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Mahabharata: The Complete Collection with bonus of The Upanishads
The Mahabharata is an ancient Indian epic where the main story revolves around two branches of a family - the Pandavas and Kauravas. Who, in the Kurukshetra War, battle for the throne of Hastinapura. Krishna-Dwaipayan Vyasa, himself a character in the epic composed it. According to tradition, he dictated the verses and Ganesha wrote them down. At 100,000 verses, it is the longest epic poem ever written, generally thought to have been composed in the 4th century BCE or earlier.
The Mahabharata is not a mere epic; it is a romance, telling the tale of heroic men and women, and of some who were divine; it is a whole literature in itself, containing a code of life, a philosophy of social and ethical relations, and speculative thought on human problems that is hard to rival.
WHATS INCLUDED:
Book One - Adi Parva
Book Two - Sabha Parva
Book Three - Vana Parva
Book Four - Bhishma Parva
Book Five - Udyoga Parva
Book Six - Bhishma Parva
Book Seven - Drona Parva
Book Eight - Karna Parva
Book Nine - Shalya Parva
Book Ten - Sauptika Parva
Book Eleven - Stri Parva
Book Twelve - Santi Parva
Book Thirteen - Anusasana Parva
Book Fourteen - Aswamedha Parva
Book Fifteen - Asramavasika Parva
Book Sixteen - Mausala Parva
Book Seventeen - Mahaprasthanika Parva
Book Eighteen - Svargarohanika Parva
The Mahabharata is not a mere epic; it is a romance, telling the tale of heroic men and women, and of some who were divine; it is a whole literature in itself, containing a code of life, a philosophy of social and ethical relations, and speculative thought on human problems that is hard to rival.
WHATS INCLUDED:
Book One - Adi Parva
Book Two - Sabha Parva
Book Three - Vana Parva
Book Four - Bhishma Parva
Book Five - Udyoga Parva
Book Six - Bhishma Parva
Book Seven - Drona Parva
Book Eight - Karna Parva
Book Nine - Shalya Parva
Book Ten - Sauptika Parva
Book Eleven - Stri Parva
Book Twelve - Santi Parva
Book Thirteen - Anusasana Parva
Book Fourteen - Aswamedha Parva
Book Fifteen - Asramavasika Parva
Book Sixteen - Mausala Parva
Book Seventeen - Mahaprasthanika Parva
Book Eighteen - Svargarohanika Parva
8850 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 30, 2020
384 people are currently reading
67 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 8, 2025
Disclaimer: I didn’t actually finish this book.
I started Veda Vyasa’s sprawling, complex, unique poem sometime last fall, and I was enthralled. The author’s purpose for The Mahabharata (literally translated “story of the Bharata dynasty), was for followers of Hinduism to better understand the essential teachings of Hindu scripture through stories. Each of these stories is long and complex, neatly weaved together, and told by a variety of narrators.
Of course, the fact that these stories and legends sprawl over almost 9,000 pages inevitably meant that I couldn’t finish it. I got maybe 2 or 3,000 pages in with very little skimming, and I skipped ahead to some of the more crucial sections, like the exile of the Pandavas and the Bhagavad Gita. Despite being unable to finish it, I love this book for its story, its crucial themes, its extraordinary characters and stakes, and the ways in which it challenges the purpose of man and the relevance of religion.
The summary of the story is that two royal families joined by blood go to war over the throne of the greatest city (at the time) in India, Indraprastha. Both families (the Kurus and the Pandavas) have some legitimate ties to the throne, though the Mahabharata is mostly told from the Pandavas perspective and it’s pretty clear that the author wants them to win. The narrative also weaves in stories involving the Hindu gods, some background information (“some” being the chief understatement here), and occasionally repeating some of the stories that have happened earlier on.
I can’t exactly recommend the version I read, because even though it’s amazing, no one has time for 9,000 pages. Instead, I suggest trying to find an abridged version first or a shorter retelling, and then deciding from there if you want to tackle the full epic.
For someone who has read other ancient epics like the Aeneid and the Odyssey, I was very impressed how well the Mahabharata stood up against them, and it actually might be my favorite of the three.
One interesting and annoying thing about this book is that there are thousands of named characters, and some of them have multiple names. This confused me for a while but then I found out that this actually has a purpose: each name for a character describes a different aspect of them, whether it’s their lineage, their family name, their divine ancestry, or their personal traits. Pretty interesting.
There’s a lot to say about this book, and I’d love to even describe some of the characters sometime. This might be one that I come back to in the future, but definitely a book that I’ll never forget.
I started Veda Vyasa’s sprawling, complex, unique poem sometime last fall, and I was enthralled. The author’s purpose for The Mahabharata (literally translated “story of the Bharata dynasty), was for followers of Hinduism to better understand the essential teachings of Hindu scripture through stories. Each of these stories is long and complex, neatly weaved together, and told by a variety of narrators.
Of course, the fact that these stories and legends sprawl over almost 9,000 pages inevitably meant that I couldn’t finish it. I got maybe 2 or 3,000 pages in with very little skimming, and I skipped ahead to some of the more crucial sections, like the exile of the Pandavas and the Bhagavad Gita. Despite being unable to finish it, I love this book for its story, its crucial themes, its extraordinary characters and stakes, and the ways in which it challenges the purpose of man and the relevance of religion.
The summary of the story is that two royal families joined by blood go to war over the throne of the greatest city (at the time) in India, Indraprastha. Both families (the Kurus and the Pandavas) have some legitimate ties to the throne, though the Mahabharata is mostly told from the Pandavas perspective and it’s pretty clear that the author wants them to win. The narrative also weaves in stories involving the Hindu gods, some background information (“some” being the chief understatement here), and occasionally repeating some of the stories that have happened earlier on.
I can’t exactly recommend the version I read, because even though it’s amazing, no one has time for 9,000 pages. Instead, I suggest trying to find an abridged version first or a shorter retelling, and then deciding from there if you want to tackle the full epic.
For someone who has read other ancient epics like the Aeneid and the Odyssey, I was very impressed how well the Mahabharata stood up against them, and it actually might be my favorite of the three.
One interesting and annoying thing about this book is that there are thousands of named characters, and some of them have multiple names. This confused me for a while but then I found out that this actually has a purpose: each name for a character describes a different aspect of them, whether it’s their lineage, their family name, their divine ancestry, or their personal traits. Pretty interesting.
There’s a lot to say about this book, and I’d love to even describe some of the characters sometime. This might be one that I come back to in the future, but definitely a book that I’ll never forget.
August 29, 2020
All you need to know about life, it's not a story it's secret of life, human strength and weekness. Everyone should read it.
Please read it will give answer to your birth and death secret. It shows what human is capable of. I want everyone to read this book.
Please read it will give answer to your birth and death secret. It shows what human is capable of. I want everyone to read this book.
December 12, 2022
- The most sacred Kurukshetra was built upon worship of King Kuru, was the same place where descendant of Kuru slained 18 Akshauhinis in 18 days
- Dhaumya was priest of Pandavas which can be related to modern days - Mentor. So it's absolutely mandatory to have a mentor to rise up in life which is a lesson to be learnt from the days of yore. This is such a silly point often being missed that Devas had Vrihaspati while Asuras had Sukran
- In Ramayana, Son of Sun, Sugriva stays while Son of Indra, Vali dies. In Mahabharata, Son of Sun, Karna dies while Son of Indra, Arjuna stays
- Arjuna is extremely skilled because of his PRACTICE & EXPERIENCE (fight at Khandavaprastha, battle with hundreds and thousands of Paulomas and Kalakhanjas, battle with Danavas at Hiranyapura, trained firmness of grasp from Indra & hand lightness from Brahma, learnt various modes of fierce attack and defence amid crowds of foes from Prajapati) & through asceticism & penace obtained various weapons from Varuna, Agni, Sakra & Rudra
- Kauravas had 11 & Pandavas 7 Akshauhinis, totalling to...18!! Bhagavad Gita chapters - 18, number of book volumes in Mahabharata - 18!! Number of days the war lasted - 18!! And to add some more fun, number of Upanishads are 18!!!
- Mahabharata contains - Ramayana, Evolution of Universe, Life & After Life (Garuda Purana), Skanda Purana, Chanakya Niti, Nala Damayanti, Manusmriti, Dhandhaniti, Sraddha rituals, Rules for everyday living, Instructions to live righteously, Anugita
- Kshatriya Vishwamitra became a great sage (Brahmin) in the attempt to become the most powerful & the Brahmin Parasurama became the most fierceful (Kshatriya) in the attempt to become vengeful
- Brothers & cousins always fight perhaps? Asuras & Devas, Sugriva & Vali, Kauravas & Pandavas, Garuda & Nagas?
Certainly one HAS to READ Mahabharata to really, really understand about life. It's more than mythology & no wonder it's called 5th Veda!!
- Dhaumya was priest of Pandavas which can be related to modern days - Mentor. So it's absolutely mandatory to have a mentor to rise up in life which is a lesson to be learnt from the days of yore. This is such a silly point often being missed that Devas had Vrihaspati while Asuras had Sukran
- In Ramayana, Son of Sun, Sugriva stays while Son of Indra, Vali dies. In Mahabharata, Son of Sun, Karna dies while Son of Indra, Arjuna stays
- Arjuna is extremely skilled because of his PRACTICE & EXPERIENCE (fight at Khandavaprastha, battle with hundreds and thousands of Paulomas and Kalakhanjas, battle with Danavas at Hiranyapura, trained firmness of grasp from Indra & hand lightness from Brahma, learnt various modes of fierce attack and defence amid crowds of foes from Prajapati) & through asceticism & penace obtained various weapons from Varuna, Agni, Sakra & Rudra
- Kauravas had 11 & Pandavas 7 Akshauhinis, totalling to...18!! Bhagavad Gita chapters - 18, number of book volumes in Mahabharata - 18!! Number of days the war lasted - 18!! And to add some more fun, number of Upanishads are 18!!!
- Mahabharata contains - Ramayana, Evolution of Universe, Life & After Life (Garuda Purana), Skanda Purana, Chanakya Niti, Nala Damayanti, Manusmriti, Dhandhaniti, Sraddha rituals, Rules for everyday living, Instructions to live righteously, Anugita
- Kshatriya Vishwamitra became a great sage (Brahmin) in the attempt to become the most powerful & the Brahmin Parasurama became the most fierceful (Kshatriya) in the attempt to become vengeful
- Brothers & cousins always fight perhaps? Asuras & Devas, Sugriva & Vali, Kauravas & Pandavas, Garuda & Nagas?
Certainly one HAS to READ Mahabharata to really, really understand about life. It's more than mythology & no wonder it's called 5th Veda!!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews