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After Kurukshetra : Three Stories
Retelling and reinterpretation of Mahabharata. Three plays of events after Kurukshetra war.
54 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
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649 people want to read
About the author
Mahasweta Devi
195 books317 followersMahasweta Devi was an Indian social activist and writer. She was born in 1926 in Dhaka, to literary parents in a Hindu Brahmin family. Her father Manish Ghatak was a well-known poet and novelist of the Kallol era, who used the pseudonym Jubanashwa. Mahasweta's mother Dharitri Devi was also a writer and a social worker.
She joined the Rabindranath Tagore-founded Vishvabharati University in Santiniketan and completed a B.A. (Hons) in English, and then finished an M.A. in English at Calcutta University as well. She later married renowned playwright Bijon Bhattacharya who was one of the founding fathers of the IPTA movement. In 1948, she gave birth to Nabarun Bhattacharya, currently one of Bengal's and India's leading novelist whose works are noted for their intellectual vigour and philosophical flavour. She got divorced from Bijon Bhattacharya in 1959.
In 1964, she began teaching at Bijoygarh College (an affiliated college of the University of Calcutta system). During those days, Bijoygarh College was an institution for working class women students. During that period she also worked as a journalist and as a creative writer. Recently, she is more famous for her work related to the study of the Lodhas and Shabars, the tribal communities of West Bengal, women and dalits. She is also an activist who is dedicated to the struggles of tribal people in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. In her elaborate Bengali fiction, she often depicts the brutal oppression of tribal peoples and the untouchables by potent, authoritarian upper-caste landlords, lenders, and venal government officials.
Major awards:
1979: Sahitya Akademi Award (Bengali): – Aranyer Adhikar (novel)
1986: Padma Shri[2]
1996: Jnanpith Award - the highest literary award from the Bharatiya Jnanpith
1997: Ramon Magsaysay Award - Journalism, Literature, and the Creative Communication Arts
1999: Honoris causa - Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU)
2006: Padma Vibhushan - the second highest civilian award from the Government of India
2010:Yashwantrao Chavan National Award
2011: Bangabibhushan - the highest civilian award from the Government of West Bengal
2012: Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Sahityabramha - the first Lifetime Achievement award in Bengali Literature from 4thScreen-IFJW.
মহাশ্বেতা দেবী একটি মধ্যবিত্ত বাঙালি পরিবারে জন্মগ্রহণ করেছিলেন । তাঁর পিতা মনীশ ঘটক ছিলেন কল্লোল যুগের প্রখ্যাত সাহিত্যিক এবং তাঁর কাকা ছিলেন বিখ্যাত চিত্রপরিচালক ঋত্বিক ঘটক। মা ধরিত্রী দেবীও ছিলেন সাহিত্যিক ও সমাজসেবী। মহাশ্বেতা দেবী বিখ্যাত নাট্যকার বিজন ভট্টাচার্যের সঙ্গে বিবাহবন্ধনে আবদ্ধ হন। তাঁদের একমাত্র পুত্র, প্রয়াত নবারুণ ভট্টাচার্য স্মরণীয় কবিতার পঙ্ক্তি ‘এ মৃত্যু উপত্যকা আমার দেশ নয়’ এবং হারবার্ট উপন্যাস লিখে বাংলা সাহিত্যে স্থায়ী স্বাক্ষর রেখে গেছেন।
তাঁর শৈশব ও কৈশোরে স্কুলের পড়াশোনা ঢাকায়। দেশভাগের পর চলে আসেন কলকাতায়। এরপর শান্তিনিকেতনের বিশ্বভারতী বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় থেকে ইংরেজিতে অনার্স এবং কলকাতা বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় থেকে স্নাতকোত্তর ডিগ্রি নেন।
১৯৬৪ খ্রীষ্টাব্দে তিনি বিজয়গড় কলেজে শিক্ষকতা শুরু করেন । এই সময়েই তিনি একজন সাংবাদিক এবং লেখিকা হিসাবে কাজ করেন। পরবর্তীকালে তিনি বিখ্যাত হন মূলত পশ্চিমবাংলার উপজাতি এবং নারীদের ওপর তাঁর কাজের জন্য । তিনি বিভিন্ন লেখার মাধ্যমে বিভিন্ন উপজাতি এবং মেয়েদের উপর শোষণ এবং বঞ্চনার কথা তুলে ধরেছেন। সাম্প্রতিক কালে মহাশ্বেতা দেবী পশ্চিমবঙ্গ সরকারের শিল্পনীতির বিরুদ্ধে সরব হয়েছেন । সরকার কর্তৃক বিপুল পরিমাণে কৃষিজমি অধিগ্রহণ এবং স্বল্পমূল্যে তা শিল্পপতিদের কাছে বিতরণের নীতির তিনি কড়া সমালোচক । এছাড়া তিনি শান্তিনিকেতনে প্রোমোটারি ব্যবসার বিরুদ্ধেও প্রতিবাদ করেছেন ।
তাঁর লেখা শতাধিক বইয়ের মধ্যে হাজার চুরাশির মা অন্যতম। তাঁকে পদ্মবিভূষণ (ভারত সরকারের দ্বিতীয় সর্বোচ্চ নাগরিক পুরস্কার,২০০৬), রামন ম্যাগসেসে পুরস্কার (১৯৯৭), জ্ঞানপীঠ পুরস্কার (সাহিত্য একাডেমির সর্বোচ্চ সাহিত্য সম্মান), সার্ক সাহিত্য পুরস্কার (২০০৭) প্রভৃতি পদকে ভূষিত করা হয়।
২০১৬ সালের ২৮ জুলাই, বৃহস্পতিবার বেলা ৩টা ১৬ মিনিটে চিকিৎসাধীন অবস্থায় তিনি শেষনিশ্বাস ত্যাগ করেন।
जन्म : 1926, ढाका।
She joined the Rabindranath Tagore-founded Vishvabharati University in Santiniketan and completed a B.A. (Hons) in English, and then finished an M.A. in English at Calcutta University as well. She later married renowned playwright Bijon Bhattacharya who was one of the founding fathers of the IPTA movement. In 1948, she gave birth to Nabarun Bhattacharya, currently one of Bengal's and India's leading novelist whose works are noted for their intellectual vigour and philosophical flavour. She got divorced from Bijon Bhattacharya in 1959.
In 1964, she began teaching at Bijoygarh College (an affiliated college of the University of Calcutta system). During those days, Bijoygarh College was an institution for working class women students. During that period she also worked as a journalist and as a creative writer. Recently, she is more famous for her work related to the study of the Lodhas and Shabars, the tribal communities of West Bengal, women and dalits. She is also an activist who is dedicated to the struggles of tribal people in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. In her elaborate Bengali fiction, she often depicts the brutal oppression of tribal peoples and the untouchables by potent, authoritarian upper-caste landlords, lenders, and venal government officials.
Major awards:
1979: Sahitya Akademi Award (Bengali): – Aranyer Adhikar (novel)
1986: Padma Shri[2]
1996: Jnanpith Award - the highest literary award from the Bharatiya Jnanpith
1997: Ramon Magsaysay Award - Journalism, Literature, and the Creative Communication Arts
1999: Honoris causa - Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU)
2006: Padma Vibhushan - the second highest civilian award from the Government of India
2010:Yashwantrao Chavan National Award
2011: Bangabibhushan - the highest civilian award from the Government of West Bengal
2012: Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Sahityabramha - the first Lifetime Achievement award in Bengali Literature from 4thScreen-IFJW.
মহাশ্বেতা দেবী একটি মধ্যবিত্ত বাঙালি পরিবারে জন্মগ্রহণ করেছিলেন । তাঁর পিতা মনীশ ঘটক ছিলেন কল্লোল যুগের প্রখ্যাত সাহিত্যিক এবং তাঁর কাকা ছিলেন বিখ্যাত চিত্রপরিচালক ঋত্বিক ঘটক। মা ধরিত্রী দেবীও ছিলেন সাহিত্যিক ও সমাজসেবী। মহাশ্বেতা দেবী বিখ্যাত নাট্যকার বিজন ভট্টাচার্যের সঙ্গে বিবাহবন্ধনে আবদ্ধ হন। তাঁদের একমাত্র পুত্র, প্রয়াত নবারুণ ভট্টাচার্য স্মরণীয় কবিতার পঙ্ক্তি ‘এ মৃত্যু উপত্যকা আমার দেশ নয়’ এবং হারবার্ট উপন্যাস লিখে বাংলা সাহিত্যে স্থায়ী স্বাক্ষর রেখে গেছেন।
তাঁর শৈশব ও কৈশোরে স্কুলের পড়াশোনা ঢাকায়। দেশভাগের পর চলে আসেন কলকাতায়। এরপর শান্তিনিকেতনের বিশ্বভারতী বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় থেকে ইংরেজিতে অনার্স এবং কলকাতা বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় থেকে স্নাতকোত্তর ডিগ্রি নেন।
১৯৬৪ খ্রীষ্টাব্দে তিনি বিজয়গড় কলেজে শিক্ষকতা শুরু করেন । এই সময়েই তিনি একজন সাংবাদিক এবং লেখিকা হিসাবে কাজ করেন। পরবর্তীকালে তিনি বিখ্যাত হন মূলত পশ্চিমবাংলার উপজাতি এবং নারীদের ওপর তাঁর কাজের জন্য । তিনি বিভিন্ন লেখার মাধ্যমে বিভিন্ন উপজাতি এবং মেয়েদের উপর শোষণ এবং বঞ্চনার কথা তুলে ধরেছেন। সাম্প্রতিক কালে মহাশ্বেতা দেবী পশ্চিমবঙ্গ সরকারের শিল্পনীতির বিরুদ্ধে সরব হয়েছেন । সরকার কর্তৃক বিপুল পরিমাণে কৃষিজমি অধিগ্রহণ এবং স্বল্পমূল্যে তা শিল্পপতিদের কাছে বিতরণের নীতির তিনি কড়া সমালোচক । এছাড়া তিনি শান্তিনিকেতনে প্রোমোটারি ব্যবসার বিরুদ্ধেও প্রতিবাদ করেছেন ।
তাঁর লেখা শতাধিক বইয়ের মধ্যে হাজার চুরাশির মা অন্যতম। তাঁকে পদ্মবিভূষণ (ভারত সরকারের দ্বিতীয় সর্বোচ্চ নাগরিক পুরস্কার,২০০৬), রামন ম্যাগসেসে পুরস্কার (১৯৯৭), জ্ঞানপীঠ পুরস্কার (সাহিত্য একাডেমির সর্বোচ্চ সাহিত্য সম্মান), সার্ক সাহিত্য পুরস্কার (২০০৭) প্রভৃতি পদকে ভূষিত করা হয়।
২০১৬ সালের ২৮ জুলাই, বৃহস্পতিবার বেলা ৩টা ১৬ মিনিটে চিকিৎসাধীন অবস্থায় তিনি শেষনিশ্বাস ত্যাগ করেন।
जन्म : 1926, ढाका।
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October 22, 2025
After Kurukshetra was my first book by Mahasweta Devi, and I can see why she is considered such a distinct and necessary voice in Indian literature. At just 54 pages, translated from Bengali by Anjum Katyal, the book is brief but piercing. It reimagines the aftermath of the Mahabharata through the voices history forgot: women, particularly those from the lower fringes, who were impacted by the war.
The collection has three stories, each peeling back a different layer of gender, caste, and conscience. The first, “The Five Women,” follows five lower-caste companions brought to serve Uttara, the pregnant widow of Abhimanyu. The irony is cutting—Uttara, an upper-caste princess, is condemned to austerity and seclusion, while these women, marked as “low-born,” are free to remarry, to live, to carry on. Devi uses this contrast to expose the strange hierarchies of privilege—how caste and patriarchy trap women differently, but equally.
The second story, “Kunti and the Nishadin,” is perhaps the boldest. Here, an aged Kunti reflects on her sins, believing herself pious, only to be confronted by a Nishadin woman who reminds her of the moral debt she has ignored. It is an unsettling story—Devi’s sharpest critique of the supposed righteousness of the Pandavas and the selective memory of those who claim virtue.
The final story, “Souvali” tells of Dhritarashtra’s dasi-wife and her son Yuyutsu—the only Kaurava who fought for the Pandavas. Souvali refuses to mourn the man who never acknowledged her. Instead, she chooses a quiet contentment, a sense of self-worth denied to most women in her world. It’s a beautiful inversion—liberation not through forgiveness, but through refusal.
Across all three stories, Devi questions the idea of dharma and victory. Her women speak from the ashes of war - what she calls the war of greed. The Mahabharata, so often read as a grand moral tale, here becomes a mirror for the violence of hierarchy—of gender, caste, and class.
What struck me most was how new these voices felt, even though the setting is ancient. And while the brevity of the book leaves you wanting more, perhaps that’s the point: these women were always given too little space.
Four stars, for a book that reminds us that even after the war is won, the silenced still have stories to tell.
The collection has three stories, each peeling back a different layer of gender, caste, and conscience. The first, “The Five Women,” follows five lower-caste companions brought to serve Uttara, the pregnant widow of Abhimanyu. The irony is cutting—Uttara, an upper-caste princess, is condemned to austerity and seclusion, while these women, marked as “low-born,” are free to remarry, to live, to carry on. Devi uses this contrast to expose the strange hierarchies of privilege—how caste and patriarchy trap women differently, but equally.
The second story, “Kunti and the Nishadin,” is perhaps the boldest. Here, an aged Kunti reflects on her sins, believing herself pious, only to be confronted by a Nishadin woman who reminds her of the moral debt she has ignored. It is an unsettling story—Devi’s sharpest critique of the supposed righteousness of the Pandavas and the selective memory of those who claim virtue.
The final story, “Souvali” tells of Dhritarashtra’s dasi-wife and her son Yuyutsu—the only Kaurava who fought for the Pandavas. Souvali refuses to mourn the man who never acknowledged her. Instead, she chooses a quiet contentment, a sense of self-worth denied to most women in her world. It’s a beautiful inversion—liberation not through forgiveness, but through refusal.
Across all three stories, Devi questions the idea of dharma and victory. Her women speak from the ashes of war - what she calls the war of greed. The Mahabharata, so often read as a grand moral tale, here becomes a mirror for the violence of hierarchy—of gender, caste, and class.
What struck me most was how new these voices felt, even though the setting is ancient. And while the brevity of the book leaves you wanting more, perhaps that’s the point: these women were always given too little space.
Four stars, for a book that reminds us that even after the war is won, the silenced still have stories to tell.
January 28, 2015
Could have benefitted from a translators introduction. The first two stories are told form the perspective of uttara and kunti, as they come to grips with the aftermath of the war. The two women interact with dasis and nishadin, and these interactions reveal the sterility and the barbarity of the rajavritta. Because these stories are told form the POV of these two queens, the dasis and nishadin who appear in the stories arent fully realized characters. But their humanity is never in question -- it lies just beyond the boundary of the page. The final story is narrated by Soulavi, a dasi woman who gave birth to an illegitimate child of Drithrashthra, as she reconnects with her son who was taken away from her by the rajavritta.
All the stories point to the pointlessness of this supposed dharmayuddha. From the perspective of those on the margins, the war was a calamity they could not stop and could not flee from. They gained nothing. The stories are about how they start rebuilding, while the women of the rajavritta, in contrast, choose to waste away into death.
I do not know if this is the first text to recast the events of the mahabharata from the viewpoints of women/poor/tribals/all of the above. I would be very surprised if ti were. It would be interesting to collect a compendium of such stories.
All the stories point to the pointlessness of this supposed dharmayuddha. From the perspective of those on the margins, the war was a calamity they could not stop and could not flee from. They gained nothing. The stories are about how they start rebuilding, while the women of the rajavritta, in contrast, choose to waste away into death.
I do not know if this is the first text to recast the events of the mahabharata from the viewpoints of women/poor/tribals/all of the above. I would be very surprised if ti were. It would be interesting to collect a compendium of such stories.
August 31, 2020
54 pages, 3 short stories but when it is Mahasweta Devi shifting through the Mahabharat epic, taking readers on a layered discovery of people and their lives which have fallen through the cracks of the popular epic, you read carefully. Written originally in Bengali and translated by Anjum Katyal, the three stories in this book is a sharp calling out of how events are mostly shaped around men and more so, men in the upper social class and caste. The Mahabharat's main crux, the Kuruskshetra war is pegged in popular imagination as the war of righteousness, as one between good and evil but here, Mahasweta Devi puts the focus on the women at the lowest social class and caste whose men did not even have protective gear to wear when they went to battle and to whom it was only greed that was the core of it all that led to untold sufferings.
'The Five Women' addresses the social demands and decorum on widows in terms of how they dress or eat or conduct themselves. Belonging to the lowest class and caste, it is them who are the only ones able to help Uttara, a young widow and mother to be of the Pandava clan come to terms with grief through their companionship, their songs, their gentle questions and the searing life lessons they imbibe. Kunti and the Nishadin is on the burden of guilt that Kunti bears on account of having given up her eldest born, how she is trying to atone by living a life of austerity and by serving Gandhari and Dhirtarashtra in the forrest. She observes the Nishadin women and vice versa separated by caste, by social position and power but when one of them talks to her, it is a powerful diatribe against the oppression that women in power can practise.
'Souvali' might come across as a more gentle probing of a lowly born woman's position in the backdrop of her duties to the King but it questions patriarchy and power equations by examining her tenuous ties with her son who has never had a name attached as his father. All three stories make you stop and think, in fact they demand that the reader pause to take a hard look at patriarchal notions that holds women back from companionship and solidarity with other women. A must read.
'The Five Women' addresses the social demands and decorum on widows in terms of how they dress or eat or conduct themselves. Belonging to the lowest class and caste, it is them who are the only ones able to help Uttara, a young widow and mother to be of the Pandava clan come to terms with grief through their companionship, their songs, their gentle questions and the searing life lessons they imbibe. Kunti and the Nishadin is on the burden of guilt that Kunti bears on account of having given up her eldest born, how she is trying to atone by living a life of austerity and by serving Gandhari and Dhirtarashtra in the forrest. She observes the Nishadin women and vice versa separated by caste, by social position and power but when one of them talks to her, it is a powerful diatribe against the oppression that women in power can practise.
'Souvali' might come across as a more gentle probing of a lowly born woman's position in the backdrop of her duties to the King but it questions patriarchy and power equations by examining her tenuous ties with her son who has never had a name attached as his father. All three stories make you stop and think, in fact they demand that the reader pause to take a hard look at patriarchal notions that holds women back from companionship and solidarity with other women. A must read.
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September 3, 2020My quest for 'why does Mahasweta Devi stand out as a prominent figure in literature?' started with this book and it's safe to say, I emerged as an admirer of her prose. The mighty battle of Kurukshetra saw countless deaths, of warriors and soldiers alike. In 'The Five Women', widows of the foot soldiers are anointed as maids to Uttara, Abhimanyu's widow. As she spends her days with them, she realizes that the royal household and it's laws are of no value to the common people. They have their rules based on their collective need as a community. Similarly, in 'Kintu and Nishadin', Devi points out the double-standards when it comes to guilt. The royal family considers only the most heinous of crimes as sins while forgetting that each selfish scheming has an effect on the common folk. In 'Souvali', the life of a concubine and his son is highlighted, again setting the tone towards the injustice that lies within the very rules dictated by those in power.
February 6, 2024
After kurukshetra delves on the lives and losses of the women involved after the great battle. It speaks on the futilty of war, how the lives of the marginalized or janavritta are affected by the cruelties of war. Powerful stories by appearing to be deceptively simple.
March 22, 2021
Mahasweta Devi was one of India's finest writers who spoke, wrote and worked for the rights of women and the underprivileged. 'After Kurukshetra' translated from the Bengali by Anjum Katyal stands at a mere 54 pages containing 3 stories after the end of Mahabharata. The chief characters in these stories are neglected lower caste women. They are all victims of patriarchy but the way they react to it is what makes them different.
The first story 'the five women' is about 5 lower caste women who are brought in as companions to Uttara, pregnant wife of Abhimanyu. This story brings out the irony of how upper caste women are deprived of all their pleasures and forced to live an austere life while the so-called lower caste women can remarry and continue the circle of life if they wish to.
The second story 'Kunti and the Nishadin' deals with a conveniently hidden truth and denial of justice about a particular incident relating to the Pandavas. Kunti spends her last days in the forest reminiscing about her life and sins. But she forgets one big mistake she did and a Nishadin woman, ( forest tribal people) whom Kunti regards as polluted, explains what lays in store for her.
The third story 'Souvali' is about Dhritarashtra's dasi-wife and how she deals with her son Yuyutsu performing the last rites of the father who never considered him as his son. I felt this story the most satisfying based on how Souvali feels content and secure with her life.
The stories also repeatedly questions the righteousness of this war. Devi calls it the war of greed, and rightly so. The book makes a great read and a very poignant critique on the Mahabharata.
The first story 'the five women' is about 5 lower caste women who are brought in as companions to Uttara, pregnant wife of Abhimanyu. This story brings out the irony of how upper caste women are deprived of all their pleasures and forced to live an austere life while the so-called lower caste women can remarry and continue the circle of life if they wish to.
The second story 'Kunti and the Nishadin' deals with a conveniently hidden truth and denial of justice about a particular incident relating to the Pandavas. Kunti spends her last days in the forest reminiscing about her life and sins. But she forgets one big mistake she did and a Nishadin woman, ( forest tribal people) whom Kunti regards as polluted, explains what lays in store for her.
The third story 'Souvali' is about Dhritarashtra's dasi-wife and how she deals with her son Yuyutsu performing the last rites of the father who never considered him as his son. I felt this story the most satisfying based on how Souvali feels content and secure with her life.
The stories also repeatedly questions the righteousness of this war. Devi calls it the war of greed, and rightly so. The book makes a great read and a very poignant critique on the Mahabharata.
February 17, 2016
Three affecting yet potent stories that explore the aftermath of a savage war through the eyes of the ignored and marginalized.
November 10, 2019
Poignant & beautiful! ❤
December 19, 2022
Poetic, melancholic and and ode to peace (and the uselessness of war). The three stories of after Kurukshetra are written from the point of view of people of the subaltern. Those who do not get a mention (or at most a passing reference) in the main epic story. There is an undercurrent of feminism and advocacy of the marginalized people who the war affected the most. Their stories were not told, their cries were not heard and they were burnt in piles once the war was over. The earth is soaked in their blood and the ground is baked by the heat of their burning pyres. The stories question the popular narrative of the war being that between the righteous (and hence the wronged) and those who were evil and disingenuous. The stories also highlight the customs of different classes with lower classes being more human and rational in their customs. The upper classes have power and ego games mixed with greed and pompousness disguising as dharma. The stories bring this out well in the conversations between characters. The books holds a mirror to our unjust society in an allegorical way.
January 29, 2019
A retelling of the post-war events in Mahabharata, After Kurukshetra has three stories that revolve mainly around three women: Uttara, Kunti, and Souvali.
The Five Women centers around Uttara, Abhimanyu's widow and with a child. Five women are brought to take care of her. They are named after 5 rivers of India and speak a different language of their own. Uttara observes them closely and they share with her their lifestyle and beliefs, how things are different in the village they lived and couldn't back because the land of Kurukshetra that they have to cross is so hot due to burning pyres of dead soldiers, its difficult to walk. Uttara realizes, putting aside her grief, how different is the custom of the royal household and the lifestyle of the royal women as compared to these dasis, and she secretly wishes to live it. But, Uttara is not the only one they have impacted deeply.
Kunti and Nishadin takes place in the forest where Kunti, Gandhari, and Dhritarashtra have come to live post the war. Kunti's sons, the Pandavas lived the battle but Gandhari lost all her 100 sons, the Kauravas. Kunti realizes how she failed to tend to her own family members and how Gandhari always was the better human. She confesses to her sins to a group of people, the Nishads, who roam around the village and provide fodder to the city people, do not speak the same language as Kunti and she thinks they wouldn't understand her either until one day a Nishadin comes forward to ask Kunti her greatest sin.
Souvali brings forth the story of a woman by the same name who belongs to the vaishya class and was in service of Dhritarashtra and bore a son, Yuyutsu who was never accepted by Gandhari as one of the Kauravas. He fought alongside the Pandavas and even to that Souvali thought will they ever accept him as one of their own. Yuyutsu is allowed to pay the last rites to his father, but he refuses to do the same for Kunti and Gandhari. To this, Souvali has a very different, and in my opinion bold, perspective.
These stories reflect that aspect of these women you were sure to neglect in the epic.
Definitely picking up more of Mahasweta Devi.
The Five Women centers around Uttara, Abhimanyu's widow and with a child. Five women are brought to take care of her. They are named after 5 rivers of India and speak a different language of their own. Uttara observes them closely and they share with her their lifestyle and beliefs, how things are different in the village they lived and couldn't back because the land of Kurukshetra that they have to cross is so hot due to burning pyres of dead soldiers, its difficult to walk. Uttara realizes, putting aside her grief, how different is the custom of the royal household and the lifestyle of the royal women as compared to these dasis, and she secretly wishes to live it. But, Uttara is not the only one they have impacted deeply.
Kunti and Nishadin takes place in the forest where Kunti, Gandhari, and Dhritarashtra have come to live post the war. Kunti's sons, the Pandavas lived the battle but Gandhari lost all her 100 sons, the Kauravas. Kunti realizes how she failed to tend to her own family members and how Gandhari always was the better human. She confesses to her sins to a group of people, the Nishads, who roam around the village and provide fodder to the city people, do not speak the same language as Kunti and she thinks they wouldn't understand her either until one day a Nishadin comes forward to ask Kunti her greatest sin.
Souvali brings forth the story of a woman by the same name who belongs to the vaishya class and was in service of Dhritarashtra and bore a son, Yuyutsu who was never accepted by Gandhari as one of the Kauravas. He fought alongside the Pandavas and even to that Souvali thought will they ever accept him as one of their own. Yuyutsu is allowed to pay the last rites to his father, but he refuses to do the same for Kunti and Gandhari. To this, Souvali has a very different, and in my opinion bold, perspective.
These stories reflect that aspect of these women you were sure to neglect in the epic.
Definitely picking up more of Mahasweta Devi.
March 5, 2013
Though translated from its original language, this Keira-knightly of a book offers a new set of tales set in post-mahabharata-war times. Mahashweta Devi(of Hazar Chaurasi ki Ma fame) writes about the difference between rajvritta, janvritta and lokvritta - the conflicts of ideals, of their wrongs and rights and what happens when their lives mingle.
This book asks questions that have often been repeatd - Was the dharmayuddha a dharmayuddha or just a war for the throne? What was Kunti's greatest sin? Is widow remarriage acceptable? and so on - in a matter of 50 odd pages. It answers none.
I'd have given this five stars had the translator not used the 'stuff' word in this book. Otherwise, must read. Reminded me of a one-act-play I read when I was in school - Mahabharat ki ek saanjh. 2013 will hopefully see more Mahashweta Devi books.
Buy this book if you'd like to read about a few untold stories of Mahabharat from a very different perspective - that of the downtrodden, the collateral damage in dharma's war.
This book asks questions that have often been repeatd - Was the dharmayuddha a dharmayuddha or just a war for the throne? What was Kunti's greatest sin? Is widow remarriage acceptable? and so on - in a matter of 50 odd pages. It answers none.
I'd have given this five stars had the translator not used the 'stuff' word in this book. Otherwise, must read. Reminded me of a one-act-play I read when I was in school - Mahabharat ki ek saanjh. 2013 will hopefully see more Mahashweta Devi books.
Buy this book if you'd like to read about a few untold stories of Mahabharat from a very different perspective - that of the downtrodden, the collateral damage in dharma's war.
January 29, 2022
A bookish recco this was. (Was referred/recommended by another book I was reading). And as I have never read one from Mahashweta Devi, this being a first for me, an enriching experience. We all know what happened after the great war of Mahabharata. Pandavas ruled and then went on to end their lives in the Himalayas. But what was the immediate aftermath? Is a never-told tale that this book tells in its three stories. From the eyes of three ladies, Uttara, Kunti, and Soumali. The devastating after-effects to the common people remain unsung while we sing about bravado, the victory of truth over evil. The pages go into the lives of those who were never paid attention to. The author portrays their pain like her own. Not just another retelling of the epic, but a mirror to the society which still, is the same after eons.
July 25, 2021
After Kurukshetra: Three Stories by Mahasweta Devi , translated by Anjum Katyal
Another slim book packing deep human emotions of grief, moving on, forgiveness and finally the harsh face of reality.
The first short story - Five Women-Reeling from the death of Abhimanyu, Uttara is depressed and often isolates herself. The matriarchal figures, Subhadra and Draupadi worry for her and the unborn baby. The palace head maid recruits widows of foot soldiers.
These women, who can be passed off as commoners each have a story to tell.. their lives meagre but their eyes unfathomable and deep..
Foot soldiers, the lowest soldiers in the rung and the first casualties, just like a prey to the hungry. They are not even given an armor. Their death inevitable.. Who said without them the women cannot hold spears on their own and guard themselves..
They are phoenixes, rising from the ashes of their dead husbands, to go through life again.. to harvest the golden wheat and never lose hope.. A moral for Uttara and all of us..
Next story being that of Kunti, Gandhari and her husband in the forest ashram after the ravaging war. Gandhari remains regal after losing her sons and Kunti tends to their needs.
Kunti is gripped by human anxieties, the unforgivable deeds in the name of dharma and decides to use the forest as an outlet.
The forest listens and pumps fresh blood through her frail veins and her stunted demeanor. Kunti mourns what she did in her Rajavritha and continually felt trapped in the palace.
Having felt free in the forest, she's still watchful of the tribals beneath her caste, we see what message they have to give her?
Forgiveness comes at a final cost.. Through fire lives were taken and through fire she will be cleansed..
And Lastly, the story of the bastard son Souvalya, expecting a miniscule of love and escape from his abandonment as kid.. Borne through the courtesan's womb, unrecognized from his father, a seed of forgotten nature..
He is called to perform his father's last rites.. the only remaining Kaurava son for only this event.. but his identity is still lost..
the stories we tell others when we are pretending and the innocent faces who listen..
Who's at fault?
Another slim book packing deep human emotions of grief, moving on, forgiveness and finally the harsh face of reality.
The first short story - Five Women-Reeling from the death of Abhimanyu, Uttara is depressed and often isolates herself. The matriarchal figures, Subhadra and Draupadi worry for her and the unborn baby. The palace head maid recruits widows of foot soldiers.
These women, who can be passed off as commoners each have a story to tell.. their lives meagre but their eyes unfathomable and deep..
Foot soldiers, the lowest soldiers in the rung and the first casualties, just like a prey to the hungry. They are not even given an armor. Their death inevitable.. Who said without them the women cannot hold spears on their own and guard themselves..
They are phoenixes, rising from the ashes of their dead husbands, to go through life again.. to harvest the golden wheat and never lose hope.. A moral for Uttara and all of us..
Next story being that of Kunti, Gandhari and her husband in the forest ashram after the ravaging war. Gandhari remains regal after losing her sons and Kunti tends to their needs.
Kunti is gripped by human anxieties, the unforgivable deeds in the name of dharma and decides to use the forest as an outlet.
The forest listens and pumps fresh blood through her frail veins and her stunted demeanor. Kunti mourns what she did in her Rajavritha and continually felt trapped in the palace.
Having felt free in the forest, she's still watchful of the tribals beneath her caste, we see what message they have to give her?
Forgiveness comes at a final cost.. Through fire lives were taken and through fire she will be cleansed..
And Lastly, the story of the bastard son Souvalya, expecting a miniscule of love and escape from his abandonment as kid.. Borne through the courtesan's womb, unrecognized from his father, a seed of forgotten nature..
He is called to perform his father's last rites.. the only remaining Kaurava son for only this event.. but his identity is still lost..
the stories we tell others when we are pretending and the innocent faces who listen..
Who's at fault?
August 15, 2021
I have read many versions of the epic Mahabharata and was not interested to pick up another one for a long time. But this book contains three stories which is the aftermath of Kurukshetra war, and its not about the frontline heroes/heroines. I like the way she gets that deep insights into every character and every detailing is so powerful and beautiful.
I like the narration and writing style of Mahasweta Devi. She is a Bengali writer and this book is a translated one. I think I will start exploring other books of her now.
I like the narration and writing style of Mahasweta Devi. She is a Bengali writer and this book is a translated one. I think I will start exploring other books of her now.
July 12, 2023
After Kurukshetra is a collection of three short stories that shine a light on the lives of overlooked lower caste women (widows of foot soldiers, concubines, etc.) in the aftermath of the Mahabharata. Each story is meant to dismantle the farce (in Devi’s view) that the Mahabharata is a tale of a Dharma-yudda (“righteous war”). By denouncing the greed and arrogance of the royal household, by exposing the true nature of characters traditionally admired for their virtue, by revealing the plight of children of royal concubines. Each story is excellent and the second - Kunti and the Nishadin - might be one of the best short stories I’ve ever read.
Unfortunately, the essence of the stories is relatively inaccessible to those with little familiarity to the interpersonal relationships and subplots of the Mahabharata.
Unfortunately, the essence of the stories is relatively inaccessible to those with little familiarity to the interpersonal relationships and subplots of the Mahabharata.
August 30, 2018
For me, who have just heard about Mahabharata from their elders and not read even a single book till now, this book was a base for me to measure the scale of Mahabharata. It gives you the side stories of Mahabharata which are very rare to find in general.
May 12, 2018
Lovely read ...
May 3, 2023
This book gives you lots to introspect about the Holy War of the Mahabharata.
August 29, 2019
After Kurukshetra by Mahasweta Devi have three stories contemplating the events after mahabharat and it's effects on women. How the lives were destroyed in the name of war, how the womens were left without their fathers, husbands brothers and sons.
First story is about the five women named after the rivers, who have lost everything because of the war and they have come to aide Uttra while she was grieving for her husband. The second story is about Kunti and her guilt of not accepting and supporting Karna. The third story is about Souvali and her son Dhritarashtra, who never gave his son the name of Kauravas and how Souvalya joined Pandavas.
All three stories are presented with a refreshing perspective that I never had a chance to read about. But I am glad I read this book. I really liked the first one where these five women might not look important to the war but their husbands and sons died there and now they couldn't even go to their village because the land was hot from the burning pyre of soldiers. While they stay with Uttara, she observes how their custom and culture are so different from her and how she is not the only one affected.
I read the translated book and I really liked it but I think it couldn't do justice to the emotions. But it's a great read.
First story is about the five women named after the rivers, who have lost everything because of the war and they have come to aide Uttra while she was grieving for her husband. The second story is about Kunti and her guilt of not accepting and supporting Karna. The third story is about Souvali and her son Dhritarashtra, who never gave his son the name of Kauravas and how Souvalya joined Pandavas.
All three stories are presented with a refreshing perspective that I never had a chance to read about. But I am glad I read this book. I really liked the first one where these five women might not look important to the war but their husbands and sons died there and now they couldn't even go to their village because the land was hot from the burning pyre of soldiers. While they stay with Uttara, she observes how their custom and culture are so different from her and how she is not the only one affected.
I read the translated book and I really liked it but I think it couldn't do justice to the emotions. But it's a great read.
September 27, 2010
The author has attempted to explore some of the unexplored dimensions of Mahabharat war. The book tries to differentiate the lives of people who are perceived are knowledgeable,educated,civilized and the people who are common man with simple lifestyles. The first story revolves around the life of Uttara, widowed of Abhimanyu and contrasts it with five widows of common farmers. The life style inside the palace and that of a farmer is compared in a lucid style. The second story reveals how Kunti accepts her injustice to Karna, her abandoned son but forgets her bigger injustice which ended the lives of six innocents. The third story deals with the simplicity and emotions of Yuyutsu the illegal son of Dhritarastra.
The author has been able to put the emotions into words.
Try this 47 page book if you have interest in exploring the unexplored moral dimensions of Kurukshetra war. Ultimately you can see some reflections of the prevalent customs of toady's society.
The author has been able to put the emotions into words.
Try this 47 page book if you have interest in exploring the unexplored moral dimensions of Kurukshetra war. Ultimately you can see some reflections of the prevalent customs of toady's society.
March 28, 2021
Stories of subaltern told in an unapologetic manner, without malice, hatred or pontification. Simple, flowing stories posing deep and difficult question, forcing you to see a completely new perspective and contemplate .
November 30, 2019
This book is so moving. While it may be set in the Mahabharata it begets an important question- who is the main sufferer of war? Very short but what a phenomenal book.
January 5, 2022
I picked up this thin book thinking I would finish it over a single cup of coffee, but boy, how wrong was I in my estimate!
Ironic that 'boy' sprang to my mind as I started sharing my thoughts about this book written by Mahasweta Devi and translated by Anjum Katyal because this book lays bare the aftermath of Mahabharata - a war started by the annihilation of female dignity (Cheer-haran of Panchali) and the ultimate fight to proclaim male ego/supremacy (Kauravas & Pandavas).
With the war over, 100 Kauravas cremated and thousands of corpses being piled on mass pyres, this book offers a peek into the lives and the minds of the women left behind to mourn the dead, surrender or pick up the pieces to rebuild their lives. Like so much else, did any man discuss the pros and cons before declaring the war? Did any man take into account what their women would face if they do not return from the war? Three haunting stories looking at the war from the eyes of women from disparate socioeconomic backgrounds. How they deal with the loss, the guilt and the bitterness once the men are all gone.
You wold need more than 1 cup to let this book sink into you.
Ironic that 'boy' sprang to my mind as I started sharing my thoughts about this book written by Mahasweta Devi and translated by Anjum Katyal because this book lays bare the aftermath of Mahabharata - a war started by the annihilation of female dignity (Cheer-haran of Panchali) and the ultimate fight to proclaim male ego/supremacy (Kauravas & Pandavas).
With the war over, 100 Kauravas cremated and thousands of corpses being piled on mass pyres, this book offers a peek into the lives and the minds of the women left behind to mourn the dead, surrender or pick up the pieces to rebuild their lives. Like so much else, did any man discuss the pros and cons before declaring the war? Did any man take into account what their women would face if they do not return from the war? Three haunting stories looking at the war from the eyes of women from disparate socioeconomic backgrounds. How they deal with the loss, the guilt and the bitterness once the men are all gone.
You wold need more than 1 cup to let this book sink into you.
August 21, 2025
i talked about this a lot in my liberation of sita review, but as someone who grew up having been told ramayana and mahabharata stories at bedtime (and also watched the 100+ episodes from the 1988 television show), i possess some internal conflict rethinking about the epics as an adult.
these were some of the first stories that actually connected me to my indian heritage, but straying away from their thrilling and intricate quest, these epics are often so depressing in reality.
this was my first time reading mahasweta devi's work and i think her interpretation and inclusion of societal problems in caste and gender and revisiting the actual cruelty of the kurukshetra was done so well with 3 short stories was a great peep. not as emotionally explorative (but also not as extreme) as volga's work, but it left a good introduction to devi's writing and makes me excitied to read more south asian literature
these were some of the first stories that actually connected me to my indian heritage, but straying away from their thrilling and intricate quest, these epics are often so depressing in reality.
this was my first time reading mahasweta devi's work and i think her interpretation and inclusion of societal problems in caste and gender and revisiting the actual cruelty of the kurukshetra was done so well with 3 short stories was a great peep. not as emotionally explorative (but also not as extreme) as volga's work, but it left a good introduction to devi's writing and makes me excitied to read more south asian literature
January 2, 2026
My first quick read of 2026
3 stories from the margins of the Mahabharata, after the big battle of Kurukshetra.
3 stories that give us the perspective of different janavritta (common people) communities. In one story, it is the wives of the now dead peasant soldiers from Kurujangal. In the second one, it is the Nishad (hunters, gatherers) men and women who haunt Kunti in her forest life after the Mahabharata. In the last one, it is story of the only Kaurava son who fought alongside Pandavas. He is the son of Dhritirastra and a vaishya dasi, and the only one left to perform the last rites of the blind king.
I wish there were more such stories by Mahasweta Devi. Maybe I will find them on my quest to read everything ever written by Mahasweta Devi.
Quick read. Rewarding. Highly recommend. Must read.
3 stories from the margins of the Mahabharata, after the big battle of Kurukshetra.
3 stories that give us the perspective of different janavritta (common people) communities. In one story, it is the wives of the now dead peasant soldiers from Kurujangal. In the second one, it is the Nishad (hunters, gatherers) men and women who haunt Kunti in her forest life after the Mahabharata. In the last one, it is story of the only Kaurava son who fought alongside Pandavas. He is the son of Dhritirastra and a vaishya dasi, and the only one left to perform the last rites of the blind king.
I wish there were more such stories by Mahasweta Devi. Maybe I will find them on my quest to read everything ever written by Mahasweta Devi.
Quick read. Rewarding. Highly recommend. Must read.
April 3, 2023
After Kurukshetra by Mahasweta Devi is a powerful reinterpretation of the ancient Indian epic, Mahabharata, focusing on the often marginalized and dispossessed women affected by the battle. Through three poignant stories, Devi explores themes of healing, identity, recognition, motherhood, and guilt, challenging the traditional narrative and power dynamics of the epic. This compelling collection gives voice to the silenced and sheds light on the resilience and courage of these women in the face of trauma and adversity. A must-read for anyone interested in untold stories and alternative perspectives on grand epics.
July 4, 2021
Slices of conversations after the war, the mundane ones actually held open secrets: that the war had left women lonely and desolate, that there was no heaven reserved for the foot soldiers (lower castes) who died fighting for their respective side/king, that queens and princess secretly envy the freedom of Chandala women and Nishadans - who do not have to be emblems of "honour" like them. The book is made of many such slices of mundane conversations that hold open secrets that many choose not to see. A good, short read for a journey.
June 30, 2025
Great authors can make you think in just 52 pages.
Mahashweta Devi renders a voice to those whose deaths and losses slip through the larger canvas of the great epic. How many foot soldiers die in a war? Who hears their stories? What of their wives and children?
You get a glimpse of what Mahashweta Devi's life and work was all about, and this should serve as a good gateway to her writing. This also shows what an extraordinary epic The Mahabharata is, with endless interpretations and perspectives, which so many great authors have explored in their own way.
There is a chapter on Uttara, who is grieving the loss of her husband as she nurses his child. One on Kunti, in her final years in the forest.
And like in Dharamveer Bharati's "Andha Yug", Yuyutsu finds key mention in a chapter here, however he is explored from the eyes of his birth mother.
If you are looking for complementary work exploring the unexplored characters in the great epic, these three short stories fit perfectly.
Mahashweta Devi renders a voice to those whose deaths and losses slip through the larger canvas of the great epic. How many foot soldiers die in a war? Who hears their stories? What of their wives and children?
You get a glimpse of what Mahashweta Devi's life and work was all about, and this should serve as a good gateway to her writing. This also shows what an extraordinary epic The Mahabharata is, with endless interpretations and perspectives, which so many great authors have explored in their own way.
There is a chapter on Uttara, who is grieving the loss of her husband as she nurses his child. One on Kunti, in her final years in the forest.
And like in Dharamveer Bharati's "Andha Yug", Yuyutsu finds key mention in a chapter here, however he is explored from the eyes of his birth mother.
If you are looking for complementary work exploring the unexplored characters in the great epic, these three short stories fit perfectly.
December 30, 2018
have read so many POVs and most don't really stand out. They are written just to be published.
This had more soul to it. It's short and narrates loss and indifference.
The second chapter is hard hitting. I didn't see that tale taking a turn it took, moved. I was amazed.
It's a beautiful book and I'll be reading more of the author's translations.
This had more soul to it. It's short and narrates loss and indifference.
The second chapter is hard hitting. I didn't see that tale taking a turn it took, moved. I was amazed.
It's a beautiful book and I'll be reading more of the author's translations.
August 31, 2021
August is 'Women in Translation' month, and it is fitting that I ended the month by reading Mahasweta Devi's 'After Kurukshetra'. A really slim book, but one that packs a punch. The stories left out of the Mahabharata, stories of women at the fringes. Stories that make you question patriarchy. Stories that make you realise how invisible certain people are to the world at large. Lovely selection.
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