Contributions

  • Carrigan, Henry L., 1954- writer of preface - Contributor

Publication

2015 - Northwestern University Press, Evanston, Illinois, Illinois

Language

English

Word Count

144,250 words, Guess

Page Count

577 pages

Identifiers

  • ISBN-139780810130593
  • ISBN-139780810130609
  • ISBN-100810130599
  • ISBN-100810130602
  • Library of Congress Control Number2014050149
and 4 more
  • OCLC Control Number879583880
  • Better World Books9780810130593
  • Better World Books9780810130609
  • Open LibraryOL31065762M

Classifications

  • DDC294.5923
  • LCCBL1138.25 .S59 2015
  • LCCBL1138.25.S59 2015
and 1 more
  • LCCBL1138

Description

Within its 200,000 verse lines in Sanskrit the Mahabharata takes on many roles: epic poem, foundational text of Hinduism, and, more broadly, the engaging story of a dynastic struggle and the passing of an age when man and gods intermingled. David R. Slavitt's sparkling new edition condenses the epic for the general reader. At its core, the Mahabharata is the story of the rivalry between the Pandavas and the Kauravas, two related noble families who are struggling for control of a kingdom in ancient northern India. Slavitt's readable, plot-driven, single-volume account describes an arc from the conception and birth of Bhishma to that hero's death, while also introducing the four goals of life at the center of Hinduism: dharma (righteousness, morality, duty), artha (purpose), kāma (pleasure), and moksa (spiritual liberation). The Mahabharata is engaging, thrilling, funny, charming, and finally awesome, with a range in timbre from the impish naivete of fairy tales to the solemnity of our greatest epics, and this single-volume edition is the best introduction available.

Subjects

Series Statement

  • Northwestern world classics

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