tantamount:

equivalent in effect or value

tantamount:

equivalent in effect or value

Example sentences: Ramayana: Indrajita alleged that Vibhishana’s opposition to Ravana was tantamount to betrayal of Ravana.   Mahabharata: Duryodhana’s brazen attempt to arrest Krishna who had come as a peace envoy was tantamount to an act of war against the Pandavas.    Bhagavad-gita: Temptations are tantamount to attacks on our consciousness by the forces of illusion. 

fixate:

to become emotionally attached in an immature or pathological manner

Example sentences: Ramayana: Mandodari begged Ravana to stop being fixated on Sita: “Was getting her worth risking everything he had built throughout his life?”   Mahabharata: During the gambling match, Karna became so fixated on pleasing Duryodhana that he completely lost his moral compass and came up with the despicable idea to disrobe Draupadi.    Bhagavad-gita: As

skewer:

to ridicule or criticize harshly

Example sentences: Ramayana: When the demons started skewering Rama, calling a mere mortal and a penniless one at that, Hanuman decided to teach them a lesson by demonstrating the prowess of one servant of Rama.  Mahabharata: When Dhritarashtra tried to rationalize his passivity by attributing it to destiny, Vidura skewered him with one memorable line:

solidarity:

a consolidation or oneness of interests

Example sentences: Ramayana: On hearing about Ravana’s repeated atrocities from the earth, the celestials expressed their solidarity, and they unitedly prayed to Vishnu to descend and deliver them.   Mahabharata: The gambling match, in which Yudhisthira blundered egregiously, was the greatest test of solidarity for the Pandavas.   Bhagavad-gita: When Arjuna admits his inability to control the

cascade:

rush down rapidly or forcefully

Example sentences: Ramayana: Yudhishthira shook his head, unable to comprehend how events had cascaded from his sitting as the world emperor at the gambling table to his becoming a slave of the Kauravas  Mahabharata: Seeing the fallen Lakshmana, Rama bemoaned the adverse destiny because of which things had cascaded from his being enthroned to his

lackey:

a slavish follower

Example sentences: Ramayana: Vibhishana reminded Ravana that a king could easily get ministers who were lackeys, but rare was a minister who had the courage to speak essential truths when they were unpalatable.  Mahabharata: Though Duryodhana’s brothers were royalty in their own right, most of them acted throughout the Mahabharata as if they were his

feckless:

careless and irresponsible, feeble or ineffective

Example sentences: Ramayana: Though Kumbhakarna rebuked Ravana for his reckless abduction of Sita, he stopped short of calling his brother feckless — the king’s face needed to be saved.  Mahabharata: Duryodhana’s ill-advised attempt to humiliate the Pandavas, which had backfired badly with his being arrested by the Gandharvas, exposed him to be a feckless fool. 

pivotal:

being of vital or central importance; crucial

Example sentences: Ramayana: As secrecy was pivotal to Hanuman’s plan for finding Sita in Lanka, he waited till nightfall to have the cover of darkness.  Mahabharata: Duryodhana was shattered by Karna’s death because Karna had been pivotal in his plan to defeat the Pandavas. Bhagavad-gita: Bhakti is pivotal to the message of the Gita; those

excoriate:

to censure strongly; denounce

Example sentences:   Ramayana: Incensed on seeing his beloved Lanka up in flames, Ravana excoriated his followers for having let Hanuman slip away.  Mahabharata: Shocked on hearing Duryodhana’s scheme to arrest Krishna, Bhishma excoriated the prince for his viciousness and foolishness.  Bhagavad-gita: When Arjuna refused to fight, Krishna chose not to excoriate Arjuna for cowardice, but