Comparative analysis of Sohrab in Shahnameh with Babhuvahana in Mahabharata

Sohrab, one of the mythological characters in Persian national epic, Shahnameh is similar in many respects to Babhruvahana, the epic character in Indian epic, Mahabharata.  Their similarities and differences lend themselves to examination in many respects.  The common origin of their names, their lineage, identical destiny, the parents’ marriage story with the exact details, residence of both at their mothers side, and far from the father, the role of the spectacular horse in the progression of the tale, confrontation with the father in battle field after many years, the impact of supernatural forces in the tale, one of the opponents getting killed in the battle ground and the attempt made for acquiring the elixir are among the most remarkable common grounds between these two characters.  Nevertheless accurate examination of their life histories make us understand also significant differences between the two characters that inevitably  lead to entirely different fates and hence the course of the tales take diverse turns.   Using comparative analysis approach, the purpose of this article is to study the significant similarities and differences between the two characters.