My Beloved Grandma and the Indian Epics

My Love of Story

I grew up on a diet of stories, especially stories from the Indian epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. When I was growing up in a small town in Southern India in the 60’s, the tradition of oral storytelling was rich. My favorite adult was my beloved paternal grandma, the storyteller whose inheritance I deeply value.

My love of story and storytelling comes from the long, lazy summer afternoons Grandma and I spent on the front porch of our home. As a young kiddo these stories lit my imagination on fire

My grandma died when I was fourteen. In fact the very first episode of my podcast Being Fully Me is dedicated to her. The episode title is My Grandmother’s Love.

My Love for the Mahabharata

One of the reasons why I loved the Mahabharata so much (and still do) is because it’s a layered epic at the center of which is a famous battle fought between two sets of cousins, the Pandavas and the Kauravas.

There is a moment before the battle is about to begin when Arjuna, the mighty warrior on the Pandava side, suffers, what we’d call, an anxiety attack in modern times. He looks across thee battlefield, sees his beloved cousins, friends, and revered teachers ranged on the “enemy’s side” and is anguished at the prospect of going to war with them and being responsible for their death.

Arjuna’s Dilemma

Defeated, he slumps in his chariot. That’s when Lord Krishna, his charioteer, gives him a “pep talk.” He instills in him a deep awareness of the dharmic significance of this particular battle and Arjuna’s role in it.

(NOTE: If you’re probably wondering why a divine entity would encourage war, suffice to say it’s too much of a detour for now. However, if you’re curious, I’m happy to engage in that discussion at a different time and place)

This excerpted section of the Mahabharata—Arjuna’s anxiety and Krishna’s pep talk—makes up the Bhagavad Gita. It is one of the most widely studied Hindu scriptures the world over. I’d never studied or chanted the original Sanskrit version in poetic form, but I was intimately familiar with the story. My grandma had retold it many times.

Why is the Gita so popular even in modern times? Its relevance to the struggles of contemporary life and its message of discovering, and living by one’s true divine identity. In a world that lacks inspiring leadership, the Gita’s message inspires many.

Forgive me for digressing, but you’ll appreciate the context for what I’m about to share in the following sections.

I was distraught when my grandma died. But, life took over. Soon I was swept up in the distractions of my teenage years. Adulthood brought with it more varied responsibilities: work, marriage, motherhood. Soon I drifted further and further away from the magic of the stories that had shaped my young life.

My Nudge to Study the Bhagavad Gita

It was right after I turned fifty that curiosity nudged me in the direction of the Bhagavad Gita. Unfamiliar with Sanskrit, I needed a teacher who would be able to teach it to me in English.

I browsed the Internet casually. Landed on a few websites that offered courses, lectures, and classes on the Gita. But in perusing the details, I found the approach to be too academic. Nothing resonated with me so I shut everything down and returned to regular life: mentoring, mothering, meal-making.

The nudge was forgotten, the search abandoned. But the Gita hadn’t forgotten me. In fact, it found me in the most magical, serendipitous way.

You’ll see how in the next part of this story…appearing in my next blog post!