What do you think?
Rate this book
Mahabharata: An Inquiry in the Human Condition
Reading books is a kind of enjoyment. Reading books is a good habit. We bring you a different kinds of books. You can carry this book where ever you want. It is easy to carry. It can be an ideal gift to yourself and to your loved ones. Care instruction keep away from fire.
- GenresPhilosophyReligionIndia
699 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
15 people are currently reading
262 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 25, 2016
Mahabharata - Dramatis personae - The Self and the Other !
Thus begins this philosophical digest of the Mahabharata in 18 chapters covering aspects of human life - both personal and public, mostly temporal as Mahabharata was meant to be. Full of verses from the Mahabharata and some from Upanishads, along with the author's commentary.
It took me 8 months to read this book bcoz no ebook was available (checked a no. of times in this period). And a 600 page A4 sized book on philosophy is not easy to get into with a tired mind in d evening.
I think I will be re-reading this one again in d future.
Thus begins this philosophical digest of the Mahabharata in 18 chapters covering aspects of human life - both personal and public, mostly temporal as Mahabharata was meant to be. Full of verses from the Mahabharata and some from Upanishads, along with the author's commentary.
It took me 8 months to read this book bcoz no ebook was available (checked a no. of times in this period). And a 600 page A4 sized book on philosophy is not easy to get into with a tired mind in d evening.
I think I will be re-reading this one again in d future.
August 24, 2014
The author states that - although it is full of cheating, aggression and violence - the Mahabharata is in principle a book on peace similar like the Old Testament of the Bible.
According to the author the Mahabharata had marked a radical shift by moving the mind in daily life from Atman to “Dharma” – or world order and duty. In the Mahabharata, the attention shifted from the One/Self to the other/self in relation to the One/Self, wherein nothing can be understood independent of the rest. The Self is a being in relationship with itself and at the same time the Self is itself a being in respect to the other and herewith One’s/one’s own life is connected to the life of the other.
One example:
The battlefield – described in the Bhagavad Gita – between the world order and duty (Dharmakshetra [4]) and human action (Kurukshetra) shows countless horrors. One of these horrors on the battlefield is the death of the beautiful son of Arjuna. The oldest brother of Arjuna – and crown pretender of the five Pandavah brothers – is inconsolable. After this loss, he oversees the battlefield with the many fallen and he says:
"This is worth no victory in this war, no kingdom, no heaven and no immortality".
He asks Vyasa – the narrator of the Mahabharata –:
"Family, teachers and loved ones are lying broken on the Earth with death as their identity. Why are they now known as "death"? Who dies here? What causes death? And why does death claim the living?"
Hereafter Vyasa tells the story about the origin of Death – Mrtyu in the form of a woman – by Brahman. Mrtyu asks him:
“Why am I created?”.
Brahman tells her that she is created to relieve the earth from
the intolerable burden of the ever growing population of living beings. Mrtyu begins to cry uncontrollably. Brahman takes her tears in his hands, but some fall on the Earth. From these tears, the diseases are created whereby the bodies of living beings will die. Mrtyu demands an explanation from Brahman:
“Why did you create me in this form of a woman? Why am I knowingly engaged in the misery and cruelty of devouring of living beings. By taking away the lives of children, parents, loved ones and friends, their relatives will mourn on the loss and I will be the object of their hatred and fear. But I will fear the tears of sorrow the most. No, I will not be able to extinguish life; save me from this fatal existence”.
Brahman explains her:
“There is dead and there is no death at the same time. All living things cause their own death by sticking to their own delusions in sins and in happiness. In Truth, there is no death. The tears of Death are the tears of our sorrow that cause death and destruction everywhere around us. Just as easily we can create, enrich and preserve a True life for ourselves and for others.”
After this explanation Mrtyu – death – asks bewildered:
“Why don’t you learn to live?”
A striking question in our mortal life.
Recommended.
According to the author the Mahabharata had marked a radical shift by moving the mind in daily life from Atman to “Dharma” – or world order and duty. In the Mahabharata, the attention shifted from the One/Self to the other/self in relation to the One/Self, wherein nothing can be understood independent of the rest. The Self is a being in relationship with itself and at the same time the Self is itself a being in respect to the other and herewith One’s/one’s own life is connected to the life of the other.
One example:
The battlefield – described in the Bhagavad Gita – between the world order and duty (Dharmakshetra [4]) and human action (Kurukshetra) shows countless horrors. One of these horrors on the battlefield is the death of the beautiful son of Arjuna. The oldest brother of Arjuna – and crown pretender of the five Pandavah brothers – is inconsolable. After this loss, he oversees the battlefield with the many fallen and he says:
"This is worth no victory in this war, no kingdom, no heaven and no immortality".
He asks Vyasa – the narrator of the Mahabharata –:
"Family, teachers and loved ones are lying broken on the Earth with death as their identity. Why are they now known as "death"? Who dies here? What causes death? And why does death claim the living?"
Hereafter Vyasa tells the story about the origin of Death – Mrtyu in the form of a woman – by Brahman. Mrtyu asks him:
“Why am I created?”.
Brahman tells her that she is created to relieve the earth from
the intolerable burden of the ever growing population of living beings. Mrtyu begins to cry uncontrollably. Brahman takes her tears in his hands, but some fall on the Earth. From these tears, the diseases are created whereby the bodies of living beings will die. Mrtyu demands an explanation from Brahman:
“Why did you create me in this form of a woman? Why am I knowingly engaged in the misery and cruelty of devouring of living beings. By taking away the lives of children, parents, loved ones and friends, their relatives will mourn on the loss and I will be the object of their hatred and fear. But I will fear the tears of sorrow the most. No, I will not be able to extinguish life; save me from this fatal existence”.
Brahman explains her:
“There is dead and there is no death at the same time. All living things cause their own death by sticking to their own delusions in sins and in happiness. In Truth, there is no death. The tears of Death are the tears of our sorrow that cause death and destruction everywhere around us. Just as easily we can create, enrich and preserve a True life for ourselves and for others.”
After this explanation Mrtyu – death – asks bewildered:
“Why don’t you learn to live?”
A striking question in our mortal life.
Recommended.
August 1, 2016
"Leave dharma, leave a dharma; leave both truth and untruth. After leaving both truth and untruth, leave that which enabled you to leave them. Then take one last step - leave the notion that you have left anything at all". This one para summarises the powerful message of this book. Must read for all Mahabharata enthusiasts. A magnificent interpretation of a great Indian epic that can put the best self help authors and philosophers to shame.
July 5, 2008
Am learning how to incorporate the teachings of Mahabharat into routine life...
October 20, 2020
Amazing book capturing various ideas, theories and discussions within the Mahabharata
December 31, 2020
One can never 'review' such books. These are guides which need to be referred to again and again in life. A book which grows older and wiser along with you. I found most of the chapters so relevant to the inner-work journey I have undertaken. However, there are some chapters which deal with governance, caste and the duties of the King, which I could not resonate much with. I also found it perplexing that on the issue of caste there is no mention of Karna's situation at all. The Gita too stays a separate study in its own right. The author rightly does not touch on that in this book.
Having said that, there is just so much more to discover in this book that it can last a lifetime.
The Mahabharata will always remain closest to my heart. When I was younger it was a tale of heroes and villains but as I have grown the depth of this fabulous tale has grown along.
So if you are interested in understanding more about your own self and know the story of Mahabharata well, just buy this book. This one is for keeps!
Having said that, there is just so much more to discover in this book that it can last a lifetime.
The Mahabharata will always remain closest to my heart. When I was younger it was a tale of heroes and villains but as I have grown the depth of this fabulous tale has grown along.
So if you are interested in understanding more about your own self and know the story of Mahabharata well, just buy this book. This one is for keeps!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews