Cogent Arts and Humanities· 2026Q2
Ascent of the mountain – is there always a spiritual closure?
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- Q2SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
Analyzing the Mahābhārata and Divakaruni's The Palace of Illusions via Wild Systems Theory reveals mountain ascent as an embodied experience tied to relational understanding, not absolute spiritual transcendence or a solely feminist site.
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Key points
- Mountain ascent in the Mahābhārata and The Palace of Illusions is analyzed using Wild Systems Theory.
- Ascent is framed as embodiment of context, not absolute transcendence or a purely feminist site.
- Spiritual evolution is linked to understanding self within nested systems, with compassion as a key expression.
- Both narratives de-emphasize final spiritual attainment (moksha) in favor of an ongoing, embodied process.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
This paper examines mountain ascent in the Hindu epic, the Mahābhārata and its mythic-feminist retelling by Divakaruni, The Palace of Illusions. The analysis uses Wild Systems Theory (WST) to investigate how each text explores ascent as embodiment of context rather than absolute transcendence or a feminist site. The paper argues that while the epic presents the ascent of the Mount Meru as the culmination of dharma, such representations can turn the spiritual journey into a site of moral judgment if not investigated in a systemic manner. It further contends that though the feminist adaptation conceives the ascent through Draupadi’s memories, yet, to read the text solely as a feminist revision of the epic is to remain confined within a traditional-feminist dichotomy that would limit its interpretive possibility. The study demonstrates that spiritual evolution during the ascent in both texts is closely linked to the understanding of self within nested systems, with compassion emerging as a significant expression of relational being. Besides, both narratives decentre the final attainment of moksha at the summit, foregrounding spirituality as an ongoing process of embodied aboutness.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Cogent Arts and Humanities, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Religious studies
Religious studiesArts and Humanities