanu and ending with Pandavas' departure). Would then like to study in detail at least the first 50 characters in each category.
- What do the Puranas (about 36 Puranas that I have access to) say about the concepts/characters that the Mahabharata has dealt with?
- What do the Upanishads (about 108 Upanishads that I have access to) say about the concepts/characters that are dealt with in Mahabharata?
The list in my mind is longer than what I have prioritized in the above to-do list. I hope I will be able to accomplish these priorities in the next 25 years, the number of years I took to "read" the Mahabharata.
100 Characters in Mahabharata
50 Characters in the Mahabharata time period |
50 Characters in other time periods |
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