Baahubali and the Mahabharata connection - 18 parallels

While I was watching Baahubali in the theater, I couldn’t help but observe certain subtle and some not so subtle references to the ancient Indian epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata, especially the Mahabharata. I loved the connection! 

Theme

#1 Cousins’ rivalry – To start off, the underlying theme of the entire epic is the rivalry and discord between blood-related cousins; Pandavas and Kauravas in the Mahabharata, Baahubali and Bhallaladeva here. Adding a little more flavor to this is the fact that one side is the trigger and the other is forced to react, although given their way they would have loved to be in an amicable relationship. Furthermore, both Baahubali and the Pandavas were initially unaware of the hatred spewing in their cousins’ hearts

Characters

#2 A scheming older generation uncle/father - Shakuni and Bhijjaladeva (Bhallaladeva’s father) – Both these men were cunning personalities and wanted their nephew/son to be crowned and constantly worked in the background to push their case forward. Shakuni was the mastermind behind the fate changer gambling game amongst many other evil plots and Bhijjaladeva fed poison to Sivagami’s mind constantly, allotted resources unfairly in the war against Kalakeya etc. Their appearances had similarities too - both these men had physical disabilities - Shakuni had a limp and Bhijjaladeva had a deformity in his hand

#3 Strong decision making women in charge of her own and (almost her own) kid, who single-handedly brings them up – Sivagami, mother of Baahu and Bhalla /Kundhi, mother of Pandavas (3 her own kids and 2 that of her husband’s with Madhuri)

#4 Seeming likeness between Kattappa and Vidhura – both strategists, former a slave and latter from poor background (son of a royal housemaid) and constantly demeaned and mistreated quoting their social class, and both were loyal to the kingdom to a fault 

#5 Amarendra Baahubali is the personification of the Pandavas – righteous like Dharma, strong like Bhima, archer like Arjuna, intelligent and kind like the Nakula and Sahadeva twins

#6 Draupadi/Devasena – this one is particularly strongly connected with too many similarities to ignore; the eventual pinnacle of discord involves Draupadi/Devasena who had insulted Duryodana/Bhallaladeva in her palace in the former case and by returning her sword and saree for the marriage request in the latter case.

Incidents

#7 Secretly transporting the new born baby through a water body, who is then adopted by a childless couple belonging to the working class of the society – Karna by the chariot driver/Shivu (aka Mahendra Baahubali) by the tribal folks; this is how Krishna was transported by Vasudeva too to be protected from Kamsa’s death sentence

#8 Attempt to murder: In their young days Baahubali and Bhalla are sent to explore the nation and find out about the traitor spying on them (part 1) when Bhallaladeva tries to kill Baahubli by letting go off the rope and Kattappa saves him by arriving on time, similarly Pandavas are sent to a lac palace with the plan of setting the place on fire overnight made by Duryodana (instigated by Shakuni), which they escape from due to receiving timely advice from Vidhura. Both these were the first attempts on their lives by Bhalla/Duryodana

#9 Baahubali impressed Devasena with his archery skills and Arjuna impressed Draupadi enough to make her to choose him over other princes by winning the archery contest; Also, Draupadi/Devasena don’t know that the man they love is Arjuna/Baahubali at that time as the men were in disguise

Trivial

#10 Weapon of choice of Duryodhana/Bhallaladeva is Gadha

#11 Hitting on knee as the fatal blow for Duryodana (by Bhima) and for Bhalla (by Mahendra Baahubali) and this did not directly kill them but weakened them tremendously, potentially killing them

#12 The honorable and the most righteous commit the biggest blunder – Sivagami/Bhishma/Drona

#13 Draupadi and Devasena both get dragged to the court to be insulted and both these women vow revenge and that turns to be their life’s motto

#14 Pandavas and Amarendra Baahubali are expelled out of the kingdom

#15 Leads them to take up a variety of occupations, they help their hosts - Baahu supports the villagers through a variety of means and Pandavas helped their village hosts by killing demons

#16 Getting bit by scorpion and silently withstanding it – Karna for Parashurama, Baahubali for Sivagami

#17 Slashing the head and sending it to the father through arrow; Mahendra Baahubali – son of Bhalla and Arjuna – Jaydratha, the son of sage, Vridakshtra who gains the boon that the anyone who causes his son’s head to drop to the ground will in turn get blown up

#18 Ultimately, jealousy is the underlying root cause for the whole epic