13 reasons why keeping 'Mahabharat' at home can be dicey

Usually, people do not choose to keep the Mahabharat epic in their homes. Instead, one can find Tulsidas’s Ramcharitmanas, Valmiki’s Ramayan or Shrimad Bhagwad Puran in their houses.

Mahabharat is also known as the 5th Veda, but it is still not kept at home. The older reasons for this action that keeping Mahabharat at home disturb the peace of the house and fights begin. But this tradition behind not keeping Mahabharat in house is not true.

Click on this slide show to know some facts about Mahabharat because of which people don't prefer to keep a book like this at home...

Mahabharat is an epic of relations. One can find family, societal and political relations explained well in this epic.  There are many relations explained in this epic that a common person will find it difficult to understand. For instance, the Pandavas were born from different Gods, but their father is one.

Also, that Draupadi has five husbands, which in today’s time is neither understood not accepted. Such woman in modern times are understood as prostitutes.

There are many other things mentioned in this book that is not understood by people in general. This is the main reason by the elder in the family do not allow keeping these books at home.

Click on further slide to know the meaning of the sign Duryodhan made to Draupadi…

 After losing the game of gamble, Duryodhan had asked Draupadi to sit on his left thigh. For most people, this is the reason why he is the villain. Although his this action was bad, but according to the tradition that was followed during that time, a king would ask his wife to sit on his left thigh and daughter on the right. This is the reason why religious posters and calendars show the goddesses on the left side. Even in Hindu marriages, the wife is made to sit on the left side.

Most people know that Mahabharat has been written by Ved Vyas. This is not completely true. Ved Vyas is actually not a name, but a surname. This surname was given to those who had all the knowledge od all the Vedas. There have 27 Ved Vyas before Krishnadwaipayan. He was the 28th one who wrote this epic. Since he was born dusky, his name was Krishna (Krishna was dark in colour) and he was born on a dweep (island) and hence dwaipayan.

There is not just one Geeta. It is believed that Shrimad Bhagwad Geeta is the only Geeta, which includes the wisdom given by Krishna.  This is true, but there is another fact that there are 10 more Geeta. Vyadh Geeta, Parashar Geeta AND Ashtavakra Geeta is part of those 10 Geeta.

There is no definition of religion

Many people believe that Mahabharat teach about religion. Some people also connect Mahabharat with truth and false. In reality, no instance in Mahabharat proves what is right or wrong. The truth changes in this epic from situation to situation.

One instance of right and wrong comes when Dronacharya asks for Eklavya’s thumb. While most people believe this attitude of Dronacharya to be wrong. But, there was actually nothing wrong in it. According to Mahabharat, once while Dronacharya was bathing in the river, a crocodile had caught him, that time Arjun had saved his life. At that moment, Dronacharya had promised Arjun that he would make him the best bow and arrow shooter. To fulfill this promise, he had asked Eklavya to give his thumb. This proves that there is no definition of what is right and wrong.

There used to be no concept of Zodiac during the time of Mahabharat. The entire astrology was based on the 27 constellations. The dice that was used to play the game of gamble by Shakuni had only four sides instead of six. However, nothing more than this is known about the dice.

Brhamastra used to be made by chanting mantras

Most people believe that Brahmastra are those weapons that were given by Gods after years of meditation. However, this is not the entire truth. While some Brahmastra are clearly visible, there are some that are only in mantras. Like converting the wheel of a chariot into a chakra.

Involvement of foreigners in Indian battles has been our history. In Mahabharat too, foreigners were involved. While people only believe that it was a war between the Pandavas and Kauravas. There were many Romans and Macedonians had participated in the war.

It is a common known fact that Abhimanyu was killed by the 7 maharathi with a chakravihiyu. According to Maulik Mahabharat, Abhimanyu had fought with bravery and killed Duryodhan’s son out of the 7 maharathis. Angry with this, Dusashan’s son had killed Abhimanyu.

Mahabharat has been written in three phases. In the first phase, 8,800 shlokas were written, in the second phase, 24 thousand shlokas were written and one lakh shlokas were written in the final phase.