What is the the main emphasis of the Mahabharata?

Answer 1

The main Message in the Mahabharata is in the Bhagavad Gita a long song in the epic poem. The message is of action and adherence to duty, when Krishna tells prince Arjuna in a personal conflict between an Ahisma and his duty to fight in a war, Krishna tells him that his Duty is most impotant, "the wise see knowledge and action as one"

Answer 2

Krishna, the main character of Bhagavadgita, is the eighth incarnation of Vishnu. Therefore, to understand the main point of Bhagavadgita we must know the exact relationship between Vishnu and Krishna.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VISHNU AND KRISHNA:

Vishnu is the Preserver and sees to it that our life remains within limits, even if our real world is chaotic.

However, preservation is a great disadvantage in the modern world, in which we must keep progressing at high speed and forever.

In the Krishna incarnation, the status quo maintaining ability of Vishnu is eradicated and thus Krishna enables us to progress eternally.

Bhagavadgita is about transformation only.

THE VISHNU FORCE AND KURUKSHETRA:

Vishnu symbolizes the Semi voluntary force, which maintains status quo.

This symmetrical force is made of 5 components and each of them is symbolically represented in the Kurukshetra battle.

They are,

1. Negative attitude - Bhishma

2. Positive Self - Kauravas

3. Aham/ I - Dhritarashtra

4. Negative Self - Pandavas

5. Positive attitude - Krishna

Arjuna, the second important character of Bhagavadgita, symbolizes the middle part of the Negative Self.

KURUKSHETRA BATTLE AND BHAGAVADGITA:

Bhagavadgita is about the counselling Krishna gives to Arjuna in the Kurukshetra battle field.

The battle is between cousins Pandavas (lead by Krishna) and Kauravas (lead by Bhishma). The Kurukshetra battle is symbolic of our conflict between our achievement (symbolized positive Self/ Kauravas) and satisfaction (symbolized by Kauravas/ positive self).

Our reluctance to discard satisfaction is symbolized in 1-31 in which Arjuna tells Krishna that he has no will to kill his cousins. Krishna convinces him in the second chapter that it is his duty.

Control over our thoughts and activities is least at our positive attitude Bhagavadgita recommends us to retain the central part of our negative self, which Arjuna symbolizes. Thus. in the last Shloka of Bhagavadgita both Krishna and Arjuna remain.

Thus, the main point about Bhagavadgita is that,to progress eternally, we must retain just our positive attitude and discard rest of our life.