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andresvk's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
What the poem contains concerning dharma,
pursuit of wealth, pleasure, and final freedom,
may be found elsewhere. But you can be sure
that what it does not contain is found nowhere.
This should have been a hard read. A storied classic, massive even in this abridged version, fully in verse, and, most importantly, part of a tradition that is completely foreign to me. However, it turned out to be a surprisingly flowing read, with credit both to the timeless compelling narrative and characters and to Satyamurti's great style and pacing.
It's worth reading even if you, like myself, have little to no interest or prior knowledge in Hinduism or ancient Indian history. Don't be intimidated by the intense historical, religious and ethical significance: at the core of this is a thoroughly compelling story of family intrigue, adventure and battle, with deep characters and complex relationships and decisions (perhaps the most celebrated tough decision in all of world literature), and that story speaks for itself.
lsparrow's review against another edition
3.0
I am not sure that I loved the writing - but of course when one is dealing with an ancient text written originially in ain a language that is no longer a mother tongue of anyone living and a language of religion and achedemics which is translated by an author who is a native English speaker it is hard to tell what is being lost in translation - either linguistically or culturally.
Overall I felt that I enjoyed reading this classic - it should have been required reading for high school for me in Pakitstan. It would have given so much cultural insight and explaination.
Epic stories of gods and kings, battles and exiles, births and deaths and also a good deal of spiritual and social instruction. I was also pleasantly surprised by views on gender and sexuality that I might have assumed were not hsitoryally cultural which were addressed.
Overall I felt that I enjoyed reading this classic - it should have been required reading for high school for me in Pakitstan. It would have given so much cultural insight and explaination.
Epic stories of gods and kings, battles and exiles, births and deaths and also a good deal of spiritual and social instruction. I was also pleasantly surprised by views on gender and sexuality that I might have assumed were not hsitoryally cultural which were addressed.
lochlanncairns's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
4.5
By it's very nature being abridged its themes and depth have been buried. Yet they are still hinted upon throuhout the magical, human tale of god's, peasants and monsters.
My god the pace it carries in the first ⅔s is simply incredible. Nothing could be a greater inspiration for me to read the full work once I can get my hands on it.
It would be 5/5 if not for the constant reminder that I'm not reading the original in its full glory.
My god the pace it carries in the first ⅔s is simply incredible. Nothing could be a greater inspiration for me to read the full work once I can get my hands on it.
It would be 5/5 if not for the constant reminder that I'm not reading the original in its full glory.
smalefowles's review against another edition
5.0
Best epic ever.
I've never read this text before, and found Satyamurti's version extremely accessible and often lovely. The work itself is amazing and unbelievable.
I completely accept its closing lines: "Whatever is here, is found elsewhere. But what is not here, is nowhere else."
6/5 stars.
I've never read this text before, and found Satyamurti's version extremely accessible and often lovely. The work itself is amazing and unbelievable.
I completely accept its closing lines: "Whatever is here, is found elsewhere. But what is not here, is nowhere else."
6/5 stars.
spacestationtrustfund's review against another edition
3.0
This review is of the translation by Carole Satyamurti.
Obviously this is an abridged version—yeah, okay, it's around 900 pages long, but that's still very, very, very abridged. Satyamurti's version is comprehensive and engaging, and I definitely recommend it.
Obviously this is an abridged version—yeah, okay, it's around 900 pages long, but that's still very, very, very abridged. Satyamurti's version is comprehensive and engaging, and I definitely recommend it.
matochok's review against another edition
5.0
Mahabharata is the longest epic poem ever written. It primarily follows the events around the great battle fought between the two rival factions of the Bharata clan. But within this main narrative are interwoven multiple narratives each with its own purpose and lesson. The Mahabharata encapsulates within itself discussions on a multitude of dilemmas dealing with ethics and morality.
Carole Satyamurti's work is a brilliant modern retelling for contemporary readers. She has worked from K.M Ganguli's translation of the text. Written in blank verse for rather than in prose, makes it unique among other works available. Since this is my first reading of the Mahabharata, I cannot compare it to other versions.
Needless to say for something as ancient as this text, one can find many of the teachings to be outdated. But personally what I really admired was that the text generally refrains from taking a black and white approach and the discussions are mostly nuanced in their handling of the characters. The protagonists and the antagonists are given both admirable and unlikable qualities.
The story itself never really gets dull and is entertaining throughout, except a few monologues during post war scenes. Apart from the complex web of narratives and innumerable characters, the Mahabharata is also of tremendous religious and philosophic value. It's often called the fifth veda, it introduces the readers to many key ideas of Hinduism.
Given the multiplicity of discussions on ethics, morality and virtue, one theme that remains more or less constant throughout is the discussions around Fatalism and free will. It does lean more in favour of fatalism, where destiny, karma and time itself is used to justify the war. But here again the answer is not straight forward. As Bhishma says to Yudishtira, "dharma is subtle". Krishna says,
“I see you as much greater, a thousand times
greater, than you see yourself, Wolf-belly.
Your strength and courage are beyond question.
I assure you, I shall make every effort.
But human action, however well designed,
may be opposed by the gods. Conversely,
the gods’ intentions may be overridden
by the effort of a virtuous individual.
Therefore, we have to act. For even though
we may not succeed, or only partially,
we have to do our best, then accept calmly
whatever happens. That is true wisdom.”
Similarly Krishna tells the story of Kaushika to drive home the point that scriptures are well and good but sometimes one has to use one's power of reason.
Dharma is another concept dealt with in great detail. Here the emphasis is on doing the needful and what is beneficial for the larger good. Dhritarashtra the blind king's inability to take action is depicted as weakness as he constantly blames fate for the consequences of his inability to control his evil son. Yudishtira the sensitive, compassionate and the embodiment of dharma is hell bent on renunciation after being overwhelmed by the destruction of the war. A significant portion of the book are scenes where his kins and seers are explaining to him a king's dharma.
Another significant section is devoted to the dialogue between Bhishma and Yudishtira, where his doubts are cleared by the noble grandfather lying on his deathbed made of arrows. They discuss everything from taxation, functioning of a republic, nature of truth, rod of punishment, three fundamentals of a good life i.e. virtue, wealth and pleasure, refugees, metaphysics, sex and nature of time. Ultimately laws of nature and time itself, has been said to be above everything else, even gods.
In our rebirths—hundreds of children, mothers, fathers, brothers.
Which are ours? To whom do we belong?
The foolish allow grief and fear to torture them dozens of times a day.
The wise do not.
A person in the grip of greed or pride is happy to tell others how to live,
but does not want to learn himself.
Time treats everyone alike:
the lowest outcast, the greatest king.
No one can negotiate with time.
Nothing, and no one, lasts;
our lives are inscribed on a flowing stream.
The wise do not grieve over this.
Heartache does not leave the man who dwells on it; it settles in and makes itself at home.
Knowledge is for this:
to fight disease with medicine and misery with wisdom.
We cannot escape the fruits of our deeds;
like burrs that we have brushed past thoughtlessly they cling to us everywhere we go.”
Carole Satyamurti's work is a brilliant modern retelling for contemporary readers. She has worked from K.M Ganguli's translation of the text. Written in blank verse for rather than in prose, makes it unique among other works available. Since this is my first reading of the Mahabharata, I cannot compare it to other versions.
Needless to say for something as ancient as this text, one can find many of the teachings to be outdated. But personally what I really admired was that the text generally refrains from taking a black and white approach and the discussions are mostly nuanced in their handling of the characters. The protagonists and the antagonists are given both admirable and unlikable qualities.
The story itself never really gets dull and is entertaining throughout, except a few monologues during post war scenes. Apart from the complex web of narratives and innumerable characters, the Mahabharata is also of tremendous religious and philosophic value. It's often called the fifth veda, it introduces the readers to many key ideas of Hinduism.
Given the multiplicity of discussions on ethics, morality and virtue, one theme that remains more or less constant throughout is the discussions around Fatalism and free will. It does lean more in favour of fatalism, where destiny, karma and time itself is used to justify the war. But here again the answer is not straight forward. As Bhishma says to Yudishtira, "dharma is subtle". Krishna says,
“I see you as much greater, a thousand times
greater, than you see yourself, Wolf-belly.
Your strength and courage are beyond question.
I assure you, I shall make every effort.
But human action, however well designed,
may be opposed by the gods. Conversely,
the gods’ intentions may be overridden
by the effort of a virtuous individual.
Therefore, we have to act. For even though
we may not succeed, or only partially,
we have to do our best, then accept calmly
whatever happens. That is true wisdom.”
Similarly Krishna tells the story of Kaushika to drive home the point that scriptures are well and good but sometimes one has to use one's power of reason.
Dharma is another concept dealt with in great detail. Here the emphasis is on doing the needful and what is beneficial for the larger good. Dhritarashtra the blind king's inability to take action is depicted as weakness as he constantly blames fate for the consequences of his inability to control his evil son. Yudishtira the sensitive, compassionate and the embodiment of dharma is hell bent on renunciation after being overwhelmed by the destruction of the war. A significant portion of the book are scenes where his kins and seers are explaining to him a king's dharma.
Another significant section is devoted to the dialogue between Bhishma and Yudishtira, where his doubts are cleared by the noble grandfather lying on his deathbed made of arrows. They discuss everything from taxation, functioning of a republic, nature of truth, rod of punishment, three fundamentals of a good life i.e. virtue, wealth and pleasure, refugees, metaphysics, sex and nature of time. Ultimately laws of nature and time itself, has been said to be above everything else, even gods.
In our rebirths—hundreds of children, mothers, fathers, brothers.
Which are ours? To whom do we belong?
The foolish allow grief and fear to torture them dozens of times a day.
The wise do not.
A person in the grip of greed or pride is happy to tell others how to live,
but does not want to learn himself.
Time treats everyone alike:
the lowest outcast, the greatest king.
No one can negotiate with time.
Nothing, and no one, lasts;
our lives are inscribed on a flowing stream.
The wise do not grieve over this.
Heartache does not leave the man who dwells on it; it settles in and makes itself at home.
Knowledge is for this:
to fight disease with medicine and misery with wisdom.
We cannot escape the fruits of our deeds;
like burrs that we have brushed past thoughtlessly they cling to us everywhere we go.”
siddhero97's review against another edition
An excellent book to learn about the anthropology of India and arbitrary nuggets of wisdom. However, nothing too significant.
armandilloh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
saarakatyal's review against another edition
5.0
Captivating. I've been rereading this yearly since I was about ten and I suppose a lot of it is still lost on me (especially the abridged Bhagavad-Gita parts). Still imo it successfully achieves the momentous task of making the epic somewhat follow-along-able while retaining that sense of scale and grandeur.
nadiamsahi's review against another edition
3.0
I find mythology fascinating, but also tedious and hard to keep track of. That's true of this as any other mythology I've read, though I thought the retelling would make this more readable than it ended up being for me (though I've no doubt it's more readable than other versions). This and Stephen Fry's book on Mythology were similar in terms of my reading experience, in which I really want to understand the successions and the drama and the intrigue, but have a hard time following all the narratives through.