Lessons To Learn From Mahabharata Characters

It is a well-known saying that the Hindu epic Ramayana teaches us what to do in life and the Mahabharata gives us lessons on what we must not do in life. Actually, the statement is very true. The Mahabharata and its characters has a lot of teach us. By invariably doing the wrong things, the characters of the Mahabharata tell what we must avoid in our own lives.

Mahabharata is one of the greatest Hindu epics and there are numerous characters in it. Every single character in the Mahabharata have a lesson for us. But it is virtually impossible to compile them all in a single article.

That is why we have picked the most favourite characters from Mahabharata and summarised what they taught us.

Krishna: The end do not always justify the means.
The avatar of Lord Vishnu, Krishna used every unfair trick in the book to win the war. His lies and tricks did win the war in favour of the Pandavs, but they lost too much in the bargain. Finally, Hastinapur was a land of wailing widows and orphaned children. The Pandavs themselves were left childless. No wrong means do not justify a right end.

Bhishma: Selflessness is not always a virtue.
The great-grandfather and brave warrior of the Hastinapur royal family had several chances to save his kingdom and people. He was repeatedly beseeched by his step mother to take over the kingdom and get married, but he refused to break his vow of celibacy. Had be not been so self-righteous, the great war could have been avoided.

Arjun: Hell hath no fury worse than a woman scorned
Arjun had spurned the advances of a beautiful celestial dancer Urvashi and she cursed him that he would lose his manhood for a year. The brave Arjun had to lead the life of an eunuch for a year. Thus be careful to never insult a woman.

Draupadi: You cannot have everything in life
Draupadi had done penance in her previous life and asked Lord Shiva for a perfect husband who was a brave warrior, morally pure, has the strongest body, is the most learned and also the handsomest man on earth. She got whatever she wanted but in 5 different husbands. The moral of the story is that, one man cannot have all these qualities and you cannot always get whatever you want.

Abhimanyu: Half knowledge is dangerous
Arjun's son Abhimanyu knew only how to enter the chakravyuh, not how to come out of it. However, he decided to enter this difficult war formation and met his death there. That is why, half knowledge is very dangerous. Whatever you know must be thorough.

Kunti: Look before you leap
When Arjun won Draupadi at her swayamvar and brought her to meet Kunti, she was cooking. She carelessly said with even looking that all 5 brothers must share the prize they got. So never commit yourself saying something without analysing the implications your words can have.

Dhritarashtra: Blind love is dangerous
The blind King of Hastinapur had but one fault; he loved his children too much and thus he never reprimanded them. This is a parenting lesson for every father/mother. Correct your children before they go astray because your blind love won't help them.

These are the lessons you can learn from the great characters of the Mahabharata. Who is your favourite character in this great Hindu epic?