The Mahabharata: Volume 8

Mahabharata #8

by Bibek Debroy

It is the aftermath of the war in Volume 8. Ashvatthama kills all the remaining Pandavas—with the exception of the five Pandava brothers—and Panchalas. The funeral ceremonies for the
dead warriors are performed. Bhishma’s teachings in the Shanti Parva, after Yudhishthira is crowned, is about duties to be followed under different circumstances.

Genres: Mythology, Classics, Philosophy, Religion, Fiction, Hinduism, Audiobook

600 pages, Kindle Edition

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

[Deepti · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of philosophy in this volume - some of it is difficult to understand but very good. Bhishma’s teachings continue in the next so onwards to the next volume!

[Zach · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume starts with the more or less inevitable end of the war, the destruction of the Pandava army by a very enraged Ashvattama, who kills major characters and the remaining soldiers in the a devastating night attack. So far, so good, keeping with the anti-war theme. Then we have Yudhishthira going into a funk over all the awful things he's done in the war, particularly on learning that Karna was his elder brother, and his bros trying to talk him out of it, which is also pretty good (and amusing).

But then we get the bright idea to go see Bhishma, who drones on and on. I have been intrigued by the philosophical nature of the Mahabharata. But this is not the epic at its best.

[Aravind Balaji · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beginning was pretty amazing and very intense. The philosophy was just good with only certain interesting parts

[AYUSH KUMAR · Rating 5 out of 5]

it is one of the most inspiring books in the world, if I can suggest you read one single book for learning lessons that will help you forever then it would be Mahabharata.

mahabharata is the story of the battle between Kaurvas & Pandavas. this battle will thought you many life lessons and by learning these life lessons, you can outperform in life.
The greatest Indian story ever told of a war between two factions of a family, The Mahabharata has continued to sway the imagination of its readers over the past centuries.

While the dispute over land and kingdom between the warring cousins-the Pandavas and the Kauravas-forms the chief narrative, the primary concern of The Mahabharata is about the conflict 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.

The complete and unabridged Sanskrit classic, now masterfully and accessibly rendered for contemporary readers by Bibek Debroy.

[Tomasz Stachowiak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Volume 8 is where we say goodbye to the war (just when it was starting to get boring), and it's a refreshing change, as the genre changes to "mirror for princes". There are several parvas ("sections") dedicated to raja dharma ("duty" of kings), apad ("calamities") or moksha (liberation), in which Yudhishthira wishes to be educated on specific topics necessary for a future king. These vary from strategy, espionage, accounting through animal and prostitute parables, to yoga and mythology. All told by a character who we believed to be dead, but who was magically kept alive to recite all the wisdom (and then be allowed to die).

My evaluation is probably skewed by the greater variety of this volume when compared to the previous three. This is mostly thanks to the "random" fun stories such as that of Pingala the Prostitute, who was rejected by her lover but "... Having destroyed hope, Pingala sleeps in happiness...". Or the rhetorical clash of the immensely wise rat named Palita with the cat Lomasha.
Considering all the topic, though, this volume has as much to say on culture, ethics and religion as the more famous Bhagavadgita. So I give it 5/5.

[Akhi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most interesting book of the Mahabharata as it contains the 12th Parva (Shanti Parva) which includes the Rajadharma subparva. It is a great source to understand how ancient Indians conceptualized and understood war, politics, international affairs, the art of taking down your enemy through non-military means, domestic policies (such as tax), issues of crime and punishment, and so on. There were also fascinating musings on animals, food habits, class issues, the origin of kingship, swords, and so on. There is also an enlightening debate between some of the characters on which of the of the following three is the best: Kama (sensual pleasures), Artha (material acquisitions), or Dharma (righteousness, ethics, duties). The most common ways of encountering the Mahabharata are either through the Bhagavad Gita or through the main storyline (Pandavas-Kauravas + Kurukshetra War), but this part of the Mahabharata also deserves a close read because it really takes you into the structure and norms of ancient Indian political thinking and kingship.

[Rishita · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book starts off with post war consequences for Pandavas.
The motivation and doubts are very understandable.

There are lot of stories recounted in this section, which helps in understanding some of the very complex philosophical questions raised about Dharma.

After many chapters, it got me thinking about what I had just read and what I think can be reasonable way of acting

The chapters where Bhishma and Yuddhishthir are talking about conquering and capturing and understanding the enemies are very relevant to our today navigating life with careers and people.

All in all I think it is a good read, but last half of the book is philosophical and teachings other than any story of pandavas’ journey.

[Abhishek Shrivastava · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume is a very elaborate read. It took me almost 3 times the time i generally take to read a volume. Yes, it also is the thickest of all the volumes in series.
Its an amazing collection of learnings imparted by Bhishma to Yudhishthir on topics like - Rajdharma, Dandaniti, 5 senses, yoga, procrastination, intelligence, hope, Dharma for all varnas, and various other profound ones.

I would even suggest to read this volume, again in continuation, to get a better grip on the content mentioned. Though personally to me, it sounds like an uphill task ; right after just finishing the book. I think ill read this volume along with a few previous ones to bring it all together.

[Bhakta Kishor]

Debroy’s organization is more reader-friendly, with chapter headings. Lal’s chapters are tucked into the back, and note the position of verses in both the Critical and Calcutta edition, making it a challenge to find specific chapters or verses. I took to marking the sub-parva breaks with post -- its just to keep track.

Debroy’s prose is a little more functional and even educational, which admittedly may be a function of all the footnotes. I find Lal’s poetry to be more engaging, and I'm more inclined to break from my alternation and keep going while reading his trans-creation.

[Nishant · Rating 5 out of 5]

This part contains the most important samvaad between Bhisma and Yudhisthar. I think it is one of the most crucial read ever.

The lessons of the subjects like Naitikta, Pavitrata, Rajya and Moksh are very well explained through stories. The more you think about it more academic it becomes.

I wish I can read this in the original Sanskrit. I hope I do read.

Book #13 series Indic books

[Samyuktha Ell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy-to-understand language. The famous war has come to an end, but Aswathama goes on a rampage and extends the bloodbath further, murdering all the remaining Pandavas, except the husbands of Draupadi.

This book/translation is a work of art.

[Ravi Kumar Dandapani]

nice

[Aaron Schuschu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Progressively elaborate flashbacks to Karna’s death. Dritarashta is convinced the war is already lost. Karna gives Shalya life advice that Shalya doesn’t agree with because he thinks anybody is capable of sin. Who has the edge in the war keeps changing. Gets in a weird amount of detail about dead elephants. Arjuna almost fights Yudhistra for telling him to chill and so Krishna tells more stories but then they all make up and regain lost ground and then chill for the evening.

[Akshat Kumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jg