Raashi Saxena, Symbiosis Law School, Hyderabad
ABSTRACT
The Mahabharata is a remarkable epic of Hindu Mythology. The saga is the longest poem drafted in the world. Besides being considered sacred, the epic was written by Ved Vyasa and a group of poets between 400 BCE and 200 CE. The sonnet comprises nearly 100,000 couplets—multiple times the length of the Iliad and the Odyssey together—isolated into 18 parvans, or divisions, in addition to an enhancement named “Harivamsha”. It is an excellent source of information about the development of Hinduism and society during that time. The central focus of the epic is on the fulfilment of Dharma (religious duty) by every individual. The Mahabharata is morally propaedeutic. Lord Krishna is one of the main characters of this mythology and plays a significant role in the epic. He gives wise counsel to the Pandavas to vanquish their cousins, the Kauravas, in the battle of Kurukshetra. Mahabharata is a tale about the triumph of good over evil and moral over immoral. The Mahabharata can be considered a treatise that trains humans to tackle ethically and morally challenging situations in ways that may or may not be regarded as fair. The legend gives more weight to the outcomes than the means used. A fundamental lesson that we can learn from the epic is that when faced with a conscientiously perplexing or vexing state of affairs, we should make an educated decision that benefits a sizable number of the stakeholders involved. This paper aims to talk about The Mahabharata as the foundation of Law in Ancient India and how it is still crucial in modern-day legal aspects and judgements. It also comments on Lord Krishna as a mediator to avoid the ghastly war and how his role is similar to a present-day mediator in the field of Alternate Dispute Resolution. Mediation is a form of Alternative Dispute Resolution. The ethical and moral dilemmas and doctrines portrayed in the Mahabharata are also highlighted in the paper.
Keywords: Mahabharata, Dharma, Ethical and Moral Dilemma, Duty, Law. Mediation, Alternate Dispute Resolution
