The Mahabharata

Dharma and Adharma: Pilgrimage in the Mahabharata Epic

By Valek Mitsuhide Akechi

Every culture has that one awe-inspiring story to tell that teaches important lessons we as people need to hear so that we may understand human nature's tendencies and some go farther than that. The Mahabharata epic from India is considered to be the greatest tale in the world as well as the longest. The epic is separated into 90,000 Sanskrit shlokas or couplets which amounts to nearly two million words (Debroy 1:xx). And within these words there are many themes; one amongst them being pilgrimage and how it helped shape the characters who surrendered to it as opposed to those who did not. But what could that concept bring to the famous story? What role does that play in the grand scheme of the larger whole in a tale about dharma and adharma? 

To begin this discussion it’s important to understand the general plot of the epic as well as its major themes and importance within Hinduism. The text is extremely significant being one of the most important scriptures. The Mahabharata is often referenced as not merely a religious text, but also a foundation that shapes Indian society. It explores the concept of what is and is not righteous through the story of generational struggles of the royal family of Hastinapur. The story teaches readers that every choice one makes bears consequences—both good and bad. The family's struggles come to a head when the Kauravas, sons of Dhritarashtra commit the largest act on their hatred for their cousins the Pandavas, sons of Pandu, by declaring war (Mit 12.6). This has come to be called the Kurukshetra War. Given this outlook as well as the focus on the battle, it's hard to see pilgrimage playing any kind of role in shaping the famous figures. The best way to approach this is to first analyze the main purposes of pilgrimage in relation to Hinduism. 

Similar to Buddhism, which also originated from India, the tradition of Hinduism has the karmic merit system where one's actions in their current life affect their next. With this in mind, Brahmins or sages become very important—not just for the knowledge they come to hold, but also the boons they give. These blessings can symbolize the spiritual power accumulated by the brahmins over time. This occurs through the earning of merit and studying the vedas. For the sake of this essay, the focus will be on the earning of merit through traveling. Many sages mentioned within the epic travel or live deep in a forest. Those traveling often go to villages or cities in order to receive alms and share their knowledge. These journeys can be considered as pilgrimages because of the religious purpose in earning merit. I would like to take a moment to further delve into how these acts relate to pilgrimage. Now we have come to know of spiritual, faith-based, and secular pilgrimages. The travels of the sages and their decision to live in the forest are linked closely to spiritual and faith-based pilgrimage. This all comes back to the karmic merit system as their choices were to pursue that path.  Brahmins would also visit the temples in the locations they traveled to. Because of these incidents within the Mahabharata, when characters are forced to live in a forest or travel in exile it is considered a path of pilgrimage. This explains why the Pandavas choose to live as brahmins after fleeing the fire at Varnavrat and after the dice game. 

Pilgrimage takes on an interesting pattern in the main purpose it serves in the tale. The first journey to begin revealing this is that of the third Pandava brother, Arjun. The Pandavas end up in an unconventional marriage with Princess Draupadi of Panchal towards the end of the post Varnavrat journey which led to a promise. The brothers—Yudhishthir, Bheem, Arjun, Nakul,and Sahadev—made the promise they would only enter Draupadi's chambers when given permission or it was that brother's turn as her husband. The brothers agreed on twelve years of exile as the punishment for breaking the promise. One day, it  came to pass that a Brahmin was robbed of his cattle and he asked the Pandavas to stand up for dharma by retrieving them. At the time it was Yudhishthir's turn as her husband and Arjun kept his weapon in her room. He made the decision to uphold dharma (Debroy 2:13-14). Yudhishthir tried to convince Arjun to stay through the use of his wisdom. But his younger brother refused by saying, "Grant me permission to observe my vow [...] I have violated the rule and I must go dwell in the forest, because that is the rule we 

made." (Debroy 2:15). This became a pilgrimage of forgiveness and penance for the promise sacrificed for dharma. Arjun chose to take accountability for his actions and accept the full consequences for his decision. As a side note, this occurred after the Pandavas had, in a sense, regained their pride and perhaps even arrogance as some could say. 

This theme of accountability and consequences continues later when the Pandavas lose everything in a game of dice against the Kauravas. After losing Draupadi and the attempt to disrobe her in the court of Hastinapur, the Pandavas received consequences in the form of a thirteen year exile, this time with their shared wife. Compared to the previous pilgrimage journeys this one was intended for the humiliation of the Pandavas. One of the Kauravas, Dushasan, states that "They must go into the forest. They have to give up their multicolored armor and their divine and radiant garments." (Debroy 2:254). And even the clothes prepared were not consecrated like those of real ascetics. The Kauravas believed they finally bested their cousins. But rather than allow this to hurt their reputation the five brothers accepted this exile as penance for what happened to Draupadi and that none of them interfered. They understood the decisions they made throughout the dice game instead of trying to defend their choices, ultimately taking the blame for what they had done without complaint. 

In summary, the Pandavas slowly become connected to the very act of pilgrimage because of the many they go on. In the story's theme of righteousness and unrighteousness, pilgrimage serves the purpose of correcting adharma as well as mistakes made by those who are a symbol of dharma. Majority if not all pilgrimages performed by the brothers and their family are out of penance for a sin or vow. They own up to their decisions while accepting the consequences with respect. Their willingness to go through each exile like a pilgrimage is what turns what could be humiliation into a chance to earn merit and righteousness. Since the Pandavas represent this side of the coin, the Kauravas are the other. Duryodhan, the oldest of the Kauravas, commits many heinous acts towards his cousins under the guidance of his uncle. Each time a character tries to hold him accountable he either defends his actions or hides behind someone close to him. It doesn't help that his parents often placate him rather than teach him. None of the Kauravas go on pilgrimages, becoming more steeped in political affairs. They are too focused on the throne to even bat an eye at the wellbeing of others like the Pandavas. Through their pilgrimages one can see the favor showered on the Pandavas because they chose a more righteous path. The five brothers were willing to surrender themselves to dharma and the path it laid out for them despite how hard it was. Unlike their cousins the Pandavas didn't try to change their fate and instead accepted everything that was thrown their way without any complaints. 

The Mahabharata itself drops small hints at the contrast between the Pandavas and Kauravas early on in the epic's storyline, which are hard to notice without reading further into it. Before the Pandavas are even born their human father King Pandu committed a sin by accident which led to his exile and giving up the throne to his blind older brother Dhritarashtra (Mit 2.1). This was an early sign that his sons would have to endure many exiles, but same as his sons Pandu accepted it respectfully as did his two wives Kunti and Madri. The Pandavas themselves were born in exile and raised by the traveling Brahmins who went on pilgrimages through the forest to get to a city or village to collect alms. Pilgrimage early on fostered the sense of humility seen within the five brothers which aligned them closer to the spiritual rather than the political. I believe that it is early moments like these that have shaped the characters and their fates. I have picked up on the humbleness of the characters willing to go on pilgrimage journeys throughout the epic which leads me to think the Kauravas could have met different fates had they chosen the path of dharma instead of adharma. While the Pandavas' childhood was shaped by experiences related to pilgrimage, the Kauravas were living lavishly inside the palace of Hastinapur. The latter was raised believing they were entitled to anything and everything; they even got to the point they would quickly turn to anger in the face of those of lower status if they did not get what they wanted, in some cases. This could have been because of the caste system, but given what they represent it runs deeper than that due to it being their choice to treat others that way. It is also heavily implied that their anger and resentment towards their cousins gets nurtured by their Uncle Shakuni out of his own agenda for getting his sister's eldest son on the throne. 

As the story continues, Duryodhan's schemes with his uncle get worse and worse. Most of his schemes result in the Pandavas having to resort to briefly living the lives of traveling brahmins earning merit; such as the fire at Varnavrat and the results of the dice game which I have mentioned previously. With their pilgrim background these incidents do not bother the Pandavas as they are merely brought back to their humble beginnings. The Pandavas learned many of their lessons from their experiences since they actually mingled amongst the citizens of the different places they traveled to. I believe that their many pilgrimages not only gave them more karmic merit, but also fostered in them empathy for their subjects and those of neighboring kingdoms. Some readers will argue that the five brothers were primarily led by their own arrogance, yet I find this a simple part of human nature. No one is perfect and even those following the path of dharma are not perfect either which can be seen, again, in the scriptures describing the dice game. This makes sense given each time their arrogance grew the five brothers were again humbled through pilgrimage. There is a serial on Hulu that gives a good representation of how during scenes of family pilgrimage the Pandavas grow closer and even content with their lot in life. One example of this is when they decide to stay hidden after the Varnavrat fire and travel as Brahmins. Viewers see them portrayed as laughing and taking care of each other; they do not seem bothered by having to give up their fancy clothes or weapons (Mahabharata). It is due in part to this serial that more and more people are becoming invested in the story as well as the places mentioned throughout. 

Given the many locations traveled to within the epic and its importance as a collection of scriptures there are some places that modern pilgrims travel to. I could not find some of the locations because they either do not exist or have been damaged by nature, for example Dwarka which was said to be ruled by Krishna is believed to have been found underwater so people visit the area nearby. The most popular pilgrimage location of the places in the Mahabharata would be the battlefield at Kurukshetra where the war between dharma and adharma was fought. Now there is a chariot sculpture and light show performed here because there is the belief that Yudhishthir performed rituals to celebrate the ending of the war. Nearby there is also a temple to Lord Shiva where it is believed that the Pandavas sought his blessings. The location I would find most interesting to visit if I were a pilgrim would be Hastinapur as it was the capital city of the Kuru Dynasty and it now has different locations within it that represent different figures or incidents from the epic itself such as the Karna Temple and Draupadi Ghat. The last location worth visiting from the epic is Indraprastha which was the kingdom ruled by the Pandavas after Hastinapur was split into two different kingdoms in an attempt to assuage the bitterness between the Kauravas and Pandavas. Here guests can see the grandeur of the Pandavas' empire, now known as Old Delhi ("From…"). Being able to visit these places further proves the sincerity of the story and its lessons. 

Popularity of the Mahabharata story has increased through the years with Swastik Productions' serial from 2013 near the center., which can be watched on Hulu. There have even been deep and spiritual discussions with the cast on their portrayal of the greatest story ever told which has further spread the lessons of the Mahabharata. With this new recognition across the world there is now a major museum experience where visitors can step into the epic. The Mahabharata Anubhav Kendra in Kurukshetra, India allows guests to go on what could feel like their own mini pilgrimage as they travel through the epic's events in order. While the majority of the exhibits are described in Hindi there are a portion that also include the English-spelled titles. The experience is not one to miss for anyone interested in the Mahabharata or anyone who has been studying it. People on Instagram have stated things along the lines of "Now the epic is taking its place in the world" which further proves people's rising interest. 

The Mahabharata epic is a timeless lesson about surrendering to the righteous path and not straying from it. It tells us this lesson through the many pilgrimages presented in the folds of its story. It was because of these journeys as well as the lessons along the way that the Pandavas were able to see the truth. It also teaches us that for every decision one makes there are consequences which can change from bad to good depending on the outlook one has on life. Pilgrimage has become one of the major symbols of dharma throughout the epic because of the emphasis it puts on righteousness and the karmic merit that comes with following the righteous path. India's greatest story still is amazing as it slowly becomes one of the greatest stories in history. It has led many to new perspectives; maybe even new adventures as they travel to these famous locations that together symbolize the fight between righteousness and unrighteousness. And who knows, perhaps if not for their many pilgrimages the Pandavas may not have chosen to follow Krishna's advice which is what led them to victory in the Kurukshetra War.