Lessons from the Kurukshetra Battle
Introduction
The Mahabharata, a revered Indian epic, unfolds the saga of the Kurukshetra Battle, a monumental conflict that resonates across centuries. Within its epic narrative, lies a profound exploration of human psychology, the consequences of our actions, and the eternal struggle for peace. Drawing parallels with World War II, we embark on a journey to dissect the foibles of human nature.
Rules of Engagement
In the initial days of the Kurukshetra Battle, the warriors from both the Pandavas and Kauravas sides adhered to a set of rules that can be likened to the Geneva Conventions of their time. Many warriors sacrificed their lives to uphold rules aimed to mitigate the brutality of war and keep humanity and civilization alive.
World War II also witnessed efforts to establish rules of engagement. The Hague Conventions and the Geneva Conventions sought to protect civilians and prisoners of war. These conventions demonstrated a collective desire to limit the devastation of war.
Arjuna’s Unconventional Move
However, the Kurukshetra Battle took a dark turn when the great warrior Arjuna, employed a controversial tactic. He used Shikhandi, a woman warrior, as a shield to fatally wound General Bhishma. This act, though strategically brilliant, breached the established norms of warfare.
This cunning maneuver led to outrage among the Kauravas, igniting a chain of events that would spiral into greater violence.
Escalation of Evil
The killing of Abhimanyu, the young son of Arjuna, marked a turning point. The Kauravas, in their thirst for revenge, violated the principle of single combat, ganged up together to brutally murdered the young man. Thus, the Kauravas abandoned the principles of honorable battle and evil grew.
As a response, the Pandavas, consumed by their own outrage, killed the Kaurava Generals Drona and Karna in ways that transgressed the rules of war. Duryodhana, the chief antagonist, met his end in a final confrontation with Bhima, who struck him below the waist in a duel that, again, violated the rules of war.
Ashwatthama’s Revenge
Amid the chaos and moral decay, Ashwatthama, a wise and learned warrior, one who understood the Vedas (the Indian scriptures), one who had conquered his senses, could no longer bear witness to the injustices perpetrated by the Pandavas. In a fit of rage and anguish, he vowed to seek vengeance and destroy the Pandava race. And, thus evil grew further.
In the dead of night, Ashwatthama and the remaining Kauravas, driven by righteous anger, committed the most heinous crime by slaughtering the Pandava generals and soldiers in their sleep, and then set the Pandava army camp on fire, killing thousands of sleeping soldiers. Ashwatthama’s heinous actions akin to modern terrorism, despite his wisdom, exemplify how emotions can cloud judgment and lead to unfathomable atrocities.
Foibles of the Human Psyche
The Kurukshetra Battle reveals a fundamental flaw of the human mind: the selfish ability to rationalize one’s actions while demonizing the enemy. When adversaries break established conventions, they are immediately branded as evil. The warriors, when transgressing the same rules, often justify their actions as necessary, smart, or not a true breach of conventions, showcasing the power of self-deception for self-defense.
This tendency to apply different moral standards to our own actions versus those of others is a cornerstone of human psychology, one that is needed to shield ourselves and survive, but also one that can quickly descend humanity into collective evil.
World War II provides a modern parallel. The Allies fought a just war against the genocidal Hitler, upholding principles on the Western Front while sacrificing moral ground on the Eastern Front. In the West, we showed character, upholding the Geneva Conventions. In the East, we carpet bombed and dropped atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which killed civilians — women, children, babies and pregnant women alike, indiscriminately, violating the Geneva conventions. Had we behaved the same way on the Western Front, the world would be a much darker place today.
The Cost of Justice: Lessons from History
The Kurukshetra Battle, World War II, and countless conflicts throughout history remind us that wars are unpredictable. Pursuing justice can lead to unintended consequences that plunge us into a world far worse than our darkest nightmares.
Towards the end of the Kurukshetra battle, both sides lost most of their warriors. Women and children wailed in the battlefield for their loved ones, a haunting reminder of the devastating toll of war. Pursuing justice, even in a just cause, can lead to unintended consequences, leaving societies shattered and scarred.
These lessons are not confined to ancient epics or distant history. They find resonance in modern narratives like William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies,” where the fragility of civilization is starkly exposed when children are marooned on a deserted island, and George Orwell’s “Animal Farm,” a chilling allegory that illustrates how power can corrupt even the noblest of intentions.
These stories, whether set on a mythical battlefield or in a real battlefield, all echo the same fundamental truth: the human mind is capable of both great heroism and disturbing darkness. To truly understand the failures of our own minds, we must first acknowledge these limitations. Only then, can we grapple with the complexities of our psychology, recognizing that the pursuit of our “perception” of justice, while noble, is not objective, and will likely unleash forces beyond our control.
In the end, it is our collective responsibility to learn from the past, to heed the warnings of literature and history, and to strive for a world where the pursuit of justice is tempered with wisdom, compassion, and an unwavering commitment to the preservation of our shared humanity.
