Reflections on the Mahabharata War.

• Author: Rocher, Ludo
• Position: Review

By M. A. MEHENDALE. Simla: INDIAN INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED STUDY, 1995. Pp. 65. Rs 75.

This small but cleverly argued volume consists of three chapters. The title of the first chapter raises the question: "The Mahabharata War - A dharmayuddha?" Mehendale considers two possible definitions of the term dharmayuddha. It may mean "a war fought as a duty (dharma) by a ksatriya," in which case the answer to the question is clear even before the war begins: "the Kuruksetra war turns out to be a dharmayuddha for the Pandavas, but not for the Kauravas" (p. 2). However, dharmayuddha can also mean "a war fought according to the rules (dharma) of the war," in which case we have to withhold judgment until the war is over. After closely examining several situations on and off the battlefield, "[t]he conclusion . . . can only be that from the point of view of the observance of the rules of war, the Mahabharata war cannot be called a dharmayuddha, the heroes on both sides having to share the responsibility for this" (p. 23). Of special interest is Mehendale's brief discussion, supported by references to the text of the Mahabharata, of Samjaya's role in the epic. "It is widely believed, even by those who ought to know, that, blessed with [divine vision], Samjaya sat with Dhrtarastra in his chamber in Hastinapura, and from there he could see the happenings on the battlefield, which he related to Dhrtarastra as a sort of running commentary" (p. 3). In fact, "the Mahabharata tells us that Samjaya acted as a war-reporter. He was actually present on the battlefield - very likely in the company of other reporters like him--, witnessed the events, and then reported such to Dhrtarastra" (p. 3). In addition, "this reporter was a partisan, definitely on the side of the Kauravas" (p. 4).

The title of chapter two is again framed as a question: "What Does Yogesvara Krsna...