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The Mahabharata
Intended to be a treatise on life itself, this epic poem embraces religion and ethics, polity and government, philosophy and the pursuit of salvation. This collection of more than 4,000 verses is supplemented by a glossary, genealogical tables, and an index correlating the verses with the original Sanskrit text.
254 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1965
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
November 16, 2025
Oh. My. God.
August 27, 2008
The Bhagavad Gita is just a small aside in this epic, sprawling tale. Let me steal a snippet from Wikipedia : "With more than 74,000 verses, long prose passages, and about 1.8 million words in total, the Mahābhārata is one of the longest epic poems in the world. Including the Harivaṃśa, the Mahabharata has a total length of more than 90,000 verses.
It is of immense importance to the culture in the Indian subcontinent, and is a major text of Hinduism. Its discussion of human goals (artha or purpose, kāma or pleasure, dharma or duty, and moksha or liberation) takes place in a long-standing tradition, attempting to explain the relationship of the individual to society and the world (the nature of the 'Self') and the workings of karma."
The version I read only had 4,000 verses translated into English. It was like taking Iliad and the Odyssey, throw in some great tragic plays, and add a good chunk of "The Tale of Genji" and then add the uniqueness of India. And that is just from the part I read!
I enjoyed how the heroes, the 5 Pandava brothers, were flawed. Not broken, just imperfect. One liked gambling, for example, to the point where they lost their kingdom and wealth. Twice!
One thing that stuck me was how it was a good vs evil battle, there where heroes on both sides and since they family, they evinced concern for the other side, since they were family. Krishna even went to try to convince the other side, the Kauravas, to stop going down the path to war, in vain.
I found it to be a fun and interesting read. More so since we are engaging more with people from India at work.
It is of immense importance to the culture in the Indian subcontinent, and is a major text of Hinduism. Its discussion of human goals (artha or purpose, kāma or pleasure, dharma or duty, and moksha or liberation) takes place in a long-standing tradition, attempting to explain the relationship of the individual to society and the world (the nature of the 'Self') and the workings of karma."
The version I read only had 4,000 verses translated into English. It was like taking Iliad and the Odyssey, throw in some great tragic plays, and add a good chunk of "The Tale of Genji" and then add the uniqueness of India. And that is just from the part I read!
I enjoyed how the heroes, the 5 Pandava brothers, were flawed. Not broken, just imperfect. One liked gambling, for example, to the point where they lost their kingdom and wealth. Twice!
One thing that stuck me was how it was a good vs evil battle, there where heroes on both sides and since they family, they evinced concern for the other side, since they were family. Krishna even went to try to convince the other side, the Kauravas, to stop going down the path to war, in vain.
I found it to be a fun and interesting read. More so since we are engaging more with people from India at work.
July 31, 2017
This is a really good abridged translation, giving the major plot points in an 18 book epic, while completely cutting out books like Gita. It is a great introduction to the Indian epic for any student or curious reader.
The Mahabharata tells the epic story of the last of a nobel line, the end of en epoch, an entire class, way of life, and a royal line. Five princes engage in warfare against their cousins over who will be kings over their inheritance. During these tricks and trials the Pandavas explore philosophical and spiritual ideas and problems facing man. This is the epic of religion, as well as of human character and spiritual development.
The Mahabharata tells the epic story of the last of a nobel line, the end of en epoch, an entire class, way of life, and a royal line. Five princes engage in warfare against their cousins over who will be kings over their inheritance. During these tricks and trials the Pandavas explore philosophical and spiritual ideas and problems facing man. This is the epic of religion, as well as of human character and spiritual development.
October 2, 2019
"Shorn of anger and jealousy, and purged of every sin, the heroes met with each other. All of them were happy of heart."
A beautiful text just as rife with the deeds of noble men and the expectations placed upon them as any other epic. Incredible that it manages to retain such sublime finesse and wonderful metaphorical turns-of-phrase even in a drastically slimmed down translation.
Six to One, the Mountain took
All who'd made the horrid slog-
But King Yudhisthira's look
Had turned only to his dog.
A beautiful text just as rife with the deeds of noble men and the expectations placed upon them as any other epic. Incredible that it manages to retain such sublime finesse and wonderful metaphorical turns-of-phrase even in a drastically slimmed down translation.
Six to One, the Mountain took
All who'd made the horrid slog-
But King Yudhisthira's look
Had turned only to his dog.
February 24, 2012
Only 4 stars because this translation captures approximately only 4.5% of the story. As I wait for the ten volume van Buitenen and Fitzgerald edition to get finished up I might be satiated by the new Smith translation, which is a whopping 11% of story in almost 800 pages.
July 21, 2023
Dice game, anyone?
August 30, 2021
i've waded thru' this book eh, maybe 4? times since acquisition in 1969. hope to do so again in, eh, 15 or 20 more years? almost everyone has heard of this tome, allegedly the longest/lengthiest/wordiest/etc. story/book there is -- many years back there was a theatrical production which went on for several days (or so i seem to remember). none-the-less, this M volume is "manageable" -- almost 230 pages with appendices naming the "principals" (many mentioned only once or twice) -- and WHAT WOULD HELP would have been for me to print out the genealogical table/charts and have those at-the-ready, because i had to frequently look up "who is/was that again?" -- 5 lineages are charted.
it may or may not assist the reader in knowing even a little about Hinduism. of course "the gods" play their parts in this story, with every level of godliness (or demon-ness) in-between -- many of the principal characters frequently verge on "god-like" attributes.
you probably know that the central "plot" of the M is "the battle." good versus not-so-good, in that there are pure hearts/souls on each side. The Bhagavad-Gita ("the Hindu New Testament" is given 2 pages -- and i plan to read that (B-G, Isherwood/Prabhavananda version) soon. i'd like to think that in so doing, it'll take my mind off the seeming never-ending trivia of my life and such.
relinquuish identification with the fruits of your actions? maybe someday i'll "get it" ~
it may or may not assist the reader in knowing even a little about Hinduism. of course "the gods" play their parts in this story, with every level of godliness (or demon-ness) in-between -- many of the principal characters frequently verge on "god-like" attributes.
you probably know that the central "plot" of the M is "the battle." good versus not-so-good, in that there are pure hearts/souls on each side. The Bhagavad-Gita ("the Hindu New Testament" is given 2 pages -- and i plan to read that (B-G, Isherwood/Prabhavananda version) soon. i'd like to think that in so doing, it'll take my mind off the seeming never-ending trivia of my life and such.
relinquuish identification with the fruits of your actions? maybe someday i'll "get it" ~
October 15, 2024
This epic is considered an important religious text in Hinduism. It deals with some big topics and has great characters. I feel like my criticisms of the Mahabharata are mainly because it comes from a culture and religion that is very different from my own, so please take everything that I say with a grain of salt. I feel like if a South Asian were to read some Western Biblical stories or the Southeast Asian myths that I am familiar with, they would be equally confused and find them equally as unhinged as I find this epic. It is most definitely a myth. Which means it's unrealistic and weird -- like any myth is. It might be a little discontenting that the values that it emphasizes seem to be the opposite of what a Western or SE Asian would be comfortable with.
I think my issue was I approached this as a normal epic. It is not. It's unrealistic and confusing. It's unreasonable and insensible sometimes. Some characters are extreme. Their idea of justice and what is righteous is not the same as ours. It was a difficult thing to read and be comfortable with.
It is important to note that this is only PART of the Hindu religious text. It would be like reading a small section of the Old Testament and applying it to Christianity (which is based largely on the New Testament). Similar things. This review will probably not be helpful unless you're a Western reader because of the personal lens in which I am coming from.
I think my issue was I approached this as a normal epic. It is not. It's unrealistic and confusing. It's unreasonable and insensible sometimes. Some characters are extreme. Their idea of justice and what is righteous is not the same as ours. It was a difficult thing to read and be comfortable with.
It is important to note that this is only PART of the Hindu religious text. It would be like reading a small section of the Old Testament and applying it to Christianity (which is based largely on the New Testament). Similar things. This review will probably not be helpful unless you're a Western reader because of the personal lens in which I am coming from.
January 18, 2023
What do good people do in the face of injustices? Is it possible to carry out ethical decisions, even when faced with grief? How does fate play a role in our lives? How should we grieve over losses (of independence, family, and livelihoods)?
I don’t know a lot of things, especially in the form of spirituality. Mahabharata is a piece of sacred text that I only learned about recently (and was surprised to learn that the Bagavad-Gita was a short section from it). This abridged edition gave me a sense of the story, and I am able to recognize even further the limits of what I don’t know. Taking REL 210– this is a required text.
Bold of the Professor to begin the year by asking us to read the entire book, but a very worthy read!
I don’t know a lot of things, especially in the form of spirituality. Mahabharata is a piece of sacred text that I only learned about recently (and was surprised to learn that the Bagavad-Gita was a short section from it). This abridged edition gave me a sense of the story, and I am able to recognize even further the limits of what I don’t know. Taking REL 210– this is a required text.
Bold of the Professor to begin the year by asking us to read the entire book, but a very worthy read!
April 25, 2024
This is my favorite translation of the epic story from India, The Mahabharata. It is difficult to find a clear translation in English since the original is written in a different language.
The story follows the Pandavas and their quest against the Kurus. Many of the famous characters are described at length. Krishna, Arjuna, Yudhisthira, Bhisma, etc.
I'm very thankful to have found this translation that makes the story accessible for readers like me.
The story follows the Pandavas and their quest against the Kurus. Many of the famous characters are described at length. Krishna, Arjuna, Yudhisthira, Bhisma, etc.
I'm very thankful to have found this translation that makes the story accessible for readers like me.
July 31, 2025
What an epic! And what a translation! Paring down the vast 88,000 verses of the Māhābhārata into a manageable 4000 verses in prose translation, Narasimhan manages to pare the story down to its essentials. Enjoyable read.
November 9, 2025
immensely incredible epic i want MORE i’m definitely going to be reading more of the content that was cut out because this is just so phenomenal what more could you ask for?? love, death, war, grief.. i could go on…
July 2, 2023
this was so interesting. i don’t remember ever reading the full story. i definitely don’t remember all the details so prolly will revisit in the future.
August 30, 2023
Although keeping track of all of the names and genealogy was quite difficult for me, I ended up rather enjoying this translation. It’s comparable to reading the Iliad or the Odyssey as a reader.
June 29, 2023
Though I can't attest to the quality of the translation (having never read it in original Sanskrit), this version was written in easy, accessible language and I thought the verses were selected well. There were gaps of course, as there were bound to be, but on the whole, it wasn't too hard to get a gist of the main story. Had several favorite parts, particularly towards the end: A standout was Gandhari cursing Krishna being like 'Since you remained deliberately indifferent to these cousins destroying each other, go fuck yourself and die alone in the wilderness'. LMAO. Slaps every time. Justice served, full circle shit, deliciously satisfying and I was living for it.
I will say that I was disappointed in the fact that the author chose to omit major chunks of my favorite bits of the war, most egregiously the story of Abhimanyu. The emotional weight of that entire segment was straight up bypassed. It's a shame since I was really looking forward to it; it's the story that's always moved me the most.
The nuances of morality throughout the Mahabharata has always been its defining factor, and this translation overall did justice to it with impeccably poetic lines and solid, streamlined verse choices. And of course, I will always love renditions of the epic that pick no sides.
I will say that I was disappointed in the fact that the author chose to omit major chunks of my favorite bits of the war, most egregiously the story of Abhimanyu. The emotional weight of that entire segment was straight up bypassed. It's a shame since I was really looking forward to it; it's the story that's always moved me the most.
The nuances of morality throughout the Mahabharata has always been its defining factor, and this translation overall did justice to it with impeccably poetic lines and solid, streamlined verse choices. And of course, I will always love renditions of the epic that pick no sides.
December 7, 2010
Udyoga Parva
Forty thousand chariots, five times that number of horses, ten times that number of foot soldiers, and sixty thousand elephants were gathered there...
...All the soldiers of the army became cheerful on hearing the thunderous sound of Krsna's conch, the Pancajanya.
Bhimsa Parva
"O King, man is the slave of wealth, though wealth is no ones slave."
_Bhimsa to Yudhisthira
"Anyone who believes that this kills, or thinks that this is killed, fails to understand that one neither kills nor is killed."
_Krishna to Arjuna
"You should not mind the fact that your enemy has been killed deceitfully. When one is outnumbered by his enemies, the destruction should be brought about by strategem. The gods themselves in killing the asuras, have followed the same methods." _Krishna
"Death has been ordained by the Creator himself, and comes to all in course of time." _Krishna
Forty thousand chariots, five times that number of horses, ten times that number of foot soldiers, and sixty thousand elephants were gathered there...
...All the soldiers of the army became cheerful on hearing the thunderous sound of Krsna's conch, the Pancajanya.
Bhimsa Parva
"O King, man is the slave of wealth, though wealth is no ones slave."
_Bhimsa to Yudhisthira
"Anyone who believes that this kills, or thinks that this is killed, fails to understand that one neither kills nor is killed."
_Krishna to Arjuna
"You should not mind the fact that your enemy has been killed deceitfully. When one is outnumbered by his enemies, the destruction should be brought about by strategem. The gods themselves in killing the asuras, have followed the same methods." _Krishna
"Death has been ordained by the Creator himself, and comes to all in course of time." _Krishna
September 27, 2013
The names are quite difficult throughout the epic, but I really enjoyed reading this piece. Simply put, it's comparable to the Iliad with a cultural immersion in India. I found it fascinating to read an epic that is lesser known in America and discover the cultural significance of this historical text.
May 10, 2011
This is a better translation than most. I love these old Indian Epics and can't get enough of the elegant warriors and elephant ridden battles. I wish more of the original text would make it into English!
July 17, 2007
Mau tahu jiwa ksatria seperti apa?
December 4, 2007
Traditional India Required Reading
December 28, 2007
I love me some Indian mythology, what can I can say?
May 29, 2009
Well, there's a lot of fighting, a lot of major mythic movements, not too much for women to do, and plenty of well-defined good and evil.
It's mythology. What do you want?
It's mythology. What do you want?
March 22, 2012
Excellent translation of the narrative regarding the war, but there's so much more to this story that I wish was translated in this manner. Still, phenom. job.
Read
December 9, 2012very good
August 14, 2013
Even though it's selected verses, it portrays a complete story very easy to follow. Read the entire book in a day. Such great stories and adventures.
August 28, 2013
i have read 3 versions of the mahabharata translated and this one is by far the best - very lucid and moving
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews