Podcast · Devotional & Spiritual

Mahabharata Podcast

by Lawrence Manzo · English · Devotional & Spiritual

An English language re-telling of the ancient epic Mahabharat.

New episodes: Weekly
Latest: 12 Apr 2012
Language: English

Latest episode

12 Apr 2012

Episode 100 - Summing up

Episode 100 - I've put together my review of the epic, in its totality. I discuss the strange way in which the epic goes into fine detail on some parts of the story, and breezes over others. Some of the most critical moments in the story, like when Dhrtarastra was skipped and then later made king, or during the dice game, or in dealing with the birth & death of Krishna, the story is ambiguous and full of holes. The only explanation that I can come up with is that the author himself may not have known exactly what took place in those scenes, so he tells us what he knows-- which isn't much. I…

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

28 Mar 2012
Episode 99 - Epilogue 2: The Snake Sacrifice
Episode 99 - This is the final piece that brings us around, back to the beginning. We covered some of this territory before, back in Episode 2, but at the time, it was hard to explain that Parikshit was Arjun's grandson and that Takshaka had an ancient feud with the dynasty going back to the fire at the Khandava Forest. Also, back then we were anxious to get going with the story itself, and all the digressions with angry brahmins and talking snakes only made things confusing at the time. So now we have re-visited the beginning at our leisure, and now you know the circumstances in which the…
22 Mar 2012
Episode 98 - Epilogue 1: The Beginning
Episode 98 - This is the first of two episodes that take us from the death of the Pandavas down to the Snake Sacrifice, held by Arjun's great-grandson. We skimmed over this back at the beginning of the podcast, because back then we were unfamiliar with who all these people were. But now it makes sense to bring it around to the beginning again. Not much is recorded about the life of Parikshit. We only know about how he died, and the many snakes and Rishis who were involved in the process. So, I'm not quite through yet!
16 Mar 2012
Episode 97 - The End
Episode 97 - So this is it-- the final installment from the Mahabharata. Book 18, the Svargarohanika Parva, is done, and the 18 parvas of the Mahabharata are now complete. Please be sure to visit my blog and let me know you made it! And then treat yourself to something nice, because you have really accomplished something. We've reached the end of the story, but this isn't quite the end of the podcast. You can expect a few more episodes-- an epilogue where the story is carried forward up to the time of the Snake Sacrifice. Following that, if you have any questions or points of discussion, I'd…
15 Mar 2012
Episode 96 - The Death of the Pandavas
Episode 96 - Arjun returns home with some bad news and some good news. The bad news is that they have lost their powers and have lost their friends. The good news is that they finally get to retire. Yudhistira doesn't hesitate. He strips off his fine garments and leads his brothers into retirement. Krpa is put in charge of defense, Yuyutsu is made regent, and Parikshit is king. Parikshit's grandmother Subhadra (Krishna's sister) is made Dowager Empress. The Pandavas then take a final tour of India, visiting even the former site of the magical city of Dwarka. Finally, they head north, for…
13 Mar 2012
Episode 95 - Arjuna's Defeat
Episode 95 - Krishna is dead. Balaram is dead. The city of Dwarka sinks beneath the waves, and the refugees of that once-great city are making their way to Indraprastha with only Arjun as their protector. But the influence of the Kali Yuga pervades the earth, and Arjun is not the man he once was. When the vulnerable procession is attacked by bandits, his magic quivers run out of arrows and his magical weapons no longer obey his command. Only a fragment is saved, along with Krishna's grandson Vajra, who is made King of Indraprastha.
6 Mar 2012
Episode 94 - The Kali Yuga
Episode 94 - The Dark Age is now unquestionably upon us. The elder Kurus, living austere lives in the forest, found themselves consumed by a forest fire of their own creation. Let this be a lesson to all you Hindu campers out there to douse your sacred campfires!! 18 years later, things go from bad to worse when news arrives of the death of Krishna and all his relatives. This story alone is deserving of an extended treatment, but we only get a sketchy account of how things went down. With the death of the Vrshnis, Krishna's work on earth is done. He accepts his fate and embraces death when…
28 Feb 2012
Episode 93 - The Ashwamedha Sacrifice
Episode 93 - The white horse returns home, only to be tied to a post, killed, & cut up into little pieces. The priests do their best to follow the old rules, but there's no way Draupadi is going to pretend to copulate with a dead horse! Jump ahead 15 years and Dhrtarastra finally decides to take leave of worldly cares, and he, Gandhari, & Kunti leave for a forest ashram. One year after that, the Pandavas and many citizens pay a visit to the old folks, where Vyasa allows them all to re-unite with their fallen relatives and friends. While some of the early books went on endlessly, the last few…
21 Feb 2012
Episode 92 - The Anugita and the Wayward Stallion
Episode 92 - This is another eventful episode. Krishna & Arjun take a break and go on a leisure trip to Indraprastha, where it appears Arjun is king. Both heroes have forgotten the Gita, so Krishna recalls another dialog along the same lines, which is called the Anugita. Krishna goes home, while the Pandavas go prospecting for gold in the hills. While they are away, Parkshit is born, or rather still-born. Krishna arrives in time to make good his promise and revives the kid. When the Pandavas return with their treasure, the white horse is set loose and the Ashwamedha is begun. Arjun follows…
15 Feb 2012
Episode 91 - The Death of Bhisma
Episode 91 - We get treated to a last handful of the Final Teachings, and then Bhisma dies. The poor guy set quite an objective for himself. It must have been mid autumn when he was shot through with arrows, yet he clung to life until the Winter Solstice before finally giving up the ghost. He says he lived on the bed of arrows for a total of 58 days. Following his death, Yuddistira has another one of his fits of sorrow & regret, but he's snapped out of it by hearing a story about how the ancient king Marutta left a pile of gold in the mountains as part of his Ashwamedha sacrifice. Yuddistira…
7 Feb 2012
Episode 90 - The Final Teachings, part 2
Episode 90 - A few more stories from Bhisma's final teachings. We learn that Vyasa had a son, named Suka, who really did not seem to be pleased to be born. And Bhisma himself tells us what he really thinks of Buddhist philosophy!
1 Feb 2012
Episode 89 - The Final Teachings, part 1
Episode 89 - For some reason, the first three full-fledged stories from the Anusasana Parva all center around a Banian tree. They also share the theme of low-caste hunters and their cruelty. Remarkably, in the 2nd story the three characters are all saved, but all three die violently. In the 3rd story, the Brahmin Gautama is an unreformed scoundrel, but he is brought back to life!
12 Jan 2012
Episode 88 - The Book of Peace
Episode 88 - This episode begins the voluminous Last Teachings of Bhisma. As Bhisma lies on his bed of arrows, the Pandavas, Krishna & Satyaki gather around to listen. Yuddistira poses the questions, which mostly revolve around Dharma and kingship, and Bhisma answers. These teachings are exceptionally difficult to convey in the form of a podcast, mostly because they are so boring. There are very few stories, and most of the stories revolve around conversations in which one character instructs the other on good behavior. I have tried to extract the more interesting details from the book, and…
28 Dec 2011
Episode 87 - Rama's Famous Genocide
Episode 87 - Yuddistira is finally convinced that he should remain king, and he gets down to business. He marches straight to the palace and has himself anointed and consecrated. He appoints his council and gets his kingdom in order. As soon as he has a chance to catch his breath, Krishna suggests that they hurry over to uncle Bhisma, who isn't long for this world. Along the way, Krishna tells the story of Battleaxe Rama, who wiped out the race of Kshatriyas 21 times in succession. The podcast may be taking something of a hiatus after this episode. We are now entering the section of the…
21 Dec 2011
Episode 86 - To be (king), or not to be...
Episode 86 - It seems like Yuddistira always had a secret desire to give up the world and live like a sadhu. But now he has a pretty good justification-- after all, he even killed his elder brother. Crimes like this demand extreme penance, and Yuddistira would like nothing better than to embrace that lifestyle. No one else agrees with the new king however, and his brothers, Krishna, and the Rishis all take turns trying to convince him that the best use of his life would be to take up the crown and rule, according to his dharma. They never quite seem to convince him, but Krishna and Narada at…
14 Dec 2011
Episode 85 - Remembering Karna
Episode 85 - We begin the Book of Peace, the Shanti Parva. After boasting to his uncle about his special clairvoyant powers, Yuddistira is blindsided by the news that he & Karna shared the same mother. Now the Dharma Raja has learned that he killed his own brother-- aside from killing one's parents, perhaps one of the worst things a person could do. The brothers spend a month outside in the city walls as a sort of penance, and are joined by the great sages of the ancient world. Narada comforts the brothers by telling stories of Karna's past. The sage argues that Karna's life & circumstances…
7 Dec 2011
Episode 84 - The Book of the Women
Episode 84 - Vidur & Vyasa tell a few parables to help Dhrtarastra pull himself together. When the king is finally pacified, he leads all the bereaved women of Hastinapur in a great procession to deal with their fallen men. They march along the banks of the Ganga to Kurukshetra, where they encounter Ashwatthaman, Krpa & Krtavarman, who are still on the run after killing the Pandava's sons & allies. Ashwatthaman heads of to Vyasa's ashram, Krpa goes home to Hastinapur, and Krtavarman also heads for home. The procession later meets up with the Pandavas, fresh from Ashwatthaman's downfall, and…
29 Nov 2011
Episode 83 - Daksha's Sacrifice
Episode 83 - The brothers learn of the massacre of their sons & allies, and summon Draupadi to break the news. As usual, all she wants is revenge. Thus the Pandavas go off on one final mission to avenge the death of their sons. They track down Ashwatthaman and find him hanging out with Vyasa and Narada. As soon as they set eyes on each other, the boy Brahmin sets off his Brahmashira weapon, which is 100s of times more powerful than the Brahmastra, and sounds a lot like a hydrogen bomb-- "All living things are destroyed and no rains fall for 12 years." The Rishis step in and order Arjun to…
22 Nov 2011
Episode 82 - Blowback
Episode 82 - Well, it seems there is no end to the tit for tat revenge cycle that Duryodhana forced into motion so long ago. Now that he has been defeated, his survivors seek revenge for his fall. Ashwatthaman is unable to let it go, and since he is vastly outnumbered, he prays to Shiva for the power to kill his enemies. Shiva allows him to exterminate the remains of the Pandava army while they sleep. So now there will be another vendetta. How much further can this go? Find out next time!
14 Nov 2011
Episode 81 - Downfall
Episode 81 - So this is it; the moment everyone has been waiting for. Ever since Episode 7 when Duryodhana was born, he has finally received his well-deserved defeat. But even as he falls, the finger pointing, hand-wringing and grief at the price that has been paid for this victory has already begun. Balaram shows up just in time to referee the final death match between Bhima & Duryodhana, only to get really annoyed when Bhima is forced to bend the rules a bit in order to win.
9 Nov 2011
Episode 80 - Kurukshetra, Day 18: Shalya & the dissolution of the Kauravas
Episode 80 - This episode covers the final day of the great war. If you were expecting things to go out with a bang, you'll be disappointed. Once the Kaurava general Shalya is killed, things just sort of disintegrate. Duryodhana's remaining brothers are all killed. Shakuni is killed. Karna's sons are exterminated. The Pandavas make one final sweep over the field, killing literally everyone who was left standing. They spend the rest of the day sifting through the corpses in search of Duryodhana. By this point, the only survivors are Krpa, Aswatthaman, Kritavarman, Sanjay, & Duryodhana.…
1 Nov 2011
Episode 79 - Kurukshetra, Day 17: Down with Dushasan/Killing Karna
Episode 79 - This is a big day in the war. Bhisma fulfills one of his oaths by killing Dushasan and drinking his blood. Now he will be gunning for Duryodhana. Arjun & Karna finally get busy with their final showdown. The whole universe apparently took sides in this conflict, with everyone choosing a champion to cheer for. The pair begin fighting with conventional weapons, but soon escalate to magical weapons. At one point, Arjun gets the upper hand, and strikes Karna until he's lost his wits and drops his weapons. Arjun then allows his opponent to recover somewhat before they resume…
25 Oct 2011
Episode 78 - Kurukshetra, Day 17: A Counterfeit Curfuffle
Episode 78 - Karna begins the 17th day of the war by fighting each Pandava except Arjun. He is actually defeated by both Yuddistira and Bhima, but then he defeats Nakul and Sahadev. Both of the elder brothers spare his life, out of consideration for Arjun's oaths. Yuddistira then goes for a second round with Karna, but this time it doesn't work out so well. Karna defeats Yuddistira and nearly captures him, but he reconsiders and lets the Pandava go. Yuddistira then flees to his camp to have his wounds tended to, and there he slips into a strange funk. What follows seems completely bogus to…
18 Oct 2011
Episode 77 - Kurukshetra, Day 16: Karna's in charge
Episode 77 - Drona is dead and a new commander is needed. Ashwatthaman proposes that Karna be given the position and everyone else agrees. Karna leads the army through a rather desultory day of fighting and then complains that what he is missing is a good driver. Shalya is drafted to be his charioteer. Shalya had promised to cause trouble should things come to this pass, and he lives up to it by constantly bickering with Karna. For some reason, Karna chooses this moment to confess how he deceived Rama Jamadagnya in order to obtain the Brahma weapon. When Rama finds out Karna is just a Suta…
12 Oct 2011
Episode 76 - Some thoughts on the story so far...
Episode 76 - I present my wild theories and hypotheses about the Mahabharata. Among other things, we discuss its relationship to the Precession of the Equinoxes and the Yuga cycle as defined by Markandeya and Sri Yukteshvar. We look into the role of magic in the story and our prospects for regaining this lost knowledge in the future. We delve into the mystery of the metaphysical origins of the Pandavas and consider whether the five brothers might have originally been based on just a single hero-- the proto-Arjun.
4 Oct 2011
Episode 75 - Kurukshetra, Day 15: Ashwatthaman goes Ballistic!
Episode 75 - Earlier in day 15, Drona is killed by Dhrstadyumna. The Kaurava army literally comes unraveled until Ashwatthaman hears the news. The boy is outraged at the way his father was treated and swears revenge on both Dhrstadyumna (for killing him), and Yuddistira (for betraying his trust). Drona's son then pulls the army together and rushes to battle waving his WMD. First he tries to use the Narayana weapon, but Krishna is too tricky for that-- he knows its weakness, which is that it is ineffective against unarmed men. The Pandavas all drop their weapons and the bomb is a dud. One…
27 Sep 2011
Episode 74 - Kurukshetra, Day 15: Drona
Episode 74 - Two significant deaths this episode-- first Gatotkacha basically gets sacrificed by Krishna so that Arjun need not face Karna's special unstoppable Indra Dart. It's a mean trick, but Krishna explained that one of the purposes of this war is to eradicate the race of Rakshasas, so if they didn't have Karna kill him, then they would have had to do it themselves. Besides, it was a small price to pay in order to save Arjun for the final showdown. The second big shot to go down is their old guru Drona. I must confess that I never really took a shine to this fighting brahmin. He always…
20 Sep 2011
Episode 73 - Kurukshetra, Day 14: Killing Jayadratha
Episode 73 - We continue with the events of the 14th day of war. You can relax because we find out that both Satyaki and Bhim made it to Arjun's side, and everyone is OK after all. Arjun finally spots Jayadratha, but he is very well protected, and the sun is about to set. It is time for one of Krishna's tricks! Following Jayadratha's "exploding head syndrome", the Kauravas are so bent out of shape that they ignore the sunset and just keep fighting. Next episode will cover the night battle of the 14th day. Thanks for all your nice comments. I love to hear from you! If you haven't already,…
14 Sep 2011
Episode 72 - Kurukshetra, Day 14: Killing Alambusha
Episode 72 - We begin the 14th day of the war. The morning starts with many dark omens, but no one is quite sure for which side they portend doom. Arjun sets off immediately to fight his way through the Kaurava army and to find and kill the miserable king Jayadratha. He & Krishna soon disappear into the hordes while Yuddistira struggles to avoid capture at the hands of Drona. By mid-day, with no news from the two Krishnas, Yuddistira begins to worry about them. He hears their conches and interprets the sound to have some urgency. Eventually, his concerns are too much, and he sends Satyaki,…
6 Sep 2011
Episode 71 - Kurukshetra: A Dramatic Interlude
Episode 71 - Vyasa finishes his comforting storytelling, and then vanishes, leaving it up to Yuddistira to deal with breaking the news to Arjun that his son is dead. Arjun comes home expecting a party, only to find the camp in mourning over the loss of his son. He responds by swearing to kill Jayadratha by sunset tomorrow. The Kauravas find out about his oath and hastily make plans to keep the prince safe long enough for Arjun's vow to fail. That is all it will take to get the Pandava out of the war! Now Arjun is a bit worried, but still he's got Krishna to help out. Even though the oath was…

About Mahabharata Podcast

An English language re-telling of the ancient epic Mahabharat.

Mahabharata Podcast is a English devotional & spiritual podcast from Lawrence Manzo. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Lawrence Manzo
Language: English
Category: Devotional & Spiritual
New episodes: Weekly
Latest episode: 12 Apr 2012
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id354850879

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