Janamejaya’s Big Brother

Abstract

This article explores the story of Pariksit in the Mahabharata and suggests an interpretation whereby Pariksit’s eldest son opted out of Pariksit’s patriline, preferring that of his mother. This interpretation is supported by reference to various similar stories within the Mahabharata and elsewhere. The article then suggests that several different Mahabharata characters may be seen as parallel representations of Pariksit’s eldest son. Finally, the article offers an explanation of the Mahabharata’s oblique narrative strategy and reflects on the implications of these interpretations for the study of the text as a whole.

The Story of Sāvitrī in theMahābhārata: a Lineal Interpretation

“…it, see Brodbeck 2009a, pp. 221-238;Brodbeck 2009b. Son, if we lose you, we shall not live a moment; our lives are assured just as long as you survive. We are old and blind, and you are our support; the family line depends on you, and so do our ancestral oblation, 14 our fame and our descendants.…”

“…For the example of the latterly snakebitten Parikṣit, see Brodbeck 2009a, pp. 221–238; Brodbeck 2009b.…”

“…In some Mahābhārata examples of this stereotyped lineal conflict, the choice (between his father's line and his maternal grandfather's) is apparently made by the son (seeBrodbeck 2009b). But in the Sāvitrī story we have a different type of example, where the focus is on the woman as the pivot between one lineal mode and the other.17 For this latter story, seeMahābhārata 3.110-113; Brodbeck 2009a, pp.…”