Indian Epics Retold: The Ramayana, The Mahabharata, & Gods, Demons and Others [Hardcover]

R. K. Narayan (Author), S. Krishnan (Introduction)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0670868248 | ISBN-13: 978-0670868247 | Publication Date: August 1, 1995 | Edition: 1

One of India s finest novelists retells the two great Indian epics as well as some well-known tales from Hindu mythology and folklore. While the eleventh century Tamil poet Kamban s version inspires his Ramayana, Narayan s Mahabharata is based on Vyasa s monumental work. In Gods, Demons and Others, he includes stories from Kalidasa s Sanskrit classic Abhijnana Shakuntalam, the Tamil epic Silappadikaram, the Shiv Purana and the Devi Bhagwatam.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 632 pages
• Publisher: South Asia Books; 1 edition (August 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670868248
• ISBN-13: 978-0670868247
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,207,497 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lovely, December 7, 2001

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Ruth (Melbourne) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Indian Epics Retold: The Ramayana, The Mahabharata, & Gods, Demons and Others (Hardcover)

Narayan retells the Ramayana and Mahabharata epics as well as some of his favourite tales from within them. Obviously, the epics are much condensed (the original Mahabharata is over 100,000 stanzas of verse and the longest composition in the world). Narayan describes his method as writing from memory the stories, focusing on personalities and plot, and ignoring the massive philosophical interludes (which can run to hundreds of pages - the Bhagavad Gita for example - and are often published separately in the English interpretation) and so this is a retelling rather than a translation.

The stories themselves are wonderful, the Mahabharata especially. They are thought to have been writen several thousand years B.C., and still important in India today. In the Ramayana, the demon Ravana is given protection so that he cannot be killed by a supernatural being, so Vishnu comes to earth in human form (as the perfect prince Rama) to defeat Ravana. In his task he is assisted by various people including the monkey god Hanuman.

The Mahabharata is the story of the conflict between the five divine Pandava brothers and their one hundred cousins who want to destroy them. This story is particularly interesting, and wise, and sometimes funny.

I found the stories to be fascinating and a good insight into Indian culture. I'm in India at the moment, and a lot of things have become more clear to me after reading this book. It's fun to read.