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Not Your Mother's Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is this epic Indian work that encapsulates a great deal of Indian Mythology. It is a magnificent story that is constantly being rewritten and retold since its inception that was somewhere between 3000 BC and 1500 BCE
‘Not Your Mother’s Mahabharata with SP Jayaraj’ is a podcast where S.P. Jayaraj tell the story conversationally to his wife Azure Anderson and to friends, most of whom have never heard of the tale. Listeners familiar and unfamiliar with the epic are treated to their entertainingly honest first reactions.
Doing it conversationally as opposed to it being a straight up reading allows there to be variations in the story and the chance to pick apart some of the ideas about life that the Mahabharat brings to the forefront.
This podcast’s goal is to make this great work accessible, and entertaining to an adult audience. Come in expecting some laughs, some pop culture tangents, and some adult language.
This is a labor of devotion to the Mahabharat quite unlike any other you might come across.
Episodes
59 episodes
NYMM 51: The Foot Bone is Connected to the Neck, Rib and Arm Bone?! Well it is Now!
Alyssa Costopoulos returns for a tale of a chauvinist army general picking on the wrong woman, despite some very STRONG evidence that they shouldn't. They're just not the smartest breed.All is going well for the Pandavas and Draupadi whi...
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NYMM 50: I'll Take your Shiny Skin and Earrings Please.
Christine Mounts joins us for... a Karna mid-redemption story?Every day, after his morning prayers to the Sun god Surya (also his dad though he doesn't know it,) Karna will give anything asked of him to brahmanas. Knowing his intentions ...
NYMM 49: Paper Thin Disguises Blessed by Gods.
Beth Beaty joins us as the Pandavas transition from living in the forests to living in hiding back in civilization. If they are discovered, it's another long twelve years to thirteen exile extension. Our heroes take ordinary jobs tha...
NYMM 48: Riddle Me This, Cause your Lives Depend On it!
Marjorie Hakala joins us for the finale to Adi Parva (the book of the forest)The Pandavas are just about done with their twelve years in the forest, but poor big brother Yudhishthira has not been doing as well as he's claimed. Though the...
NYMM 47: The Hangry Sage and Loathsome Brother-in-Law.
The Pandavas are almost done with year 12 of living in exile, but there are still a couple more attempts to knock them down a peg or two.First Duryhodana tries to have a sage arrive at the Pandavas abode at the worst time to get them cur...
NYMM 46: You Don't Get To Kill Your Enemies When You're Dead
We start off season four by getting right neighborly with Taylor Olesen.After some catch up and necessary banter about what it's been like living in the Twin Cities these past months, we get back to Duryodhan's journey after he has been ...
RE-RELEASE: NYMM 37: Two Lovers and a Talking Swan: The Pandavas without Arjuna Part 1
Hello friends! We're just getting back from our long trip to India. While we work on some brand new material for you all, we thought we'd return to a love story from a few episodes back. You know, because it's close to Valentine's Day and all.&...
RE-RELEASE: NYMM 20: A Boar, a Lionman, and a Dwarf walk into a story. Krishna Chronicles 4.5
RE-RELEASE (2/3/26)We continue our Krishna Chronicles with Jenny McDougal by telling her about three more avatars of Vishnu.Jenny and Azure try to guess the only animal form that can take on the first invincible demon. We imagine the...
RE-RELEASE: NYMM 19: Krishna returns to Mathura: Krishna Chronicles 4
RE-RELEASE (1/20/26)Jenny McDougal joins us for part 4 of the Krishna Chronicles.Krishn'a destiny to deal with his tyrannical uncle Kamsa comes a calling. We tell the story of Krishna and Balarama leaving their old cow herdi...
NYMM 45: The Finest Humiliation
Satish tells Azure and only Azure, (not counting all our fabulous listeners), a satisfying chapter of the battle between the Kauravas and the Pandavas for our season 3 finale. Someone has been spying on the Pandavas, except their lo...
RE-RELEASE: NYMM 15: The Fire Born Woman Burning Every Man's Loins.
RE-RELEASEToday we were happy to have two guests with us! Mystery author Mindy Mejia and our other good friend, clay artist and yoga teacher Jenna Jo Bodling!Satish really wanted an extra lady at the podcast table to introduce everyo...
NYMM 44: The Six Headed God and Three Flying Fortresses
We dive right in with fellow myth lover, storyteller, and entertainer, Matt Kessan, also known as Reverend Matt from Reverend Matt's Monster Science.First, Shiva finds new love that is also old love, which excites the gods who are desper...
NYMM 43: A Cosmic Soap Opera. Featuring Shiva and Parvati
We meet Aaron King, RPG Game designer and Co host of the Podcast RTFM (Read The F****** Manual), and tell him some of the origin stories that the immortal sixteen year old sage Markandaya tells the Pandavas.We revisit the origin of Vishn...
NYMM 42: "I've got it! We should be ruled by a mortal!" Said the guru of the gods...
The Pandavas are reunited and have decided it's time to face reality, leave the Himalayan sanctuary, and show their enemies the Kauravas that they are still around. However, there are still some adventures to be had and stories to hear before t...
NYMM 41: Pumpkin kiddos, Bad Behavior, and Ganges Plumets to Earth
After the Rishi Agastya swallowed the entire ocean in our last episode, we continue the story from long ago, ignoring that the earth is somehow surviving without most of its water- because we simply don't have the answers.We joyfully wel...
NYMM 40: Seriously Strange Stories of the Rishi Agastya
We welcome back Evan Kingston to tell him some of the strangest stories yet- and that really is saying something! We meet the great and powerful rishi Agastya whose mightiest power is...digestion??From his own birth, to the creation of h...
NYMM 39: Adventures in Flower Picking: The Pandavas Without Arjuna Part 3
While waiting for the arrival of their brother Arjuna, Bheema and Draupadi discover that the flowers of the heavens have found their way to the Himalayas. Bheema decides to find more for Draupadi, but comes across some demons (as he often does)...
NYMM 38: We're off to see Bodies of Water: The Pandavas Without Arjuna Part 2
The four Pandavas and Draupadi are missing Arjuna, but the time has come to take the extended long route to the Himalayas where Arjuna will join them, but not before doing as Arjuna did a while ago by visiting the holy water sites.Creati...
NYMM 37: Two Lovers and a Talking Swan: The Pandavas without Arjuna Part 1
Yudhishthira is still lamenting over his gambling addiction. Luckily the visiting sage Brihadashva brings some hope to the eldest Pandava by telling him the tale of Nala And Damayanti.Our friend Andy Caranicas joins us to hear the wondro...
NYMM 36: 30,000 Demons Under the Sea: Arjuna's Mission Part 3
Arjuna has learnt warfare from some of the best of the best, and has been god -given some the most terrifying weapons ever to exist for the future Kurukshetra war. Time for a test run...? Lindsay Ohse joins us for this epic ou...
NYMM 35: Heavenly Rewards. Arjuna's Mission: Part 2
The Himalayas were great, but not high enough for Arjuna.We welcome our friend Laura Tanner to tell her the continuation of Arjuna's bold adventure to another realm- some would argue the 'best' realm. Arjuna'a father Indra once again inv...
NYMM 34: Himalayan Hijinks. Arjuna's Mission: Part 1
We are thrilled to welcome Erika Gesme to the podcast to begin the tale of Arjuna's solo adventure.All the Pandavas and Draupadi have come to accept their exile, but they also accept that once they return from it, they will not be given ...
NYMM 33: Special Guest Shambhu Nath Explains What It All Means.
For this very special episode of Not Your Mother's Mahabharata the tables are turned.Satish joins Azure on the listening side of the recording studio to hear from Shambhu Nath. Shambhu shares his own journey with the Mahabharata on how i...
NYMM 32: Humiliation, Wisdom, and Getting off your Ass. First Years of Exile: Part 2
Satish tells Azure the story of how the Pandavas and Draupadi are doing as we continue seeing how they handle being exiled.The Pandavas are visited by the 16 year old Immortal Markandeya, and of course we can't go further without learnin...
NYMM 31: The Joyless Jungle. First Years of Exile: Part 1
Our Season 3 begins with Book 3 of the Mahabharata, Vana Parva, - AKA the Book of the ForestWe welcome Ben Kopnick to tell him how the Pandavas are dealing with being exiled following Yudhishthira's failure. Spoiler- not well. Yudhishthi...