The Mahabharata: A Modern Rendering, Vol 2

The Mahabharata: A Modern Rendering #2

by Ramesh Menon

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 far and away the greatest recorded epic known to man.The Mahabharata is the very Book of 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 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 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.

Genres: Mythology, Religion, Spirituality, Hinduism, Classics, Epic, India

598 pages, Paperback

First published July 19, 2006

Reviews

[Vinod · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a kid hearing these stories I guess I never really put that much thought into the character of Karna. He was on the losing side of the grand battle, and the comic book versions that I read seemed to focus more on his arrogance. But this version of the story opened up my eyes to what a grandly tragic figure Karna really is, and it was his struggle with fate that was my favorite part of this half of the Mahabharata (his beheading is easily the best death this side of Bhisma). I guess I never really thought much of the fact that Karna was Kunti's oldest son as well as being the best archer on earth. I think it is much to the credit of this story that the good-guys and bad-guys aren't drawn with hard outlines, that fate can lead the one who, by personal qualities should be the one to rule, to be the one who stands by the demon-prince to the bitter end. It was also fun just getting swept up in the blood and gore of these epic battles, the inhumanly precise arrows, rivers of blood, and one man against an army battles that super-weapon astras allow a story. This half also seemed to be about grand deaths, and those of Karna, Abhimanyu, Gatotkacha, Bhisma, the end of Krishna and the Yadavas, as well as the tumble off the mountains of the Pandavas certainly did not disappoint. (also Menon's footnote indicates that Bhisma's teachings from his death bed of arrows run some 900 pages in translation! I gotta see what's in there...)

I also didn't consider as a child that this battle is supposed to signify the end of a yuga, that this story begins the kali yuga. It was illuminating to see the battle as a slip into adharma, as both armies begin to use increasingly dishonorable tactics to achieve their ends. I enjoyed how the grayness of dharma is explored in this story, of course in the Gita, but in the story as a whole as well. Dharma is the goal of all, but it is never easy to determine and this story doesn't shy away from that fact, again and again, it is each character's own passions that must be confronted as well as the opposing army, to find the clear path to right-action. Experiencing this story again makes me glad these stories are in my bloodstream, though a bit sad that it isn't widely read in this part of the world. I am interested to explore how it has pervaded the rest of South East Asia though...

[David]

Verdensbiblioteket 2.2/100.

Ibland är folk så här "aaah men liksom man levde mycket närmare döden förr i tiden så det var liksom inte en lika stor grej när ens barn dog eller så för man var liksom van vid det". Och det kanske är sant och så (jag är ingen antropolog) men jag kan inte låta bli att känna att till exempel reaktionerna kring Abhimanyus död, som skrevs av människor som levde för tretusen år sedan, går att känna igen sig för människor som lever i dag och förlorar människor de älskar i krig.

Dödsscenerna är överlag bokens höjdpunkter tycker jag. Förutom Abhimanyus även Bheeshmas och Karnas, de är alla extremt starka. Mellan höjdpunkterna är det tyvärr ....... lite tråkigt, för det mesta. Det är sida på sida på sida om dueller mellan karaktärer jag antingen har glömt eller inte introducerats för innan (och oavsett vilket inte bryr mig särskilt mycket om). Det är också svårt att släppa känslan av allting känns väldigt … anime? Jag vet inte ens riktigt vad jag menar med det, men det är det bästa sättet jag kan beskriva känslan på. Och det är väl inte ens nödvändigtvis något dåligt men jag vet inte, det gör inte riktigt något för mig. Jaja.

Trots mitt gnäll så var det en stor upplevelse att läsa den här boken (båda delarna). En del av mig kan inte låta bli att bli sugen på att ge en oavkortad översättning ett försök, men det blir inte än på ett tag.

[Wombat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unbelievable
This shows the Pandava and Kaurava families building a tension to an unbelievable edge - and the incredible 18 day war where everything comes to a head.

I love how all the characters are nuanced, and it is very easy to see everyone's point of view. More importantly for me, this is not at all obvious: there are a bunch of twists in the plot that keep the surprises coming.

Karna (the tragic archer) is my favourite - and possibly one of the most torn characters in the book.

If you get the chance, read this epic story - well worth it.

[Kshitiz Gautam · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, I was fascinated by the scale of this epic. It nicely articulates the philosophies in Hinduism with the combination of history and mythology. What I liked about this rendering is the fact that it is fast paced and once you start reading you tend to get hooked to the book.

I had the basic idea of the story of Mahabharata from the TV show which I had watched as a kid. I kind of knew that it was the story about the good vs. evil; and in the end good prevailing against the evil. But after going through the book, I came to know it is not just about that. It is about sticking with your dharma (what you are ought to do) and serving the Karma (fate). Similarly, it is story about greed and pride as well as attachment and detachment. Also, it is about that constant tussle between bana (forest) and bhumi (land, wealth); forest being the place of learning, evolving and detachment while land being the place of property, greed and attachment. Every character in the story is not hundred percent right or wrong. The story articulates that the war was inevitable and the duty of every character was to stick to their Dharma and participate in it.

So, I highly recommend reading this book for understanding Hindu philosophies more intricately ;and of course just for admiring the vision of the Vyas Rishi for creating an epic like this. I bet if you mull over, you would find that it is still relevant in the age you are living.

[Jawahar Surti · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a more condensed version of the original epic. Yet not that condensed. It covers the epic in 2 large volumes. There's a Ganguly version too. But I plan to read the more elaborate Bibek Debroy version (10 volumes next - after a break).
Ramesh Menon makes it interesting telling it in a story form without missing much. Recommended.

[Satya · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bolt of lightning streaked through my heart as the unearthly steeds bolted forward when the rutilant Krishna flicked the reins of his chariot while the lion-tailed monkey, Hanuman, emblazoned alive on its banner and the lambent Arjuna standing like a colossus with his Gandiva gifted by the God of Fire clasped in his hand.  A spasm of a joy twitched my eyes as the Nara Narayana surge toward the phalanx lead by the eighth Vasu, Bheeshma, to face the most contemptuous creature on the earth then, Duryodhana; albeit, there are worse men than Duryodhana in this world of us today, in different shades?  As I previously mentioned [Vol. 1], it is excruciating to write a review on a book that dictates the very nature of mortal beings. Mahabharata is a portal to unborn generations in which Krishna spilled his words at the crossroads of the mythic universe.  The sluice gates of my heart were flung open as the scintillating river of holy light flowed from Krishna through my aorta.  The book is so opalescently flushed with poetic illustrations that it begs a question:  Did Vyasa reincarnate in Ramesh Menon's body, or is the latter possessed by the former to carry out this narration of Mahabharata to blokes of the 21st century?  Although nothing can be said with certainty in this fleeting world, I  say with as much certainty as the sun rises in the east that this book blesses the reader with an infinite bliss as the latter gets carried on the smooth undulating wave of this epic. Not a night passed without reading this book ever since I picked it u; there came a situation where I suffered from abibliophobia as I indulgently read this magnum opus.  Therefore, I tried to eke out the book until today! [You might want to read my review of Vol. 1]

[Michael Blackmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I've been reading the Mahabharata for a while now between this and the first volume so it is has been quite a journey - but so worthwhile.

There were actually quite a few unexpected twists and turns toward the end. And most surprisingly follow things through to the end, well beyond you'd expect such writing to actually do.

I will definitely look forward to reading it again - just not quite yet. Need a break for a bit.

Very readable translation that brings it to life pretty well.

Definitely recommended.

[Masen Production]

“"Mahabharata Vol II Read this to understand that beyond the Pandavas & Kauravas there existed a far more complex situation waiting for this long drawn battle to occur. Ramesh Menon has simplified the complex reading in a story format for all to understand clearly the nuances for existence of each character. ”

[Priyanka Tandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very well written version of Mahabharata.... This part starts with the Gita, simplified for the reader.... Author has simplified the whole of mahabharata but kept the essence and all the important as well as popular stories intact....

[Zirlygita · Rating 3 out of 5]

kayaknya ni buku seru deh, jadi pin cari bukunya, belum punya nih
ada yang mau pinjemin ? ngasih juga ngga nolak, kok !!

[Abhishek Iyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best description of the war and the characters. Only Vyasa's Sanskrit rendition can be better!

[Leela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps the best story ever told...

[Jasjit Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

FANTASTIC

[Nayan Patel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took me quite some time to finish this one but still a classic

[Piyush · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best renditions of the timeless epic that I have read. Highly recommended.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This second book seemed to go a bit slower for me, I took it in sips while reading several other books, but it was well worth finishing. Thanks Ramesh Menon for deciding which parts of the story to lope off. Notices in some places he mentioned were near a thousand pages at one point and some many hundred in another and likely smaller parts were snipped out as well and that just for this second volume.

As part of reading part one I was also reading a wonderful coffee book version of the tale, it self 501 pages long, that had differing source for the Mahabharata than Menon used. Doing so I was quite satisfied that I was not being led astray as the stories fairly well matched and mostly in the same order though not always. (That was the DK "Illustrated Mahabharata, The Definitive Guide to India's Greatest Epic" by Pattanaik and Debroy). For part II of this book I laid that aside and will get to at another time. It will make for a great refresher.

I also read "India: The Ancient Past" by Burjor Avari, a wonderful book, hoping to get a better understanding of where to place the Mahabharata in his history but things remain as said, and dates very much remain hard to pin down. Another large book I managed while finishing this second book was "Kautilya, The Arthashastra" by L.N. Rangarajan which I well imagine in part is of what Bheeshema, as he lay dying, related to Yudhishtira on how to be a good king and run a proper kingdom. The dates on that book are also much in debate but it's clear that ancient Indian Science of Arthashastra goes farther back than the Mahabharata itself given what Menon left us.

This version that Menon gives us seemed pleasantly rushed at the end but for that I find no fault given all that came before, while many a loose end gets nicely tied up and its a good space were given to reflect our on our thoughts while we still had the book in hand.

As I continue to read other books from Ancient history and compare them to today, it becomes easy to understand how advanced that civilization was then and how many aspects of that story continue to play out today as they have countless times in world history, this still being the Kali Yuga and we with still just one foot into it.

Although the story is loaded with things to know and reflect on the biggest take aways for me were Dharma and Adharma, Rishi Markandeya's prophecies and the Kurukshetra War itself.

[ThymeOperator · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is part 2 - I gushed and gushed about part 1, but part 2 is even better. When the war happens...it really happens. It's brutal and seems to go on forever, yet there's never a dull moment.

For me, what makes this book is Karna. And Duryodhana. I understand why Duryodhana hated the Pandavas. They weren't even Kuru blood. They shouldn't have been heirs. Krishna cheated left, right and centre. The Bhagavad-Gita takes on a whole different meaning when you read it in context. It's actually a little disturbing in its manipulation of Arjuna!

But yes, Karna. I was honestly in floods of tears - I mean, I was properly weeping - for A HALF AN HOUR...while reading. Every line I read, it hurt more. Because of how everything happened.

What blew me away, too, was the degree of foreshadowing in this book. Bear in mind how old it is, and that it was passed down by oral tradition, in verse form. And it's LONG - they say it's the longest story ever written, that we know of. Yet there were so many little details from book 1 that found their way into book 2 and had epic repercussions.

I also wondered how on Earth you could wrap up such a story. Well, the ending turned out to be incredible. Absolutely incredible.

I loved this book from top to bottom and already want to read it again.

[Rishabh Bhardwaj · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Continued from my review of Volume 1]

The first 150 pages of the second volume are by the most enjoyable throughout the book - it’s the discussion, opinions, point of views shown by each person about whether or not there should be war. Unlike Dharma, The War is that central tangible part of the story that each character shows through their own point of view.
I also really enjoyed Bheeshma’s extensive Guide to being a King - more than Krishna’s Gita. Bheeshma's was a practical guide, Krishna's based more on faith. You can't have one without the other though.
I didn't particularly enjoy the elaborate description of the war described day-by-day, because I was again looking at it from a "what can I learn from this" point of view. Instead, when I viewed it as a part of a grand story that was predominantly a story around the War, I see that as necessary.

Reading both volumes was a massive project. It took my 3 months in total, but I'm very happy I did. Thank you to the author for retelling the epic for people of the 21st century!

[Sunethra · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are entirely too many sections that are simply too verbose and just not engaging. The author tends to overuse obscure flowery language that doesn't serve any purpose and this makes for less pleasurable or impactful reading than it could have been otherwise.

The 18 day war description more than makes up for this however and how it does! Extremely vivid and gut churning. Every day is described in its breathtaking horror and majesty as if the author were narrating it deep from the bowels of war as if it were happening in the now. I was utterly engrossed and transported to an era out of time. Not something I thought I'd ever say about a bloody gory (mostly mythical or slightly historical) war.

I've read/heard other versions of this grand epic but this is a poetic, sublime and essentially (mostly!) faithful version for those of us who can't access it in the original Sanskrit and it's nuances.

[Sandhya · Rating 5 out of 5]

okay like. I don't even remember what the last version of the Mahabharata I read was but it was nowhere NEAR as good as this one. the story was always good but in this version I felt every single emotion there is to feel. the moment when Krishna gives the Gita to Arjuna is so incredibly powerful...I never understood why until reading this version of the story. also the attention given to Duryodhana and Karna's relationship!! humanizes Duryodhana so much more and makes us really feel the tragedy of Karna's life. I cried at the end and I really did not expect to. this is literally one of the greatest pieces of literature ever composed. I still don't understand what the point of Nakula and Sahadeva is. and every single woman in this is awful except maybe Kunti. but whatever.

(apologies to everyone who remembers my abrahamic religions phase because I have in fact entered a Hinduism phase)

[jhst kmil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phew. The last few chapters made up for the slow and repetitive bulk of the two books. Mostly because the ending of The Epic was the only thing I didn't already know. Also, going to Swarga upon finishing the books is nice.

[Natalie Pxdb]

Seriously violent and somewhat unsettling. Interesting look into Hindu belief systems that also mirror Christianity somewhat. Its dramatic and graphic descriptions of battle scenes are a glimpse into the Indian aesthetic.

[Anoop Chacko Samuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best rendering

I liked the book and more importantly the language was easy to understand and kept me hooked till the end.

[Jarkko · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second part was very different from the first, but to finish the story it was necessary to wade through this second volume. The book was mostly about the war at the end of an era: hundreds of pages of depiction of fighting. Mostly not that interesting at all to read who beats whom and what kind of chariot some never-before-and-never-again-mentioned character has - and this is the vastly shortened version. I dread of the full-length story. But at least I can now understand the references to the Mahabharata in modern Indian literature. And even if the second volume was somewhat of a letdown, the story itself is great.

[Sydra Mallery]

Every story in the world is in this book. What you are doing right now is in this book. This book is everything.