Unlocking the Mahabharata: India’s Greatest Epic Retold

Discover the power and passion behind the Mahabharata—India’s most famous epic. In this video, we explore the key stories, characters, and lessons from the Mahabharata, offering educational insights for those new to the epic and fresh perspectives for returning fans.

This isn’t just a history lesson; it’s a preview of our upcoming live production in Austin that brings these age-old stories to life through dynamic theater, music, and dance. Subscribe for more mythological insights and be sure to check out the link in the description for ticket information!

Transcript

00:00:00:00 - 00:00:21:00
Unknown
Welcome, everybody, to the troubadour show. Today I have a special guest. We're going to be talking about the Mahabharata tales. I've been really trying to work on the pronunciation because there's, like, a real hard H or something. When I've been hearing these podcasts, I've been listening to Mahabharat, Maha Bharata, can you say it? Mahabharata Maha.

00:00:21:00 - 00:00:42:23
Unknown
It's not even close. Maha. Say it a good Maha. Okay, so what can you say about it? BA ba ba. Already bought it. Bharat. Yes, Bharat. And then just add a maha to it. Maha Bharat. Mahabharat? Actually. Yeah. Mahabharat would be the right one. And Mahabharata would be the that the Mahabharata tells would be how we're pronouncing ours.

00:00:42:23 - 00:01:02:11
Unknown
Oh, man. Okay, so all the Sanskrit names have an extra at the end. Yeah. So I've noticed that about the a. Okay, so let's get into this in a minute. First one if so Kumar, Abhinav and I say not correct. That's correct. Like for real. Yeah. That's real. Or is that like Americanized? No no no. Is that how they would if they were in India?

00:01:02:11 - 00:01:15:16
Unknown
How would they pronounce it. Yeah, it's slightly different. But you got this is 90% that. How would it how would it be in India. Kumar I believe so. Okay, so there's just an accent, just an accent and then a little bit faster. But I think that's why it's 90%. So I would give you that. Yes. Okay, a little faster.

00:01:15:16 - 00:01:37:07
Unknown
Yeah. Okay. So we are in the, we were cast in the roles of your Bismillah. I'm Bhima in the Maha mahabharat. Mahabharata traces. This is going to drive me crazy because I've been trying to do this. I'm so bad at accent like this. Like it's Indian accents. Hi. Of Bihar. It's not even just the accent to the word.

00:01:37:09 - 00:01:58:04
Unknown
Yeah, it's like just such a. Why? Because listening to this, this Indian, actor do like a retelling of the masala soup. Do you think his name is right? I'll put a link. It's a really good podcast series, and I've noticed some things listening to his accent, that's really interesting about, like, the clipped vowels, like, vowels are very clipped.

00:01:58:04 - 00:02:19:19
Unknown
Right. And I was like, oh, man. Okay. So then that's why it sounds so different, obviously. Right. So that's one reason. So that's one reason. The other real reason is this the English language does not have certain sounds that Hindi does. Yes. Yeah. That's right. So you can't you if you don't have those sounds, it's just there's no way for you to to make that sound.

00:02:19:19 - 00:02:46:16
Unknown
Right. So that's why it's I'm just not used to the syntax. Yeah. You're not exactly. You can say that. I mean but different languages, you we find that. Yeah. Right. So so we're in this story. We actually this is a production by Austin Shakespeare. Some people are a little surprised, but it's actually fits in perfectly with what Austin Shakespeare is all about, which is basically timeless tales, of the human experience in the human adventure, which this definitely is.

00:02:46:18 - 00:03:09:13
Unknown
And I had never before being cast as Bhima. And I just want to say, I think the only reason that and check Alala, the artistic director cast me as Bheem is not because I'm such a fantastic actor. But because I look a little bit like the size of me is a little bit in line with Bhima, who is the strongest man in the world, essentially.

00:03:09:13 - 00:03:27:03
Unknown
And I've seen images of him online, and there's one that does actually look a little bit like me, because a lot of them that he's like big and cut. I was like, I'm not cut like guys, like I have no definition of my muscles either. But there are some. And then the Peter Brooks version, I really like that version.

00:03:27:03 - 00:03:47:06
Unknown
This is what. And that's what our play is based on. And he is not like super. He's tall right? He's pretty tall, is taller than me, I imagine. I, I don't know, I'm only six foot, but he he has a bigness to his shoulders. He's like, there's something big about him. He feels big. And in the Peter Brooks version and he's wild and strong and.

00:03:47:12 - 00:04:08:18
Unknown
Yeah, right, right. So I mean, I think you fit the role really well. And thank you. And, and trying to be as strong as Bhima because those of you, those of them, your audience hasn't checked out your workout, video. They should definitely go check out the video as Pema. Yeah. I've never done a workout video. I don't think I'll ever do another one after this week.

00:04:08:20 - 00:04:27:10
Unknown
I just wanted to try because it was fun. All right. But I wanted to have you here to talk, you know, basically tell me and the audience. But me, really, this is my, you know, self is to kind of learn more about the Mahabharata and more about it. How about just said Mahabharat? How about that Mahabharat? Yeah.

00:04:27:11 - 00:04:48:02
Unknown
What about it? Yeah, but once I like, I'll, I'll revert back about when I'm in the moment. But I'll try to correct me. Yeah. Mahabharat. Mahabharat. Yeah. So I want to learn more about the story. It's the longest epic poem ever written. I read somewhere, it's like ten times longer than the Iliad and the Odyssey or something crazy like that.

00:04:48:02 - 00:05:10:16
Unknown
It's huge. Right? Is that right? Right. It is pretty big. Yeah. It's written in Sanskrit and, so, you know, it's thousands of years old. And as an epic, it has evolved over a period of time. Now, this is how true it is or it is not. Don't, you know, don't come. Don't come at me. And don't cancel me for saying this, but.

00:05:10:18 - 00:05:35:17
Unknown
Well, I don't know if it would cancel it. Yeah, but but, a lot of the Indian history since it's just such, it's old and has gone through a lot of changes, do not know the exact same, you know, story. But as time progressed, a lot of the story has been passed through generation. So a lot of the Kings and a lot of the empires that came in between have added, edited the story.

00:05:35:17 - 00:05:58:05
Unknown
Right. So there are there are that's why. But, but but overall the story is complete and each character has a background story. I mean it's a real true production, right? Like if you were in today's, you know, day and age when you see, a TV series, we see character development and every character has some background that, yeah, there's some arc, some arc, right.

00:05:58:05 - 00:06:16:02
Unknown
There is an arc to each character here as well. There is an arc to each character, and there are quite a few characters as well. I mean, my character has its own arc. Bhishma. Right? But Tama is, as he's younger, rebel, the unconquerable vow. So what's what it means? So you know it's. Do you think it's like says it two different ways.

00:06:16:02 - 00:06:40:08
Unknown
Like right. When you're born, it's like you're unconquerable. But then later Vyasa says your name means dreadful vow So Bhishma is the dreadful thing and the word translates to something dreadful, something strong. Right? Yeah. That's what beast must be. That's what Bhishma stands for, right? Something is. Unless something is dreadful, something. It means something strong and dreadful. It's another sort, more of a positive.

00:06:40:12 - 00:06:58:03
Unknown
But I'm more happy go lucky, I think. I think it was meant to be because of my. Because of my hair and the way I look. But I maybe 100, 200 years old. That's the other part. For he was 200 years old. So. Okay, so that's what, and you look on your hand like a 200 year old God.

00:06:58:05 - 00:07:19:19
Unknown
So, so Bhishma has his own. And Bhishma, by the way, is known as Padma, which is grandfather like or father like. Right. So he that's his name because the store. Yeah. Because he is over 200 years old. He's gone through multiple of these kings. Right. And this is the kids they have. He has zero kids. Yeah. That's that's the interesting thing.

00:07:19:19 - 00:07:42:02
Unknown
That's the interesting part. We can talk about the. Yeah. We'll get into the story in just a minute. Keep going with you. So so the the character or his age is over 200 years old. He is known as. But Dharma everyone respects him. And you will see that in our story as well. Yeah. The performance in in the Performance Center at the long term considered both the both the sides, even though they're warring, they're fighting.

00:07:42:04 - 00:08:04:04
Unknown
They have immense respect for him. And when he, when this character, you know, dies in the battlefield, they actually stop fighting because they respect him so much. So that's the that's the importance of the character in the story. And he has his own arc that, you know, we will find out which, is again, he takes a while to never marry, never have children.

00:08:04:04 - 00:08:22:12
Unknown
He never doesn't have any children. But in return of that, wow his father gives him, I guess, a special power, which is to choose his time of death when he wants to die. So a part of me also says that he. When he dies, he's like, I'm done with this world. I just want to be done. What is it?

00:08:22:12 - 00:08:40:06
Unknown
Just like I've always thought about this in, poetry and and literature. Like this idea of living forever and mortality. I think the picture of Dorian Gray. Like, there's this there's a lot of this in literature. And it's an interesting question. And I think we're, you know, we don't have to go off on these tangents too much.

00:08:40:06 - 00:09:09:00
Unknown
But I sometimes do this if we're getting to a point in our science where it's like the idea of living to 200 is not absurd, right? Like, I don't think we're there yet, obviously, but I don't I would not be surprised if someone born within the next 50 years might be a person who would live 200 years. I think there's someone born today who will live 150 years, for sure, pretty healthily to not like, what is the tetanus to tetanus?

00:09:09:04 - 00:09:27:09
Unknown
There's like a famous, Tennyson poem, and there's like this Greek myth where, this this man to Thanos. I gotta look it up. I can't remember his name, but he's granted immortality. But he's not granted eternal, health. So he just gets older and older and shriveled and shriveled for hundreds and hundreds of years. It's like this.

00:09:27:11 - 00:09:46:06
Unknown
This. Hold that. So I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about, like, we actually are healthy. Although I'll take ten years off. Come on. I'm I'm not I'm only 39 and I look like I'm 50. And. No, that's how we got this. Well, if I'm going to be 200, if I'm going to age at this rate, right, I might not be great.

00:09:46:08 - 00:09:59:20
Unknown
I might see liners like, oh my gosh, I think that would be a special power if you think about it, right? Yeah. That's so like, I can I could need like all the wisdom, you know, all the wisdom I can live I live forever. And then truly, I can say I've seen some stuff in my life, right? Yeah.

00:09:59:22 - 00:10:24:16
Unknown
But I get older wisdom that that is so bad that it's true. And I think that character talking back to Bhishma, he has wisdom, in his character as well. So, I mean, he's he's consulted, for everything that he does. And in this, in the story, which we, you know, obviously, as you said, the epic is so long, you don't really see all parts of it because there's only so much, you know, we saw a very small fraction.

00:10:24:19 - 00:10:42:16
Unknown
I mean, it's like a two hour production at exactly like two hours with, intermission, I think at 210 with it. Right. So and, and, so you can't really see that. What was the importance of the character? Bhishma in every character is important. I'm just gonna hype myself up here. Yeah. But he was the trusted advisor.

00:10:42:16 - 00:11:02:09
Unknown
He's seen stuff. He's gone through multiple wars, he's gone through multiple kings that he's been advisor of. Right. And that's why, I mean, in this story where he's a trusted advisor, he's the one who's raising the two gates together, two factions together. The Pandavas Yeah. And Kauravas was in the band was, yeah. Kauravas in the pandavas was.

00:11:02:09 - 00:11:17:04
Unknown
He's raising both those factions are kind of, Yeah. You're the good guy. He's the good guy. He's a he's a good guy. He's a good guy. He's he's a good guy. Although we do some bad guy stuff sometimes, you know, and that's the interesting that is interesting. Part of that is the whole interesting part of it.

00:11:17:06 - 00:11:47:05
Unknown
The other thing that we are not showing, which is a huge part of Mahabharat, is Gita, Bhagavad Gita. Yeah. We have like a little we have a little snippet of it, but that is actually the most important and the most famous. That's part of real for an Indian culture. Yes, yes. Yeah. So and part of the religion are part of the religion, but part of the religion because it's, it's basically a sermon given by Lord Krishna to Arjuna and it's more of a philosophical guide and a spiritual guide on how to live.

00:11:47:07 - 00:12:10:02
Unknown
So the cultural talk about the cultural significance of Mahabharat, it's the Gita that is there, and you will find the, you know, what's the importance of Geeta? So if you go to India and multiple and this is mostly North India, you'll find that, there are small posters with kind of like the Ten Commandments. Same thing about, hey, what does the Gita say?

00:12:10:02 - 00:12:32:08
Unknown
Right. And so you'll have like ten points from the guitar listed out and at shop, various shops or people's rooms. Yeah, I think I might have had at one more time. Yeah. Like how Christians will have certain religious codes. Codes and like sizes or songs. Yeah. Exactly. Yeah. So similarly you'll find that for with from the Bhagavad Gita, there are two epics in Hinduism Ramayana and Mahabharat.

00:12:32:08 - 00:12:55:00
Unknown
But there's less. I guess, you know, you won't find as many quotes from the Ramayana as you would find from a guitar, because Geeta is the score. I won't say, quote. It's one of the more important, one of the more important, spiritual guides that people it's people follow. It's very, very, I would say practical, right?

00:12:55:01 - 00:13:16:18
Unknown
Yeah. You know, one of the big things is, niche.com, niche.com. Karma means, you know, you you have the you have the right to do your duty, but you don't have the right to it, to the to the results of your duty. Right. So. Niche.com. Yeah. Right. So, so so I think we've talked about that in arts play, the, you know, Krishna, we have a Krishna, we have a Krishna.

00:13:16:22 - 00:13:48:17
Unknown
Great actor. Amazing. Yes, yes, that he talks about that. And that's because it's one of the most famous lines from, from Geeta. And obviously we can't say the whole Geeta because it's like, I think 700 pages or something like that. So that's why this epic is very, very long. Yeah. So let's get into the story. So what we're doing or what Ann Ciccolella, the artistic director of Austin Shakespeare, is doing a she's taking, I think, a script from the Peter Brook's version of the Mahabharata.

00:13:48:17 - 00:14:09:17
Unknown
Yeah. You're getting getting better. Yeah, yeah. Mahabharat. Yeah. From that, from that story by Peter Brooks, which was done, I think 20 years ago or 30 years ago or something. And that is like a six hour, seven hour show. And and then it was turned into a movie which is available for free on YouTube. It's really interesting and exciting.

00:14:09:17 - 00:14:31:18
Unknown
It's very stylish and cool. So and took that and cut out to kind of the core of it to give like two hours and 15 minutes, two hours or something like that of like the essential stuff, but having all the important, you know, art. So I think this is a really good introduction to the story and getting some understanding of the Mahabharata.

00:14:31:18 - 00:14:49:21
Unknown
It. Yeah, Mahabharata. And just like H. Yeah, yeah. Go is the second one I just realized. Yeah. It's right away. Yeah. But yeah. So it's, it's the, it's a like we're doing a good telling of that. That'll give people real understanding of the story. So let's talk. So there are going to be spoilers a little bit.

00:14:49:23 - 00:15:17:21
Unknown
So sorry, but we're going to expose some things so that you have an understanding because it's my belief that, you know, this is such a foreign story that I personally would want to know a little bit of detail so I could follow and enjoy the drama, because there's a lot of drama happening. There's, you know, there's characters that are hating each other and there's characters that have relations and there's a whole family tree and like, so I just want to give we don't think of like, every spoiler.

00:15:17:22 - 00:15:47:16
Unknown
It's not about spoilers, but I just want to like, lay out the family tree. I want to lay out the basic story that's happening. So what are what are you give us a little bit of because it's sure, sure, sure. As much as I remember because, you know, even I had forgotten as, you know, I, I saw just to kind of give you a background of my history of with the Mahabharat is as a kid and I'm sure every generation of Indian kids goes through this because every generation, they see a production of Mahabharat on television.

00:15:47:16 - 00:16:04:05
Unknown
So I saw the very first, like a new one for every generation. Yeah, pretty much, but it's a retelling of the same story by some other director. So the one that I saw was 93 episodes long. It used to be, how long were the episodes? 45 minutes. Right. 40, 45 minutes. So. But that's like ten seasons of, yeah, but they were once a week.

00:16:04:05 - 00:16:23:20
Unknown
Remember back in the day when you used to watch shows like Saturday morning and Saturday morning this was Sunday morning, right? Sunday morning, 9 a.m. I remember the time. So it was used to show up. And back in the day there was one channel in India. I used to watch that, and it was the first time that, it was shown on television and a stylized version.

00:16:23:22 - 00:16:45:17
Unknown
And literally at that time, from 9 to 10, it was like a curfew in the city because people would come and watch it. And this is 1986, if you're saying like, no. Yeah. It was just because some people were so stuck on beyond seeing us so enamored. They were so enamored by seeing it. It was literally you would see there was less traffic on the road.

00:16:45:18 - 00:17:03:05
Unknown
You know, shops wouldn't open on at nine at 9 a.m. because they were open at 10 a.m. because people were there at, one show up to those shops and, and that this is 1980s the, pre, you know, economic revolution that has occurred in the 90s, television sets were, were few and far between in the household.

00:17:03:05 - 00:17:20:06
Unknown
So you would find people opening their doors off of their house and letting and putting the television out, and then just people standing on the road watching the TV or, you know, back in the day when you used to have televisions on, the dealers were put on the television dealers or shops would have multiple, multiple show, screens.

00:17:20:06 - 00:17:38:14
Unknown
So this on the side of the road, people are just that's a good, way to get people in to. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So so that's was, it was people would congregate from 9 to 10 on Sundays for 43 episodes, 43 episodes or 93 episodes or 93. So it ran for multiple years. Yeah, yeah. So almost two years.

00:17:38:16 - 00:18:02:16
Unknown
Looks like over and over. Yeah. Watching. No, it's the same thing 93 episodes over, you know, weeks and weeks or 50. So yeah, it's exactly almost two years. Right. So, but talking about the story a little bit more in detail. Sure. Now, it's a story about, again, good and good and evil, right? If you think about it, that's mostly more what more stories are, which creates creates drama, especially if it's, religious.

00:18:02:18 - 00:18:27:00
Unknown
Yeah, exactly. Exactly. I mean, there is religion in this, as well, and for sure I think. Yeah. So there is this thing called Pandu that he has a brother. That rashtra this rashtra is is blind and, you know, and he he has a 100 sons called the Kauravas was the thrust to the right Rashtra. Is this death rush that the death grip?

00:18:27:02 - 00:18:46:01
Unknown
Rashtra rush. Rashtra rashtra. Yeah. Luckily, I don't have to say these this name. I don't have to say like to their uncle. Yeah, it's to say do shastra. Yeah. And Duryodhan even had to say Duryodhana. But yeah, the Shah is your son is the only name I have that you want to beat him up? Yeah, cause you're going to beat him up, right?

00:18:46:01 - 00:19:09:13
Unknown
So it was like I could say, do something right? And, so, so I don't remember the name of the kingdoms that, these guys were, part of the mythic kingdoms are real historical kingdoms. The actual, because I can Greeks like, it's there's Thebes, there's Troy. Troy is supposedly, historical, but it's mostly in this mythic kind of realm.

00:19:09:15 - 00:19:30:13
Unknown
There are areas in northern India where the names are found. They find them. They do find them. You know, another central character is Krishna. Krishna has his own backstory, how he was born. So the Pondo, there's thrash, commandos, Pandavas, the good guys, Karavus the bad guys. No, no. I'm saying the people we were talking about is there's Pandu.

00:19:30:13 - 00:19:51:08
Unknown
The character. Pandu is the king and Russia is the other king. Side is called. And they're brothers, right? Yeah. Pandu side is called Pandavas. The thrashers side is called carvers. Right? So. Okay. Gaurav, I think they were the kings of Gaurav. I think that's the region. Yeah. And, So. And that's what you need to do. That's like Capulets and and,

00:19:51:10 - 00:20:07:16
Unknown
And Montagues. Oh, yeah. There you go. Yeah. Exactly. The kind of, like frenemies as well, right? In the sense, because they really do knock out bullets and. Yeah. So they're kind of like they're related. They are related. Right? They really kind of they are related because the family tree goes up to the shrine. Panda. Panda being the two brothers.

00:20:07:16 - 00:20:30:07
Unknown
Yeah. And if I'm wrong, I'm sorry if I'm wrong, but this is how I remember it. The story of mythology. Right? That's what happened. And and the story is essentially of the kids. The pun was. And the car was where, where they get into, a fight, which is based on, again, the fight is based on who gets to keep the kingdom and the kingdom.

00:20:30:12 - 00:20:49:21
Unknown
Kingdom. Although there's two kingdoms. Why is it one kingdom? So. So you have Panda. You have, That's a very good question. That's a very. They both have their own kingdoms right now. I'm. The thrust are the thrust is blind. Right. And that is true in his in the stories. In the story. That is true. That was also it's true in the story.

00:20:49:21 - 00:21:11:07
Unknown
And his wife gets married to him without looking at him, that he's blind. And she says she swears that I will also not see the light of the day. And Gandhari and Thais dies and covers her eyes with that eye. But she blind herself with just. She's not. She just keeps she ties Her eyes tie as the blind that her that also gives her special powers.

00:21:11:07 - 00:21:27:21
Unknown
Which you, your character deals with later on in the story, but not in our tale. It's not. But I don't think in our tale we're doing that well. So there's like, there's a little bit of it, you know, with, my brother Yudhishthira, which I won't reveal, though I think you destroy. Am I saying that right?

00:21:27:21 - 00:21:43:02
Unknown
Yeah. What was it? Yeah, that's my brother. So I to get that. Yeah. Arjun or Arjun, though, we have to explain the why there's not an a sometimes but. So yeah, I think he deals with it a little bit. Right. Know what you're talking. That's right. We can talk about that later. Yeah. We don't have to spoil that part.

00:21:43:04 - 00:21:59:01
Unknown
That's to say I don't I don't think that part is there in our story. But there is a little well, maybe not what you're talking about, but there's a little bit of this. Right. Dealing with that. So the Pandavas and the carvers main characters, these are the five brothers and the carvers are 100 brothers, right? Basically are 100 of those.

00:21:59:03 - 00:22:20:17
Unknown
They are led by Duryodhan. Duryodhan, the younger brother is the chosen. And he has a buddy called Ghana. Ghana is a great character. Is actually another very fantastic character that is kind of gray and or gray. It's gray. His character is gray. He's good and bad. He is the son of Kunti and the son of the Lord. Son, right?

00:22:20:17 - 00:22:51:23
Unknown
Like son, is also considered one of the lords or gods in Hinduism. So like Apollo for. Yeah, exactly. So he has so he has immense power, right? He has immense power. He's supposedly very powerful. And in the original story he had a shield and he had some, I guess, earrings that made him invincible. Continue this. And when the war between the Barnabas and Cordova starts, she goes and actually gets the shield and and the and the and the rearing for him that makes him visible, right?

00:22:52:01 - 00:23:13:00
Unknown
Otherwise he was invincible as well. Interest. So. But that's the side of the you see, again, a character arc that exists for, you know, for a character that is sort of gray and not really, really bad. And when I say it's sort of gray, not really bad. Is the real bad characters. Duryodhan the chazan, they,

00:23:13:02 - 00:23:33:16
Unknown
They're me. They're mean. Right? They're mean. And if you look at Hindu names of kids, nobody calls their son Duryodhan. Nobody calls their son their shots. Demons. Yeah. They're also, you know, there are people. People and people. You know, Bhima is, you know, used as a as a as a noun, like, oh, I'm as strong as Bheem. Right.

00:23:33:16 - 00:23:54:13
Unknown
And there is a and and, there have been, you know, children's stories written on Pema because he's a fun character. He's he's a guy who is powerful, strong, does feats of strength. So there are there is whole character. There is an Eddie Murphy movie in the 90s, the I can't what it's called anymore. It's where he plays all these heavyset characters.

00:23:54:13 - 00:24:15:07
Unknown
Oh, okay. Okay. And so, like, he plays a whole family of big, and there's one, there's one scene I always remember where the little boy or the young boy, you know, is like doing something, and he's like a big guy, like a strong. And all the the the women played by Eddie Murphy are like Hercules. Hercules again.

00:24:15:11 - 00:24:37:02
Unknown
So that's the same kind of. Oh, yeah. Yeah. It's kind of like Hercules right? There you are. Hercules. Like character is the root cause of the the conflict in Mahabharat, but starts us. And the carnival chorus starts with a game of dice. Right. And which is again, I think a lesson in. Don't gamble. Your brother elder brother detractor.

00:24:37:03 - 00:24:58:19
Unknown
He is a gambler. No, no, my older brothers, you know. Sorry. Yeah, yeah. Well, you sure you there? Sure is. That's the. That's the king. The father Pardew's commandos. Our elder. Sorry. Your fibro. Oh, no. Okay, so you said this, I. But that was my. That was the father again. Just trying to keep this straight for all of us.

00:24:58:22 - 00:25:18:07
Unknown
Because it's new for me. And the new destroyer is my oldest brother who is going to lead us. Right? Because he's the oldest. So you have the Thrasher, you have Pando, the thrasher has, 400 sons. Pandu has five sons. Yeah, the five versus the 100. That's the. Yeah. You got being with you and you. You got Bhima with you.

00:25:18:08 - 00:25:38:03
Unknown
You know who's going to win? One on one side and the fight is essentially between the 100 and the the five sons. Right. Or was. And the part was right. Yeah. And the fight starts because the, you destroyer likes to gamble. He goes in and they invite him to a party and say, hey, let's do some gambling.

00:25:38:05 - 00:26:10:12
Unknown
And, Shakuni, who is who is, the uncle of Duryodhan, Duryodhana caught of us on on the karma site. He is a magician with dice. Okay? Right. He he knows how to play dice. He knows how to manipulate it with with his hands. And he essentially lowers your duster to bet everything that he has. And you, doctor, his ego comes into the way, and he keeps betting all his rolls, all his material possessions, and essentially also bets all his brothers.

00:26:10:12 - 00:26:46:18
Unknown
So he basically ends up becoming a slave. And in the end he bets his wife, which is a big no no, right. How can you bet your wife and, you know, particularly when it's only when the wife of five, five men, but he's like, you've lost all five. And, And how can you how can you bet your, bet your wife the, then, you know, there's a scene, where, you know, we we we have their, their wife, show up in the court and Duryodhan, says, okay, we want we are going to see you naked.

00:26:46:18 - 00:27:08:10
Unknown
So this is this is the draupadi the name, the character, their wife, and, the actual act of her being you know, stripped naked is called in the story is called Chiron, which is essentially just take it again, cheer her up on. Yeah, cheer her on. Her hat on. Yeah. That's act of the act. Strip is robbing, disrobing, disrobing her.

00:27:08:12 - 00:27:33:19
Unknown
And she's wearing the. She's wearing a traditional, Sorry. Yeah, but there's another character arc which we don't explore in this, in our, in our version that the, drop the had had, tied, you know, had basically, tied Rakhi, which is, you know, which is what I'm wearing right here. String. Okay. String. This is tied by a sister, to, to her brother.

00:27:33:21 - 00:27:52:04
Unknown
She had done that to, to Krishna. And the way she did it was Krishna got hurt on her in his hand, and she took a piece of her sari and tied it on his hand. And Krishna is, I would say, one of the main character. He's a form of God, Lord, Lord Vishnu. He has he's now taken, form of, of a human being.

00:27:52:06 - 00:28:12:21
Unknown
So he and he manipulates the whole thing. You'll see that, right? He's I believe that he's the central manipulator of things happening and. Yeah, right. So she prays to him as a brother and she's like, hey, Lord Krishna, help me. I'm being I'm being disrobed. And, miracle. He basically makes her sari or what she's wearing of immeasurable length.

00:28:12:21 - 00:28:33:11
Unknown
Yeah. In the end, it's like everybody just gives up. Yeah. And he's not able to disrobe. So that's the miracle that happens. I mean, obviously the, you know, God's involved in it or Power of God is involved in it. The fight that happens is the bet that they did in, in, in the game was when after the final.

00:28:33:11 - 00:28:51:23
Unknown
That the final bet. Yeah. Barnabas lost everything, including dropping. Oh including drop at the end. They said, well, we'll give you a chance to win everything back. And if you don't, then you go for 12 years into Into the Jungle, and then on the 13th year, you're going to stay in exile. But you have to be you have to stay hidden.

00:28:51:23 - 00:29:12:18
Unknown
You cannot be seen. If you're recognized by someone, then you have to go back for 12, another 12 years. And then basically your life kind of is over, right? And till then the converts will go. The cause will own all your, all your kingdom, the, the conflict, which is that they do, fulfill the, you know, the bet which is here.

00:29:12:19 - 00:29:36:03
Unknown
They lose the bet. First of all, they lose that bet they go for into exile for 12 years. The 13th year, they're supposedly hidden. But when they, Duryodhan says, well, I think we recognized you and you have to do the bet again. And they said, no, that's not that's not what happened. So Duryodhan basically refuses to give them their kingdom back.

00:29:36:05 - 00:29:59:20
Unknown
So in the story is. So that's not really an Rs. Yes, but, I'm just talking about. No, no, no, no, I'm glad you're talking about, because that's what I want is the back. So I'm just that I'm saying. So that part like we do talk about the 12 years in the one year. Right. But there's I think there's like a stylized representation of that moment, which is cool because like you saw at the time, you can't be up there for 22 hours.

00:29:59:22 - 00:30:17:18
Unknown
I'll, we could try, but I don't think anybody would want to, but. So you're, So the there's 12 years on the 13th year, did the punt of our brothers actually get seen or is it actually a lot? No. So they didn't get seen. That's what the claim is, right. They said, oh, we didn't see you. Nobody saw us.

00:30:17:18 - 00:30:36:07
Unknown
Nobody recognized. So we were in disguise. Nobody recognized us. And that itself, it says, no, no, I know someone who recognized you. Right. So he's lying. He's lying. And that's clear to the reader that that is the that is the implication, right? Yeah. So that is a claim that is made, and it's conflict. He's like, oh, no, I found it.

00:30:36:07 - 00:30:54:17
Unknown
And I think it was like the date, the 13th day, the 13th year ended. That's when they reveal themselves and that's where the conflict starts. The wording, basically, they don't want to give the kingdom. Yeah. He's like, I don't I'm not giving your stuff back essentially. Right. So that's the, reason there. So what kingdom is it though?

00:30:54:18 - 00:31:18:10
Unknown
There's two kingdoms. There's there's Rastas Kingdom and there's those around his kingdom. Pandu. Huston up or is one I don't remember which one was the. Is it because something along the lines of Drift Thruster. Right. Yeah. Yeah. Is blind. And so his kingdom is kind of up for grabs. No no no no no no. The kingdom that is up for grabs is all part of us, right.

00:31:18:10 - 00:31:38:06
Unknown
Because they better kingdom. So it's the Pandavas, it's Pontus kingdom. Yeah, yeah. That they're going to inherit from Pandu, right? That's the one that's up for grabs. Yeah. And they have already. And so they loss. Okay, I'm being silly. I get it now. So they lost that kingdom in the game of dice. They can't go dice. And then after 13 years, they're supposed to get it back but supposed to get it back.

00:31:38:06 - 00:32:02:18
Unknown
Guys like no, I'm not giving you. Yeah. They're not giving a super wealthy and strong and powerful. Right. And they don't want to get right. So he's he's he bets all his horses kingdoms, gods, wealth, everything and all his land. Right. Which is his kingdom. So but then he doesn't get it back, right? Yeah. You're destroyed. It doesn't get it back because Duryodhan says, no, I'm not doing that because you didn't fulfill the bet, which was to stay hidden on your 13th year.

00:32:02:20 - 00:32:23:14
Unknown
You will recognize I'm not doing that. No. Okay, so. So then that's how the fight starts. That's the big vision of the fight. Yeah. There's one other thing that I would like to point out because I, you know, we didn't showcase that when drop these brought into and this will be evident in our show when she's brought into the game of dice where in the court right after she's lost.

00:32:23:14 - 00:32:46:08
Unknown
After she's lost, after she's lost, loses her right to the caravan caravans she's dragged in. Yeah. Right by one of the Corvo brothers. Right to sorcerer Darshana. That's correct. There you go. But. But that that. That's the moment you're talking. Yeah, that's the one I want to. You know, I want to talk about the motivation behind it. We we actually do talk about it in our play.

00:32:46:10 - 00:33:15:16
Unknown
That Duryodhan is street. You know, we they make fun of him. So in our, in real world, you can see he got he gets bullied a little bit by point because he's not, he's he's a big, strong, handsome guy, but maybe not as sharp right. So he gets bullied whatever that is. But actual story. The big the big the big event is Duryodhan once is visiting the Pandavas, their kingdom, and he falls into to, a small pond in the courtyard without seeing it.

00:33:15:18 - 00:33:37:08
Unknown
Okay. And drop these is inside the house on a balcony. She water this, she laugh and she laughs at him and says, oh, look at that. A blind man's son is blind. Oh, God. So she's making fun of him. She makes fun of him. Yeah, yeah, he gets really pissed off on that. And so. So when, when he wins, drop the and he's like, now I will show you.

00:33:37:08 - 00:33:55:11
Unknown
Come sit on my thighs. Right. He is being a he's being. That's what he says to her. Yeah. After after her right there is well okay. But hold on. So he falls in the pool into a pond. Earlier in the earlier in the story. We don't. She laughs at him, says that he's blind, man. He's like, I'm going to take revenge.

00:33:55:12 - 00:34:10:03
Unknown
Yep. I'm going to revenge on you. And then his revenge is after he wins her. Then he says, come sit on my thighs. And that really pisses you off. So because she's your wife, I think I still don't get the thigh thing. I mean, if you think about it, it's kind of like, sorry, is it a sexual thing?

00:34:10:03 - 00:34:24:03
Unknown
Yes it is okay. It is, it is, It is. That's what I thought. But I was like, someone explain it. There's something else going on. And I was like, what else? No, it is, it is about okay. It's it's like, sit on my lap, bam, sit down on my leg and sit on my front of the husband in front of the husband.

00:34:24:03 - 00:34:42:07
Unknown
So it's an insult, right? That's what I thought at first, but I was just like, what? Right. So that really pisses you off. Yeah. Bhima. Bhima. Bhima gets his like, I am going to destroy you one day for saying this to my wife. Yeah. So. And you take revenge. You do take revenge on him. And that part of the story is also very important.

00:34:42:07 - 00:35:02:20
Unknown
Again, Krishna plays a role there as well. We talked about Gandhari, right? The one with the blind mom. Right. Yeah. And she has put, I guess a cloud on her eyes and she. Because she's married to the thrust. Right. And she's like, I don't want to. Yeah. So she's the, the the matriarch of the core of us.

00:35:02:20 - 00:35:24:14
Unknown
Yes. So it's hard to throw a straw there, kids. There 100 kids. The core of of includes includes Duryodhan, which includes the elder Lucius and and the shots. And there's the second. Second. Starting to gel together a little. There you go. So, Duryodhan, you know you and Duryodhan are going to have a huge fight. And you guys are both very powerful.

00:35:24:14 - 00:35:43:16
Unknown
It's kind of who's stronger. I think you're stronger. Yeah, yeah. Bhishma is stronger. Bhishma is stronger. But Duryodhan is as strong as Bhishma. But Duryodhan. Bhishma as Duryodhan. Duryodhan is strong as you. Not. Bhima beat me. Okay. It's okay. That happens to all of us. That does happen like I. You know you are. You were. I'm going to call you out.

00:35:43:16 - 00:36:07:10
Unknown
You're late. And they're like. Bhima is late. I was like, I'm not late. I was like, no. I was like, yeah, don't get mad at me. My God. When, So Beam and Duryodhan are, are going to fight. But Duryodhan, when when everyone is dead. Essentially, Duryodhan is the last one left. He in the story, he goes to see his mom.

00:36:07:10 - 00:36:29:11
Unknown
His mom says come to me and you know, take a bath. And after taking a bath. Bath by. No, I'm sorry, I just. I thought you said that. Okay. Take a bath. Yes, take a bath. But British English, you know, the market size, bath and offering a bath. Come to me. Come see me. But do not wear anything.

00:36:29:13 - 00:36:46:04
Unknown
Know who's saying this? But he's Gandhari said so. Mom is telling. Mom is telling to his son. Okay, so Gandalf is saying this. Duryodhan, right? Everyone's dead and she doesn't want him to die. I mean, she still has the heart of a mom, right? She has a heart of mom. She's seen her 100 sons die right? In this.

00:36:46:04 - 00:37:02:02
Unknown
In this war. 14th day war. 14 day war, 100 sons have died. Duryodhan. The only one left. And she sees. She knows that you are going to kill him. You said that. You said you saw on him that I'm going to kill all of you, right? You and you did kill the Chazan as well. Already has happened, right?

00:37:02:02 - 00:37:23:08
Unknown
So you you turned out to see that scene. Yeah. You tear them apart in reality and I can. So Krishna he is he's you know, he's the man behind. He's the puppeteer essentially. So he knows that something's up. So when Duryodhan is after taking about, he's going to see his mom in the camp, right? So they are fighting in.

00:37:23:08 - 00:37:45:03
Unknown
In the Warfield. The, Gandhari and the thrashed are all the way from the battlefield in a camp. So he's going from, the battlefield to see his mom in the camp at night. So back in the day, they used to fight during the day. Once the sunset fighting would stop, people would come right in Greek or ancient battlefields because you can't see the end.

00:37:45:04 - 00:38:03:03
Unknown
Exactly, exactly. It's the same thing. Yeah. It's like it's it's not like we have lights. Like, anyway, it's a whole there's no light there is no there is no night. That's like a very modern really that for a long time it was. There's no fighting. Yeah. So when he's walking, when he's walking away, Krishna knows that he he's going to go to Gandhari.

00:38:03:03 - 00:38:21:18
Unknown
And Gandhari will open our eyes and basically see him up top to dawn and essentially will give him special powers, which will make his. Oh, because she's going to take her blindfold and blindfold off and give him special powers through her eyesight, where it will basically make his body make off stone. And he won't, you know, nothing will hurt him.

00:38:21:21 - 00:38:38:04
Unknown
Yeah. So then, But Krishna intervenes, runs interference in the story, and he's like, what? You want to go to your mom? You're not going to get anything, are you not? No, man. Cover yourself. Or at least cover your private part. Yeah, like put a put a banana leaf or something. Yeah. Around your thigh. Around your thigh.

00:38:38:04 - 00:39:00:03
Unknown
So he puts a banana leaf around his ties. Yeah. So that's the other thing. That's the exactly. So when Duryodhan did this, you know the reaction. Yeah. Come sit. Come sit on my thighs. Yeah. That same action is repeated by Krishna when you are fighting Duryodhan in the final fight. Yeah, yeah. The final boss is interesting, right?

00:39:00:03 - 00:39:16:20
Unknown
Yeah. And you are not able to get to him. You're hitting him. But everything is made of stone. Essentially. That's the story I like. You're hitting him. You're hitting him. He's not dying. He's. Nothing is happening to him. Yeah, and then you're. And you're right. You're fighting with the goddamn mace, right? With the actual goddamn big mace.

00:39:16:20 - 00:39:36:21
Unknown
You guys are both going at each other. Yeah. And then finally, Krishna, tells you, by doing this scene. But it's a little high. It's. What is that true in the Mahabharat? Yeah. So they had that. They had those, those rules. Rules and rules set. But Krishna is is the Lord. So he's he skirts around those rules, right?

00:39:36:21 - 00:39:52:10
Unknown
If he were to fight in the, in, in the story, then he would have won. But he that's why he's, he's that's a good lesson. It is a good lesson in like, you know, if there is an evil character in love and war. Yeah. Exactly. Like at some point if you're not going to win and you're the good guy, I don't know.

00:39:52:13 - 00:40:09:08
Unknown
All's fair in love and war. That's like, do what you got to do. You got to. You got to die between the thigh. Yeah. Right. Right. And you see that in multiple aspects of it. My character, that's how I die, right? Krishna just comes in, and, Krishna and Arjuna, they all come to me and ask me, how do we kill you?

00:40:09:08 - 00:40:24:20
Unknown
Because I'm invincible. Yeah, right. I have to want to die. I have to say that I'm going to die now, right? I've been. I've been given that power. Yeah. And, I tell them it's basically out of love. You die out of love, right? Yeah, I, I want I don't want that to happen. I just don't want to happen.

00:40:24:22 - 00:40:42:14
Unknown
Is it romantic love? That's like why you choose to die because of, But I would. I would say that it is a lot of regret. That is why. I mean, it's a combination of things, but, I mean, like, you let that particular character kill you because you're in love with her. I was in I think I have for you feel that?

00:40:42:14 - 00:41:00:02
Unknown
Oh, it's because you feel bad of what happened to me. I feel regret for what happened to Amber. I see we won't reveal that part. Right. So I feel regret. I don't mean it's one of the main that's off of the of the story. Okay, so. So. But even then, if you think about it, the guy was pulling the character in the back.

00:41:00:04 - 00:41:20:10
Unknown
Krishna, Krishna and Arjuna are the ones. Arjuna is the one who actually shoots the actual arrow. Yeah, but Krishna is the one. He's like, shoot, go ahead. He's he's done does the same thing with Ghana. Ghana's, will in the story. His chariot will get stuck. And when he gets off his chariot will. He's unarmed and he's not fighting.

00:41:20:10 - 00:41:43:12
Unknown
And he says this honor and duty. You not supposed to kill me. And Krishna was like, go for it. So? So Ghana, Bhishma and Duryodhan are the three main characters, on on Corvus. So there's one more Drona, who's was the master at arms who basically taught these kids how to. Both of them. Both of them.

00:41:43:12 - 00:42:05:20
Unknown
Both Pandavas and Corvus. And he is also killed in a conciliatory fashion or, you know, by by kind of a, like, kind of a kind of a like that one, a little vague. Yeah. Yeah, it kind of kind of a lie. But Drona, I would, I would call him kind of like the master at arms or, you know, the chief commander, the, he reminds me of Nestor.

00:42:05:20 - 00:42:28:19
Unknown
Kind of. Tell me more about Nestor. Well, he's just like this, although there's a little difference, but he's like this wise, advisor, sir, and he to in the to the Greeks. And, you know, he's just a but he's old. He is older though. He's like the the above generation old in terms of the Warriors. So he's a little too old to fight much.

00:42:28:19 - 00:42:45:02
Unknown
He has a son who fights. Okay. So it's more of an advisor. Drone is more of an actual fighter. Yes. Like he. But Nestor is you know, the idea is that he's still this, you know, great wise warrior that everyone looks up to. And I get I just get the similar feel, you know. So I'm going to talk a little bit more.

00:42:45:02 - 00:43:06:20
Unknown
I want to finish up the story itself. And then I'm going to talk to you about like the cultural meaning to you growing up. And then, yeah, a couple other things. I just, I thought, that's so, so I was I'm talking about the main characters right here that people will will see Duryodhan Khan, Bhishma. The Chazan or Tushar Sarna.

00:43:06:20 - 00:43:24:11
Unknown
I mean, I should pronounce it the way we're going to pronounce it on, on stage the shots and, Yeah, I noticed, like, there's sometimes there's not an a, I mean, typically in, I guess the Sanskrit or the Hindi in Hindi pronunciation is not without a name, but so is Arjun. Arjun. But yeah. So it sounds script is how you would.

00:43:24:13 - 00:43:42:05
Unknown
Yeah, yeah, I will say Versing Arjuna. Yes. But when you say origin, yeah, you can say Arjuna or Arjuna. It's I think would be appropriate. Well we can, that's another I have, I have no idea how that that probably all dialects moving in and out and telling them. Right, right, right, right. Okay. I mean, maybe more of the British translation.

00:43:42:05 - 00:44:07:05
Unknown
I think that's that's oh, that's a British. Yeah, it's a British. They're always it always, always a British. Right. They're always there. So yeah, there was I was trying to think like there's something about oh, Don Quixote. Oh yeah. I'm doing. Do you know this on I don't know, I mean, this is the British fault again. So Don Quixote, I'm doing, part of my I have something called the Literary Canon Club, which is a paid book club that I do, and we're doing Don Quixote.

00:44:07:10 - 00:44:32:09
Unknown
And the reason that the there's an X, in the, you know, it's quixotic is because when Cervantes was writing in Castilian, in 1605, it kind of makes its way over to Britain. I don't remember the exact date by the time I like the printing at that time. And there the I guess the sound, the Quixote, the whole sound was X.

00:44:32:10 - 00:44:52:23
Unknown
It was like it looked like an S. There's some weird mix up. So in in England for hundreds of years, it was Don Kwikset. And there's still people. So there's a lecturer that I was listening to, in some course I was taking a while back and he was like, when I was growing up, it was Don Kwikset and but again, it's it's all the British fault.

00:44:52:23 - 00:45:18:09
Unknown
So that that kind of like spread because that's not how you would spell it. If you were to transliterated. Right. It would be with a J or something. Anyway, so the British ruined everything. Oh yeah, that's right. I love the English I like this. Yeah. Was also okay but yeah. Go ahead. So another tangent. Yeah. Well this again this if you were to read them apart I mean there be so many dangers because again yeah it's all the story part of the backstory of all the characters.

00:45:18:09 - 00:45:42:23
Unknown
Right. So we covered the car was here right. We covered the main characters Daytona Beach mom, Duryodhan, Dodgson, and Curran. Right. The five main characters. People will see the bad guys. Yeah. The good guys now are you disturbed? The guy who gambles stuff away. Bheem! Next in line. Bheem. Bhima. Bhima, Arjuna or Arjuna? Yeah, right. Who is?

00:45:43:01 - 00:46:02:02
Unknown
He's such a good, I guess Archer. And we show that, that's a also a very old story. Very famous, very famous story. Our version of our play. We've what we've done. I think we've done a really good job of putting the main incidents of what people would know about if. Yes, like if they've read it or exactly like, grew up with it.

00:46:02:06 - 00:46:21:00
Unknown
It's like, oh, there's that moment, there's that moment. That's correct. And that's what people will see on stage. The real significant moment that people know about the game of dice, or how why Arjuna was such a good archer when he when he looked, when he's showing a target, he only sees the eye of the target and nothing else.

00:46:21:00 - 00:46:37:14
Unknown
Everyone else like you, when you're showing, you're like, oh, I see everything around it. My brother and you know, and you see your brother to here. Yeah, yeah, there you go. I'm trying to do so. So it's my fine act. Yeah. That's you. But because that's not your weapon. Your weapon is. Yeah. That's a big club. Yeah. You are a powerful guy.

00:46:37:14 - 00:46:58:06
Unknown
I mean, you're not the archer surgeon gone off a guy. You go and I'm not, you know, precise. And you go and destroy stuff and destroy takes like a big brutes. I guess that is exactly true. You're a big brute. Big, big guy who moves stuff. But Arjuna is the archer. Yeah, and Arjuna and Krishna have that. Have that relationship off of a pupil and.

00:46:58:07 - 00:47:16:18
Unknown
And a teacher as well. That's the Geeta. That's what they show. Yeah. And that's we've shown that as well. Part of the, you know, the Geeta sermon on the, on the battlefield. And then on the other side, I guess part of our side, we also have knuckle and said they that are they are twins. Their character is not very well developed, at least in the, in the, in the story as well that what we're showing.

00:47:16:18 - 00:47:39:02
Unknown
So the three main characters, you know, they focus on Bheema you this should be mine Arjuna. And then obviously drop is also shown as a as a main character as Helen of Troy. I really want to say that. I want to say that does like she she she's not the same, but there are certain similarities in the way she's used and how it's the cause of this massive war.

00:47:39:04 - 00:47:56:16
Unknown
Right. And you said that actually a lot of folks will, will come. People will come out with pitchforks that you're making, someone because of the character or cause of the war. It's not her fault. It's not her fault. Yes. Yeah. Like, is it Helen's fault in the Iliad? Yeah. I mean, you know, maybe a little bit, but I don't.

00:47:56:16 - 00:48:16:22
Unknown
I think it's more parents. I think it's more, you know, other people, other characters that are, you know, it's not like she's. I'm taking action herself too much. And she's controlled by a goddess who's, like, making her do this, and she's so. But then with dropping it like she is the fundamental. It's not her action that's a cause, but it's because of her.

00:48:17:00 - 00:48:36:07
Unknown
Yeah, I started out because her. Hey, I'm going to. I'm going to take revenge. You can, you can. Obviously the ordinance says I'm going to take revenge on on your, your, you know, on your husband's. Yeah. And because he got cheesed off by what she said to him. Yeah. Right. That's, that's I mean, yeah, if you want to look at it that way, you can, but I don't think she's the cause of Mahabharat.

00:48:36:07 - 00:48:55:15
Unknown
That's right. I wouldn't, I wouldn't go that that that is of the war, right. Wait, what does the word mean? Mahabharat. Mahabharat? I think, okay, this is the cultural significance of it, because it's associated with that great war that happened over for 15 days. You can even use the word people to use the word as as a word.

00:48:55:15 - 00:49:16:11
Unknown
Right? Like if two people are fighting or there is, you know, a big argument going on between, let's say, two people, two parties, you can even say Amanda's a mahabharat going on in their house over this topic. Right? Let's say, something is happening and that is not going on because it's like, oh, man, these have a great argument going on as well.

00:49:16:13 - 00:49:40:14
Unknown
The, the, literal translation of Mahabharat would be great India, but I don't think that makes sense. Yeah. So, I mean, the name of the epic, that's why that's the literature. Well, I mean, Iliad is the Troy. It means Iliad. Right? So Mahabharat would be great. India. I mean, that's essentially the name of, of the, of the, the, I guess the epic.

00:49:40:14 - 00:50:03:15
Unknown
Right. So, okay. So we've covered most of, story bad, bad characters and the good, the good characters. Right. Kunti? We'll see her on stage as well. Yeah. And I think the mother of the pan of her mother of the pan. And also while on set, although I think we only said it, but. Yeah. And the story is being written by or it was written by, Vyasa.

00:50:03:18 - 00:50:23:08
Unknown
Who. Who's the sage who wrote the scene? Ponders father. No, I believe so. Right. I think he's somehow he's like. He's like, because I thought he was the patriarch of both parties or something. Yes. That's correct. And so he must be the father thrust through and Pandu. Yes, that's correct. I could be wrong, but I thought he must be that.

00:50:23:10 - 00:50:44:01
Unknown
So. And then he comes in. So he's in our story, played by, running of fantasy character actor. And. Yeah. So. And then he's telling his story to a little girl. Is that in the Mahabharat? I think so, like a lot of I think a little bit of a Peter Brooks. Okay. That's just kind of a narrative tool to help put it together.

00:50:44:01 - 00:51:03:05
Unknown
Right? So that's happening and that's kind of narratively structuring the the little snippets of story that we're getting from this massive, you know, ten times the size of Iliad, longest, long, longest epic poem I wrote. Yeah. So it's like you need something to kind of structure it. That's a shorter version. That's correct. And that's, that's what this is.

00:51:03:05 - 00:51:22:08
Unknown
Yeah. So, so we, I say is the, you know, main character that starts it all. And so you'll see, you'll see, I think, well, we also was the one writing. It wasn't that king nor King Chocobo is my father. Sorry I was confusing. Yeah. So Cat right. Yeah. We also cannot write. Yeah. So his first line of the play.

00:51:22:09 - 00:51:43:06
Unknown
That's correct. He's getting written by Lord Ganesh. Right. Who have also is is another, you know, has a story of his own. We learn about that as well. Yeah. He he's the son of, Lord Shiva and Parvati. Yeah. So, he we have that god. He's also a god. Yeah, yeah, he's an actual vassals, not a god.

00:51:43:11 - 00:52:01:07
Unknown
Now, when we're talking about gods, all these people are essentially demigods, right? On some level. But no, Ganesha is a god. Ganesha is given the Lord Ganesh, as I'm saying, like Krishna is a god. No, no, no, they are not demigods. They are humans. They're humans are pure humans. But that's actually a good point, right? What happens after the marvel is over?

00:52:01:07 - 00:52:24:23
Unknown
We don't cover that. But there is in the mythology in the book, because they are humans. They are going to perish, right? All of us have have a certain life, life span, the keys. The key point here in that story is, not the trash robots. I keep forgetting his name, your elder brother, your destroyer, your destroyers.

00:52:25:01 - 00:52:43:10
Unknown
A lot of names. Yeah. Your disasters, story is he never tells a lie. And he doesn't write. Yeah, because he's he's true to Dharma, right? He's like, I will never tell a lie. I've always been truthful. And he keeps that promise throughout his life because he said he's the sun. He's a boon by the Lord. Dharma.

00:52:43:10 - 00:53:10:23
Unknown
Right, or Dharam? Right. So he's part of that, or his lineage. Is that so? At the end of his life span, he's the one who's invited into heaven with his human body, right? Otherwise, when we pass away, we leave. Supposedly, we leave our body behind, and our spirit is the one that goes away. But because he has been truthful all his life, he's the one who said, hey, come on in.

00:53:10:23 - 00:53:31:11
Unknown
You are allowed into the into heaven with your, with your human body. And there's actually I love this part of the story, okay? I'm a I'm a dog huge dog lover. And when he's invited in, he has a dog with him. But dogs are not allowed in heaven. As you know, a lot of people say that. And that's his pet dog, apparently.

00:53:31:11 - 00:53:48:09
Unknown
Or he's when he's walking up to heaven and on the way, he finds a dog and he keeps him, keeps him, with him when the dog is not allowed, he actually says, no. If the dog's not allowed, then I'm not going to go in to heaven. To heaven? He refuses heaven because of his love for dog.

00:53:48:09 - 00:54:05:07
Unknown
And then later on, it's revealed that it was a test by the Dharma Guard. And to see if you were actually true to yourself till the end. That someone who's been with you on this journey, are you going to let him there? I'm like, man, dogs are true souls. That's true. They should be allowed in heaven. You know I love.

00:54:05:10 - 00:54:25:03
Unknown
I have a dog downstairs, right? I love dogs, so. Yeah. So that this is part of my. It's interesting because that there's something like that in the. I'm not like that, but there's, there's a famous dog in the Odyssey. Oh really? Yeah. It's like when Odysseus comes home, he's disguised as a beggar. And come home to Ithaca where he's been, he's been gone for 20 years.

00:54:25:05 - 00:54:49:21
Unknown
And you have a wife who is weaving to deceive, all these suitors, which again reminds me a little bit of dropping. Oh, yeah. Right. Like there's, they're trying to get her, but she's deceiving them through this endless weave, of a shroud for, Odysseus. His father, who hasn't died yet. But she's preparing the shroud. I mean, I couldn't imagine, like, one person preparing a shroud for me, and I'm not dead yet, and so I.

00:54:49:21 - 00:55:09:17
Unknown
Hold on, lady, I thought that. Yeah, but she, But anyway. So, Odysseus comes home, he's disguised as a beggar, and there's a dog that's been there for 20 years, and the dog recognizes him and dies. And every time I go through this book where I teach it, well, they, like, will say that they are so sad.

00:55:09:17 - 00:55:27:06
Unknown
They'll cry sometime like, oh, it's very, you know, poignant, right? Gotta love dogs. Yes. I mean, ya gotta love dogs. And actually it's in the book as well. I mean, it's in the epic as well where, you know, the man's like, hey, I'm not going to go into heaven till my dog comes with me. And so I think, I think that was the you would be a lot better if you had your dog.

00:55:27:10 - 00:55:49:21
Unknown
Absolutely. I it shows without a dog that would, I would, I would, I would cats everywhere. Just cats or cats are fine, I like cats. I had a cat when I was a kid. Cats are good as well. So, but, I mean, I, I find that part of the story, it's, like, really very touching. Like, very touching to me, at least as far as the relationship between, a dog that you find while you're walking to heaven.

00:55:49:21 - 00:56:11:16
Unknown
And essentially, that's what it is, right? Everyone, all his, all his, you know, drop the beam. Arjuna, they all perish on the way because they've all had had sins. So they're not allowed to go with their with the human form into heaven, except for. I have a question. And then I do want to talk about our show why people should see it.

00:56:11:16 - 00:56:32:10
Unknown
Because you should learn about the Mahabharat tales. But like all the tales. And it's an interesting, engaging story. But there's some specific reasons, I think, to also engage with our production of it. But I have a question about the story that I was listening to this podcast series that I shared in our WhatsApp group. I can't hear the guy's names.

00:56:32:10 - 00:57:07:01
Unknown
Gupta so, I haven't I haven't heard, but I'm going to cancel. So he's talking about this reincarnation issue with, I think, Arjun. Arjuna. Right. I think I and I may be misremembering this, but it's something along, you know, like because there's, you know, obviously in the mythology, this reincarnation is a big part of it. Right. And so there's but the whole point of the reincarnation philosophy and theology is that you get to a point where you get to this third level.

00:57:07:01 - 00:57:28:07
Unknown
Right? Eventually. Is that correct? And then the I myself, I'm not familiar with that. So not never mind. I don't know if there's nothing about karma like there's, that's not part of the theology of now. I mean reincarnation is I guess part of the but what's is there not an end goal of coming back over and over again?

00:57:28:09 - 00:57:45:14
Unknown
No. The end goal is to break away from the cycle of rebirth. Yeah. So isn't there something again? I'm very ignorant about this. I know very well it might be that you get to the level of your this so that you can then go to the go to the next level, go to the human body. Yeah. That's what I'm saying.

00:57:45:14 - 00:58:12:13
Unknown
Because like, isn't karma the whole idea of like what you do will affect the afterlife. And that's what that that's so there's something he's he was taught in this, this podcast and other places I've been reading was talking about like that's part of like the like Arjuna and the five part of our brothers are reincarnations of like some demigod or something like that, some other characters and that come back every several generations.

00:58:12:15 - 00:58:37:21
Unknown
And that's like, that's part of the Mahabharata. All right. I, it's a my, my I guess my understanding of the epic is just within that aspect of the story. That is, as I mentioned earlier, right? Or the story has evolved over a period of generations right here. Right. All mythology, like all mythology, always. So. So I'm sure there is some aspect of it which is has connected.

00:58:37:22 - 00:58:53:09
Unknown
Okay. So you don't know about like because again, I'm just hearing this a little bit recently right. As I'm learning. So I'm trying to figure out what's going on. So so that's you're saying from a you know that's not yeah I yeah. So I would not be able to comment on fair enough. But there is one thing that I do want to bring about your character.

00:58:53:09 - 00:59:13:03
Unknown
And this is again we're not covering this is side side. Side note, you know, just like in Marvel Universe and DC universe is like cross-pollination or like you would say, oh, this is, one of the episodes where, yeah, two characters meet, like, you know, Wolverine meets Deadpool, right? Like two characters meeting from two different storylines.

00:59:13:05 - 00:59:34:10
Unknown
So there is obviously there is, another epic and in and in the, in India, the the Ramayana. Right. Ramayana is a story about God as well. And one of the the gods in there is Hanuman. He's supposedly Hanuman, Lord Hanuman, he's strong character. He's, you know, read of the way he's depicted is through a monkey farm, right?

00:59:34:10 - 00:59:54:11
Unknown
He it has a monkey face. Kind of just like Ganesh has an elephant face. Yeah, but it's really, really strong, character or really, really strong character in there. Can move mountains on his shoulder. Right? So literally, he does that for him, for Lord Ram. He moves a mountain over from Himalaya to Sri Lanka. But again, that's just part of mythology.

00:59:54:13 - 01:00:17:03
Unknown
Hercules did that. Yeah, yeah, it's kind of like that. Right? So in Mahabharata, your character Bheem actually runs into Hanuman. But it's not in Mahabharata, it's suppose is after. I mean, if you look at the timeline, Ramayana has already happened. A few thousand years have passed and that's when Mahabharat took place, right? So it's not so they are not in.

01:00:17:03 - 01:00:36:13
Unknown
They're not together. They're not together in the chronology of timeline, they're far apart. But, Hanuman, since he's a guard, he's been given the, the, the role of, for protecting a planet Earth. So he never leaves planet Earth. So he's supposedly living here, and your character runs into an old monkey like, situation, I think.

01:00:36:16 - 01:00:54:00
Unknown
And I don't remember this because I saw this when I was watching those 93 episodes, and it was one of the famous ones. And Hanuman has a huge deal. And you come in and you're kind of like, move, move out of my way. And, this all on one character, you know, the monkeys says, just move, move this.

01:00:54:00 - 01:01:11:16
Unknown
And yeah, you can jump over it or move it. Move the yeah, move the tail. And you're like, oh man, I can lift 1,000 pounds, no problem. Right. Whatever it is. So you try and move his still and you just can't because he's, he's, guard. So I think yeah, yeah, he Thor's hammer. Nobody can pick pickups. Exactly.

01:01:11:16 - 01:01:30:10
Unknown
So you can move a steal. And then finally you have your humbling saying, okay, who are you, boss? And tell me and that's when Hanuman reveals himself and says, you know, I'm Lord Hanuman. So that's a way of, Again, your strength cannot take care of everything in the world, right? There is always a bigger fish.

01:01:30:14 - 01:01:55:23
Unknown
There's always a big. It's a great. So that's once again, no, no, no ark that happened. That's why, you know, it's interesting because I can marvel the two. I think most popular characters are Iron Man, who's human, but he has this outward strength. And Captain America, probably. Right. Who's my favorite? Yeah, but that's that's, So they're very strong, but they're not necessarily the strongest.

01:01:56:01 - 01:02:18:12
Unknown
And that's not the the main feat, if you want the strongest, is not always the most popular. Although in Greek mythology, I think Hercules is known as the, the pan Hellenic hero. So is the hero that all the Greek tribes around the Mediterranean admired and called their own in a sense, versus like other ones, it's like, oh, that's from Mycenae.

01:02:18:17 - 01:02:36:19
Unknown
That's from Crete in our state. Anyway. Go ahead. So, I was going to say that, Captain America, you know, he's supposedly, a very principled man. Yeah. That's why it's great. Right? And you you. This would be kind of like that if you think about it. Okay? He's he's he's very principled. Does not tell a lie.

01:02:36:22 - 01:02:56:10
Unknown
He won't swear. Won't swear. Yeah. He does. It's like the next name in vain. Except it's old school. Kind of. Exactly. Yeah. I mean, kind of like that. You you could make a charming and you could draw a parallel there. Yeah. There's like very principle two principle, but then like almost a different time and they're forced into these situations where they have to make more modern decisions.

01:02:56:10 - 01:03:21:00
Unknown
Right, right. Obviously you district or has has a character flaw that he loves game. I mean, what happens with all mythology is they're going to be used by the current regimes to, for whatever purpose they want, right? So, you know, when, you have the Roman Empire, you have a new Caesar and a new empire, they enact a whole new set of stories based on the Greek.

01:03:21:02 - 01:03:43:23
Unknown
It's Virgil's Aeneid, and there's all different, like the gods are a little bit different. There's a lot of different, you know, the whole structure of it is going to is changes quite a bit and it's, it's a little bit, you know, and I assume that's going to happen in every mythology. Yeah. Indian and you know, so you this term might be different like Captain America now is definitely different than he was in 1950.

01:03:44:00 - 01:03:53:16
Unknown
Correct. Like the 1960s versions. And in 2050, Captain America might be some Gothic girl or.

01:03:53:18 - 01:04:16:17
Unknown
One. Yeah. Hey, I mean, I think it's it's definitely a retelling of the story and the retelling of the story gets a little bit of the current, environment, if you will. Yeah. You know, parts of that or whatever, whatever era that you're in, it's going to insist that, yeah, your version is like that. You were raised in the 90s, right?

01:04:16:23 - 01:04:37:14
Unknown
That is a particular like the he's the writer and creators of that are in the Indian culture at that time. Right, right, right. I'm sure there's a newer one there. So yeah, talking about it's like after this economic revolution. Right. And now that's going to have a different connotation and different vibes. And it's going to emphasize, you know, don't be too greedy.

01:04:37:14 - 01:04:58:19
Unknown
You know, we're getting wealthier. But I don't like I don't know if that's the case. I'm just saying like you might want to emphasize different values in this new society. Right? I mean, I think the values probably would be the same, but the telling and the stylized of the stylizing of the story is different because the, you know, for example, your character in my time wasn't just a huge guy, right?

01:04:58:19 - 01:05:22:12
Unknown
The the actor who played, he was actually a wrestler, right? He was a, you know, kind of like old school wrestler, kind of a guy, and like, can have a leotard. Yeah. But now, now in today's, day and age, it would be a huge guy who's also very cut. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. No, I mean, so that would be word in Hollywood, Bollywood, Hollywood of because that's all that it's the special effects would be a lot different.

01:05:22:12 - 01:05:43:20
Unknown
Right. Special effects would be a lot different. And then there are certain certain aspects of the character that you said there would be change to highlight. Maybe Karna, for example. He's a great character. He's he knowingly gives his shield away because he says, okay, mom, you're asking me for my shield. You're asking me for, my, my, I guess my earring.

01:05:43:22 - 01:05:59:19
Unknown
And then he promises his mother that after this is done, you will have the same number of sons that either me or Arjun are going to live because he hates Arjun, right? Arjun and him are kind of like sworn enemies because they all want to want to do better than each other. Yeah, as they had a childhood rivalry on how to.

01:05:59:21 - 01:06:21:23
Unknown
Who's a better archer? Yeah. Isn't it something about drone on whose drone is best student. Right. So yeah, because he's going to go to teach Karna, but he's forbidden because he was. There's a full, prophecy that he has to teach Arjuna who's the greatest warrior. And so if he takes Karna on as the greatest warrior, then it's a contradiction.

01:06:21:23 - 01:06:45:12
Unknown
And so he decided, right? And also Karna was not supposedly of royal birth, right? So exactly as listen to some podcast. Yeah. That that is, that is knowledge. More knowledge than I have. But from what I know of. Hey. Hey, man, you know I'm not. That's also podcasting. You are. You are more, on on topic, or current with the, the the retelling of the story than I am because I'm, I'm remembering from the my childhood.

01:06:45:13 - 01:07:04:18
Unknown
My childhood. Well, let's let's talk about real quick the show itself that we're doing. Yes. So we've already talked about like it's truncated. It's just two hours but one. So one reason I think everyone should know a little bit about this backstory or it helps. I don't think you need to know it, but I think it helps.

01:07:04:19 - 01:07:30:13
Unknown
But, you know, that'll help you experience, have an experience because there's going to be Indian. There's like a traditional Indian, dancer. Right. What's the answer? Yeah. So cut that. Right. So, so we're going to have so the show that we're in is going to, feature a Kathak dancer. What is that? I think so we talked about this when, I'm sorry when we, when we talked about the danced form.

01:07:30:15 - 01:07:55:17
Unknown
So Kathak, as a dance form is retelling of stories through dance, right? Yeah. And the majority of those stories that are told are from the Mahabharat. And it is through the expression and and action, of, of the dancer, where the dancer will portray different characters from the looks really cool and, and a little bit amazingly at once you see it like this at one point, exactly like, oh, I know that.

01:07:55:22 - 01:08:14:16
Unknown
Exactly. So she has like this whole movement. She has like a Bhima movement. I think it's like, oh, that's beam of like that might be the fight between Bhima. So she's like, representing all the story in a dance. Not all the story parts. Yeah, because it's a huge epic. But. But I'm saying, like that dance form. But she does this and a Bhima thing.

01:08:14:16 - 01:08:31:22
Unknown
That might be the fight between Duryodhan. Exactly. Yeah. So she's kind of like. So she might represent that, you know, so it's actually it's part of the show. So definitely I would say come and watch that. And we also have a live tabla player, and I tabla player. This kind of like drums, right. With his fingers. Yeah.

01:08:31:22 - 01:08:50:02
Unknown
So a double player, we have a double player giving what's background music and that's a sitar. Sitar. Yeah right. The string instrument. So we do have a handy plays. Not in the office. And, and and do you know The Office, the TV show. Oh, yeah. I'm I'm a I'm obsessed. I'm, I'm not super. I'm not superstitious.

01:08:50:02 - 01:09:12:22
Unknown
I'm just a little superstitious. So I think I won one of the Christmases Andy plays. Yes, yes, yes. And, I remember that. Right. So, Christmas miracle. Yeah. That's that. I know too much about that. Yeah, even I know too. I've seen it 20 times. Hopefully people come and see our show. Yeah, I think our show has a lot of fun because again, and if you know a little bit of the backstory, you know, like, why we hate each other, right?

01:09:13:00 - 01:09:28:18
Unknown
Because we we put that all in the story and, and is working with all of us to make sure that it's all very clearly conveyed to somebody who does not know the story. That's the goal is that someone who's never heard of this story can walk up and get a sense of the tale and hopefully want to learn more.

01:09:28:23 - 01:09:48:02
Unknown
But I think if you know more, it'll be even better because you can, you know, have an understanding of Bhima hatred that, you know, it's clear what's going on. But there's like, even more backstory, the thigh thing, like all that stuff, you know, will be will pop more. Yeah. If, you know, a little bit more.

01:09:48:04 - 01:10:08:00
Unknown
Yeah. And I think, I think that, in the story, you see those characters interact with each other, right? But it's an ensemble of course. But why is this one character talking to the other one? Right. For example, you talking to the Shah, and are you, in the end, Bhima fighting with Duryodhan? I mean, there's that rivalry of big, huge guys fighting with each other, right?

01:10:08:02 - 01:10:25:22
Unknown
Ghana, Arjun, Ghana and Arjun having that rivalry. Yeah. When we see that, where did it go? But what does it come from exactly. Yeah. So the as child children they wanted to be the better Archer. Who's the better Archer I want I'm the better Archer. And I will tell in in a scene to Khan. Your will be smart.

01:10:25:23 - 01:10:45:15
Unknown
Yeah I will Bhishma will say to token you are as good as Arjuna because Arjuna is the supreme archer. Right? So during the war. During the war, the last scene of last few dialogs as I'm passing away, I knows it's a spoiler, that I will tell him to. Hey, you are as good as Arjuna.

01:10:45:17 - 01:11:04:08
Unknown
I can say something about your your the series you watched as a kid, right? So did. Did you know the story? No. So that's how I was too young. I was too young to know the story. I knew, I mean, I was eight years old at that time. Okay, so that was your introduction. So that's this. That was my introduction and I got hooked on to it.

01:11:04:10 - 01:11:21:20
Unknown
Yeah. And I've, I've, you know, and then I've read, like, comic books. Bhima has a lot of stories as well as the childhood. I mean, obviously they're offshoots of it, right. Like, childhood. Be more like they call it Bartleby, behemoth or something like that. Right? What do they call it? Bartleby means children, child beam. Right. So they have bio Bheem.

01:11:21:20 - 01:11:40:12
Unknown
Yeah. It's like the adventures of Bhima adventures. Bhima as a kid. Adventures of Bhima as a kid. Adventure for kids. Right. So what you say, Portia? For for for can't for kids, right? So there are there are books written on this. There are lots of books written on the cartoon. It's actually a cartoon adventure of, adventure of, childhood or be my childhood.

01:11:40:14 - 01:12:05:23
Unknown
Yeah. That's always interesting. And one thing, by the way, about your character, which you portray really well, he is quick to anger. Well, he was quick to anger. You're like, man, yeah, don't mess with me. Yeah, because, you know, you're strong. Yeah. Right. And that will that comes across. I just channel all the Jim Burrows I've ever seen, like, thinking like a big chill.

01:12:06:01 - 01:12:20:21
Unknown
But that's, that's how I just channel that. Yeah. You do a pretty good job of that. So, I mean, I think that's something that people should come and check out as well. Yeah. The character was quick to anger. And you, one. Okay, one. The pan of our brothers take off all their clothes, apparently, which is okay.

01:12:20:21 - 01:12:37:12
Unknown
That's the other part of it that people should come and watch. Hey. Yeah, it's, I don't know how much we have. Not. No one has told us how much clothing we're actually taking off for during the, during the the the the bedding scene. Yeah. You lose everything. Everything. So it's like. And it says, take your clothes. Like how much clothes?

01:12:37:12 - 01:12:57:15
Unknown
And we take it off just like, oh, we'll figure it out. Like we'll figure it out. I want to know, like, do I need to start myself for the next two weeks? Thankfully, I'm 200 years old and I don't have to take off anymore, so I'm going to be in charge. Yeah, yeah yeah, yeah. I mean, and so the my death, the gory details of my death, which everyone knows, by the way, that the beach, beach, dies on the boat if you're.

01:12:57:17 - 01:13:16:08
Unknown
Yeah. You know, on a bit of arrows. There is a significance behind that as well. Which is. Right. Okay. That is in the story. Once I fall in the battlefield, I don't really die because I don't want to die. Right? I have that. I have the I'm going to choose my time of death. So I want to see it through and,

01:13:16:10 - 01:13:36:15
Unknown
But. Imagine lying on a bed of arrows, essentially with arrows going through your body, and you fall over. And that's what the bed of arrows represents. Oh, basically skewered with how I'm skewered with arrows and I fall over. And the real story of fall over and and and then I'm just lying on the bed of arrows. And those arrows are Arjuna.

01:13:36:17 - 01:13:57:14
Unknown
Yeah. You're just saying, hey, I'm in pain for 51 days or something because you can feel pain. Yes. I cannot, so that there is some significance behind that as well as why did Bhishma suffer so much? Yeah. And it's the, you know, the I guess his story is that he chose in the end he chose wrong. He chose Kala side because he chose the wrong side.

01:13:57:14 - 01:14:13:18
Unknown
He chose the wrong side. That's. Yeah. He he knew I mean, I know that what carvers are doing are wrong. Like, hey, you need to give him their kingdom back. What you did to rob, they are. Dushane. And those who drop these wrong. I should not be doing that. Yeah, so. But I still chose. You took the wrong.

01:14:13:21 - 01:14:30:17
Unknown
I chose the wrong side. So I'm punished for my bad karma. In the sense, even though I lived a righteous life most of my life, I had the beaten path again, which is a beach mobile, which is, by the way, it's actually a pretty significant war now, even now, you can use it in cultural form in India where like, oh, I'm taking the beach.

01:14:30:17 - 01:14:49:03
Unknown
Mobile means it's an unbreakable wall. Yeah, I'm going to I'm going to go to the gym every day. Yeah. I'm not doing that for. No, no, because I'm going to break it in one day. So yeah I'm, I'm always curious about this. So like you, you had heard about but when you were before you watched that series when you were seven, eight years old, right?

01:14:49:03 - 01:15:06:06
Unknown
Yeah. Right. Right. You had heard about Mahabharat, though, right? Yeah. Yes. And some of the like with some of the words. Because you keep talking about like the beast, a vow. Right. So it's made it into the language. So there are certain things that you had probably, you probably don't remember this year too young, but there's certain things aren't so culturally enmeshed.

01:15:06:06 - 01:15:25:08
Unknown
Yes, that they were part of who like seeing them. You had heard of Bhima, right? Right, right, right. There's no like you probably seen images of Bhima before you saw the series, right? Right. Standing with Beastman all day. Right? It's like they're probably everywhere, right? And I always try to convey this to people about these cultural epics and mythology.

01:15:25:10 - 01:15:48:11
Unknown
It's like the people that are experiencing them. And like Homer and Virgil, the, the audience is, is really familiar, even if it's the story itself is a little newer. And really, the story's probably not that new. It's just kind of some manipulation of common stories. But there really like the, the culture that it's coming out of is really enmeshed in these stories.

01:15:48:11 - 01:16:12:17
Unknown
And so your culture would have been like you would have heard about, oh, he's as strong as Bhima, right. And like and he's strong as be. Yeah. If when you're six years old, you might have heard your brother called that. Yes. Yeah, absolutely. You're going to be a big Bhima or something like that. So it's so when you see it, even though that was the first time you really heard the actual stories in detail, it was all part of what you grew up with that.

01:16:12:21 - 01:16:29:21
Unknown
That is correct. And I think and that's why I think it's important, like, you know, for people and I know a lot of my friends who are coming to the show are bringing their kids along because they have seen they have read this book. So it's just a it's a telling for them to see. And then now they get to see experience it on stage.

01:16:29:23 - 01:16:47:03
Unknown
Yeah. And generation after generation gets to do the same thing. It's the same story that is told again and again. As I said, I my mind was I guess the Maya generation was the first one to actually see it on television. And after that, the 90s had has its own version. The this is doesn't have its own version.

01:16:47:03 - 01:17:14:04
Unknown
What's that you saw in the 80s? I saw it in like 88, 89, 88. So I kept saying, yeah, so yeah, I'm giving my age away. But I mean, I'm 256 years old, so now I so, so every generation gets to it's a retelling of the same story over and over again. And I was just as you were talking about it, I really thought about it, like in this, in today's day and age, in the modern times, what would be a story that people want to show it's Star Wars, right?

01:17:14:04 - 01:17:34:04
Unknown
Or Marvel, right? Yeah, yeah. If I if you want to talk about it in the 1990s, kid. Yeah. It would be I would say this is just mind 95 Jurassic Park that the first time you see, you know, a dinosaur come alive on screen. And that's why these franchises have, have, have kept going because, yeah, they get cheaper.

01:17:34:04 - 01:17:49:00
Unknown
People have seen them and now they want their kids to see them. So but they instead of telling the same story, they make this to make the changes all over, all over again. I bet you Harry Potter is going to be remade in a in maybe another decade or so. It's being remade right now. Oh, there you go.

01:17:49:00 - 01:18:06:03
Unknown
Yeah. And a TV series. I if it's coming out like in a year or two. Yeah. And it is part of that whole cultural thing that you're talking about here. The, the artistic license doesn't exist because people are so aware of the story that you can't go and be like, we're going to make Bheem, an archer and Arjuna the big, big guy.

01:18:06:03 - 01:18:20:16
Unknown
We're not. You can't really make that kind of change because people are so familiar with it. So you see the same story all over again, but with other of these, you know, they don't have, you know, I guess so much of a cultural significance that you can change it. But with Harry Potter, I don't think they're going to change the main story.

01:18:20:16 - 01:18:46:16
Unknown
I mean, it's been set in stone kind of deal. Well, that. Yeah, I mean, I wouldn't say that, but J.K. Rowling could do that. So yeah, if she wants she does that. She copyright. Now that's the story. So I mean that's one of the interesting things. There's definitely differences because I mean so I to me it's more like the Marvel DC characters just because you because like I think that would significant about these kind of mythologies is how ubiquitous in the culture they are.

01:18:46:20 - 01:19:11:16
Unknown
We're like you're saying you talk about a Bhishma in or a mahabharat that they're having within the family. You're right where they're fighting use of the word. Yeah. Let's use as a verb two factions in a family or fight. But I'm just saying, like, what I'm saying is like, that happens in the culture because it's such a powerful, like a long standing story that's that's told over and over again for thousands of years.

01:19:11:18 - 01:19:30:22
Unknown
And the closest we have today is either, I think, Christian mythology in America or, and or Marvel. Right. That's that's ubiquitous. What's like you would have grown up before you knew how to read. Yeah. You would have heard about Jesus. Even if you're not in a Christian household, that's really me or Santa Claus, right? Right, right, right, right.

01:19:31:00 - 01:19:49:00
Unknown
You know, so. And you'd have some kind of idea about even if you're not, it's it's very parallel to that. It's very, very parallel to that, you know, where you have, these, these, these stories that your parents are very familiar with. And even before, as you said, you are you can read all of those stories, right?

01:19:49:00 - 01:20:07:10
Unknown
Like, or you told parts of that story that, oh, you should be as strong as Hercules or, you know, or should be. You should be or you should be like Captain America, even though you don't, you know, get a Captain America shield first and then you see where Bhima. Me? I'm breaking word. I'm like I want to break wood like Captain America does in that one.

01:20:07:10 - 01:20:24:21
Unknown
I remember which one it was, you know, talking about where he's like. They're like, they've. The Avengers have, like, gone off. Oh, the one the fight off, I guess is that is, I don't remember which one it was. Maybe the one with the robot voice or whatever, but but anyway, so they're out there and they're pissed at each other and Tony Stark and.

01:20:24:23 - 01:20:41:01
Unknown
Oh, and captain and then Captain America is like chopping wood. Yeah. And then like, he like, rips one open. Yeah. I was like, yes, I want to do that. Yeah. You do. Yeah. Right. Oh yeah. Totally. Would me. Yeah. That's like come on. And let's, let's get some wood for me. That's true. That that is true. Show your real strength.

01:20:41:01 - 01:21:02:08
Unknown
That's that's like a real strength. Yeah. So it's going to be a fun show I think. Yeah. It's a lot of fun. I'm having a great time. Okay. So let's get our last thoughts about the show or anything like you wanted to say about growing up with this, what it means to you, anything like that? Well, I mean, for me, being part of the show has been great.

01:21:02:09 - 01:21:25:10
Unknown
Bringing Bhishma, to to on screen has been great because, I mean, growing up, I have an image of how Bhishma was obviously I'm not inspired by. I mean, I'm inspired by that. But that's my own version of Bhishma that I'm bringing up on stage. The cost that we have for the show is just fantastic. I mean, there's all really good, great actors.

01:21:25:10 - 01:21:44:17
Unknown
Not good. And I'm very excited to work with Anne as well for the first time. So this is my debut with, with Austin Shakespeare. So I'm excited about that. And, I would like people to come and watch us perform on stage. I mean, this is going to be a, great, great show. And I'm, I can't wait till, our first, for show on the 14th.

01:21:44:19 - 01:22:05:15
Unknown
Then we went 14. Yeah. Yep. Yeah. So I don't have anything else to add. I think that was fun. I'll see about, you know, the for me, what's been really interesting is I've been studying mythology for a long time, and I've. I read the Iliad on my own. Like it wasn't part of culture. I just obsessed with the Iliad at, like, ten years old.

01:22:05:17 - 01:22:35:22
Unknown
And, you know, learning about a new mythology and how it enters into a culture is really enlightening and very interesting. And I really want to study a little bit more the inter interplay, the historical interplays between the West and India, because I am very the more I learn about it and there's parallels like interesting about like the drought but the thing like the like I and I'd like to know the original texts and you know that original text.

01:22:35:22 - 01:23:03:05
Unknown
This is not a I don't know if there's an original like, is there a Homer in Mahabharata tales? I mean, because the Homer, you know, the Homer character person is the one who, like it was an oratory, tradition for hundreds of years before Homer. Homer takes those stories and cross them into the Iliad, puts it down on paper where it's like, that's kind of the official of that story a little bit, or that, you know, section of Vyasa would be that person, right?

01:23:03:05 - 01:23:22:09
Unknown
Like he's writing that story. I mean, he's a storyteller, a historical figure. No. Okay. So Homer is like he's he could be a Vyasa type character, but he is presumed to be a real writer, like a human person who, like this, is the author of this tale, is the author of the Mahabharata? Yes, yes. Right. So. But but he's a god.

01:23:22:14 - 01:23:42:17
Unknown
No. Vyas is not a god. He's a sage. He's a sage. So it has more parallel with the Christian Bible and I would say so. I mean, I would say so you could definitely write because there is, you know, a Christian Bible as the Lord Jesus there. Right? So in this case, it's Lord Krishna. Is there and it but there are other characters around it, you know, so yeah.

01:23:42:18 - 01:23:59:22
Unknown
Yeah. I mean, it's you go down that rabbit hole, I'm pretty sure it's going to be a deep dive for you, too. Oh, sure. Yeah. But I'm just curious, like the interplay, because like I said, I, you know, I know that Alexander the Great went into India. I don't know how far he made it. So he made it.

01:23:59:23 - 01:24:20:06
Unknown
He was obsessed with Achilles and Iliad like he slept with it by his side. And I'm I'm convinced that there must have been some interplay between the stories and maybe back and forth, I don't know, because, again, I'm just there's so many there are similarities between them, even the Karna thing where the thigh like, no, there's no science.

01:24:20:09 - 01:24:42:03
Unknown
I, I think yeah, there are the thigh and being invincible everywhere. I mean that's a later version of Achilles. So that's not in the Iliad. His Achilles heel. Oh, it's not in the Iliad. Oh, it's not in the original. That's not in the Iliad. Everybody thinks that it is. But it's a later telling, and you know, so but there's something similar where his mother held him by the heel or.

01:24:42:04 - 01:25:05:23
Unknown
Yeah, I think it's his mother and dips him in this liquid that makes him invincible. Similarly, his heel is not. And it's the same kind of thing. And so there's so many similarities. These cultures have to be, you know, spreading and talking to each other. And like, you know, there's this like, as a storyteller who's heard something from that maybe originated from Indian and a Greek storyteller saying something, or an Indian storyteller saying something.

01:25:05:23 - 01:25:22:13
Unknown
That's, I think that's a very interesting and interesting thought. I'm sure there is some cross-pollination that has occurred between the storytellers or between people who've crossed over. Yeah. And how much of that has impacted, you know, you never know what. Probably a good research topic or someone who wants to do is I'm sure it's been done.

01:25:22:13 - 01:25:47:15
Unknown
I mean, that's the, hero with the Thousand Faces guy can't remember his name right now, but, yeah, that's definitely been done. Yeah. But I'm just curious about it personally. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, I think that's a really, really good I see I'm not that familiar with Greek mythology or the Greek. But, you know, I, I can draw parallels to the Mahabharata and the, existing, existing, Marvel characters, for example.

01:25:47:15 - 01:26:12:09
Unknown
I'm familiar with those, or Marvel, Captain America or Captain America, right. Yeah. You go so well. All right. Well, Kumar, I, I thank you for coming. And you're welcome back anytime to chat more about Mahabharata and anything else. Thank you for having me. This is, awesome time. I enjoyed, enjoy talking about Mahabharata, and I hope, I hope, folks are going to come and watch.

01:26:12:09 - 01:26:13:16
Unknown
Yes, yes, yes.