One major theme in the epic of Mahabharat is sacrifice. It impacted a lot of events that occurred. There are different types of sacrifice. It could be giving something up, or something that is offered to another. In the end it can benefit you, or someone else. But the overall idea is that you are losing something to gain something else that is of greater importance. A sacrifice does not have to be letting go of something big that will change your life, or somebody else’s life. It can be simple decisions that are made in your everyday life. Like choosing to go to a soccer game instead of a birthday party, or an apple over potato chips. However there are larger sacrifices, like a person in the army putting their life on the line to protect others. Sometimes people renounce something in the name of sacrifice. However, if what you are giving up is not something that is meaningful to you, then it is not a true sacrifice. In Mahabharat, the sacrifices that were made were life changing. One huge sacrifice that was made in the Mahabharata was by Bheeshma. His father was King Shantanu and he wanted to marry Satyavati. The condition Satyavati told Shantanu was that her sons would become the next kings after Shantanu, instead of Bheeshma, who was called Devarat at the time. Although the throne was rightfully his, Devarat sacrificed that right for his father’s happiness and took an oath that he would not become the king of Hastinapur. He also promised that he would never get married, so his sons could never become king either. This act of sacrifice and loyalty earned him the name, Bheeshma. Similarly, when Gandhari married Dhritarashtra, she found out that he was blind. She did not want to be any better than her husband, so she tied a blindfold around her eyes, sacrificing her sense of vision. So, sacrifice has been a common theme in the past, and still is today. |
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