The tree of dharma – The Hindu

The Mahabharata has 18 parvas. The Kurukshetra war took place for 18 days and the Bhagavad Gita has 18 chapters, pointed out Thenthirupperai Aravindalochanan in a discourse. The Mahabharata epic itself may be seen as a tree. It is as if dharma itself took the form of a tree. The seed of this tree is the Anukramanika parva. The roots of this tree are the Pauloma parva and the Asthika parva. The trunk of the tree is the Sambhava parva. The Sabha parva is symbolic of the birds that nest in a tree. The Bhishma parva and the Vana parva are the branches of this tree. The Drona parva represents the leaves and the Karna parva represents the flowers. The Virata parva and the Udhyoga parva are the sap of the tree.

The Salya parva is the fragrance of the flowers that blossom on this tree. The Stri parva is the tip of the branches. The Shanti parva is equivalent to the fruits of this tree of dharma, because the purpose of studying the Mahabharata is to attain shanti (peace of mind). The Asvamedha parva is representative of the juice of the fruits. The Ashrama vasa parva is the food of the birds. The Mausala parva is the sound made by the birds in the tree. Those who explain the meaning of the Mahabharata, those who listen to such explanations, and those who adhere to dharma — these people are the protectors of this tree. The 18 parvas of the Mahabharata track the entire story of the Pandavas and their rivals, the Kauravas, from the early years, the treachery of Duryodhana, the exile of the Pandavas, the Kurukshetra war, Lord Krishna’s advice to Arjuna through the Gita and Bhishma’s teachings through the Vishnu Sahasranama. The Gita is in the Bhishma parva and the Vishnu Sahasranama is in the Anusasanika parva. The Shanti parva is full of valuable lessons for everyone on dharma.