3 Review(s)

The third instalment of Rupas 12-book Mahabharata series, this volume narrates brilliantly the life of the Pandavas in exile in the forest and their ajnatavasa, living incognito, (and much more). Meteors rain down in torrents and a deep gloom falls everywhere. Birds fly about in alarm and great trees tremble. From the thunderous sound the Kurus know that it is Arjunas hands that drew the string of that best of bows. The Mahabharata of Veda Vyasa is the longest recorded epic of the world. With almost 100,000 verses, it is many times as long as the Iliad and the Odyssey combined and has deeply influenced every aspect of the Indian ethos for some 4,000 years. The Mahabharata embodies the ancient and sacred Indian tradition, in all its earthy and spiritual immensity. Many believe this most magnificent epic to be the greatest story ever told. Yet, the only full Indian translation of the Mahabharata into English is the 19th century one by Kisari Mohan Ganguli. More than a hundred years have passed since Ganguli accomplished his task, and the language he used is now, sadly, archaic. This new 12-volume series retells the great epic, line by line, in fresh, easily readable English prose. With it, we hope to bring the Mahabharata alive again, for the contemporary and future reader. About the Author Jayashree Kumar lives in Kodaikanal, which she and her husband made their home in 1986. She has been a teacher and is now a freelance editor with a passion for reading, knitting and book binding. Katya Osborne grew up in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu. She is the daughter of Arthur Osborne who wrote Ramana Maharshi and the Path of Self-knowledge. Ramesh Menon was born in 1951 in New Delhi. He has also written modern renderings of the Mahabharata, Ramayana, Srimad Bhagavad Gita, Siva Purana, Devi Purana and Bhagavata Purana.