THE MAHABHARATA: A Modern Rendering, Vol 1, Volume 1

Name: THE MAHABHARATA: A Modern Rendering, Vol 1, Volume 1
Rating: 4.4285712242126465 (28 reviews)

Ramesh Menon

Jul 2006 · iUniverse

4.4

28 reviews

Ebook

732

Pages

Ratings and reviews aren’t verified Learn More

About this ebook

The Mahabharata is the more recent of India's two great epics, and by far the longer. First composed by the Maharishi Vyasa in verse, it has come down the centuries in the timeless oral tradition of guru and sishya, profoundly influencing the history, culture, and art of not only the Indian subcontinent but most of south-east Asia. At 100,000 couplets, it is seven times as long as the Iliad and the Odyssey combined: far and away the greatest recorded epic known to man.

The Mahabharata is the very Book of Life: in its variety, majesty and, also, in its violence and tragedy. It has been said that nothing exists that cannot be found within the pages of this awesome legend. The epic describes a great war of some 5000 years ago, and the events that led to it. The war on Kurukshetra sees ten million warriors slain, brings the dwapara yuga to an end, and ushers in a new and sinister age: this present kali yuga, modern times.

At the heart of the Mahabharata nestles the Bhagavad Gita, the Song of God. Senayor ubhayor madhye, between two teeming armies, Krishna expounds the eternal dharma to his warrior of light, Arjuna. At one level, all the restless action of the Mahabharata is a quest for the Gita and its sacred stillness. After the carnage, it is the Gita that survives, immortal lotus floating upon the dark waters of desolation: the final secret!

With its magnificent cast of characters, human, demonic, and divine, and its riveting narrative, the Mahabharata continues to enchant readers and scholars the world over. This new rendering brings the epic to the contemporary reader in sparkling modern prose. It brings alive all the excitement, magic, and grandeur of the original-for our times.

Ratings and reviews

4.4

28 reviews

arun212121

November 20, 2014

A sentence from this book goes like this. The context being Pandavas are leaving for Draupadi's Swayamvara, who they have already been told is destined to marry Arjuna "Yudhishtira knew she was meant for his brother Arjuna, but he could not get her out of his mind; and Yudhishtira's thoughts of Draupadi was not chaste at all" This cannot be a devotional read. On the pretext of a modern rendering, the characters have been brought down to the level of someone that today's man would relate himself to. I might as well read a Sidney Sheldon. Of course for the people who say even Mahabharatha had grey characters, I agree of course, but certain vices were beyond certain people in Mahabharatha which is why they are so revered. Atleast my objective in reading this was to read the story for the spiritually lofty characters that stood the most daunting tests of character a human being could face and came through successfully and then try to imbibe atleast 1% from that in my life. This book does not serve that objective. Of course if your objective is just to read some interesting fiction and also get to be briefed about Mahabharatha on the way, this book might serve your needs.

4 people found this review helpful

A Google user

Varanavatha. He also says that Kunti invited the Tribal woman and her five sons for a feast on the night when the Lac Palace was burnt by the Pandavas. The original Mahabharatha in Sanskrit says that Kunti arranged a feast for some Barhmins on that night when by chance the Tribal woman and her five sons went for the feast. The Brahmins left after the feast but the Tribal woman and her sons longered, got drunk and fell asleep. It was then that the Lac palace was burnt by the Pandavas which gave the impression that Kunti and her five sons perished in the fire. I dot not understand why Mr.Menon should distort the story and make it a modern rendering.

A Google user

I never read, though I always want to. The Mahabharata is not a new story to anyone who has lived in India, its integral to our culture. I have to say this is my first time reading it though. But when I started reading, I was overwhelmed by the greatness of the story. No story sounds good without a good story teller. Re-writing this great epic, is no easy task, and Ramesh Menon has done it with grandeur. PS: I urge Google to move 'The Mahabharata' from the Fiction category and place it in its appropriate category, its an Epic.

About the author

Ramesh Menon was born in 1951 in New Delhi. He has lived and worked in Delhi, Hong Kong, Bangalore, and Jakarta, and now lives in Kodaikanal. He is also the author of The Ramayana, A Modern Retelling of the Great Indian Epic (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2003).

Rate this ebook

Tell us what you think.

Reading information

Smartphones and tablets

Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.

Laptops and computers

You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.

eReaders and other devices

To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.

Report illegal content