Recontextualizing the Narratives: Exploring Oppression and Genocides in the Mahabharata

Abstract

The inhuman acts of mass-killing and oppression are as old as the history of civilization. Many have been condemned while numerous still fail to make it to headlines. The very discrimination between what is condemned and what gets brushed under the carpet delineates an oppressive tendency based on factors such as race, ethnicity, caste and religion. The present paper aims to explore and interpret two episodes from the Mahabharata that deal with oppression and/or genocide. First is the popular episode of Sarpasatra where Janmejaya, son of Parikshit, embarks on the sarpamedha yajna to kill all the snakes in order to avenge the death of his father. The second is a lesser-known episode in the Astika Parva of the Mahabharta where Garuda, instructed by her mother Vinata, selectively eats thousands of nishada to quell his hunger. At the heart of both the episodes are discrimination, dehumanization and an act of othering. Janmejaya sees the nagas as a threat and feels their annihilation is justified. When Vinata is telling his son Garuda about the dwelling place of the nishada, her conscience is convinced, her morality justifies the mass-murder of a race that was considered inferior in the social structure. Her warning to his son regarding how to avoid any sin by eating not eating a brahmin confirms that the prevalent morality sanctioned/endorsed this oppression favoring the oppressor against the oppressed. The Mahabharata as a grand-narrative not only subtly points out the inherent oppressive nature of the patriarchal morality, but also comes up with counter-narratives. There is a twist in the tale. A brahmin married to a nishada comes to the rescue of his wife pointing out the existence of alternate moralities as well as the intermingling of races. Similarly, the sarpamedhha yagna is intervened by Astika and the race of snakes is spared. While the emergence of a rescuer marks a major turning point and an effort in bringing home the lesson of inclusiveness and harmonious co-existence, it does not undo the damages already caused in the process.