The Mahabharata

Mahabharata #1-10

by Bibek Debroy (Translator)

Dispute over land and kingdom may lie at the heart of this story of war between cousins the Pandavas and the Kouravas but the Mahabharata is about conflicts of dharma. These conflicts are immense and various, singular and commonplace. Throughout the epic, characters face them with no clear indications of what is right and what is wrong; there are no absolute answers. Thus every possible human emotion features in the Mahabharata, the reason the epic continues to hold sway over our imagination. In this superb and widely acclaimed translation of the complete Mahabharata, Bibek Debroy takes on a great journey with incredible ease.

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

5933 pages, Paperback

Published July 1, 2015

About the author

Bibek Debroy was an Indian economist, who served as the chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India. He was also the Chairman of the Finance Ministry's 'Expert Committee for Infrastructure Classification and Financing Framework for Amrit Kaal'. Debroy has made significant contributions to game theory, economic theory, income and social inequalities, poverty, law reforms, railway reforms and Indology among others. From its inception in January 2015 until June 2019, Mr. Debroy was a member of the NITI Aayog, the think tank of the Indian Government. He was awarded the Padma Shri (the fourth-highest civilian honour in India) in 2015.
Bibek Debroy's recent co-authored magnum opus, Inked in India, stands distinguished as the premier comprehensive documentation, capturing the entirety of recognized fountain pen, nib, and ink manufacturers in India.
In 2016, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the US-India Business Summit. In 2022, he was conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award by The Australia India Chamber of Commerce (AICC). In February 2024, Debroy was conferred Insolvency Law Academy Emeritus Fellowship, in recognition of his distinguished leadership, public service, work and contributions in the field of insolvency.
Bibek Debroy died on 1 November 2024, at the age of 69. He had been admitted to All India Institutes of Medical Sciences in New Delhi one month prior.

Reviews

[P.G Naveen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the complete unabridged version of Mahabharata. Read this if you're interested to know each and every event of Mahabharata to the finest amount of detail. A series of 6000 odd pages is hard to review and tough to do justice with words. I will summarise my review as below, written by the author Bibek Debroy.
"Along that personal voyage, the Mahabharata changes you, or so my wife tells me. I am no longer the person I was when I started it, as an individual. That sounds cryptic, deliberately so. Anyone who reads the Mahabharata carefully is bound to change, discount the temporary and place a premium on the permanent."

[Steve York]

Arduous but unique.
Having read the full story is like a badge of honour.
Having not had much to do with Hinduism I felt like this was a strong introduction to the culture.
There were parts where the story “spends time” and admittedly I had to skim for a hundred or so pages. So yes I cheated a bit to get through to what I felt were the most important bits of the culture. But I get the point that the spending of time is a necessity for that.
I found it unique how the characters dealt with the consequences of their impure intentions and actions. The hazy zone between good - bad is well explored.
I was surprised by its critique of always following doctrine. These lads had to justify all five of them being married to the one woman. Not an easy task in any culture.
It also offers a brief snapshot into the caste system. The story didn’t question that part of the tradition and I guess that was telling in itself. Perhaps if a reader has trouble placing their modern values aside in exchange for the benefits from the story, they should come back another time.

[Kaustubh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the translation of Mahabharata that I have been waiting for, for a very long time. The translation that was available on Gutenberg was very difficult for me to read. And I will simply not have a listening to all these scholars who appear on television or on YouTube, claiming to give you the entire story of Mahabharata. For me, there was only one thing to do - which is to read the book and to end in all its glory. And this is something that was made possible by the efforts of this author. I really admire the quality of the translation. And even more, I admire the monumental effort that has been put into the translation.

[Wesley De Sena · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend reading Bibek Debroy’s translation of the critical Sanskrit edition of the Mahabharata. This epic, often described as eight times the size of the Iliad and the Odyssey combined, has recently been translated into English by Debroy, making it more accessible to a global audience.

My 2024 resolution was to read the entire Mahabharata, a task I approached with great eagerness, given my familiarity with the Bhagavad Gita but only a limited understanding of the broader epic. The Mahabharata is a vast and profound text that delves deeply into the complexities of human conduct and the often conflicting demands of living a good life.

As I read through this monumental work, I was struck by the enduring themes and the profound insights it offers. One key lesson is that while one's conduct in life is of paramount importance, it is frequently at odds with what is needed to live a good life, according to the Mahabharata's teachings. This epic has left a significant impact on me, with the most enduring impression being one of grief—a grief stemming from a sharp insight into the reality of life. However, this insight has also brought a sense of liberation from the sources of grief.

I encourage anyone interested in exploring a work that claims to encompass everything that can be found elsewhere—and everything that cannot—to immerse themselves in the journeys of these timeless characters. The Mahabharata is not just a story; it is a profound exploration of life, duty, and the human condition.

[Lulu]

the bulk of the Mahābhārata was probably compiled between the 3rd century BCE and the 3rd century CE, with the oldest preserved parts not much older than around 400 BCE. The original events related by the epic probably fall between the 9th and 8th centuries BCE. The text probably reached its final form by the early Gupta period (c. 4th century CE)

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...

[JJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

An epic in every sense—myth, philosophy, and human drama woven into one of the world’s greatest narratives. The Mahabharata is not merely a story but a meditation on duty, time, and destiny. Debroy’s translation preserves both the sweep of the narrative and the subtleties of its teaching, making it a text I return to often when thinking about the human condition.

[Vishal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very nice translation of the Critical edition of the Mahabharata. Bibek is excellent as usual, trying to preserve nuances of the text and pointing to footnotes for clarification on the interpretations taken.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually, I only listened to Vol. 1.

I liked it. Repetitive in places but very interesting. I would like to pick up more of this later if I can get my hands on the audiobook.

[Vinay Keerthi · Rating 5 out of 5]

If there is one version of the Mahabharata you must read, let it be this one.