Mahabharate Narijiban by Debidash Acharya [Hardcover]

The common belief is that during the time of the Mahabharata, women held a prominent position in society. But is that truly the case, or is this long-held notion in need of reform? The structure of the Mahabharata itself is rather disorganized, which often leads important information to get lost in a labyrinth. There’s a tendency to show glimpses of certain female characters and present their lives as representative of all women of that era. Naturally, this leads to incompleteness. A more careful exploration reveals not just the prominent queens and princesses - Draupadi, Gandhari, Kunti, Satyavati, Shakuntala, and Savitri - but also the broader picture of the lives of women in the Mahabharata. The narrative captures the life cycles of all women, ordinary and extraordinary alike. Birth, education, marriage, motherhood, widowhood - every stage of a woman's life is seen through the lens of male perspectives, measured by male standards. Women's worlds begin and end with their husbands. To keep them obedient, men have bound their minds. Both memory and religious texts like the Mahabharata have reinforced these constraints. The independence of women is depicted as a mere fantasy. In this country, a large section of men still cling to these ancient patriarchal ideals, which is why revisiting these two-thousand-year-old issues remains crucial today.