Mahabharata Volume 2

Mahabharata #2

by Bibek Debroy

This definitive and magnificent 10-volume unabridged translation is one of the rare English translations in full of the epic. Bibek Debroy makes the Mahabharata marvellously accessible to contemporary readers. 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, Classics, Philosophy, Religion, Hinduism, India, Spirituality

528 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 401

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

[Garima · Rating 5 out of 5]

Undoubtedly it was as perfect as expected.
Since childhood, almost every Indian kid knows about this story, but the way the story shapes up in the book is simply perfect.
The highlights of this book were Sishupal's Vadh, Draupadi's disrobing and Nala-Damyanti's story.
In the part 2 of the book series, we travel deeper into the story of Pandavas and get to know the usually known tales with this unchallenged perspective. The disrobing of Draupadi is specially even more tragic than what we've seen in television or heard through tales. Also, Draupadi shines beautifully in this book. She is a fierce lady who, even when completely unprotected and torn, never weakens up.
The way she fires up in front of Krishna brings out her character, as the unflinching and courageous protagonist, upfront. To even top this, the conversation that follows between her and Yudhishtra is one of the best pieces of literature I have ever read. From diving into atheism to her countering Yudhisthra's weak stance makes her the divine lady that she is.
Also, we get to see Krishna in action in this book. We see his various forms guided by both calmness and ferociousness whenever required, we see him fighting a terrible battle, we see him kill Sishupal which beautifully captures his divinity and his anger after the disrobing of Draupadi,
(leaving me admiring his infinite charms and wishing a friend like him to help me through the atrocities of life as well).
Nala-Damyanti were another highlight towards the end of the book, it was serene to read such a beautiful story which was a short novella in itself.
Overall, it wa a beautiful journey that makes you feel better and helps you through the existential cobwebs of reality by the magic so bestowed.

[Tanuj Solanki · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Humiliation of Draupadi

this is one of the many articles I've written based on this book in the New Indian express - slightly modified

After losing all material possessions in the dice game with Shakuni (who is playing on Duryodhana’s behalf), Yudhistir begins to bet his relations. Nakul, Sehadeva, Bhima, Arjun, and then Yudhistir himself, are staked and lost. The last bet is Draupadi.

This is perhaps the most crucial point in the whole story - the utter humiliation of Draupadi in a sabha full of royal Kuru men and their advisors. At no earlier point in my reading have I been more moved (enraged, perhaps, is the better word) than I am after reading the Dyuta Parva of the epic, in which the atrocious dice game is described. In this country today, if it is a fact that a majority of the sexual violence faced by women is inside their own homes, then the story of Draupadi’s humiliation in an assembly hall filled with her husbands and her in-laws is a testament to how deep-rooted the notion of treating women as chattel is.

When I shared my outrage after reading the Dyuta Parva on Facebook, a friend reminded me that it might not be correct to look at mythology with a 21st century lens. But the Mahabharata, I feel, has never been just mythology. Even if we ignore the insistence of some people to call it history (and we should, given that these people often go to absurd lengths to ‘create’ facts for their case, fueling belief in notions like the usage of nuclear weapons in the war, or the impregnation of women through divine energy, and so on), the fact that there exists an entire contemporary literature focused on refurbishing the Mahabharata as relevant to our times, whole bookshelves of semi-scholarly or commercial work intent on keeping the story ‘alive’, even to transpose its rather inane tactical or strategic maneuvers as management lessons for the modern corporate workplace, it is crucial that no part of it that is unacceptable as per current value systems be allowed to be inherited as is, without condemnation. And there is nothing in the Mahabharata deserving more condemnation than the toxic masculinity that results in Draupadi’s humiliation at the hands of the Kauravas.

What saves Draupadi is not Krishna’s extension of her garment but the paradox that she poses to the entire assembly, which is in turn based on two axioms. First, that wives are their husband’s property. And the second, that slaves can’t own property. If Yudhistir has lost himself in the game and become a slave to the Kauravas, how can he then bet Draupadi, who does not belong to him anymore? Yudhistir has to accept that he lied when he bet himself, or accept that he has lost his right on Draupadi. Since the first is impossible, it follows that at this point in the story, unless the Kauravas reject the Pandavas’ servitude, Draupadi has been technically freed of her marriage with the five brothers.

I almost wish things had stayed this way.

[Mohammad Saqlain · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had an interesting experience with the first book, I tried my best to see the actions of these people through a different perspective and maybe if I tried hard enough, their actions could be justified. Every character has committed sins but atleast Krishna and Arjuna are the best of them, right?
Well page 39 and I'm already traumatised :


I guess that was necessary to unlock legendary status weapons like Gandiva and Sudarshan Chakra.

All that aside, the major highlight has to be the gambling match, which stays true to the original texts and never mentions of Keshava's interference in it. But when Keshava finally shows up he does narrate the great war of Dwarka, that was fun.
The most evil among men falls in a pool and runs into a glass door, hits his head, falls in front of the workers and that king's son gets laughed at by literal slaves (Duryodhan's negative aura)
And Remember Baaka! His brother makes a small cameo here.
The world conquest took too long and was really boring to go through, narrations were so repetitive! But it is redeemed when Shishupala rants too much at Keshava and gets his head taken off, which is even more satisfying when you know Shishupala's childhood story.
The best thing about reading the unabridged version of Mahabharata is how so many stereotypes are broken. Bhima is usually shown as a brawn over brain character, while in reality he had great knowledge in Dharma, to the point he even corrects Yudhishthira in an argument about doing what is right. The women stay in men's shadows but this book mentions places ruled by women, unfortunately they don't explore it in detail but the fact that it is mentioned, is a big deal.
Arjuna is given lots of time and development. He has the strongest devotion, is not afraid of getting punished. I'm convinced he is the main hero, he fights SHIVA himself, and when he runs out of arrows he uproots trees and picks up large rocks and continues to attack him, obviously he doesn't do any damage but he did impress him and gained his blessing. All the gods bless him and inform him that Karna is fated to die by his hands.
The book ends with my favorite side story so far, the story of king Nala and Damayanti, a king who also was a gambling addict like Yudhishthira.
This has many slow sections, especially once the exile starts, but more interesting than the first book because I'm finally starting to see actual progress in the story.

[Will · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked this one better. Kairata Parva shows the metaphysical and philosophical evolutions of faith and reverence in society. More debates and grappling with what dharma means and is, and what it looks like in the face of toil.

[Pradeep T · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series of Mahabharata book is way too hard to read. But once you read, you will get the elation of completing a mammoth task and feel happy. Mahabharata Critical Sanskrit edition translation works by Bibek Debory is an amazing feat and every one should appreciate the effort that he has put in drafting this book. This volume 2 speaks about the Pandavas defeat in the Dyuta game i.e. the game of dice and their exile to the forest for 12 years. The book also covers some other stories that are connected to the Mahabharata event especially the stories of Nala-Damayanti. I believe it is one of the longest short stories narrated in this book apart from the main Mahabharata event. The book ends on the event where Arjuna ascends to the heaven after he successfully obtains the Pashupatastra. Overall, a fantastic tale and a fantastic narration. Soon shall begin to read the 3rd volume of this book.

[Aravind Balaji · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved it.
The story of King Nala was spectacular!!

[Satdeep Gill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yudhishtra losing in the game of dice leading to the Pandavas's exile and the story of Nala and Damayanti are the highlights of this volume.

[Preetam Chatterjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back in December 2018, a small accident left me with a spinal injury, forcing me to stay in bed for more than two weeks. Outside my room, the world was moving through a momentous winter: the passing of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush, headline-making decisions at the G20 Summit in Argentina, and the afterglow of the dramatic Thailand cave rescue that had captured global attention earlier that year. India, too, had its own share of notable events—sharp cold waves sweeping across the north, the country retaining its position as the world’s largest receiver of remittances, and celebrations in the fields of literature and sports, including Amitav Ghosh being honoured with the Jnanpith Award.

Amid this combination of personal stillness and global motion, I found one unexpected gift of time: the opportunity to read through all ten volumes of Bibek Debroy’s complete English translation of the Mahabharata.

When I look back at the winter of 2018, I often think of it as a strange intermission between two acts of a play I didn’t know I was performing. Lying on my back with a spine that refused to negotiate, I found the world shrinking to the dimensions of a bed, while the Mahabharata—especially Debroy’s second volume—expanded in my mind like a galaxy quietly gathering stars.

Sabha Parva arrived at that moment as if summoned: a text obsessed with movement, architecture, journeys, pride, punishment, and the dangerous shimmer of ambition. And there I lay, unmoving, watching dynasties rearrange themselves in my head.

If Volume 1 was initiation, Volume 2 felt like occupation. The epic took up residence inside me, strolling around like it owned the place.

Debroy’s translation of this book is lean, faithful, and oddly serene, like a river that knows its destination but takes its time getting there. And yet, the stories inside are anything but serene.

Sabha Parva is where the epic moves from mythic genealogy to realpolitik, from cosmic prelude to human consequence. The moment Maya builds Yudhishthira’s hall, I realised I was entering a world obsessed with architecture not as ornament but as psychology.

This is a hall designed to deceive, to reflect, to magnify, to unsettle—exactly what Shakespeare would have done had he been asked to design a kingdom: a stage where the flooring itself becomes a plot.

While reading, I kept thinking of Rabindranath’s quiet warning in his essays: that excess—be it power, pride, or prosperity—always comes bearing its own seeds of decay.

And here was Yudhishthira, blissfully unaware that the kingdom he was building was also building the exact ladder on which his pride would later be hanged.

That hall became, for me, a metaphor of the entire epic. Everything is real. Everything is illusion. Nothing is merely one thing. Vyasa was basically doing quantum storytelling before physics caught up.

But what struck me more deeply was the strange paradox at the heart of this volume: Sabha Parva is obsessed with movement—journeys east, west, north, south. Conquests. Campaigns. Diplomatic missions. Cross-continental expeditions.

And there I was, unable to move an inch without wincing. The juxtaposition became a private irony: they sailed oceans while I turned pages; they marched through kingdoms while I adjusted pillows; they expanded empires while I expanded the horizons of my mind because my body had gone on strike.

The Geeta kept floating through my thoughts: “Karmanye vadhikaraste…” Action is your duty, the verse insists. Yet here I was, forced into inaction. But the Mahabharata whispered a rebuttal: sometimes stillness ‘is’ action, sometimes the battlefield is internal, sometimes the movement is entirely mental.

Reading Sabha Parva in that state became a reminder that the greatest journeys often happen in confinement.

Debroy’s style is the opposite of melodrama. He doesn’t embellish; he reveals. His sentences don’t strut; they walk. And in a book where every king is performing for prestige, every diplomat is rehearsing power, and every warrior is flaunting lineage, the restraint of the translator becomes almost moral. It’s translation as dharma—precise, unobtrusive, and uncorrupted by ego.

What fascinated me most in this volume was the character of Yudhishthira slowly beginning to slide from idealism into softness—softness that would soon harden into obsession.
He begins as the paragon of justice, the monarch who conquers through righteousness, not rage. But as he sends his brothers on massive campaigns to extend dominion, a shadow glimmers at his edges.

Shakespeare would have noticed it immediately—this slight trembling of virtue, this crack in the marble. I could almost hear the Bard’s whisper: “Ay, there’s the rub.”

There is such a subtle tragedy to Yudhishthira’s desire for the Rajasuya. He doesn’t crave the ritual for glory—at least not consciously—but for legitimacy. And legitimacy is always a dangerous hunger.

Even Rabindranath warned, in more than one lecture, how the desire to be recognised can undo the very spirit of one’s work. Watching Yudhishthira tie himself psychologically to the idea of completing the ritual, I found myself reading almost with a teacher’s anxiety: “Beta, this won’t end well.”

And then comes Krishna, the master dramaturg, strolling into the story not as a god dispensing miracles, but as a strategist wearing human skin. His role in Sabha Parva is so beautifully underplayed that I found myself grinning.

This isn’t the Krishna of battlefield sermons. This is the Krishna of counsel, the Krishna who sharpens truth like a blade, the Krishna who understands that a kingdom’s architecture must match its moral engineering.

The slaying of Jarasandha is one of the great sequences of the Mahabharata—not because of violence, but because of choreography. It is mental combat disguised as physical confrontation. Krishna, Bhima, and Arjuna approach Jarasandha the way a chess master approaches an undefeated opponent.

And I couldn’t help but think of Shakespeare’s political tragedies—’Macbeth’, ‘Coriolanus’, ‘Julius Caesar’—plays where the killing of a single man rearranges the entire moral universe.

The Sabha Parva’s version of that rearrangement is subtle but powerful. Once Jarasandha falls, the world folds itself around Yudhishthira like cloth being tailored to a king’s body.

But kingship is never just about wearing the robe; it’s about understanding the weight of the cloth.

And Yudhishthira, I realised, wasn’t ready for that weight.

What startled me during that bedridden reading was how much the Mahabharata knows about the psychology of leadership—something even Rabindranath, in his writings on nationalism and civilisation, kept returning to.

The epic suggests that leadership is not an assertion but an inheritance, and inheritances always come with ghosts. Sabha Parva is full of ghosts: past wrongs, past curses, past ambitions that seep into present decisions.

Then comes the moment that turns the world: the arrival of Shishupala.

Ah, Shishupala—the man who weaponises annoyance. If Homer had Achilles, if Shakespeare had Iago, if Bengal had Nikhilesh and Sandip torn by ideological tension, the Mahabharata has Shishupala, a man who uses words like stones. His insults feel like he’s speed-running through the seven deadly sins.

And yet, his death is strangely intimate. Krishna’s Sudarshana doesn’t explode; it simply resolves what has been simmering for lifetimes.

Reading that moment in 2018, I remember feeling an odd sense of satisfaction—not because of the violence but because of the cosmic symmetry. The Geeta’s whisper returned: ‘“Whenever dharma declines…”‘ and I thought, yes, here it is—the universe tidying itself.

But the moment also marks the beginning of the end. The Rajasuya is complete, but something has been set in motion that no one—except maybe Krishna—fully understands.

By the time the sabha disperses, I secretly felt a shiver. This is the last moment of complete unity. The final photograph before the family begins to fracture.

What makes Debroy’s translation remarkable is that he never intrudes on this unfolding tragedy. He lets the narrative speak in its own measured tempo, its own scriptural cadence. His English is clean enough to hold the Sanskrit’s austerity, yet supple enough to make the story breathe.

And when Vyasa’s poetry swells, Debroy steps back, trusting the reader to feel the weight.

As I kept reading, the irony of my situation deepened. The characters moved through kingdoms, conquered vast territories, built alliances, performed rituals that required armies of priests, while I performed the modest daily ritual of shifting from my left side to my right.

The contrast sharpened my engagement. Their excess made my stillness feel almost monastic.

And somewhere in the middle of reading Sabha Parva, Rabindranath’s voice floated back, not from the Geeta this time, but from his essays on suffering—his reminder that pain often opens the door to a different kind of perception. And I realised: bedridden as I was, I was probably reading this epic the way ancient listeners must have heard it—in stillness, in surrender, without hurry, without distraction. Pain had become a peculiar kind of privilege.

By the time I finished the volume, I felt transformed—not by the battles or rituals, but by the slow emergence of a truth the Mahabharata keeps whispering: that great tragedies rarely begin with explosions.

They begin with architecture. With ambition. With pride draped in silk. With illusions walked over as if they were floors. With kings who believe they can host rituals without inviting consequences.

Sabha Parva ends not with a bang but with an echo. A faint hum of approaching disaster. A sense that the dice have not yet been rolled, but the table is being polished.

And I remember lying there—spine injured, life paused, world spinning outside my window—thinking: the epic has begun to sharpen its knives.

With Volume 2, I stepped into the Mahabharata fully.

I felt claimed by it. I felt watched by it. And I felt intensely aware that the greatest sabhas—the real, fiery ones—are always built inside the human mind.

Read and reread. Keep reading. Every reading gives you a new meaning.

[Gregory Moses · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating and reviewing the Mahabharata (or rather, the Critical Edition of the Mahabharata---the Mahabharata does not exist as a single text) remains a little ridiculous---not because you're not allowed to like it or dislike it, but because putting it on a linear scale with more traditional novels is bizarre. What does it mean to say that a thousands-year old epic, composed by countless poets across centuries, is better or worse than Murder On the Orient Express? Still we can talk a little about what's in this volume with a little light commentary on why it matters.

Aside from the Bhagavad Gita, this volume contains many of the most famous episodes in the entire epic. Leading off, Arjuna is temporarily exiled for unconvincing reasons, and has more sex than you might expect. This is interesting as a window into epic-era marriage and courtship customs and norms (Naga woman are remarkably forward---it's a recurring theme of the Mahabharata that nonhuman beings obey their own dharma, which allows for such episodes), but probably won't set the world on fire.

Then there's the burning of Kandava forest, where Arjuna and Krishna literally do set the world on fire. In traditional recension history this is unfortunate but necessary due to an ailment that Agni the fire god is suffering from. Here, it comes across as unmotivated genocide---fascinating but appalling:

In that destruction of beings in the forest, the burning bodies seemed like flaming torches. Those that ascended upwards were cut to pieces by Partha’s arrows, as he laughingly flung them back into the flames. Uttering loud wails, their bodies pierced everywhere by arrows, from above, they were swiftly flung back again into the fire. Pierced by arrows and in flames, the sounds made by the forest-dwellers was heard, like the ocean when it was churned. The huge flames of the delighted fire rose up into the sky and created great consternation among the dwellers of heaven.

In the political realm, the Pandavas engage in military exploits, kill an insane king who's planning a mass human sacrifice, then establish their oldest brother as emperor of the world. The lengthy lists of conquests and gifts are unlikely to interest most readers, but the momentary hope for unity (even the Pandavas' awful cousins are present) instantly collapsing into violence when Krishna kills a king for being rude to him is depressingly familiar, utopia destroyed by interpersonal conflict and violence.

Then the dice game, where the Pandavas lose everything, The early parts of this section, where Duryodhana is consumed with miserable jealousy, is the most psychologically realistic the Mahabharata has been so far---he talks about falling into a pond and being humiliated in front of his cousins, and his oldest cousin, King Yudhishthira, responds with kindness and has servants get him dry clothes but that just makes him even more miserable. His conniving uncle Shakuni is introduced, and the two of them, hatch a plan: Yudhishthira is addicted to gambling but also bad at it, so they will win all his wealth in the dice hall. The fact that Yudhishthira knows his own weakness, and opens the scene by futility begging his relative not to take advantage of him drives home the horror of his addiction.

O Shakuni! Do not play beyond those limits and do not win in excess.

And rather than make it boring, the grim formula of this section brings it terrible to life. They wager, and Yudhishthira loses. Again, and again, and again.

‘Yudhishthira replied, “O Soubala! I have many cattle, horses, milch cows, sheep and goats, of many species, to the east of the Sindhu.176 O king! These are my riches that I will play with you for.”’
Vaishampayana said, ‘At these words, Shakuni resorted to deceit and told Yudhishthira, “I have won.”

In complete degradation, he gambles away everything he has, then gambles his brothers and himself into slavery, then gambles away their wife Droupadi.

The scene where Droupadi is dragged into the dice hall and humiliated is justly famous for its rawness:

Grabbing her by her long hair, Duhshasana pulled and dragged her to the sabha, like a plantain tree buffeted by the wind. When she was thus dragged, she bent down her body and softly whispered, “It is the period of my menses now. O evil-minded one! I am only clad in a single garment. O you who are not an arya! Do not take me to the sabha thus.” But he forcibly grabbed her by her black hair and told Krishna, “Pray to Krishna and Jishnu and Hari and Nara. Cry out for help, but I will take you. O Yajnaseni! This may be the time of your menses. But whether you are clad in a single garment or in no garments at all, you have been won at the game and are now a slave. One can sport with a slave as one desires.”

But it's also famous as a moment of divine grace---Krishna prevents her from being totally disrobed by making her single garment infinitely long. The Critical Edition removes references to Krishna, however, and she is saved by undefined divine forces. Since talking it up reviewing the first volume, I've cooled on the Critical Edition a little---why must we lose thousands of years of devotional tradition in the search of an “original text” that may never have existed?

Saved from slavery, the Pandavas are ultimately sent into exile. Although the discussions of dharma and duty might get a little tedious, this volume contains two more immensely foundational episodes.

In the first of these, Arjuna is searching for divine weapons and is told to seek out and worship the great god Shiva. He does not recognize Shiva when the God appears in the form of a hunter, and gets absolutely wrecked when he tries to start a fight---with Droupadi's pleas to Krishna removed from the Critical Edition, Arjuna's propitiating Shiva for mercy might be the earliest Bhakti-devotional episode ever put to paper in Sanskrit.

Finally, there is the story of Nala and Damana. Although rather beside the point in terms of the Mahabharata's putative plot (that is, it's thematically linked, and being told to the exiled king to comfort him, but the characters will never show up again) this story---of a kingdom lost to gambling, and lovers parted but then reunited---a very well-known story, especially an episode where Damana is asked to select her husband, but four gods, also desiring her, have assumed Nala's form.

The Mahabharata is vast, chaotic, and often inscrutable. I won't claim to have “enjoyed” every page in this volume, but even the parts I found tiresome were usually interesting in some way. I've come around to wishing that we had a modern (non-Victorian) translation of an actual manuscript, instead of this theoretical reconstruction---the Critical Edition was intended to be a lens that scholars can view other manuscripts through, but has become an end in of itself. Still, with nothing like that on the horizon (there's some talk of the University of Chicago taking up the translation that van Buitenen was working on when he died, but frustratingly, that is also of the Critical Edition), this remains a fascinating and rewarding work.

[Naman Chaudhary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been waiting for a translation of the critical edition of the Mahabharat (MBh). Mr Bibebk Debroy deserves special appreciation from all for the mammoth task he undertook despite being a professional and occupied with making a living as an economist.

The language is simple and the translator does not confuse us with lengthy explanations and back and forth referrals; any confusion arising out of the translation is implicit in the text. His introduction too is simple and frank; I am grateful to him for the clarification/s on translating the critical edition. In my view, this is a milestone in Indic studies. One request, to whoever is listening and is capable of fulfilling: we need a Hindi translation too. The MBh is a marvel of an epic but the flavour should come across more in Hindi than English. It would complete the circle, so to speak. Many thanks to Penguin and Mr Debroy again.

[Abhinav Agarwal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second volume of the author's unabridged translation of the Mahabharata, published in April 2011. It starts off from where the first volume had ended, naturally so, and completes the "Adi Parva", contains the entire "Sabha Parva", and contains about a quarter of the third parva, "Aranyaka". As per the 100-parva classification of the Mahabharata, this contains Parvas 16-32 ("Arjuna-vanavasa" to "Indralokabhigamana" parvas). Interestingly enough, the book starts off with Arjuna having to leave Indraprastha and ends with Arjuna again leaving the Pandavas for the heavens in search of divine weapons from his divine father, Indra.

My complete review at http://blog.abhinavagarwal.net/2012/0...

[Abhishek Shrivastava · Rating 5 out of 5]

very engrossing read. my favorite pieces are - the questions asked to Yudhishthir on -# whether he is a good king or not. The role of a king. # the debate of right and wrong in the game of gambling.
# Forgiveness vs Punishment # the impact of anger in decision making.

When i read the book the 2nd time - i enjoyed the conversations of each character with the other one - as we all know that the character in this epic symbolizes a human emotion, understanding how these talk to each other in various situations was really engrossing.

[Mika Bhat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Revenge is not always superior, nor is forgiveness.
Learn the nature of both, so that there is no scope of doubt.

3.5 stars
I must confess I hadn't anticipated to take close to 3 months(with several pauses in between) to finish this book considering that Mahabharata is and will always be my favourite Book/epic. This is the first time I am reading its unabridged translation of the original(which has around 200,000 verses if I am recalling it right), & having read the 1st vol. didn't expect this one to be as fast paced as several abridged translations, but hadn't braced myself for several repetitions either, makes the reading a bit tedious.

It is no small feat to translate this 5100 odd years old text written in ancient Sanskrit, which is no longer spoken in India as a major language, yet stay true to the original. Most certainly a gargantuan task & Dr. Bibek Debroy has accomplished it beautifully making it accessible to the modern world. The original seems to have had a lot of verses repeated in various voices(active & passive), maybe in Sanskrit it doesn't seem redundant but in English it unquestionably feels so. I found it more so in this volume than the previous.

This 2nd volume takes you through 16 parvas/sections which primarily comprises Arjuna's exile, followed by Subhadhra's wedding, Pandavas establishing a flourishing kingdom, the dice game between the Pandavas & their cousins, Kauravas(antagonists, if looked at it conventionally), the vastraharan(forceful stripping) of Draupadi, which makes you cringe & it doesn't help that it is repeated from different POV a few number of times, the commencement of their 13 year exile in the forest & then Arjuna meeting Lord Shiva & Lord Indra. There are a few digressions here and there with little subplots recounting stories of wisdom to the one or the other characters.
This volume sheds light on the conflict between dharma & adharma in ones mind and how it is perceived differently by various characters in the book. Every conceivable emotion figures in this which is what has held it relevant through the centuries. This entire epic puts to shame any other family drama in the ancient or the modern world.

If not for the many repetitions of same lines this would have made for a phenomenal read, takes you to another epoch and their ways of life. If you are okay to bear a few reprises this should surely be in your "want to read" section.
Now on to the next!

[Anuraag Godavari · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A fire that has the wind with it burns down the forest."

Some of the finest literature I've ever read.

The arguments over morality that pervaded each chapter since volume 1, with the author(s) inserting themselves into the story as characters arguing their actions with each other almost as if debating each plot point of an already established story, continue and get more and more heavy, culminating in Draupadi's infamous humiliation by the Kauravas, which is actually far worse than is usually told in the popular tellings. Love all the arguments along with the salient, unstated point that they are just arguing the law, ignoring that a woman's safety is at stake.

Later on, during their exile, Draupadi and Bhima (one of the Pandavas) argue with Yudhishthira (the eldest) over whether they should immediately attempt to take revenge and kill the Kauravas. Great debate to read, very much like a proto-Gita.

I read 80 pages in one sitting (rare for me) to finish this book because it has one of my favorite love stories: Nala-Damayanti, written in absolutely beautiful prose. It's heartbreaking, tense, epic and legendary all in one. Also has one of my favorite lines I've ever read: "A fire that has the wind with it burns down the forest," or an important message well conveyed surely reaches its destination. The translation is sublime.

[Bhakta Kishor]

Sabha Parva book is also called as "Book of the Assembly Hall". Sabha Parva starts with the description of the palace and assembly hall (sabha) built by Maya, at Indraprastha. Chapter 5 of the book outlines over a hundred principles of governance and administration necessary for a kingdom and its citizens to be prosperous, virtuous and happy. The middle sub-books describe life at the court, Yudhishthira's Rajasuya Yajna that leads to the expansion of the Pandava brothers' empire. The last two sub-books describe the one vice and addiction of the virtuous king Yudhishthira that was gambling. Shakuni, encouraged by evil Dhritarashtra, mocks Yudhishthira and tempts him into a game of dice. Yudhishthira bets everything and loses the game, leading to the eventual exile of the Pandavas.

[Pavan Reddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

As previous one its words are also simple and fun to read. Story is well known but their process of living that 14 years are very interesting to read. Droupadi and Bhima lamentations towards yudhishthira. Well, reading it has cleared many other false myths.


Thanks&BePeace.

[William Hatchett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing translation and such a turn in the tides for the Pandavas... can't wait for the next. Not an easy read, but by finishing the second book I have learnt more about the history, the writing style and the translators technique. Persistence is the key!

[Samyuktha Ell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book covers sections 16 to 32 of the Mahabharata. A highly interesting series. If a reader wants to plunge into an unabridged version of the Mahabharata, this is just right for them.

The way the book is written is flawless. So many intricate details!

[Dharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book dived deeper into the main story, since I felt that the first book was more of an introduction. I enjoyed this one more, and I especially liked seeing Droupadi's character. She is painted as a strong person, and has a very significant role which is explored in this book.

[Srinidhi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good, a little dry in the middle. But, go for it!

[Ravi Kumar Dandapani]

nice

[Bhaskar Singhal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional translation! Reading an unabridged version has cleared so many misconceptions.

[Tomasz Stachowiak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not much more to add than in my review of the first volume: 5/5.

[Y · Rating 4 out of 5]

Main thrust of volume 2 is the ascension of the family to kingship and the subjugation of all the surrounding kingdoms. One of these is unhappy and challenges the new lord to a gambling match with dice. The king cannot refuse and loses everything he has, with he and his household being exiled to the forest, with smaller subplots along the way.

[Nishant · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are so many learned tales that we miss when we do not read the scripture directly.

I am glad I am revisiting this epic. I would read the unabridged version once I finish this. But that would be next year probably.

After reading this I am astounded at so many stories are not covered in the Mahabharat series. If this was made in proper TV series, it would be the legend that would never be conquered.

Book #7 series Indic books