Mahābhārata

Synonyms

Apad-dharma and Dharma – Dharma is one of the most difficult words to translate into English. Sometimes it is refereed as sacred duty, sometimes as a law, sometimes as an obligation. Apad means crises and Apad-dharma is a duty or acceptable behavior at the time of the crises. The epic gives a message that there could be a significant difference between the Dharma at the normal times and the Apad-dharma.

Asharamas – According to the Indian tradition, a man’s life was divided into four stages, i.e., Brahmacharya (the celibate), Grihastha (the householder), Vanaprastha (the forest dweller), and Sanyasa (the renouncer).

Kauravas – Literally, the descendents of the Kuru dynasty. However, the word is mostly used for the sons of the Dhṛtarāṣţra and their supporters.

Nīyoga – A practice by which women used to have sons from men other than her husband in special circumstances.

Svyaṃvara –A ceremony in which a princess selected a groom. Sometimes a difficult task is to be performed by...