Dharma as Caste and Disability in the Mahabharata

Abstract

It is not very often that dharma is associated with caste. Although these two concepts are quite different, there seems to be a common thread that links them. In the Mahabharata, both of these concepts are found to be entwined more than we can think of. So much so that sometimes dharma appears to be synonymous with caste. However, it is also true that dharma is not as rigid as that of caste, especially for the higher castes. The mobility within the higher caste is there. However, the same privilege is not entitled to the characters of lower castes. This lack of privilege, opportunity and social mobility for people of low birth is due to the caste system, prevalent at the time of the Mahabharata. It seems the very caste system is rather presented in the garb of dharma in the Mahabharata to confuse those affected. This very system born and bred up in society has made some characters disabled. Although there are many characters in the Mahabharata disabled by the caste system, this paper critically analyses a few sets of characters, namely Drona – Ekalavya and Parasurama – Karna to find out if the medical model of disability and consequently the social model of disability can be applied to these characters who have been disabled by the caste system.