The Mahabharata

by Meera Uberoi

The Mahabharata is the world's longest epic poem. It deals not only with the feud between two princely houses but also with the various branches of learning.

472 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Alan Bartlett · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Mahabharata is the world's longest epic poem, consisting of 18 books and is 8 times longer than Homer's Iliad and Odyssey put together. Fortunatley this is a modern retelling in simple English! The poem deals not only with the power struggle between the princes of two houses but also with various branches of learning and woven into the main theme are lenghty dissertations and treatises on philosphy, ethics, morality, statecraft, metaphysics, geography and religion.

I found the book somewhat challenging to start with in view of the number of charachters involved and the unfamiliar and hard to pronounce names; some were similar in spelling but were on opposite sides and it was sometimes difficult to follow who was who and which side they were on. However, the author has adopted a slick modern thriller style of writing and it did flow along at a fast space. After a while I found myself quite caught up in the story and the final chapters of the book depicting the great war which decimated the armies of both sides in a fruitless and pointless war were particularly riviting as well as poignant and still relevant today regrettably .

[Kalyani Ganapathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meera Uberoi's translation of the Mahabarata flows very well, unlike many other translations I had a glimpse of before choosing this one. What is disappointing about it though, is the large number of omissions which are crucial when it comes to the war, characters and the importance of the boons and weapons. While there can be much speculation about how much is essential, I do think the inclusion small details would make the Mahabarata more accessible and easy to understand.

Overall, I would recommend this version for first time readers if you are willing to do a bit of your own research and referencing.

[Saravanan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Done.! It took a while to finish it, mostly because some part of this book took me into a trance of thoughts and wonderment and I doze off 😇. Sometimes had to re read parts of it for better understanding. Still cannot stomach the war in the name of kshyatriya justice.!
Total in love with Karna and Arjuna 😍.
I think this is one of the most thought provoking books I have read.
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Spoiler:: I kinda expected the major characters in the book to die and they did. But not Krishna!. Total surprise there.!

[Harleen Kaur · Rating 3 out of 5]

While not historically accurate and deviating from the original epic and its themes, this book by Meera Uberoi is every bit true to its words that are: it doesn't follow the original. The author herself admits that she is not following the original epic, and has broken down the main stories to brief themes of love, emotion, war, struggle, power, etc.. While it didn't meet my expectations, it surely did make me happy on the fact that many of the original version was somewhere in it. Annotations were fun to do on it, and Meera surely knew how to convey it in the most simplistic of ways.

[Fariha Lubaba · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional story-telling with seamless flow! A great and underrated translation of the longest Hindu Epic.

[Nishana Sujith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best thing about this book is that Meera has narrated it in a fast paced thriller like fashion that keeps you hooked. She has compacted it but without spoiling the flow. Her style is lucid and doesn't leave any bumps while narrating. It's not incoherent and that's what I love about it. Her descriptions are very vivid and the scene of Draupadi's vilification and the scenes of the furious battle evoke a sense of horror and pity on any reader.

[Vivek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lucid style helps to flip through the pages. Author has taken care that the reader is not bogged down by the weight of philosophy of the subject and has focused on keeping it to the storyline for the most part. Brilliant attempt to tell the greatest of tales in 400 odd pages.

[Salman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating read. Gives a glimpse into the history of the land traditionally called Bharat and an understanding of how the culture and people of the region came to be as they are today.

[Shankhamala · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading it so much... It ws a wonderful journey through this epic. I will read it again