At first when I saw Gandhari blindfolding herself for a man she has never even met before in her life, i thought it was pretty weird. I was thinking why does she have to stop seeing just because her husband can't see anything. Later on I came to realize that she blindfolded herself out of love for him. She did not want to enjoy anything that her husband couldn't. That is a very big sacrifice to make for someone. Do you think she made the right choice by blinding herself or should she have not done that and become his eyes instead and guide him?
I think both alternative are good... I was just like you, shocked when I saw that and then you understand that she just doesn't want to surpass her husband in any way...
ReplyDeleteI think she made a good decision to be blind like her husband. A theme I notice is that no women or man is better than each other they merely complete each other and with him being blind I think she blinded herself to help fit that and her blinding really showed a love and dedication to her husband. Also in her being blinded she was shielded from having to see the death and destruction that took place. Something so horrible that it even unwilled a great warrior like Arjuna.
ReplyDeleteI am assuming that she did this so that she could be his equal? I am curious to see how many of us would do this in the eyes of love, if it came to us and someone we loved? Although, as you mentioned she really doesn't know him, how then can it be out of love? Dharma perhaps?
ReplyDeleteNarasimhan says that she blindfolded herself so that her husband would not feel inferior to her. While it may seem extreme, and while I like the idea of her being his eyes, the role of the wife is to support her husband and view his grace as higher than a god (Dharma). Devotion is a woman's merit. She is not complete without her husband and he in turn, so if she didn't blindfold herself, she would be more than him, not his equal.
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