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The Mahabharata (Penguin Classics) by Anonymous
Unknown Binding
Published January 1, 1895
9 people are currently reading
25 people want to read
About the author
Anonymous
791k books3,356 followersBooks can be attributed to "Anonymous" for several reasons:
* They are officially published under that name
* They are traditional stories not attributed to a specific author
* They are religious texts not generally attributed to a specific author
Books whose authorship is merely uncertain should be attributed to Unknown.
See also: Anonymous
* They are officially published under that name
* They are traditional stories not attributed to a specific author
* They are religious texts not generally attributed to a specific author
Books whose authorship is merely uncertain should be attributed to Unknown.
See also: Anonymous
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 25, 2025
I listened to this whole book and to be honest I don't think I would have made it through if I didn't listen to it. Even as an abridged version the Mahabharata seems to contain literally everything. It took over a year, but it was worth it as the story is one of the most important for an Indian.
Seemingly, the Mahabharata is about a feuding family with Krishna as God intervening. But at its core it is about performing dharma in a fatalistic universe where each soul is bound by their karma. What is dharma and adharma, and how hard it is fulfill dharma is the core teaching of this book. In this case fate seems to be against the Pandavas who end up losing it all to a dice game, and were even fed up and were happy to give it all up, but the calling of dharma pulled them to get back their kingdom which lead to a major war.
In the end the good and the pleasant are not the same. Being good and performing dharma means at times doing things counter to that which brings immediate happiness.
Seemingly, the Mahabharata is about a feuding family with Krishna as God intervening. But at its core it is about performing dharma in a fatalistic universe where each soul is bound by their karma. What is dharma and adharma, and how hard it is fulfill dharma is the core teaching of this book. In this case fate seems to be against the Pandavas who end up losing it all to a dice game, and were even fed up and were happy to give it all up, but the calling of dharma pulled them to get back their kingdom which lead to a major war.
In the end the good and the pleasant are not the same. Being good and performing dharma means at times doing things counter to that which brings immediate happiness.
Displaying 1 of 1 review