Mahabharata Unravelled: A Conversation with Ami Ganatra

Join Mukunda as he speaks to Ami Ganatra, author of Mahabharata Unravelled: Lesser-Known Facets of a Well-Known History. Ami Ganatra is a management professional who loves to travel and soak in variegated experiences. She is a devout Yoga practitioner, certified Yoga instructor, and a Sanskrit enthusiast enchanted by the ancient Indian scriptures. On this podcast, we discuss a host of topics including:

00:01:10 Introduction to Ami Ganatra and her journey to writing the book Mahabharata Unravelled.

00:09:37 Discussion on the term Dharma in Sanskrit and other languages

00:16:08 What was Ami’s research process, different manuscripts, and methodology in analysis and writing using Karna and Ekalavya as an example of modern understanding of characters in contrast to what Vyasa’s Mahabharata says. We discuss varna and caste in Mahabharata compared to what we think it says or shows

00:31:35 We discuss the historicity of the Mahabharata and also its composition

00:43:28 We discuss how most people who discuss the Mahabharata are built in with their own bias which isn’t in the Mahabharata using the example of Shakuni as depicted in modern retellings in comparison to how Shakuni appears in the Mahabharata

00:48:40 Discussion on Mahabharata scholarship and academic theories on the deification of Krishna

00:53:50 The Characters that surprised Ami in her research both in good and bad ways, we discuss Draupadi’s character depiction in the Mahabharata including as a wife, queen, advisor, and administrator; We also discuss the centrality of Bhima in the Mahabharata

01:07:30 Discussion of Kunti’s actions in the house of lac and the killing of the Nishada family along with the actions of Krishna and Arjuna in the burning of the Khandava forest

01:16:40 Krishna’s purpose in the Mahabharata

01:23:00 Mahabharata as a guide to navigating life and Dharma Sankata using Anushasana and Shanti Parva

01:30:45 What can Mahabharata give us today and Conclusion

You can find Ami Ganatra at:

https://dharmorakshtirakshitah.wordpress.com/author/6amig/

https://mobile.twitter.com/6amiji

you can buy the book at:

https://www.amazon.com/Ami-Ganatra/e/B098PR56F6?ref_=dbs_p_pbk_r00_abau_000000

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About Author

Mukunda

Mukunda Raghavan: Mukunda is a jack of all trades but master of none. His educational background is a mix of political science, criminology, psychological and philosophy. He received his Juris Doctorate in Law from Boston University and was simultaneously working on his Masters in Philosophy focusing on continental philosophy (not completed). He has practiced as a prosecutor in New York City, General Counsel and Operating Officer of a healthcare company in Southern California, Head of Business and Operations for a legal tech company in India and is now in Strategy and Development. Much like his career, Mukunda’s intellectual interests and knowledge is varied, he is interested in Indian and Western philosophy, world mythology, Quantum Physics, Consciousness Studies, Psychology and variety of other fields.

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