Some Thoughts on Chakravyuh (the play) And Beyond...

This weekend I went to see a 100-minute long Hindi play on the well-known episode of Chakravyuh in the Mahabharata where on the 13^th day of the Great War, Drona, the commander of the Kaurava forces arrays his army in a circular formation. In the past, this play has been staged for an audience as high-profile as members of the Parliament of India with leading politicians in attendance. The BJP stalwart L.K. Advani is said to have attended multiple performances at various venues. In case you are not aware of the Chakravyuh story, Google is your friend. Here is an interesting Quora thread for the more curious ones: https://www.quora.com/How-was-a-Chakravyuha-Mahabharata-beaten

                                             

(The next two paragraphs are about the play and the rest about stuff beyond it)

The biggest attraction of the play for me was Nitish Bharadwaj reprising his role as Krishna, albeit off-screen this time. Having been an ardent fan of the way he played his character in the BR Chopra version of the epic that used to air in the late ‘90s, I was quite pleased. I had booked my ticket 2 weeks in advance and was fortuitous to get a seat in the third row, the first two being reserved for high profile guests and not available for booking. Bharadwaj didn’t disappoint and played his part with the same flourish, fluidity and touch as he did on-screen two decades ago. Age did seem to show on his face a bit with some wrinkles visible from so near the stage. The performance itself, however, was flawless. The expressions and the dialogue delivery had an all too familiar ring to them. The actor also engaged in a 10-minute Q&A session with audience members post the play where he was questioned on various aspects of the play and the epic.

Among other characters, the actors playing the parts of Duryodhana and Yudhishthira were cast very well in their respective roles. Those playing Abhimanyu, Uttara and Subhadra did justice to their roles as well. Sachin Joshi as Bhishma didn’t seem quite convincing though. The force of Bhishma’s personality and his towering presence were missing. War scenes showing Abhimanyu taking on the mightiest Kaurava warriors single-handedly have been very well-choreographed with high energy and intensity on display throughout. The play provided several instances of levity throughout with Krishna taunting and berating the Pandavas in his characteristic style, made all the more effective by Bharadwaj. Quite a few dialogues prompted spontaneous applause from the audience for the wisdom they professed to reveal. Credit is due to Atul Satya Kaushik who has written and directed the play. Expectedly, the play ended with a couple of dialogues from Krishna about the analogy of Chakravyuh with our modern day lives and the possibility of attaining moksha only if we manage to find a way to extricate ourselves from it.

                                            

The play delves on some little-explored facets of the Great War. In response to Arjuna vowing to kill Jaidratha the following day or give up his own life, Krishna’s patience gives way to frustration at the habit of the dynasty’s stalwarts to take vows and oaths. He admonishes the Pandavas saying that it was this tendency that had led to this war in the first place. Bhishma’s vow of protecting the holder of Hastinapur’s throne, no matter what, forces him to side with Duryodhana. Bheema’s vows to drink Dushasana’s blood and wash Draupadi’s hair with the same (not to mention Draupadi’s vow not to tie her hair till she had done so) as well as to break Duryodhana’s left thigh with his mace led to the war getting unnecessarily prolonged. He cites two instances when Abhimanyu had Duryodhana at his mercy but let him off keeping in mind Bheema’s vow. Arjuna too could have finished off Duryodhana easily whenever he wanted, for the latter was no match to him with a bow and arrows. The continued survival of Duryodhana was causing the war to drag on endlessly and tragically. It’s another matter though that despite the boon of bodily protection granted by his mother Gandhari, Duryodhana has been repeatedly described as getting injured in the story of the war, whichever version you read. The protection works only against the blow of a mace it seems.

More than the story itself, it is the many subtle and vital questions about the various facets of society – erstwhile and current- as well as human nature which are thought-provoking and intriguing. Krishna tries to give courage to the young Uttara who is all of 16 and just been widowed when she asks how she would be able to raise her unborn child without its father. He gives several examples of single mothers from the past, states that every human being has both male and female characteristics and mentions that in the future single motherhood was going to become all too common.

Nitish Bharadwaj talked about the thinking of the times (or zeitgeist as we know it) in response to a question after the play and another audience member asked if the thinking of the times forced the elders in the court to keep silent during the Draupadi disrobing episode. Bharadwaj interestingly pointed out that the question Draupadi asked of the elders was whether Yudhishthira had the right to gamble away her freedom when he had already lost his. According to the shastras, the elders knew that Yudhishthira, even as a slave had that right but they didn’t want to utter this in court and hence kept silent. Basically, Draupadi asked the wrong question. If she had invoked her status as the daughter-in-law of the dynasty and asked the elders to act, they would have been compelled to. Bharadwaj cited the book “Yugaant” by Irawati Karwe (originally in Marathi, now translated to Hindi and English) for this. The name sounded familiar to me and I soon found out why when I added it to my Wish List on Amazon. It had been sitting there already for quite some time!

The one thing I have never understood is why Arjuna held Jaidratha as the chief culprit in the tragedy that befell Abhimanyu. The latter was simply doing his duty in not letting the Pandava brothers past the entry to the Chakravyuh. The deceitful plot to kill Abhimanyu was suggested by none other than Drona, his revered teacher who also partook in the boy’s shameful murder. Was it because Arjuna wanted to avoid confronting this uncomfortable truth out of the reverence and awe he held his teacher in, and was looking for a scapegoat? The anger that Arjuna feels when Dhrishtadyumn murders Drona while the latter had his eyes closed suggests that in Arjuna’s eyes, Drona was not a culprit. And yet, Krishna is able to rouse Arjuna enough to persuade him to shoot a defenceless Karna by invoking the part played by the latter in Abhimanyu’s killing. It seems that even the heroes of yore were not immune to double standards and convenient rationalisations.

Another aspect of the story doesn’t quite sound convincing. In the play Arjuna asks Krishna, who had been Abhimanyu’s teacher throughout, why he hadn’t taught the latter all about the Chakravyuh as a part of his education. Krishna replies saying that Arjuna was Abhimanyu’s father and it was his duty as a father to finish what he started (alluding to the fact that Abhimanyu had learnt the art of breaching the formation while in the womb). Krishna says that he cannot substitute for Abhimanyu’s father. Two simple reasons why one can’t digest this sorry explanation are the fact that the guru was held in higher regard than parents in those times and that Arjuna had no way of knowing that Abhimanyu had obtained half the knowledge.

All said and done, I strongly recommend watching the play if you get a chance to do so. Do share your opinions on some of the mysteries and unresolved questions in the epic. 

अरमानों की उड़ान...

मदमस्त हवा के झोंकों का नशा जो है छाया

तो बेखुदी का ये आलम है, जहान की न खबर है

क्षितिज पर नीले आसमान में पिघलता जो समुन्दर है

तो अपलक देख रहीं आँखें, भागते वक़्त का न होश है 

बीते लम्हों की याद में खोया मन

ढूंढ रहा ज़िन्दगी के फलसफे है

इस सुहाने मौसम में यूँ गुमसुम है दिल क्यूँ

क्या खोया इसने, गम है इसे क्यूँ

कुछ सन्नाटे तो हैं सबका हिस्सा

बीत गया जो वो है कल का किस्सा...

दिल को संकरे दायरों में बांधें रखा है क्यूँ तुमने

अरमानों को जेहन में समेटे रखा है क्यूँ तुमने

ये जो पल हैं आज और अभी हैं

थाम लो इन्हें, पहले इसके की ये हो जाएं गुम

हसरतों को पिंजरे से करो आज़ाद

और मिलाने दो नीले अम्बर से साज़

रखोगे बुलंद जो हौसले

और हिम्मत से लोगे फैसले

कायनात भी करेगी साज़िश

कि कामयाबी करे खुद तुम्हारे पते की गुज़ारिश...

ज़िन्दगी में कभी धूप तो कभी बरसात है

बुझे न कभी उम्मीद की शमां बस यही दुआ है

किस्मत के थपेड़ों से जूझकर ही तो

मिलेगा जीवन का समुन्दर नील गगन से

हमसफ़र का इंतज़ार न करो निकलने से पहले

मिल ही जायेगा वो तुम्हें चलते-चलते

साथी के साथ से डगर हो जाती है कुछ सुगम

पर सफर तन्हा भी यूँ कुछ बुरा नहीं

मंज़िल अपनी देर-सबेर पहुँच ही जाओगे, रफ्ता रफ्ता भटक कर ही सही

गुमराह तो वो लोग हैं, जो दूरियों के डर से घर से निकले ही नहीं...

सफलता की खोज में....

आँखों में सपने संजोए, मन में संकल्प लिए

दिल पर पत्थर रख घर से हम चल दिए

कुछ कर गुजरने की चाहत में

अनजाने सफर पर निकल पड़े...

रेगिस्तान की मृग-मरीचिका समान

सफलता बस थोड़ी दूर नज़र आती है

समीप पहुंचते ही उतनी दूर और चली जाती है

सुध-बुध गवाँए प्यासे की तरह अब भी पीछे भाग रहे हैं

यही है अपने जीने का सबब, खुद को समझा रहे हैं

साहिल की लहरों को चीरती

बरखा, तूफानों को झेलती

किनारा ढूंढ़ती जीवन की ये कश्ती

है अग्रसर पल-पल प्रतिपल...

सहयात्रियों को आगे निकलता देख

हिम्मत है टूटती, मनोबल फिर डोलता

संदेह होता अपनी काबिलियत पर

व्यर्थ प्रतीत होता परिश्रम, जीवन लगता मायाजाल है...

मगर यारों ! जीवन है लम्बी दूरी की दौड़

यहाँ थकना-हारना है मना

कल फिर होगी सुबह

होगा सूरज का आविर्भाव नया

दिनकर की रश्मियों के तेज से

ऊर्जा का होगा संचार नया

जीवन रण पुनः आरम्भ होगा

कल की पराजय का न कोई दुष्परिणाम होगा...

करें हम शंखनाद, संभालें रथ की कमान

भेदने को चक्रव्यूह हो जाएं तैयार

मनोबल है अपना कवच और श्रम तलवार

चुनौती है प्रतिद्वंदी और डर उसका हथियार

बनें कुरुक्षेत्र के हम अर्जुन

हो जाएं नतमस्तक सब जन

निराशा-हताशा के बादलों को चीरते

कुछ गिरते, कुछ संभलते

अंजानी डगर पर हम डटे रहें

लें शपथ! पार करेंगे ये अग्निपथ, पार करेंगे ये अग्निपथ...

Plans Ahead: Some Notes To Self

With the herculean task of getting a job out of the way and nothing specific on the agenda for the next 3 months, this looks like a chance as good as any to do the things one has always wanted to do but never got around to because, well, where was the time?? Yours truly has been a not-so-proud member of the club thus far but it's time to relinquish the badge.

To begin with, getting way from everything and going off on a nice, quiet holiday all by self sounds like a good idea. (I also hope to finally have an answer to at least one dreaded HR interview question: What is the most adventurous thing you have done in your life?) Perhaps to a historical destination/destinations. History, especially Indian history, has always fascinated me. I have spent many nights in bed as a kid fantasizing how life must have been in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata era. A bit more of history reading in higher classes, combined with the heroic tales of bravery of historical figures who have become the cultural totems of today, planted romanticised notions of life in the earlier times in my head. All the associated stories of plunder and massacre seemed like minor inconveniences then, serving no purpose but that of interfering with the narrative. It’s only once that I started doing some serious history reading that it struck how harsh life must have been in those times without all the mechanical and electrical conveniences of today. Heck, had I been born 50 years too early, life would be nothing as exciting and convenient as today. All those sturdy forts constructed back then and pan-country military expeditions carried out would have required humongous resources, time and effort. And yet, despite the tyranny of distance, large empires were forged and sustained over hundreds of years and architectural marvels that have withstood the test of time and weather were erected. While reading and all is fine, I’d like to actually “feel” the history in my bones. A tour of Jaipur about a decade back and one of the glorious Vijayanagara capital of Hampi last year whetted that appetite but has by no means satisfied it. An extensive tour of Rajasthan, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh would be my priority. I could spend hours at those places in quiet contemplation trying to reconstruct the times of yore, undisturbed and unhurried by anything else (Let’s ignore here the fact that I partook not a drop of history in Delhi in the two years I spent there). My role-model is Sanjeev Sanyal who is a global strategist for Deutsche Bank based out of Singapore and lives and breathes history in all his spare time. His book “Land of the Seven Rivers” is an excellent Indian history primer. Wish they had such books as text books during school.

 May be I could go away to a quiet town for a few days somewhere in the hills up north, (Kasauli, may be?) be cut off from the Internet and hopefully mobile communication. It’s damn difficult to switch off completely these days but I could really do with a break from the daily chaos.  I’d like to spend time going for long nature walks, reading stories and poetry for a change (some by Ruskin Bond perhaps whose writing is steeped in life in the hills), reflect on the past and the future- the things gone right and wrong, figure out what and who matters, shed some baggage of the past and figure out my own philosophy of life (very important, if for nothing else then to impress a gathering of friends). Being in the lap of nature and having no deadlines to adhere to may finally get the creative juices flowing for all one knows and I may end up writing something worthwhile. (Ok, I saw today a junior from BITS announcing on Facebook the imminent publication of her first book so right now motivation is at its peak, else I am too lazy to make the effort) Jokes apart, it would kind of feel nice to jump on to the Engineer+MBA+Writer bandwagon some day.

In the days left over, I’d definitely like to start clearing my reading backlog. At least 30-40 books I’ve accumulated in my collection over time are gathering dust, waiting to be opened. My Pocket repository is bulging with links saved over the last two years some of which I am sure are no longer active and the content lost forever. More importantly, I need to figure out how to do more focused reading- decide on a topic or theme and read stuff only along those lines for a few days before switching over to something else. Hopefully, this will allow better retention and depth of knowledge by helping to form a mental map of ideas connected to that theme.

The one thing I would likely accord priority to is a course on the Vipassana meditation technique. It’s going to be very difficult to find a 10-day break once working life begins and all leaves would become precious enough to relegate meditation to a lower status in the list of priorities. I need better focus, clarity and evenness of mind and would like to optimize the output of my time and effort on all fronts. I am hoping that a regular practise of Vipassana would help me achieve that.

All said and done, the best-laid plans more often than not meet a sorry fate. More ambitious the plan, the higher the probability of failure. I’m under no illusions it’s going to be a challenge to meet even half the goals I’m setting for myself. One also becomes immune to self-motivation beyond a point. Placing a wager on stickk.com to lock oneself into a commitment contract may actually not be a bad idea...