Is it only me, or you also notify that there are striking ties in Mahabharata, Star Wars and Lord of the Rings (LOTR)? I noticed it ever since before, but last night’s re-run of “Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” in HBO made me more convinced that either Peter Jackson (Director of LOTR) was big fan of Star Wars, or both him and George Lucas were influenced by Mahabharata.
Well, probably the ties were only coincident, because it may only because I dig into those trilogies too much that make me have this line of thinking. I grew up reading R.A. Kosasih’s Mahabharata comics, and have been fan of Star Wars since 10 years old. I was late in adoring LOTR, but now always watch the three series every time HBO re-runs it without feeling bored.
Anyway, let’s cut to the chase. Some interesting ties between them:
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All have similar big plot. It started with a group of “heroes” who was in control of a kingdom/country. These heroes then would be ousted by their “foes”, and at the end of trilogy, these heroes will then resume their position. In Mahabharata, it is Pandawa who finally defeated Kurawa to regain their supremacy in Astina. In Star Wars, it is the “Jedi” who were sidelined by “Imperial Forces”, but then finally took command of the “Republic”/ And finally, LOTR has “Aragorn”, the king of “Man”, who finally re-crowned as the “King” after defeated Sauron in the Battle of Middle Earth.
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All have colossal “Big Wars” that involve clone-alike soldiers. Mahabharata and its Bharatayudha, with the clone-soldiers of “Kurawa”. Star Wars in “Clone Wars” with Storm Troopers, and LOTR with Saruman’s Orcs in “Battle of Middle Earth”
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The “hero” has his “spiritual teacher” on his side. Remember Luke Skywalker scene of “Jedi Training” with Yoda in “Return of the Jedi”? Don’t you feel the similarities of that scene with “spiritual moment” Arjuna had with Kresna in “Bhagawadgita”? In a not-so-similar scene, Aragon and Frodo in LOTR also have Gandalf as their spiritual teacher.
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It may not involve Mahabharata. But the actor who played as “Saruman” in LOTR, is actually who played as “Count Dukou” in Star Wars: Phantom Menace. More interestingly, both Saruman and Count Dukou initiated the make of clone soldiers!
There are some more, I reckon. Let me try to remember those first. Anyway, you are free to put your comments as well if you find any! May the force be with you!
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Well I am very late….
but hey…..a thousand times YES, i just ‘googled’ the question and reached your post.
Gandalf was a spitiritual, magic-knowing mystic, gathering herbs and moving here and there bridging the gaps between parties….same as Lord Krishna. Next, In a scene in the third movie where the orcs arer trying to demolish the gate of minas tirith, while talking to peregrin ‘Took’ Gandalf reveals – “Oh…the journey does not end here, death is only the begining of another great journey’, and so on…… is’nt this the exact reference to the cycle of life and death and the doctrine of bhagwat gita in mahabarata…..yes – it is, without any doubt!!
Another one – the whole concept of frodo going to toss the ring in the fire is exactly what ‘dharma’ says you to do with life…karma. Otherwise what good would it serve to him who can get nothing good out of the mere ring. But since he has himself ‘…chosen this path’ therefore it is his duty to complete the task that was assigned to him…the traces of karma are not explicitly mentioned but nevertheless for one(like me) having seen the movie 4-5 times it’s enough to grasp the basic idea of karma being mentioned throughout the whole movie. The desires are the causes of miseries according to bhagwat gita and here the desire is the RING. If you desire the ring you can do nothing good with it. Instead when you give up the desire for power – the ring and the task is ‘done’ one can feel the real joy is in accomplishment not enjoyment 🙂
Maybe there’s more or none at all, but one thing is for sure….every epic has an inspiration….like according to me, even Harry potter is inspired from the Lord of the Rings – e.g. the magic mirror, Gandalf & Dumbledore, good vs bad, harry & frodo, Voldemort – a villian identical to Sauron rising slowly n slowly from the ashes to avenge their sudden demise etc etc……cheers!!
Hey man, thanks for your comment. I guess you’re as “passionate” as me into this (probably more). I agree that every epic has inspiration, and given its history and legacy, that’s why I really look up to Mahabharata as a source of epic story.
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