The Mahabharata: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic

by R.K. Narayan

Book Overview

Growing from an oral tradition of ballads based on historic events in India, the Mahabharata was passed down and extended through the centuries, becoming the longest poem ever written. R. K. Narayan provides a superb rendition in an abbreviated and elegant retelling of this great epic.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0226568229
• ISBN13: 9780226568225
• Release Date: October 2000
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

"Like New" quality means unreadable?

This book was labeled as being like new, but when I opened it opened it up, almost every page was covered in notes and highlighting that someone had put there.

Wonderfully presented

The story itself in timeless. Not enough good can be said about it. As for this traslation, Narayan is a literay god. This presentation of the famous indian epic is very well accomplished and is a credit to the story. I have read many english versions of the Mahabharata, (the few that exist) and most are nearly unreadable. This edition is accesable to the masses and still nuanced enough for the critically minded. Highly recomended.

Don't buy it! It's all in Sanskrit! No, I'm just kidding.

This is actually in English and is a pretty good book. I mean, these old epics tend to get wordy and lose the story, because the writers at the time had no knowledge of storytelling but just wanted to impart rules and ideas to the people who read the book. The author cuts a lot of that out, meaning it's shortened down into a very readable piece.

A Great Epic

This shortened prose version of the Mahabarata by R. K. Narayan presents the engaging adventure of the five Pandava brothers' efforts to reclaim their empire. The story itself has nearly everything anyone could want in a good book: edge of your seat action and edge of your mind inspiration. In addition to celebrating the Pandavas' super-human strength and feats of daring, the book also catalogs many types of human relationships: mother-child, sybling-sybling, husband(s)-wife, king-courtier, mentor-apprentice, even writer-reader..... Long after you finish reading this book, you'll be realizing why Hindus recognize it as one of their two most sacred books---it's got everything! And yet it rarely stoops to the level of being preachy. (Narayan also has a shortened prose version of the other sacred Hindu book---The Ramayana.)

'A great book!!'

R. K. Narayan has once again proved that he is a master writer. Anybody who wants to know Hindu mythology but doesn't know where to start should buy this book and also R.K.Narayan's other books like 'Ramayana' and 'God, Demons, etc'.