What are the most misunderstood events in the Mahabharata?

 Many incidents in the Mahabharata are misunderstood. I will mention some, based on my limited knowledge. I am referring to the Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya of SriMadhvacharya for clarifying the real stories. SriMadhvacharya had read all the Mahabharata recensions at that time, found in different parts of India, and then found out the interpolations and separated them from the original stories, and wrote the Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya. So, this Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya is the commentary on the Pracheena Mahabharata found at SriMadhvacharya’s time.

[Image of Lord Vedavyasa, who is saakshat Bhagavan Vishnu]

1. APPEARANCE OF LORD VEDAVYASA
Misconception: Lord Vedavyasa appeared as the son of Satyavati and Sage Parashara. People say Lord Vedavyasa was born to Satyavati (Matsyagandhi), when Sage Parashara blessed her. So, He was born to a kanya, and hence is even referred to as Kaanina. This is completely wrong.

Real Story: Sage Parashara wanted Srihari Himself as his son. Therefore, He did penance to please Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu appeared there and instructed Sage Parashara to go to Satyavati and gave the address where she lived. He asked Sage Parashara to marry her. And after that, Srihari Himself would appear as their son.

As per Srihari’s instructions, Sage Parashara went to the daasharaja and asked the daasharaja to leave him on the island. The Daasharaja appointed Satyavati for this. Satyavati and Sage Parashara sat in the boat and were crossing the river. There, Sage Parashara revealed Satyavati's real identity of Satyavati as the daughter of the Vasus, who had come in human form because she considered some other Vasu devata as her father (There are 7 Vasus).

Then they come to an island, and then they both marry. Satyavati’s real father (Uparichara Vasu) came there to attend their marriage. Sage Parashara had blurred the sight of everyone standing on the other bank. Only the people who attended the marriage could see them. After the marriage was over, everyone except Sage Parashara and Satyavati went away. Then Lord Vishnu appeared from the womb of Satyavati in the form of Vyasa and grew as a 5-year-old boy. So, Lord Vedavyasa appeared to Satyavati, who had married Sage Parashara. After the appearance of Lord Vedavyasa, Sage Parashara converted Satyavati back into a Kanya with His tapas shakti.

2. THE BIRTH OF DHRITARASHTRA, PANDU, AND VIDURA
Misconception: The misunderstanding here is that Lord Vedavyasa had to do Sanga with Ambika and Ambalika. As a result of that, Dhritarashtra, Pandu, and Vidura were born.

Real Story: When Chitrangada died in a war, and Vichitravirya died due to Kushtaroga, Ambika and Ambalika were childless. At that time, Satyavati, who was a Kanya after the appearance of Lord Vedavyasa, was married to King Shantanu. King Shantanu had a son named Devavrata, who, due to his fierce vow, was known as Bhishma. He didn’t rule the kingdom and wouldn’t marry, as per his vow.

So, Satyavati called Lord Vedavyasa to help them out in this situation. Lord Vedavyasa said, “Apart from Mahalakshmi, there is no other woman, even in Deva Loka, who qualifies to come in contact with me; Still, I shall get your word done; For that to happen, let her observe my Vrata for one year. Even though I am very soft-mannered, I shall show an extremely scary form of mine; If she tolerates it, she will give birth to a son who will have all good attributes and will be strong and valorous.”

Saying so, at night, Lord Vedavyasa came in His fierce form in Ambika’s room. Ambika, on seeing Lord Vedavyasa, closed her eyes in fear. Therefore, Lord Vedavyasa entered in sookshma roopa in Ambika, who was having the sannidhana of Lakshmi within herself then, and due to Lakshminarayana sambandha, Dhritarashtra was born. Lord Vedavyasa never touched Ambika. So, Dhritarashtra was born to Ambika. Similarly, Pandu was born to Ambalika, and Vidura to the daasi who served Lord Vedavyasa with devotion.

3. DRAUPADI SVAYAMVARA: KARNA’S REJECTION
Misconception: Karna in Draupadi Svayamvara is rejected by Draupadi because he was a Sootaputra. And then some people even link that episode to justify Karna calling Draupadi a veshya in the Dyuta Sabha. Some even say that Draupadi secretly loved Karna. All these are false and fabricated. Nothing is true.

Real Story: At the very beginning of the Draupadi Svayamvara, Drishtadyumna, the brother of Draupadi, had declared clearly that there is no caste system, as only Kshatriyas can participate in the svayamvara. It was as if people from any caste could participate in the svayamvara. So, Draupadi rejecting Karna due to his jaati is illogical and doesn’t make sense. It is a misconception or a later addition.

In reality, as Karna came to lift the bow, he lifted it and was about to tie the silver string to the bow; it hit his face, and he was injured. And because of that, Karna went and sat in his place. That’s it. There was no secret affair between Karna and Draupadi. Plus, Karna had the avesha of a raakshasa named Sahasrakavacha, due to which he sometimes used to act very cruel. It was Karna who, due to his durbuddhi, called Draupadi a veshya and asked Dushasana to disrobe Her.

4. DRAUPADI ACCEPTING FIVE HUSBANDS
Misconception: Draupadi accepted five husbands. How can She be chaste and a pativrataa?

Real story: This is the incident that is widely misunderstood. The actual story behind this is mentioned in the Garuda Purana. Actually, long ago, Lord Brahma had called an assembly. Sri Umadevi, Lord Shiva, Yama, Shyamala Devi, Indra, Shachi Devi, Ashvini Devatas, and Usha Devi attended that assembly. Now, Umadevi, Shyamala Devi, Shachi Devi, and Usha Devi displayed a lot of affection towards their husbands even in the presence of Brahma. Therefore, Lord Brahma cursed them to be born as humans and face the company of other men. The devis were very worried. Therefore, they approached Bharati Devi, the wife of Lord Mukhyaprana Vayudeva, the son of Sankarshana roopi Narayana and Jayaa roopi Mahalakshmi.

Bharati Devi said, “I am taking birth on the earth in the form of Draupadi to assist my husband Vayudeva. Hence, you can be within my body and hence be united with your husbands.” So, here, Yama was born as Dharmaraja, Mukhyaprana was born as Bheemasena, Indra was born as Arjuna, and the Ashvini devatas were born as Nakul and Sahadeva. Now, as Arjuna won Draupadi in the Svayamvara, and the proposal was brought before Drupada to marry Draupadi to 5 Pandavas, Drupada initially disagreed.

Then, Lord Vedavyasa took him to a quiet place, gave him a divine vision, and showed him in the sky the Pandavas’ moolaroopa and, along with them, Draupadi’s reality that She was one body, but had 5 souls within Her. So, after knowing the truth, Drupada agreed to the marriage. So, after marriage, when Draupadi was with Dharmaraja, Shyamala was active, and the other souls had slept. Within Dharmaraja, there was the presence of Vayudeva, and hence Bharati was also active. So, Bharati only stayed with the Vayudeva within Dharmaraja, and Shyamala stayed with Yama.

When Draupadi was with Bheemasena, Bharati Devi was active, and all devis slept. When She was with Arjuna, Shachi devi was present. Similarly, Arjuna also had the presence of Vayudeva, and hence, Bharati was also present. And with Nakula and Sahadeva, Usha Devi was active, and all devis slept. Even Nakula and Sahadeva had Vayudeva’s presence in them. Hence, Bharati Devi was present with Vayudeva within them. Draupadi also had the avesha of Umadevi, due to which She was extremely beautiful.

5. DRAUPADI BEING THE INCARNATION OF SRI
Possibility of Misconception: Draupadi, as per the Vyasa Bharata, is mentioned to be the incarnation of Sri. Does that mean She is an incarnation of Lakshmidevi??

Answer: SriMadhvacharya says no. She was not the incarnation of Lakshmidevi. She was an incarnation of Bharati Devi, the wife of Mukhyaprana Vayudeva. Even the Garuda Purana mentions it. Then why does the Mahabharata refer to Her as the incarnation of Sri? Since Bharati Devi is under the refuge of Her husband, Vayudeva, She is known as Sri. Therefore, She is known as the incarnation of Sri in the Vyasa Bharata.

6. JARASANDHA VADHA: KRISHNA SHOWING TWIG TO BHEEMASENA
Misconception: During Jarasandha Vadha, Krishna shows a twig to Bheemasena, breaks it into two parts, and then throws them in either direction to show Bheemasena secretly how to kill Jarasandha. But the original Vyasa Bharata doesn’t say that. Yes, it is mentioned in the Bhagavata, but the Mahabharata doesn’t mention it.

Real story of the Mahabharata: Bheemasena and Jarasandha fought for 14 days. In the Bhagavata, it is stated that both fight for 27 days. But let’s stick to the Mahabharata now. In the last days, Krishna tells Bheemasena, ‘Jarasandha is tired now, and hence weak. Now, you can attack him with your full might.’ Forcing his thigh on his back, he broke it. Just as at the time of his birth, he split him into two when killing him. In order to make known his strength and also due to his resolve not to hit at the vulnerabilities, Bhimasena did not attack him in his vital parts. When his body split, a loud sound occurred as if the world had burst. The three lokas shook due to the same. And after that, Bheemasena tore him off and then threw him to either side.

7. SHISHUPAALA VADHA
Misconception: Generally, it is seen that Shishupala insults Krishna and Krishna killed Shishupala in the sabha itself. But as per the Mahabharata, Krishna doesn’t kill Shishupala in the Raja Sabha.

Real story: Shishupala, in the Raajasuya Yagya, insults Krishna, to which Sahadeva shows his left foot to Shishupala, indicating that he would kick Shishupala if he further insulted Krishna. Even Bhishma tells Shishupala about Krishna’s supremacy and greatness. But then Shishupala doesn’t listen. Once his 100 sins are completed, Krishna and Shishupala have a fight on the battlefield. And amidst all this, Sage Narada comes and explains to Dharmaraja about Shakuna and Apashakuna. And on the battlefield, Krishna, with His Sudarshana, kills Shishupala.

8. DYUTA KRIDA: a) DHARMARAJA PUTS HIMSELF ON THE STAKE FIRST, LOSES HIMSELF, AND THEN PUTS DRAUPADI ON THE STAKE AND LOSES HER
Real story: SriMadhvacharya clarifies that Dharmaraja puts Draupadi on the stake first and loses Her. After that, Dharmaraja puts himself on the stake and loses himself.

b) DRAUPADI ROTATES DURING THE VASTRAHARANA
Real Story: Draupadi doesn’t rotate around during the Vastraharan. When Dushasana pulls Her saree, She is in one garment and was menstruating. Hence, when Her garment was pulled, Krishna gave Akshayambara to Her and another saree was there on Her body. Then again Dushasana pulled that saree, and again another saree was there on Her body. Like this, Draupadi was there itself.

c) WHY DID KRISHNA ALLOW ALL THIS TO HAPPEN?
To know that, you can refer to the following answer of mine:

SriNarayana Dasa

· Sep 20

Why did Krishna let the Draupadi vastaharan sequence happen when he knew what happened everywhere?

Good Question. There is a reason why Krishna let the Draupadi Vastraharan sequence happen. He knew what happened everywhere because He is the all-knowing, all-pervading Lord Vishnu Himself. This answer is based on the Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya of SriMadhvacharya. The few reasons why Krishna allowed the Draupadi Vastraharan to happen are: TO EXPOSE THE EVIL NATURE OF DURYODHANA AND THE KAURAVAS From the beginning itself, Duryodhana and his brothers had been troubling the Pandavas. Their major aim was to kill Bheemasena because He was the strongest among all the Pandavas and was their backbone. So, Duryodhana thought to kill Bheemasena first, and then he would look for the other Pandava brothers. For that, Duryodhana tried a lot to kill Bheemasena by feeding him a laddoo that had halahala visha in it. Shakuni had pleased Shukracharya and had gotten some poison from him. That didn’t work on Bheemasena. Then he tried to put snakes on Bheemasena to kill him. But Bheemasena broke the fangs of the snakes and killed the owner of the snake. He even threw Bheemasena into the Pramaanakoti, a deep place within the Ganga River. From there, Bheemasena also came out unaffected. These were some incidents that weren’t very famous at that time. He even sent and tried to kill the Pandavas in the Vaaranavata Laakshaagraha, but nothing happened. Then, people also cursed Duryodhana and all. But now, when they tried to do Draupadi Vastraharana, it was not just the vastraharana of the princess of Panchala, or the daughter of Drupada, but the queen of the whole Aryavarta or Bhaaratadesha. Krishna let that happen because He wanted to expose the evil and deceitful nature of Duryodhana, Dushasana, Karna, and Shakuni. Why? So that people would know how evil they were. This was necessary because, in the future, the way in which the Kauravas, Bhishma, Drona, and Karna died should not be disputed and should be clear to the people as to why these people were killed unjustly. Actually, what Krishna did in the Mahabharata yuddha is completely correct because Adharmik people must be killed by using Adharma, and that is Dharma. If you kill Adharmis by Dharma, it is a sin. The Paingi Shruti itself says this. TO DISTRIBUTE THE PUNYA OF THE RAAJASUYA YAGYA TO THE PAANDAVAS Dharmaraja did the Raajasuya yagya. But the fruit of the Raajasuya yagya was such that Dharmaraja was not capable of sustaining that much punya. Therefore, to distribute it among the Pandavas, Krishna made this happen. SriMadhvacharya says that the fruit of the Raajasuya Yagya is Brahma Padavi. Also, Bheemasena is Vayu avatara. The Garuda Purana itself says: अतो रोचननामासौ मरुदंशः प्रकीर्तितः । रामावतारे हनुमान्रामकार्यार्थसाधकः ॥ स एव भीमसेनस्तु जातो भूम्यां महाबलः ॥ He (the cosmic soul) is known as the amsha (portion/incarnation) of Marut (Vayu). In the Rama avatara, he became Hanuman to accomplish the divine tasks of Shri Rama. The very same entity was later born on Earth as the highly powerful Bheemasena. [Garuda Purana] So, here it was Bheemasena Himself who was Hanuman in His previous birth (as stated in the Garuda Purana). Yes, Hanuman is the elder brother to Bheemasena in one sense, because both are known as the sons of Vayu. But both are also incarnations of Vayudeva. Plus, there is no difference between Vayudeva and His avatars. So, Hanuma is the same as Vayudeva; Bheemasena is the same as Vayudeva. So, this Vayudeva is eligible for Brahma Padavi. For this, the Valmiki Ramayana is itself the proof. It says: सर्वासु विद्यासु तपोविधाने प्रस्पर्धते ऽयो हि गुरुं सुराणाम् । सो ऽयं नवव्याकरणार्थवेत्ता ब्रह्मा भविष्यत्यपि ते प्रसादात् ॥ Indeed, in all branches of learning and in the performance of austerities, this Hanuman rivals even Brihaspati, the preceptor of the Gods. This very person, who is the knower of the deep meaning of the nine systems of grammar, will definitely become Brahma in the future by your grace. [Valmiki Ramayana, Uttara Kanda, Sarga 36, Verse 48] Thus, it is Vayudeva who is eligible for the Brahma Padavi. The previous Brahma will attain Moksha. And Bheemasena is Vayudeva’s incarnation. Even the Vayu Purana also states that Bheemasena is Vayudeva’s avatara. So, the Raajasuya yagya’s maximum punya should reach Bheemasena and Draupadi, because Draupadi is the incarnation of Bhaarati Devi, the wife of Vayudeva. So, She will be the future Sarasvati Devi. So, therefore, for the transfer of the maximum punya to Bheemasena and Draupadi, Krishna made that happen. That’s why Dharmaraja was silent during the Draupadi Vastraharana episode, and because he was silent, the punya got transferred to the other Pandavas. Therefore, it was Bheemasena who thoroughly criticized the Kauravas. He even criticized Dharmaraja by asking Sahadeva to bring fire to burn Dharmaraja’s hands. Arjuna stops Bheemasena and calms Him down. Bheemasena says to Arjuna, “I won’t do this literally, but I am doing this because, even though elders commit anything bad, we must not keep silent but should criticize them. I am just criticizing him, but won’t do that literally.” At this, Duryodhana says, “If you accept that everything which is going on here happened due to Dharmaraja, then I will leave all of you.” At this, Bheemasena said, “Nobody is as Dharmatma as my elder brother Dharmaraja. Plus, I am the elder brother to all of you. If you have guts, then come, fight me.” He even vowed to break the thighs of Duryodhana and tear the chest of Dushasana very aptly (not as a fanatic, but I felt it was very apt). He did criticize the Kauravas. Plus, Draupadi was thoroughly devoted to Krishna and remembered Krishna throughout the Vastraharana episode. Therefore, the maximum punya was given to Bheemasena and Draupadi. Plus, the Pandavas had remained silent out of respect for Dharmaraja. The Pandavas, led by Bheemasena and Arjuna, could have destroyed the Kauravas, but Dharmaraja, with his eye-coordination, had stopped them and asked them to sit down. Because previously he had vowed that he wouldn’t scold anyone, wouldn’t abuse anyone, wouldn’t refuse anyone, and wouldn’t criticize anyone. TO TRANSFER THE TAPAS SHAKTI OF THE KURU VRUDDHAS TO THE PANDAVAS: The Kuruvruddhas like Bhishma, Drona, Krupa, Dhritarashtra, etc. had remained silent during the Draupadi Vastraharana. Why was it like that? Because SriMadhvacharya explains that Kali Purusha had entered all of them. Only a few people were there who were not affected by Kali Purusha. These were the Pandavas (except Dharmaraja), Draupadi, Kunti, and Vidura. Rest all were full of Kali Purusha’s Avesha. SriMadhvacharya mentions this in the Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya. But why could Kali Purusha enter people except some people? Because all these, like Kunti, the rest of the Pandavas, Draupadi, and Vidura, had Nishthura Dharma. Nishthura Dharma means, Adharmi must be punished, and Dharma must be followed at any time. But Dharmaraja had Daakshinya Dharma, which means his heart used to melt at anyone’s plea or cry. So, because Kunti, Vidura, etc. had perfect Kathina/ Nishthura Dharma nishtha, they were not affected by Kali Purusha baadha. So, due to this, others except these people were affected by Kali Purusha Avesha and hence remained silent. Duryodhana himself was Kali Purusha. The Mahabharata itself mentions it. So, he was now controlling the whole dyuta sabha except these few people. So, since these elders or kuruvruddhas were silent, for that reason, the tapas shakti had transferred to the Pandavas. These Kuruvruddhas were great tapasvis and knowledgeable personalities. But due to this one mistake, their punya or tapas shakti was transferred to the Pandavas. Thus, the Pandavas had their own tapas shakti and punya, plus they had the Kuruvruddhas ’ punya with them, plus they too had the Rajasuya’s yagya’s punya (maximum to Bheemasena and Draupadi). So, that’s another reason why Krishna let the Draupadi Vastraharan episode happen. Plus, Krishna Himself protected Draupadi by giving Her Akshayavastra. TO INCREASE THE SINS OF DURYODHANA AND KAURAVAS: There is a rule that, until a fixed number of papas are done, they aren’t killed. So, Duryodhana was already a sinner. At birth, the Mahabharata mentions that he cried like a donkey. The other donkeys from the surroundings had gathered and were braying aloud on hearing Duryodhana’s cry. And at that time, Vidura himself tells Dhritarashtra to kill that baby because it can lead to the destruction of the whole Kuruvamsha. But Dhritarashtra wanted to be reputed as the father of 100 sons. So, he didn’t kill him at that time. From the beginning, Duryodhana was jealous and was a sinner. Because of this act of Duryodhana, he should not just go to hell and come back, but he should receive eternal hell itself, where he stays for an unlimited period of time, experiencing eternal sorrow. So, that many sins he must incur. So, since they incurred a lot of sin by their acts, they were sent to hell. Though Duryodhana first attained heaven because he had some sukha prarabdha, he was pushed to Andha Tamas hell afterwards. Plus, by this, Krishna wanted to warn us that, ‘Now that you have seen the cruel acts of these sinners, don’t accuse me of what I did in the Mahabharata Yuddha. Because Adharmis must be killed by using Adharma and not Dharma. So, what I (Krishna) did in the Mahabharata yuddha was completely correct.’ NOTE: Thus, we must not just read the Mahabharata as a political history of the fight between the Kauravas and the Pandavas. But we should see the spiritual meaning behind it, because it is not just a normal history book, but our divine history, which is real. The Puranas are for the support the incidents that are not mentioned in the Itihasas. They help in connecting the dots if we get any confusion in the Itihasas. Therefore, I also used the Puranas. SriMadhvacharya, had read the Mahabharata granthas across India, and had identified the corrections and interpolations, and then wrote the Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya. Therefore, understanding the spiritual meaning behind every incident is important. Hope this helps! Jay SriRam! ShriKrishnarpanamastu!

9. KRISHNA AS POSSESSED BY PARABRAHMA WHILE GIVING THE UPADESHA OF THE BHAGAVAD GITA
This is a clear misconception and is totally wrong. Krishna was never possessed by Parabrahman. He Himself is Parabrahman; how can He be possessed by Himself? Hence, the Bhagavad Gita is spoken by Krishna only, and not by anyone else. Nobody was controlling Krishna at that time. And even the second time, when Arjuna asks to tell the Gita, Krishna says He won’t and rebukes Arjuna. But then after that, He gives the upadesha of the Gita to Arjuna in short, which is known as AnuGita. Krishna is Svayam Bhagavan and is the Supreme God Himself.

10. DURYODHANA WAS KILLED UNJUSTLY, AND BHEEMASENA DRANK DUSHASANA’S BLOOD
Duryodhana was not killed unjustly, because Adharmis must be killed by Adharma and not by Dharma, as per the Paingi Shruti. Plus, Bheemasena actually didn’t break the rules of the Gadaa yuddha. Because Duryodhana was tricking Bheemasena by doing somersaults and attacking Him. Then, as per Krishna’s instructions, Bheemasena struck Duryodhana on his thighs and then killed him. At that very moment, Duryodhana’s thighs were raised above the waist. So, by that logic, it is not a violation of the rules of the Gadaa yuddha.

Bheemasena didn’t drink the blood of Dushasana. He just acted as if drinking blood to scare the evil people present there, and nothing more.

11. GHATOTKACHA
Ghatotkacha is generally shown as bald. But in reality, he wasn’t bald. When he was born, he was bald. So that’s why his head was like a ghata, or pot. When Bheemasena touched his head, the hair grew, which was known as Utkacha. So, Ghata + Utkacha = Ghatotkacha. So, he had hair.

For now, I am keeping only this much. 😊🙏

Hope this helps!
Jay SriRam!
ShriKrishnarpanamastu!