tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5100791158359408086.post6986045231351667206..comments2024-03-06T13:46:57.116-08:00Comments on Mahabharata Podcast: Episode 100 - Summing upLawrence Manzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12849457241634723440noreply@blogger.comBlogger127125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5100791158359408086.post-9819120399443104832018-02-28T09:40:40.542-08:002018-02-28T09:40:40.542-08:00Hi Lawrence,
I have already listened to the 100 ep...Hi Lawrence,<br />I have already listened to the 100 episodes over 7 times by now, since finding it in 2013 or so. I definitely feel the sacredness of the Mahabharata (even though, like you, I am a western person with interest in eastern culture and religion). I can actually see the happenings of the Mahabharata in my life, both from the main storyline and the side stories, and it is very instructive and helpful.<br />I just wanted to drop a line here to thank you.<br />PatangaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5100791158359408086.post-43996251956772300482017-11-06T19:34:15.535-08:002017-11-06T19:34:15.535-08:00Just letting you know that I've finished the t...Just letting you know that I've finished the trip, all 100 episodes! Thanks for your hard work. <br /><br />I started listening because I had had occasion to work with students on parts of the Bhagavad Gita but felt like I didn't know enough about the whole epic to have some context. The intertextual nature of the poem was daunting. Now I can pick up the translations I have and feel like I can fit them into the whole with some confidence. That's thanks to you.Kennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5100791158359408086.post-40356683597762061682017-09-15T04:26:56.836-07:002017-09-15T04:26:56.836-07:00Woohoo, I made it!
Thank you, Mr. Manzo, for taki...Woohoo, I made it!<br /><br />Thank you, Mr. Manzo, for taking out the time to do the podcast. You did a great job; it's been a couple of days since I completed the series, and I already miss the daily dose of your storytelling.<br /><br />I read the other comments on the blog; this might be a rare opinion: I especially enjoyed the casual and blunt parts... you know, the parts which others might consider "rude". Generally, I'm not one for crass and fart-humour, but I found it absolutely hilarious when characters spewed profanities in your retelling.<br /><br />Anyway, I hope you're well. If you have the time, I was wondering if you could point me towards works which, in your opinion, best cover (i) the philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita, and (ii) the philosophy discussions between Vidur and Dhritarashtra.<br /><br />Also, how can I keep track of what you're up to next.<br /><br />Thanks and have a good day!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5100791158359408086.post-57290220241199414472017-04-13T01:58:51.228-07:002017-04-13T01:58:51.228-07:00Thanks, you can reach me at mahabharatapodcast@com...Thanks, you can reach me at mahabharatapodcast@comcast.net. Lawrence Manzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12849457241634723440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5100791158359408086.post-22284690899901617332017-04-12T06:47:09.219-07:002017-04-12T06:47:09.219-07:00Hello Lawrence,
Many many thanks for your time an...Hello Lawrence,<br /><br />Many many thanks for your time and effort in putting together this podcast. It is simply exemplary. I haven't read any books or seen any movies related to Mahabharata but this podcast certainly gave me more information that I could imagine. It was put together so well and your incredible narration makes it even more interesting. I made it through 100 episodes. I would like to send a direct message to you. Please let me know if there is an email I can contact you at.<br /><br />God Bless !!!<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5100791158359408086.post-47599299705650959162017-03-25T10:20:53.528-07:002017-03-25T10:20:53.528-07:00Thanks so much for taking the time to make this Po...Thanks so much for taking the time to make this Podcast. I'm a white dude who married an Indian girl, so I've been doing what I can to learn more about India and its culture and epics, so this was great. I actually found your podcast after being frustrated with the slow episode production of a different Mahabharata podcast that is currently being developed by Sudipta Bhawmik (I'm sure I'm not the first one to tell you that someone is following in your footsteps). I really appreciated your asides for analysis through the work, you don't get that so much with Bhawmik's podcast. But they are both good! <br /><br />Thanks again.<br /><br />P.S. While I haven't searched through your website yet to look for this to see if you've already done what I'm about to ask for, but I was wondering if you could consolidate a set of links to the other sources and podcasts of Indian epics and material that you briefly mentioned in some of your episodes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5100791158359408086.post-24488842781926175772017-03-23T04:37:09.364-07:002017-03-23T04:37:09.364-07:00Hey Lawrence, I finished the story today. Happy Mo...Hey Lawrence, I finished the story today. Happy Moksha to you as well. :P On other note, it was a brilliant experience and I do hope to revisit this story in the later part of life. It was an interesting story and you have narrated it precisely. Being an Indian, I have heard this story and witnessed the television series intermediately.<br /><br />To be frank, none was as clear as your podcast. I would request you to kindly produce another podcast series on Greek mythology. Even if you do not, you have a fan for life. I was curious about this story but hate reading large books. Your podcast was a life saver. Thanks a ton and wish you all the best. If you desire, will send you some cows for your immaculate narration. :)<br /><br />Cheers,<br />PratikPratzgh1https://www.blogger.com/profile/02456559468919289512noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5100791158359408086.post-47521125674802130602017-03-19T20:07:40.850-07:002017-03-19T20:07:40.850-07:00Thanks! If you can pinpoint the episode and what ...Thanks! If you can pinpoint the episode and what time inside that recording where you found skips, I should be able to fix it up. No one has reported such a problem before, so it might have been a streaming issue on your side. Please let me know what you find out! Lawrence Manzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12849457241634723440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5100791158359408086.post-57433703492815599332017-03-18T19:50:32.423-07:002017-03-18T19:50:32.423-07:00I've been downloading the podcasts on iTunes; ...I've been downloading the podcasts on iTunes; I'll go back through some of the podcasts and see if I can provide you some additional examples.Milapnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5100791158359408086.post-19768580591096239432017-03-18T17:42:01.267-07:002017-03-18T17:42:01.267-07:00Can you tell me how you have been listening to thi...Can you tell me how you have been listening to this series-- from the blog, from iTunes as a podcast, or in an android app? That will help me figure out the problem with the audio.Lawrence Manzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12849457241634723440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5100791158359408086.post-28139238179936244942017-03-18T12:58:41.748-07:002017-03-18T12:58:41.748-07:00Hi Lawrence,
I finished the last batch of podcast...Hi Lawrence,<br /><br />I finished the last batch of podcast episodes today, and in lieu of cows and vast sums of real estate I figured I should honor you with your desired fee of a website comment. Your narration was fantastic - I learned a lot more about the story of the Mahabharata compared to when I first read about it as a child. I really appreciated your attention to detail, along with your side notes/stories, theories, and dry wit (be it intentional or not :) ). The only minor criticism I might mention is that for some episodes, the audio of your podcast skipped, and several seconds of the story were lost. It never really affected much of the flow of the story, although there was one particular lapse during Ashwatthama's nighttime invasion (keeping it vague to prevent spoilers) that I was a little saddened to miss out on.<br /><br />Thanks again for putting together the tale of this epic, and I look forward to hearing any other stories you may end up podcasting in the future.Milapnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5100791158359408086.post-15514982931385079982017-01-18T13:19:38.314-08:002017-01-18T13:19:38.314-08:00Hi Lawrence, Thank you very much for the podcast. ...Hi Lawrence, Thank you very much for the podcast. i thoroughly enjoyed it.<br /><br />Thank you,<br />Raghu KadaliAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14731098767314700104noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5100791158359408086.post-52892271135007287042017-01-18T13:18:05.298-08:002017-01-18T13:18:05.298-08:00Hi Lawrence, Thank you very much for the podcast! ...Hi Lawrence, Thank you very much for the podcast! made it to 100. i thoroughly enjoyed.<br /><br />Thank you,<br />Raghu KadaliAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14731098767314700104noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5100791158359408086.post-35360511951529737742016-12-17T17:36:33.433-08:002016-12-17T17:36:33.433-08:00Hi Lawrence,
Made it to 100! Got to know about th...Hi Lawrence, <br />Made it to 100! Got to know about this from a colleague and couldn't stop listening once I started. I grew up watching the tv series in the 90s and the latest one a few years ago. But this one was so elaborate. I was often wondering why many incidents in the tv series were way off from the original epic! I plan to listen one more time, especially for those philosophical gems interspersed in between the actual story. I think the philosophy behind the Mahabharata applies to today’s life perfectly even after 3500 years which is what makes it so timeless. <br />Episode 76 was particularly very interesting for me, especially the thought about the center of galaxy being dharma or consciousness and the scientific interpretations you tried to apply to some of the events in the epic. You might find Vethathri Maharishi's ‘Genetic Center - The Secrets of the Soul’ and ‘Mind’ very interesting reads. They are short ~40 page books and has his scientific explanations based on his experience on what we call God or consciousness. He talks about how Gravity or consciousness and our genetic center are interconnected and how our genetic center is a recording of all our actions and thoughts. Based on my limited readings so far of various hindu philosophers, it seems everyone in some way or the other have converging thoughts on the phenomenon of the soul, God and Consciousness. Your insights based on your research adds a lot of perspective and has got me interested in this pursuit once more. Kudos to you for this amazing work. You are awesome! If you plan on doing any other podcasts, please update this space so we know. Thank you!<br /><br />Best, <br />PriyaPriyanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5100791158359408086.post-26494481182650983532016-10-25T12:51:36.454-07:002016-10-25T12:51:36.454-07:00Hello Lawrence,
Thank you very much for this podca...Hello Lawrence,<br />Thank you very much for this podcast and i made it through 100 episodes. I really enjoyed each and every episode and learned lot of things in detail. <br /><br />Thanks<br />TulaseeChinthahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12773392309528430302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5100791158359408086.post-87729403233465252082016-09-19T09:22:57.333-07:002016-09-19T09:22:57.333-07:00Finally made it through all 100 episodes, thank yo...Finally made it through all 100 episodes, thank you Lawrence for your wonderful efforts. Though it got quite boring for some episodes in the middle, enjoyed the overall experience. Let me know if you do the Ramayana too.2T aka Vamseehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08972387822181043090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5100791158359408086.post-86790618523578652262016-06-02T16:11:01.834-07:002016-06-02T16:11:01.834-07:00Dear Lawrence,
Thank you for your monumental effo...Dear Lawrence,<br /><br />Thank you for your monumental effort in re-telling this epic tale. I made it through the entire podcast and plan to do many many times in future.<br /><br />Thank you again and good luck.<br /><br />AvinaashUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16869587972520237924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5100791158359408086.post-41654169212586831112016-04-16T22:00:01.387-07:002016-04-16T22:00:01.387-07:00I am recommending this to all my friends and famil...I am recommending this to all my friends and familyabhishek varmahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00253224940453139489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5100791158359408086.post-70075880205825581462016-04-16T21:59:21.959-07:002016-04-16T21:59:21.959-07:00Dear Lawrence your narration is so wonderful .......Dear Lawrence your narration is so wonderful .... Have seen so many narrations till now ... but found yours was most entertaining and thrilling at same time very very informative .... the way you speculated and compared and commented really requires a deep knowledge and commitment .... I was really inspired from your effort alone .... abhishek varmahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00253224940453139489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5100791158359408086.post-73935834865044201752016-03-29T11:04:23.898-07:002016-03-29T11:04:23.898-07:00Hi Lawrence, There is a conversation between Shak...Hi Lawrence, There is a conversation between Shakuni and Sahadevan, where shakuni confesses (moments before his killing) that his ultimate goal was to destroy kuru's to revenge bhishma who punished shakuni's father and his brothers for adharmic rule or something, and that he is happy to have achieved that goal, and he no longer wishes to live bla bla bla. Just curious that I did not see this anywhere in podcast.Ramesh Lhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16637116464718087870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5100791158359408086.post-21271714598385192712016-02-08T14:31:40.017-08:002016-02-08T14:31:40.017-08:00Was introduced to this podcast from a co-worker an...Was introduced to this podcast from a co-worker and I was pleasantly surprised on the way it is narrated and a well-compiled. Normally I have seen Indian authors irrespective of their knowledge always try to show off, and the real essence or the true beauty is lost in that. I did not get that kind of sense at all in the way Manzo tells the story. Though am aware of most of these stories, this is still captivating.Ramesh Lhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16637116464718087870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5100791158359408086.post-26388640566230962912015-12-28T00:40:07.865-08:002015-12-28T00:40:07.865-08:00Finished the Podcast a few weeks ago. It's som...Finished the Podcast a few weeks ago. It's some great stuff, learned a lot about the finer points of the story and what the characters were like. For instance, I always knew Abhimanyu broke the Chakravyuh formation and could not get out, but I knew nothing of Jarasand's gained ability from Shiva, the plan to trap him and separate him from the pandavas and the fact that Arjun was tricked into fighting the Trigartha's in a separate field. Great story, well narrated and I will sending the cows to you by mail. <br />budgetdslrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02963896643488789346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5100791158359408086.post-48023439554501736782015-11-29T22:14:10.214-08:002015-11-29T22:14:10.214-08:00I read your reply in your voice as I hear it in th...I read your reply in your voice as I hear it in the podcast. Great work Lawrence.<br />budgetdslrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02963896643488789346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5100791158359408086.post-68079039726663211792015-11-29T17:49:24.443-08:002015-11-29T17:49:24.443-08:00Yes, I've heard this story from other listener...Yes, I've heard this story from other listeners, but it is not in the written epic as I found it. The tale goes a little further in saying that the bones of his dead relatives were used to make the trick dice that Shakuni used in the big dice game. This would explain why he won every throw of the dice-- the epic never says that he cheated! Either it was magic, fate, or just bad luck!<br />Lawrence Manzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12849457241634723440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5100791158359408086.post-9956665541062124722015-11-29T04:52:31.758-08:002015-11-29T04:52:31.758-08:00Hey Man Lawrence.
This is some really good podca...Hey Man Lawrence. <br /><br />This is some really good podcasting, as I type this I'm only at Episode 21 so you may have covered what I'm about to point out in the other episodes. But, my mother had told me this story once of Shakuni's origins, it is one of the most powerful origin stories I have ever heard. <br /><br />It goes something like this: Shakuni and his entire family are imprisoned by Duryodhana for some reason (I can't remember why). In prison, each member of the family is fed 1 grain of rice a day, there are 24 or so members. The eldest of the family decides that though 1 grain is not enough for each person, all grains put together is sufficient for 1 man. And that 1 man is Shakuni because he is the youngest. <br /><br />Time passes and Shakuni is the only one left standing. He somehow gets out of prison and into Duryodhana's posse.... <br /><br />You ever encountered a story of this sort?budgetdslrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02963896643488789346noreply@blogger.com