Mahabharat Ep.62 : The Battlefield Code : Ethics and Warfare in Kurukshetra

Narrated by Kumar Varun.

The battle of Kurukshetra was about to begin, and both sides, the Pandavas and Kauravas, gathered and pledged to follow the traditional rules of war. These included not attacking retreating or unarmed warriors and ensuring that only equals fought each other. Bhishma inspired the Kauravas with a rousing speech about warrior duty, while Yudhishthira ordered Arjuna to arrange their forces in a needle formation. However, seeing the impending destruction, Arjuna was filled with doubt, which led Krishna to deliver the Bhagavad Gita—a profound teaching about duty and life. The Gita will not be covered in this series, as its greatness is beyond simplification, and everyone is encouraged to read it. Sources,Bibliography and Suggested further reading : Vyasa, Maharishi. Mahabharata. Translated by C. Rajagopalachari, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, 1951. Vyasa, Maharishi. The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa. Translated by Kisari Mohan Ganguli, 1883–1896. Available in public domain. Narayan, R.K. The Mahabharata: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic. University of Chicago Press, 1978. Pattanaik, Devdutt. Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata. Penguin India, 2010. Menon, Ramesh. The Mahabharata: A Modern Rendering. Rupa Publications, 2004. Easwaran, Eknath. The Bhagavad Gita: A New Translation. Nilgiri Press, 1985.