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The Mahabharatha: A Child's View #1-2
The Mahabharatha: A Child’s View
El Mahabhárata, la mayor epopeya escrita, narra una fascinante historia de dioses y hombres, de peligros y disputas entre dos familias enemistadas: los Pándava y los Káurava. En las victorias y terribles derrotas que se cuentan, el lector pasa por miedos y maravillas, siendo el príncipe Árjuna, héroe de maravilloso altruism
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
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152 people want to read
About the author
Samhita Arni
8 books42 followersSamhita Arni has been interested in Hindu mythology since she was a child. She has written The Mahabaharata: A Child’s View, a version of another great Indian epic, which has been translated into seven languages and was named Book of the Month by the German Academy for Youth Literature and Media, and one of the Best Published Books of 2004 by the Spanish Ministry of Culture. It also won the Elsa Morante Literary Award (Department of Culture, Campania, Italy). Samhita has also written scripts for film and television and is currently working on a thriller based on The Ramayana. She lives in Bangalore, India.
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February 12, 2020
At the outset, I must say that this review assumes that the reader is familiar with the details of the story of the Mahabharata. This account by the author, Samhita Arni, was written when the author was barely twelve years old. It is a vividly illustrated book. There are drawings of the significant characters as well as the seminal events of the epic. It is what interested me in this work. I, too, first read the Mahabharata at age nine with utter fascination and involvement. My introduction to the epic was in Tamil by C.Rajagopalachari (Rajaji) through his work titled 'Vyasar Virundhu' (the feast of Vyasa). Rajaji had excellent skills in writing, and I went back to re-reading it many times over in the subsequent years. Much later, I read other interpretations of the epic in Tamil as well as English by authors such as Devdutt Pattanaik, Vasudevan Nair, and others. In this work, I did not expect any critical evaluation of the legend from Arni, the author, given that she wrote it at age twelve. Nevertheless, I was keen to see how she had viewed it at an age comparable to mine when I first read it.
The first thing that struck me was the tree of the Kuru dynasty that Arni has drawn as a child of twelve. The epic has a vast number of characters. Many of them are related to one another as grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, half-brothers, and half-sisters. I had always had difficulties in grappling with these nuances. For example, Kunthi is Krishna's aunt, and Karna is a cousin of Krishna. Also, Vyasa himself was the father of both Pandu and Dhritarashtra. However, Rajaji had side-stepped the complexities associated with the many progenies outside of marriage by Kunthi, Ambika, and Amabalika. Rajaji showed a dynastic tree as if Vichitraveerya was the father of Pandu and Dhritarashtra and all the Pandavas as children of Pandu with Kunthi and Madri. Consequently, I had only a basic idea of the Kuru clan at age nine, even though I had read the epic a couple of times. In contrast, I am amazed that Samhita Arni had successfully decoded these complex relationships of ancestors and descendants at such a young age of twelve.
The other thing that struck me about the book was the attention to detail of the various battles that take place during the eighteen-day war. Arni lists the names of the individual combatants and also describes concepts like what an 'Akshauhini' is, or the 'Krauncha' (heron-like) arrangement of the army is, or the various Vyuhas (army formation) like Makara (crocodile) or Sakata (circle) are. It is embellished by beautiful line sketches of the important events and characters of the epic as she had imagined then. Her images are quite different from the ones I had imagined as a child.
The author expounds her views on the epic in the preface to the book. It is impressive how analytical and free her thinking was in evaluating the story at such a young age. She argues that Duryodhana was the rightful heir to the throne of Hastinapura. Duryodhana was the eldest son of the eldest son of Vyasa. So, the hereditary line favors him, whereas the Pandavas are not the actual sons of Pandu. They are sons of various Gods and hence do not even belong to the 'kuru clan.' Besides, Dhritarashtra outranked Pandu in age. This argument was a line of reasoning that I had not considered.
Just like I did, Arni says that the first version of the epic she read was that of Rajaji. My view of this version is that it is a sanitized one where Krishna is God himself in human form, and the Pandavas are the good guys while the Kauravas are the bad ones. Rajaji also did not report events in the epic, which cast the Pandavas in a bad light. For example, he does not mention that Yudhishtra was angry with Draupadi for loving Arjuna more than him. Or that Bhima was the sweetest and most innocent of the brothers. Rajaji's account was the only one I would read for the next two decades. Hence, I didn't take a critical look at the story or its characters. In contrast, the author goes on to read other versions soon after reading Rajaji's. I think this may be one reason she takes a critical view of all the iconic characters in the Mahabharata.
Arni says that the moral of the Mahabharata is that nobody is perfect and that nothing is worth it in the end. However, my conclusion about the epic when I first read it was that war is futile and that even when you win it, you experience only grief and not joy. In Rajaji's Mahabharata, the final ten or more chapters deal with the life of the Pandavas after they win the war. They rule Hastinapuri for a long thirty-six years. But Rajaji brings out beautifully the emptiness in their lives after killing most of their cousins, uncles, friends, and Gurus. Besides, Ashwathama kills all five of Draupadi's children in revenge a day after the end of the war. King Yudhishthira performs the Ashwamedha Yagya or "The Horse Sacrifice" to absolve the crimes of war and to find some purpose. Even there, a mongoose shows him that his largesse and charity were no match for the gifts of a poor Brahmin.
The author compares Draupadi with Sita of the Ramayana and concludes that Draupadi stood for what she thought was right. In contrast, Sita was meek and obeyed her husband even when he cruelly exiled her while she was pregnant. Arni does not admire Krishna either, pointing to his 'adharmic' acts in the killings of Jayadratha and Karna or his rejoicing at the death of Bhima's tribal son Gatotkacha. In her opinion, Nakula and Sahadeva are non-entities in the epic and are introduced in the story only to enhance the greatness of the three sons of Kunthi. While she takes a critical look at the Pandavas, she lets Karna off a bit easier. Duryodhana was his great friend, and Karna pledges his loyalty to him. At the same time, he promises Kunthi not to kill any of her sons other than Arjuna. Such a promise is a betrayal of Duryodhana, who trusted him to kill the Pandavas and win the war for him.
This book provides a beautiful way to learn about this great Indian epic for both children and adults. The chapters are short, and children will undoubtedly have a vivid image of the story because of the line drawings in every section. Even though this is the fifth version of the epic that I have read, I enjoyed it as if it is my first.
The first thing that struck me was the tree of the Kuru dynasty that Arni has drawn as a child of twelve. The epic has a vast number of characters. Many of them are related to one another as grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, half-brothers, and half-sisters. I had always had difficulties in grappling with these nuances. For example, Kunthi is Krishna's aunt, and Karna is a cousin of Krishna. Also, Vyasa himself was the father of both Pandu and Dhritarashtra. However, Rajaji had side-stepped the complexities associated with the many progenies outside of marriage by Kunthi, Ambika, and Amabalika. Rajaji showed a dynastic tree as if Vichitraveerya was the father of Pandu and Dhritarashtra and all the Pandavas as children of Pandu with Kunthi and Madri. Consequently, I had only a basic idea of the Kuru clan at age nine, even though I had read the epic a couple of times. In contrast, I am amazed that Samhita Arni had successfully decoded these complex relationships of ancestors and descendants at such a young age of twelve.
The other thing that struck me about the book was the attention to detail of the various battles that take place during the eighteen-day war. Arni lists the names of the individual combatants and also describes concepts like what an 'Akshauhini' is, or the 'Krauncha' (heron-like) arrangement of the army is, or the various Vyuhas (army formation) like Makara (crocodile) or Sakata (circle) are. It is embellished by beautiful line sketches of the important events and characters of the epic as she had imagined then. Her images are quite different from the ones I had imagined as a child.
The author expounds her views on the epic in the preface to the book. It is impressive how analytical and free her thinking was in evaluating the story at such a young age. She argues that Duryodhana was the rightful heir to the throne of Hastinapura. Duryodhana was the eldest son of the eldest son of Vyasa. So, the hereditary line favors him, whereas the Pandavas are not the actual sons of Pandu. They are sons of various Gods and hence do not even belong to the 'kuru clan.' Besides, Dhritarashtra outranked Pandu in age. This argument was a line of reasoning that I had not considered.
Just like I did, Arni says that the first version of the epic she read was that of Rajaji. My view of this version is that it is a sanitized one where Krishna is God himself in human form, and the Pandavas are the good guys while the Kauravas are the bad ones. Rajaji also did not report events in the epic, which cast the Pandavas in a bad light. For example, he does not mention that Yudhishtra was angry with Draupadi for loving Arjuna more than him. Or that Bhima was the sweetest and most innocent of the brothers. Rajaji's account was the only one I would read for the next two decades. Hence, I didn't take a critical look at the story or its characters. In contrast, the author goes on to read other versions soon after reading Rajaji's. I think this may be one reason she takes a critical view of all the iconic characters in the Mahabharata.
Arni says that the moral of the Mahabharata is that nobody is perfect and that nothing is worth it in the end. However, my conclusion about the epic when I first read it was that war is futile and that even when you win it, you experience only grief and not joy. In Rajaji's Mahabharata, the final ten or more chapters deal with the life of the Pandavas after they win the war. They rule Hastinapuri for a long thirty-six years. But Rajaji brings out beautifully the emptiness in their lives after killing most of their cousins, uncles, friends, and Gurus. Besides, Ashwathama kills all five of Draupadi's children in revenge a day after the end of the war. King Yudhishthira performs the Ashwamedha Yagya or "The Horse Sacrifice" to absolve the crimes of war and to find some purpose. Even there, a mongoose shows him that his largesse and charity were no match for the gifts of a poor Brahmin.
The author compares Draupadi with Sita of the Ramayana and concludes that Draupadi stood for what she thought was right. In contrast, Sita was meek and obeyed her husband even when he cruelly exiled her while she was pregnant. Arni does not admire Krishna either, pointing to his 'adharmic' acts in the killings of Jayadratha and Karna or his rejoicing at the death of Bhima's tribal son Gatotkacha. In her opinion, Nakula and Sahadeva are non-entities in the epic and are introduced in the story only to enhance the greatness of the three sons of Kunthi. While she takes a critical look at the Pandavas, she lets Karna off a bit easier. Duryodhana was his great friend, and Karna pledges his loyalty to him. At the same time, he promises Kunthi not to kill any of her sons other than Arjuna. Such a promise is a betrayal of Duryodhana, who trusted him to kill the Pandavas and win the war for him.
This book provides a beautiful way to learn about this great Indian epic for both children and adults. The chapters are short, and children will undoubtedly have a vivid image of the story because of the line drawings in every section. Even though this is the fifth version of the epic that I have read, I enjoyed it as if it is my first.
April 5, 2024
Это очень талантливый и обаятельный пересказ "Махабхараты", громадная работа и в смысле конденсации текста, и в смысле моря самобытных, в чудесном смысле слова странных иллюстраций. При всей кажущейся простоте и нулевом градусе письма сам материал, при должной любви к нему, фонит магией. Девочка-авторесса вложила много любви и увлеченности, и получилось чудесно.
April 20, 2021
As the title suggests, it's a child's view on the Mahabharata. It's ideal for any individual who is aware of bits and pieces of the story and is striving for a 'broader overview' of the entire Mahabharata. It is precisely an overview with very short chapters narrating important events of the war. The accompanying illustrations are enjoyable, but they don't really help in understanding the chronology of the story. In my opinion, the best part of the book is the family tree given at the beginning. For a complicated family sequence like this one, a family tree is a must-have. It helped me understand the relationship between characters (who have VERY similar and complicated names) as well as comprehend the events in relation to one another.
I'd highly recommend this book to anybody looking for an undetailed and naive introduction to Indian Mythology!
I'd highly recommend this book to anybody looking for an undetailed and naive introduction to Indian Mythology!
August 13, 2021
เป็นมหากาพย์ที่เขียนออกมาได้ สนุกมากเลย อ่านง่ายมาก สมแล้วที่เด็กเขียนให้อ่าน เป็นการถอดความย่อความที่ตรงๆ ไม่ซับซ้อน ทำให้คนไม่เคยรู้เนื้อเรื่องมาก่อนอ่านแล้วรู้สึกสนุก มีความเป็นเทพนิยายมากๆ
คือด้วยความที่เป็นมหากาพย์ เรารู้แต่ว่าเรื่องนี้ฉบับจริงค่อนข้างยาว ตัวละครเยอะและหลากหลาย แถมชื่อยังจำยากด้วย แต่พอมาเขียนให้อ่านง่ายแล้วสนุกแบบนิทานมากพร้อมด้วยความยุ่งเหยิงอิรุงตุงนังของเหล่าตัวละคร แค่ขนาดกำเนิดตัวละครหลักก็เมากาวมาก สนุกสุดๆ แม้ว่าช่วงครึ่งหลังที่รบกันเราจะค่อนข้างงงๆ งวยๆ เพราะตัวละครเยอะมากๆๆๆๆ (ใส่ไม้ยมกล้านตัว) ตัวละครมีมิติมาก แม้ฝ่ายที่จะชนะสุดท้ายก็ไม่ใช่ตัวละครที่ดีพร้อมไปเสียหมด เป็นเรื่องนึงที่ดีมาก ควรค่าแก่การมีไว้อ่าน
คือด้วยความที่เป็นมหากาพย์ เรารู้แต่ว่าเรื่องนี้ฉบับจริงค่อนข้างยาว ตัวละครเยอะและหลากหลาย แถมชื่อยังจำยากด้วย แต่พอมาเขียนให้อ่านง่ายแล้วสนุกแบบนิทานมากพร้อมด้วยความยุ่งเหยิงอิรุงตุงนังของเหล่าตัวละคร แค่ขนาดกำเนิดตัวละครหลักก็เมากาวมาก สนุกสุดๆ แม้ว่าช่วงครึ่งหลังที่รบกันเราจะค่อนข้างงงๆ งวยๆ เพราะตัวละครเยอะมากๆๆๆๆ (ใส่ไม้ยมกล้านตัว) ตัวละครมีมิติมาก แม้ฝ่ายที่จะชนะสุดท้ายก็ไม่ใช่ตัวละครที่ดีพร้อมไปเสียหมด เป็นเรื่องนึงที่ดีมาก ควรค่าแก่การมีไว้อ่าน
May 3, 2024
i got bored mostly except for some places. i understand i am not the correct audience for this, and that this might also have to do with the university making me read this for my degree, but girl. mahabharata has been told in better ways.
October 25, 2018
A book I have reread multiple times over the years. I have not read Mahabharata in actual Sanskrit, closest I have come to read it in regional tongue was in Hindi years back.
Samhita Arni's book is from the perspective of a child. The book was in making since Arni was a child. At the age of four she read the epic, her mother had asked her to rewrite the epic during vacation because author was finishing her books too fast. At age of four I barely could construct spellings! Author even illustrated the scenes in simple pen and ink.
This book is special, because it just narrates, minus the higher thought process and dictum of morals. In the introduction Arni tells that we should let the children learn the story as it is; with its blood, gore and brutality, instead of censoring it. Where she also speaks about a ten year old boy who spots the pattern of mistakes or character flaws in the story. When Shantanu again falls for another beauty by the river, the kid uttered: that's no good.
Indeed Mahabharata has repetitions, parallels, and mistakes made because of hubris or wows or ill-hearing. Which you start to spot when, you take away the base morality and religiousness from it, and treat it as narrative text. This version makes me nick a quote from D.H. Lawrence: In a sense, Bible is a great confused novel. Mahabharata too is!
It's a smart book that has commonality in language with fairy tales, short crisp narrative, short chapters and funny art. I found the art as fascinating doodles that is to the point and very practical from a child's perspective. The wooden bird on the tree that Arjuna struck, doodle has a tree and big enough bird to spot.
This Mahabharata, with all its origins, detailing, actions and consequences is beautiful. Simplified for a child to read on her own, chaptered well for a parent to drag the story for months.
Samhita Arni's book is from the perspective of a child. The book was in making since Arni was a child. At the age of four she read the epic, her mother had asked her to rewrite the epic during vacation because author was finishing her books too fast. At age of four I barely could construct spellings! Author even illustrated the scenes in simple pen and ink.
This book is special, because it just narrates, minus the higher thought process and dictum of morals. In the introduction Arni tells that we should let the children learn the story as it is; with its blood, gore and brutality, instead of censoring it. Where she also speaks about a ten year old boy who spots the pattern of mistakes or character flaws in the story. When Shantanu again falls for another beauty by the river, the kid uttered: that's no good.
Indeed Mahabharata has repetitions, parallels, and mistakes made because of hubris or wows or ill-hearing. Which you start to spot when, you take away the base morality and religiousness from it, and treat it as narrative text. This version makes me nick a quote from D.H. Lawrence: In a sense, Bible is a great confused novel. Mahabharata too is!
It's a smart book that has commonality in language with fairy tales, short crisp narrative, short chapters and funny art. I found the art as fascinating doodles that is to the point and very practical from a child's perspective. The wooden bird on the tree that Arjuna struck, doodle has a tree and big enough bird to spot.
This Mahabharata, with all its origins, detailing, actions and consequences is beautiful. Simplified for a child to read on her own, chaptered well for a parent to drag the story for months.
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November 23, 2021El libro es una muy buena síntesis de esta gran obra que es el Mahabhárata. Es el cuento de cuentos. Si te aburrió el Ramayana porque Rama es perfecto y el gran héroe, en el Mahanhárata las cosas son otras. Tal vez es por eso que ninguno de los que lo hemos leído (en sus versiones posibles, claro, porque son 18 tomos) salimos indemnes de la historia. Es de esos libros que te marcan cuando lo acabas. No eres el mismo al salir del Mahabhárata. Garantizado.
Esta adaptación realizada por una niña de 12 años es realmente muy buena (las ilustraciones que ella misma hace también) pero la verdad no la recomiendo como introducción a la versiones mucho más largas. Y no lo recomiendo porque si no la has leído antes te vas a hacer bolas con la cascada de nombres y personajes que aparecen. Necesitas ir de verdad junto con la historia para irlos conociendo e identificando aunque se centra en los hermanos Pandavas, hijos de dioses (Yudistirha, Bhima, Árjuna, Nakaula y Shahadeva) en un enfrentamiento contra sus primos, los Kurús (O Kauravas) liderados por Duryodana, el hombre sobre el que se cierne una profecía atroz.
No hay momento aburrido en esta historia. Se los prometo. Si compran esta edición, esta bien, pero yo les recomiendo la versión de Peter Brooks ya sea en libro o su adaptación a teleteatro que no tiene madre.
Esta adaptación realizada por una niña de 12 años es realmente muy buena (las ilustraciones que ella misma hace también) pero la verdad no la recomiendo como introducción a la versiones mucho más largas. Y no lo recomiendo porque si no la has leído antes te vas a hacer bolas con la cascada de nombres y personajes que aparecen. Necesitas ir de verdad junto con la historia para irlos conociendo e identificando aunque se centra en los hermanos Pandavas, hijos de dioses (Yudistirha, Bhima, Árjuna, Nakaula y Shahadeva) en un enfrentamiento contra sus primos, los Kurús (O Kauravas) liderados por Duryodana, el hombre sobre el que se cierne una profecía atroz.
No hay momento aburrido en esta historia. Se los prometo. Si compran esta edición, esta bien, pero yo les recomiendo la versión de Peter Brooks ya sea en libro o su adaptación a teleteatro que no tiene madre.
April 24, 2025
Some books stay with you—not in the way you remember plot or character, but in the way they linger quietly, like a scent from childhood or a shadow cast by a story you once loved. Samhita Arni’s Mahabharata: A Child’s View is one of those books for me.
Reading Persepolis recently—its stark honesty, its childlike drawings against the weight of history—I was pulled back to this book I had nearly forgotten. There’s something profoundly powerful about epic tales told through a child’s voice. Not naive, but unfiltered. Brave enough to ask the questions adults around the world have long since learned to ignore.
Her Mahabharata isn’t concerned with grandeur or reverence. It peels back the layers, looks the gods and kings in the eye, and wonders: why? Why this war? Why this silence? Why this sorrow?
What I remember most is the quiet ache I felt while reading it. The way Draupadi’s pain wasn’t just dramatic—it was human. The way Arni mourned Karna not as a tragic figure of fate, but as a boy denied love. In her telling, dharma is not a grand ideal but a question that echoes.
It’s rare for a book to shape the way you see a story you thought you knew. Rarer still for it to echo years later, in the pages of another book, in another time in your life.
Reading Persepolis recently—its stark honesty, its childlike drawings against the weight of history—I was pulled back to this book I had nearly forgotten. There’s something profoundly powerful about epic tales told through a child’s voice. Not naive, but unfiltered. Brave enough to ask the questions adults around the world have long since learned to ignore.
Her Mahabharata isn’t concerned with grandeur or reverence. It peels back the layers, looks the gods and kings in the eye, and wonders: why? Why this war? Why this silence? Why this sorrow?
What I remember most is the quiet ache I felt while reading it. The way Draupadi’s pain wasn’t just dramatic—it was human. The way Arni mourned Karna not as a tragic figure of fate, but as a boy denied love. In her telling, dharma is not a grand ideal but a question that echoes.
It’s rare for a book to shape the way you see a story you thought you knew. Rarer still for it to echo years later, in the pages of another book, in another time in your life.
September 24, 2024
ตอนที่เขียนอายุแค่ 12 ก็ทำได้ถึงขนาดนี้แล้ว อัจฉริยะโคตร ๆๆๆ เล่าเรื่องได้สนุกจริงๆ ภาพประกอบยูนีคและสัมผัสถึงความเป็นเด็กมากๆ
ไม่เคยอ่านมหาภารตะมาก่อน เล่มนี้เป็นเล่มแรกเชิงอรรถแน่นมาก และได้รู้ว่าอ่านออกเสียงตัวละคร สถานที่น่าจะผิดหมด😂😂 ต้องออกเสียงแบบสันสกฤตซึ่งต่างจากไทย (แม้ว่าเขาจะบอกว่าสะกดตามอักษรไทยได้ก็ตาม)
ตอนสุดท้ายยังไงก็อิหยังตามฉบับมหากาพย์ ไม่เข้าใจจริงๆนะเนี่ย😂😂😂
แต่ใดๆ ทำไมสิ่งที่สนุกที่สุดของทั้งเล่มคือ คำนำขตีพิมพ์ครั้งที่ 1 ของตัวสังหิตาในสมัยนั้นเอง5555555 โคตรออกรสมากๆ ตรงไปตรงมาอย่างที่เด็กเป็น (คนอ่านยังแบบ เออๆ เอาอีกๆ เพราะบางตัวละครเราก็ชอบไม่ลงจริลๆ) เห็นด้วยทุกตรง และทำให้รู้ว่าที่เธอเล่ามานี่ย่อมากๆๆๆ รายละเอียดยังมีอีกเพียบที่เราไม่รู้ ทำให้เราอยากไปหาอ่านมหาภารตะต่อให้ลึกซึ้งยิ่งขึ้นจริงๆ
เป็นเล่มที่ดีมากๆ ไม่มีใครสมบูรณ์แบบจริงๆ ดีชั่วมีกันหมดทุกคน
ป.ล ชอบการที่เธอตอนอายุ 25 บอกว่าได้คุยกับเด็กคนนึงเรื่องตอนต้นๆของการแต่งงานพระราชาศานตนุ กับนางสัตยวดี ก็คือแบบ โอ้ จริงนะ😂
ไม่เคยอ่านมหาภารตะมาก่อน เล่มนี้เป็นเล่มแรกเชิงอรรถแน่นมาก และได้รู้ว่าอ่านออกเสียงตัวละคร สถานที่น่าจะผิดหมด😂😂 ต้องออกเสียงแบบสันสกฤตซึ่งต่างจากไทย (แม้ว่าเขาจะบอกว่าสะกดตามอักษรไทยได้ก็ตาม)
ตอนสุดท้ายยังไงก็อิหยังตามฉบับมหากาพย์ ไม่เข้าใจจริงๆนะเนี่ย😂😂😂
แต่ใดๆ ทำไมสิ่งที่สนุกที่สุดของทั้งเล่มคือ คำนำขตีพิมพ์ครั้งที่ 1 ของตัวสังหิตาในสมัยนั้นเอง5555555 โคตรออกรสมากๆ ตรงไปตรงมาอย่างที่เด็กเป็น (คนอ่านยังแบบ เออๆ เอาอีกๆ เพราะบางตัวละครเราก็ชอบไม่ลงจริลๆ) เห็นด้วยทุกตรง และทำให้รู้ว่าที่เธอเล่ามานี่ย่อมากๆๆๆ รายละเอียดยังมีอีกเพียบที่เราไม่รู้ ทำให้เราอยากไปหาอ่านมหาภารตะต่อให้ลึกซึ้งยิ่งขึ้นจริงๆ
เป็นเล่มที่ดีมากๆ ไม่มีใครสมบูรณ์แบบจริงๆ ดีชั่วมีกันหมดทุกคน
ป.ล ชอบการที่เธอตอนอายุ 25 บอกว่าได้คุยกับเด็กคนนึงเรื่องตอนต้นๆของการแต่งงานพระราชาศานตนุ กับนางสัตยวดี ก็คือแบบ โอ้ จริงนะ😂
September 10, 2023
Una vez esta epopeya fue contada. La peripecias de los dioses.
Es un libro muy interesante que te abre los ojos a la cultura India. A mí me dejo con ganas de leer la versión original que es más larga.
Habla sobre reyes, dioses y plebeyos. Una gran familia con muchos nombres. Aunque parece fácil marearse hay un índice adelante que simplifica las cosas. Te lo explica de una manera muy buena, no me perdí en ningún momento.
Ver como una niña pequeña entiende algo tan grande como la mitología de todo un país es muy intrigante. Yo no pude soltar el libro. Me lo leí rapidísimo a pesar de su extensión.
Tiene unas ilustraciones simples y muy bonitas. Te hace inevitablemente detener la lectura para poder verlas.
Me encanto la manera que te lo cuenta. Algo simple pero conciso. Es un libro introductorio perfecto para iniciarte. Me genero intriga. Me llevo a investigar un poco.
Es un libro muy interesante que te abre los ojos a la cultura India. A mí me dejo con ganas de leer la versión original que es más larga.
Habla sobre reyes, dioses y plebeyos. Una gran familia con muchos nombres. Aunque parece fácil marearse hay un índice adelante que simplifica las cosas. Te lo explica de una manera muy buena, no me perdí en ningún momento.
Ver como una niña pequeña entiende algo tan grande como la mitología de todo un país es muy intrigante. Yo no pude soltar el libro. Me lo leí rapidísimo a pesar de su extensión.
Tiene unas ilustraciones simples y muy bonitas. Te hace inevitablemente detener la lectura para poder verlas.
Me encanto la manera que te lo cuenta. Algo simple pero conciso. Es un libro introductorio perfecto para iniciarte. Me genero intriga. Me llevo a investigar un poco.
February 5, 2022
This book was in my course under children's literature, I never had the in depth knowledge of mahabharata, watched few episodes of star plus serial and read palace of illusions (which is reconstructed mahabharata from the eyes of draupadi) so I cant comment about authenticity of this book. But it was really amusing to read this, all those drawings made the reading more interesting and enchanting. The book presents the main stories from this epic. I wish I would have read this when I was child, it is perfect for child readers and even as an adult it was extremely consuming. The stories and characters are presented in simplest way possible. Would suggest this to anyone who want to understand mahabharata from layman's view
November 24, 2019
This is my first reading of Mahabharata.
I enjoyed the illustrations a lot. In fact that’s what kept me going. Her use of everyday objects like talcum powder, agarbatti, etc in the drawings show how well she has tried to give life to the story.
The story as we know it can’t be changed. So I don’t want to rate her for it. I like her use of neutral tone.
Most of the time I kept wondering how a 12 year old could remember so many characters in such detail. I could barely keep up.
I’d recommend to read it for the illustrations.
I enjoyed the illustrations a lot. In fact that’s what kept me going. Her use of everyday objects like talcum powder, agarbatti, etc in the drawings show how well she has tried to give life to the story.
The story as we know it can’t be changed. So I don’t want to rate her for it. I like her use of neutral tone.
Most of the time I kept wondering how a 12 year old could remember so many characters in such detail. I could barely keep up.
I’d recommend to read it for the illustrations.
May 5, 2024
The book can be a great one for those who want to know the basic outline of the story of Mahabharata but I won't recommend it as it's stories are altered from the real Vyas's Mahabharata. The child's view present a huge and wholesome epic in a very narrow and unprofessional way. The language used is very lucid but the stories are manipulated. Can't be read as authentic text. But I appreciate Samhita that she tried to write such a book as a child.
May 12, 2024
peanut sized brain, had to keep a character flowchart by my side to go with the flow of narration
also,
this is Samhita Arni's version of Mahabharat and Mahabharat's original title is Jay Samhita which is very similar to the fact that Sally Rooney adds George Eliot's quote on the first page of Normal People and George Eliot was the pseudonym of Mary Ann Evans and the protagonist of Normal People is Marianne
also,
this is Samhita Arni's version of Mahabharat and Mahabharat's original title is Jay Samhita which is very similar to the fact that Sally Rooney adds George Eliot's quote on the first page of Normal People and George Eliot was the pseudonym of Mary Ann Evans and the protagonist of Normal People is Marianne
March 17, 2023
Excellent read for the young and the old
August 11, 2025
Loved this version
January 16, 2022
หนังสือสวยมากๆ ภาพประกอบสวย
เนื้อหาอ่านง่าย คล้ายเป็นเรื่องย่อของมหาภารตะ
เหมาะสำหรับเริ่มต้นอ่านมหาภารตะ เพราะจะได้เนื้อหาหลักๆ แล้วค่อยหาฉบับเต็มอ่านเก็บรายละเอียดอีกครั้ง
เนื้อหาอ่านง่าย คล้ายเป็นเรื่องย่อของมหาภารตะ
เหมาะสำหรับเริ่มต้นอ่านมหาภารตะ เพราะจะได้เนื้อหาหลักๆ แล้วค่อยหาฉบับเต็มอ่านเก็บรายละเอียดอีกครั้ง
September 20, 2014
Having read and seen so many versions, adaptations, inspired works of the Mahabharatha one expects layers, interpretations, rationale and personal ideologies to define the reading of the epic.That's the amazing thing about this book and you will get it a few chapters in- its an innocent straightforward narration of the war from the point of view of a 12yr old. No assumptions, no concessions or accusations. Just simple storytelling. A great introduction to the epic for kids and elders alike.
September 8, 2013
Lovely ... Recommend to all who hv little kids !
November 28, 2015
Un poco liado, al final uno ya no sabe quién es quién entre tanta reencarnación, batalla, cambio de sexo... pero entretenido.
Lo mejor, sin duda, las ilustraciones de la autora.
Lo mejor, sin duda, las ilustraciones de la autora.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews