Comments on: Why are the Ramayana and Mahabharata so different (and make good case studies) http://strat.in/2009/08/ramayana-mahabharata-differences-indian-epics/ strategy, management and all that follows ... Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:25:14 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: AT_korvus http://strat.in/2009/08/ramayana-mahabharata-differences-indian-epics/comment-page-1/#comment-4283 AT_korvus Mon, 31 Aug 2009 05:11:37 +0000 http://strat.in/?p=1979#comment-4283 @Shaun: You are welcome :) never knew the article would be useful in such a way as well @Umesh: Thanks :) and I brought P&G up because P&G came up with the concept of soap operas :) @Shaun: You are welcome \':)\' never knew the article would be useful in such a way as well

@Umesh: Thanks \':)\' and I brought P&G up because P&G came up with the concept of soap operas \':)\'

]]> By: Umesh dhingra http://strat.in/2009/08/ramayana-mahabharata-differences-indian-epics/comment-page-1/#comment-4225 Umesh dhingra Sat, 29 Aug 2009 11:18:49 +0000 http://strat.in/?p=1979#comment-4225 Hi Abhiram: 1. your article has forced me to watch both Ramayan and Mahabharat which is being aired on Star One channel on week days . 2. I am really impressed with your ( longish) article, and , more imp with your genuine insights into both the epics, hope to see few more articles like this one. 3. Somehow couldn't understand why bring in P& G out here ,...............! cheers, Umesh Hi Abhiram:

1. your article has forced me to watch both Ramayan and Mahabharat which is being aired on Star One channel on week days .
2. I am really impressed with your ( longish) article, and , more imp with your genuine insights into both the epics, hope to see few more articles like this one.
3. Somehow couldn’t understand why bring in P& G out here ,……………!
cheers,
Umesh

]]> By: Shaun http://strat.in/2009/08/ramayana-mahabharata-differences-indian-epics/comment-page-1/#comment-4208 Shaun Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:39:26 +0000 http://strat.in/?p=1979#comment-4208 Thanks for the article helped with a lesson in class! Thanks for the article helped with a lesson in class!

]]> By: AT_korvus http://strat.in/2009/08/ramayana-mahabharata-differences-indian-epics/comment-page-1/#comment-3305 AT_korvus Sat, 15 Aug 2009 10:10:19 +0000 http://strat.in/?p=1979#comment-3305 Thanks Jyothi, and ya, the Mahabharata was equally popular across all segments of the society. I remember, during the holidays, when the entire family would gather in our ancestral place in Azamgarh, and everyone, from us kids to our grandmother to the servants to the neighbors would huddle in the TV room and quietly watch the entire spectacle. Its my dream to have a marathon session of the entire thing, from start to finish. Of course there would be unavoidable breaks in between, but I'm pretty sure the whole thing can be watched in less than a week. Who is with me? :) Thanks Jyothi, and ya, the Mahabharata was equally popular across all segments of the society. I remember, during the holidays, when the entire family would gather in our ancestral place in Azamgarh, and everyone, from us kids to our grandmother to the servants to the neighbors would huddle in the TV room and quietly watch the entire spectacle.

Its my dream to have a marathon session of the entire thing, from start to finish. Of course there would be unavoidable breaks in between, but I’m pretty sure the whole thing can be watched in less than a week. Who is with me? \':)\'

]]> By: jyothiprakash http://strat.in/2009/08/ramayana-mahabharata-differences-indian-epics/comment-page-1/#comment-3229 jyothiprakash Fri, 14 Aug 2009 01:13:44 +0000 http://strat.in/?p=1979#comment-3229 Nice analysis, and an interesting read! I do remember the disappointment on the faces of a few staunch cricket lovers (non-hindus) when the airing of Mahabharata was cancelled/delayed one fine weekend because of a cricket match. Such was its impact! Years later, my joy knew no bounds when I managed to unearth an Indian store in the middle of nowhere, where all episodes of Mahabharath were available for rent (On VHS tapes though) (That was before it came out on DVD) ~ http://jyothiprakash.wordpress.com Nice analysis, and an interesting read! I do remember the disappointment on the faces of a few staunch cricket lovers (non-hindus) when the airing of Mahabharata was cancelled/delayed one fine weekend because of a cricket match. Such was its impact! Years later, my joy knew no bounds when I managed to unearth an Indian store in the middle of nowhere, where all episodes of Mahabharath were available for rent (On VHS tapes though) (That was before it came out on DVD)

~ http://jyothiprakash.wordpress.com

]]> By: AT_korvus http://strat.in/2009/08/ramayana-mahabharata-differences-indian-epics/comment-page-1/#comment-2909 AT_korvus Mon, 10 Aug 2009 18:49:18 +0000 http://strat.in/?p=1979#comment-2909 @Ahbijit: In fact, we have had that entire who is AT_korvus fiasco on strat.in a couple of times as well :P And if you do have some insights into Krishna's role in the battle of Kurukshetra, please to share. Would be awesome to have a discussion on that, more specifically, the role of Krishna in Mahabharata vs the role of Ram in Ramayana. @Ahbijit: In fact, we have had that entire who is AT_korvus fiasco on strat.in a couple of times as well \':P\' And if you do have some insights into Krishna’s role in the battle of Kurukshetra, please to share. Would be awesome to have a discussion on that, more specifically, the role of Krishna in Mahabharata vs the role of Ram in Ramayana.

]]> By: AT_korvus http://strat.in/2009/08/ramayana-mahabharata-differences-indian-epics/comment-page-1/#comment-2907 AT_korvus Mon, 10 Aug 2009 18:40:42 +0000 http://strat.in/?p=1979#comment-2907 @Chandini: A few shades of grey are expected, since it was the Treta yug, and corruption had started to set in. However, I don't think Vibhishana makes as strong a case for moral ambiguity as most characters in Mahabharata do, considering that Vibhishana chose one aspect of his Dharma and chose to follow it. Also, iirc, that entire portion about Sita was a later addition to the Ramayana, and wasn't a part of the original content. @Shantan: Thanks man :) @RP: Well, as I see it, being an atheist has nothing to do with your knowledge of myths and their implications. Its more to do with whether you take them as myths and beliefs, or whether you take them as the truth. In fact, a lot of people from my friend circle (nattu will back me up on this) are either atheists or agnostics, yet we discussed the epics etc a lot. I guess its got more to do with them being a part of our cultural background. Also, Kaikeyi is an excellent example of amoral behaviour of characters, and thanks for bringing that up. However, the response to that is the same as the one I gave Chandini, that the corruption of Treta yug was setting in. @Abhijit: Thanks man :) and ya, I do remember the "Who is AT_korvus" days on ip :). Some guys (like Jagan) were so sold on AT_Korvus being this PGP2 who had interned in ATK, that I actually had to show them the IP records to make them believe me. Good times :) And that is a very interesting idea as re: Krishna. I always had this view that the battle was a lot like a game of chess between Shakuni and Krishna, and I just might do an article on that. Thanks for the idea :) @Sushant: Abhiram's standard!!! I'm disappointed. As a confidante, you should be aware that I have no standards :p And ya, this entire article is the result of that conversation in the Thai Restaurant. And I don't know if I should introduce elements of other mythologies just yet, because somehow I don't see them making sense from a strat.in perspective, especially with regards to the target audience who were familiar with Mahabharata and Ramayana, but might not be as familiar with other myths, and a lot of explanation would be required that might leave them bored. Besides, I didn't cover a lot of details in this one either, because its touching about 2000 words as it is, and a more detailed article would reach about 5000-6000 words easily. @Chandini: A few shades of grey are expected, since it was the Treta yug, and corruption had started to set in. However, I don’t think Vibhishana makes as strong a case for moral ambiguity as most characters in Mahabharata do, considering that Vibhishana chose one aspect of his Dharma and chose to follow it. Also, iirc, that entire portion about Sita was a later addition to the Ramayana, and wasn’t a part of the original content.

@Shantan: Thanks man \':)\'

@RP: Well, as I see it, being an atheist has nothing to do with your knowledge of myths and their implications. Its more to do with whether you take them as myths and beliefs, or whether you take them as the truth. In fact, a lot of people from my friend circle (nattu will back me up on this) are either atheists or agnostics, yet we discussed the epics etc a lot. I guess its got more to do with them being a part of our cultural background. Also, Kaikeyi is an excellent example of amoral behaviour of characters, and thanks for bringing that up. However, the response to that is the same as the one I gave Chandini, that the corruption of Treta yug was setting in.

@Abhijit: Thanks man \':)\' and ya, I do remember the “Who is AT_korvus” days on ip \':)\' . Some guys (like Jagan) were so sold on AT_Korvus being this PGP2 who had interned in ATK, that I actually had to show them the IP records to make them believe me. Good times \':)\' And that is a very interesting idea as re: Krishna. I always had this view that the battle was a lot like a game of chess between Shakuni and Krishna, and I just might do an article on that. Thanks for the idea \':)\'

@Sushant: Abhiram’s standard!!! I’m disappointed. As a confidante, you should be aware that I have no standards :p And ya, this entire article is the result of that conversation in the Thai Restaurant. And I don’t know if I should introduce elements of other mythologies just yet, because somehow I don’t see them making sense from a strat.in perspective, especially with regards to the target audience who were familiar with Mahabharata and Ramayana, but might not be as familiar with other myths, and a lot of explanation would be required that might leave them bored. Besides, I didn’t cover a lot of details in this one either, because its touching about 2000 words as it is, and a more detailed article would reach about 5000-6000 words easily.

]]> By: sushant dhar http://strat.in/2009/08/ramayana-mahabharata-differences-indian-epics/comment-page-1/#comment-2857 sushant dhar Mon, 10 Aug 2009 07:33:50 +0000 http://strat.in/?p=1979#comment-2857 by abhiram's standard, not a great article. or maybe i have heard the arguments from the horse's mouth itself in joka :) Need more inputs on character machinations, plots. esp. the character of krishna. I find it extraordinarily interesting (from a strategy p.o.v) - the slaying of jayadrath (which i basically think was brilliant calculation as to the exact timing of a solar eclipse), the goading to arjun resulting in the killings of bhisma and karna at different stages (both invincible otherwise), the deceit towards drona and finally, the underhand techniques used to kill duryodhana. I dont think there are many parallels to krishna (his mastery of 64 arts et al) in any mythology.... oh, by the by, would love some insight into other mythologies (esp. nordic) in one of your articles !!! by abhiram’s standard, not a great article. or maybe i have heard the arguments from the horse’s mouth itself in joka \':)\'
Need more inputs on character machinations, plots. esp. the character of krishna. I find it extraordinarily interesting (from a strategy p.o.v) – the slaying of jayadrath (which i basically think was brilliant calculation as to the exact timing of a solar eclipse), the goading to arjun resulting in the killings of bhisma and karna at different stages (both invincible otherwise), the deceit towards drona and finally, the underhand techniques used to kill duryodhana.
I dont think there are many parallels to krishna (his mastery of 64 arts et al) in any mythology….
oh, by the by, would love some insight into other mythologies (esp. nordic) in one of your articles !!!

]]> By: Abhijit http://strat.in/2009/08/ramayana-mahabharata-differences-indian-epics/comment-page-1/#comment-2852 Abhijit Mon, 10 Aug 2009 06:48:40 +0000 http://strat.in/?p=1979#comment-2852 One of the most well written articles on strat-in till date. Never knew that the mysterious person behind AT_Korvus on IP could be so interesting. It is generally difficult to wind up such interesting articles given the scope and content but it did not end abruptly and I must give the credit to the author. It would be interesting to read a piece on Shri Krishna and his role in the Battle of Kurukshetra. Something well analyzed as this piece Keep up the good work! One of the most well written articles on strat-in till date. Never knew that the mysterious person behind AT_Korvus on IP could be so interesting.

It is generally difficult to wind up such interesting articles given the scope and content but it did not end abruptly and I must give the credit to the author.

It would be interesting to read a piece on Shri Krishna and his role in the Battle of Kurukshetra. Something well analyzed as this piece

Keep up the good work!

]]> By: rp http://strat.in/2009/08/ramayana-mahabharata-differences-indian-epics/comment-page-1/#comment-2814 rp Sun, 09 Aug 2009 05:15:19 +0000 http://strat.in/?p=1979#comment-2814 For an atheist your knowledge of the plot elements and the subtle intricacies of epics is impressive. It's surprising how no one mentioned Kaikeyi, one of the most conflicted characters of Ramayana. A loving step mother who succumbs to envy and rips apart (almost) an entire kingdom, only to spend the remainder of her life repenting her imprudence. If one is willing to probe further, Ramayana has much moral ambiguity and shades of grey to offer! For an atheist your knowledge of the plot elements and the subtle intricacies of epics is impressive.

It’s surprising how no one mentioned Kaikeyi, one of the most conflicted characters of Ramayana. A loving step mother who succumbs to envy and rips apart (almost) an entire kingdom, only to spend the remainder of her life repenting her imprudence.

If one is willing to probe further, Ramayana has much moral ambiguity and shades of grey to offer!

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