The Mahabharata

By (author) Penguin Classics; Translated by Smith John D.; By (author) Vyasa; Edited by Smith, J D
Short description/annotation
Presents one of the major Sanskrit epics of ancient India. This book offers a discussion of human goals (artha or purpose, kama or pleasure, dharma or duty, and moksha or liberation). It explains the relationship of the individual to society and the world (the nature of the ''Self'') and the workings of karma.
Description
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India. It is of immense importance to the culture of the Indian subcontinent, and is a major text of Hinduism. Its discussion of human goals (artha or ''purpose'', kama or ''pleasure'', dharma or ''duty'', and moksha or ''liberation'') takes place in a long-standing tradition, attempting to explain the relationship of the individual to society and the world (the nature of the ''Self'') and the workings of karma.
Table of contents
The MahabharataPreface
Pronunciation of Sanskrit
Introduction

The Mahabharata

1. Beginnings
2. The Hall
3. The Forest
4. Virata
5. Perseverance
6. Bhisma
7. Drona
8. Karna
9. Salya
10. The Night-raid
11. The Women
12. Tranquillity
13. Instruction
14. The Horse Sacrifice
15. The Hermitage
16. The Clubs
17. The Great Journey
18. The Ascent to Heaven

Variant Readings Adopted
Key to Names and Glossary
Further Reading
Map: The India of the Mahabharata
Genealogical Tables
Index

Biographical note
John D. Smith was born in Nottingham in 1946. He attended Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he read Sanskrit and Hindi. In the early 1970s he held a research fellowship at Christ''s College, Cambridge; this was followed by nine years as lecturer in Sanskrit at the School of Oriental and African Studies in the University of London. In 1984 he returned to Cambridge, where he is now emeritus Reader of Sanskrit. He has worked on both Sanskrit and modern Rajasthani, and his publications include The Visa?adevarasa: a restoration of the text (Cambridge, 1976) and The epic of Pabuji: a study, transcription and translation (Cambridge, 1991).
Promotional headline
This selection by John D. Smith includes an introduction on the nature and fundamental themes of the Mahabharata, the events of story and the massive cast of characters appearing in it, and its importance to India and Hinduism.