All Dogs Really Do Go to Heaven Essay -- Literary Analysis, Indra, Yud

At the end of the masterpiece, The Mahabharata, Yudhisthira and a dog meet Indra. Indra tells Yudhisthira that he will take Yudhisthira to heaven if Yudhisthira leaves the dog behind. Yudhisthira refuses and it is revealed that the dog was really Dharma. For passing this test, Yudhisthira is rewarded with heaven. This scene perfectly encapsulates the themes of duty, loyalty, fairness, and dharma and being justly rewarded for such actions that were present throughout the entire Mahabharata. It is important to note that the dog followed Yudhisthira during the entire journey to heaven. Even when Yudhisthira’s brothers, Arjuna, Bhima, Nakula, and Sagadeva and their wife, Draupadi, were falling off of the Himalayan mountain range, which is why there was only Yudhisthira and the dog when Indra appeared, the dog continued to follow Yudhisthira. For the dog being so â€Å"†¦highly devoted†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Mahabharata, p. 109) it was Yudhisthira’s duty to show loyalty to the dog. It is much like how Krsna offered Karna to fight with the Pandavas against the Kauravas since he was a Pandava brother. However, because he was abandoned at birth by Kunti and â€Å"†¦enjoyed sovereignty for thirteen years without let or hindrance,† (Mahabharata, p. 111) with the Kauravas, Karna decided that it was his duty to fight alongside the people who were most loyal to him, the Kauravas. During the time of The Mahabharata dogs were far from man’s best friends. Dogs were considered impure. Most people would have cast aside a lowly dog for the chance at heaven, especially after being told by Indra himself that â€Å"there will be no cruelty in doing so† (Mahabharata, p. 209). However, Yudhisthira choose loyalty over what many people would have considered the common-sense option of Indra’... ... fighting the Pandavas, he and Gandhari still supported their children once the war began. Dhrtarastra even attempted to kill Bhima after the Pandavas had defeated the Kauravas. In a very symbolic way Yudhisthira is like Dhrtarastra. He could not see his father even when Dharma was standing right beside him. However, Dharma supported Yudhisthira through the entire journey like only a family member would. Consequently, Yudhisthira’s duty was to treat the dog with the same loyalty he would a known member of his family. Yudhisthira’s journey to heaven was a trying one. He lost his brothers and his wife during it, yet a random dog followed him the entire way. When given the chance to go to heaven if he would cast off the dog Yudhisthira displayed the fairness, duty, loyalty, and dharma that were present in the rest of The Mahabharata and was rightfully reward for it.