Mahabharata

Analyze the Mahabharata’s narrative frame structure as adapted by Slavitt, focusing on the epic’s use of multiple narrators and embedded stories. How do these layers impact the text’s historical, cultural, and moral implications? In what ways does this complex structure challenge or enhance the perception of truth and myth within the epic?

Discuss the theme of dharma (duty/righteousness) in the context of familial and societal obligations. How do characters like Bhishma and Yudhishthira grapple with their conflicting duties, and how do these struggles question the boundaries of moral duty?

Examine divine interventions in the Mahabharata and their implications for human action and moral accountability. How does the portrayal of gods influencing human affairs, particularly Krishna’s guidance of Arjuna, shape the narrative’s exploration of justice, fate, and moral responsibility? Discuss how Slavitt’s adaptation might affect Western readers’ interpretations of divine interference and its effects on individual agency.