On Curse and the Power of Knowledge: Upanishadic Moments and the Aṣṭāvakra Tale of the Mahābhārata

Abstract The Mahābhārata tells a horrid tale of curse; a father curses his son to be born eightfold deformed ( aṣṭāvakra ). This moment of curse occurs in the household of none other than Uddālaka Āruṇi, the great Upanishadic sage and his notorious son, Śvetaketu. Our article offers a reflection on the significance and meanings of the intertextual space – obviously not incidental – of the two traditions, the Mahābhārata epic and the Upaniṣads. The notion and conception of curse ( śāpa ) sheds light on the diagnosis of the human condition shared by the two traditions. It is a “cursed” condition of self-alienation and disease, which can be released by the power of “knowledge” ( vidyā ) and true health ( svāsthya ) that emanates from residing in oneself ( ātman ).