Unfortunately the acting king`s eldest son, Duryodhana, the eldest of the 100 Kauravas, feels he ought to be king by default since his father was the ruling legal king after he took over from Yudhisthira`s dad when he died. The eldest of the Pandevas, Yudhisthira, is due to be king when he comes of age. The Pandevas are brought up in a forest where they learn virtue and respect, while their cousins the Kauravas are raised at court becoming cynical and corrupt. There are two sets of brothers who are each other`s cousins, the Pandevas (the good guys) and the 100 Kauravas (the bad guys). Skip ahead to the next section if you don`t want to know the story in a slightly larger nutshell. The story, in a nutshell, is a battle between light and darkness. There`s plenty of cause and effect in play with people having to deal with the consequences of their actions. Characters face tough moral issues and have to make some hard choices, which makes it perfect for spiritual mentors to impart Hindu ethics and spirituality. This story is considered scripture because it illustrates how Hindus should live hence the huge interest. Content counts for something and in translating this for television it became the one show that would bring virtually every Hindu in India to a standstill.

It`s estimated to be about eight times as long as the Iliad and the Odyssey put together and it`s not just filler either. The Mahabharata is an epic Hindu story of a great war, which probably took place around 1500 B.C.E. Having sat through the decidedly average The Greatest Story Ever Told, and better films such as The Message and The Ten Commandments, it was about time that the Hindu epic, Mahabharat, landed on my mat. Introduction There`s something about religious stories relayed on the big or small screen that I find intriguing.

Mahabharat 2013 dvd box set