ET BureauBy Mukul Sharma
This writer participated in a fascinating online seminar the other day called, "Were there any atheists in the Mahabharata?" Fascinating, because, as it turned out, there really were none — incidentally, asuras don’t count because one could never tell who among them was busy doing penance to which god for what boon. And also because the characters that got cited were the usual suspects.
A great deal was written about Jarasandha, the King of Magadha, and his refusal to accept Krishna as an incarnation or a god. So great was the enmity between the two that they confronted each other 18 times in battle till Krishna felt enough was enough and decided to kill him. So, he slyly got him to engage Bhima in a duel who then promptly finished him off. The point, however, is, does hatred amount to atheism? Nonbelief, yes; indifference, maybe; but extreme abhorrence?
Guru Drona’s son, Ashwathama, was also talked about a lot. He had so much anger for the Pandavas after the dastardly death meted out to his father that he broke all rules of war and entered their camp after dark and burned the whole place down. Luckily, the Pandavas and Krishna were not there then but so great was Krishna’s anger that he visited upon Ashwathama one of the most horrific curse ever meted: including banishment, disease, unending pain and no relief.
That’s when one commentator wrote, "Why, Krishna of course. He breaks all kinds of moral and religious dogmas of the time for what he considers the greater good of humanity and, most importantly, does not believe in a power greater than himself!"
This writer participated in a fascinating online seminar the other day called, "Were there any atheists in the Mahabharata?" Fascinating, because, as it turned out, there really were none — incidentally, asuras don’t count because one could never tell who among them was busy doing penance to which god for what boon. And also because the characters that got cited were the usual suspects.
A great deal was written about Jarasandha, the King of Magadha, and his refusal to accept Krishna as an incarnation or a god. So great was the enmity between the two that they confronted each other 18 times in battle till Krishna felt enough was enough and decided to kill him. So, he slyly got him to engage Bhima in a duel who then promptly finished him off. The point, however, is, does hatred amount to atheism? Nonbelief, yes; indifference, maybe; but extreme abhorrence?
Guru Drona’s son, Ashwathama, was also talked about a lot. He had so much anger for the Pandavas after the dastardly death meted out to his father that he broke all rules of war and entered their camp after dark and burned the whole place down. Luckily, the Pandavas and Krishna were not there then but so great was Krishna’s anger that he visited upon Ashwathama one of the most horrific curse ever meted: including banishment, disease, unending pain and no relief.
That’s when one commentator wrote, "Why, Krishna of course. He breaks all kinds of moral and religious dogmas of the time for what he considers the greater good of humanity and, most importantly, does not believe in a power greater than himself!"
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