Customer Reviews

Mahabharata

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I'm familiar with four translations of the Mahabharata - those of C. Rajagopalachari, K. M. Ganguli, K. Subramaniam and J.A.B. van Buitenen. The first of these, that of C. Rajagopalachari (1951), contains, in its 326 pages (in my edition), a selection of over one hundred of the more interesting stories and episodes from the Mahabharata with interspersed comment.

Rajagopalachari's translation is a joy to read. The quality of his English style is on a par with that of the finest English writers, and his vivid and dynamic versions of these stories capture much of their humor and poignancy, and have a real vigor, sparkle, and human interest. Anyone approaching the Mahabharata for the first time could do worse than start with this wonderfully readable selection.

This is one of the best renditions of this ancient epic. If you want to read the story of the Mahabharata, know that this is the most detailed and also the best translation in english. He provides his own personal commentary at different points in the story too.

Interspersed entirely through this excellent transalation of the epic are overt lessons in modern politics, group dynamics and diplomacy by the great master Rajaji himself; but he out does himself in elucidating the subtle homilies that make this epic so great.

This book was laid out, edited, and proofed rather poorly--it is rife with typographical errors, and its glossary is rather hit-or-miss. In addition, Rajagopalachari's translation is stilted, full of phrases that were unidiomatic even when this volume was first released in the 1950's. With its repetitions, odd constructions, and the like, it reads almost as an initial draft.

The translation is definitely not a great work of literature in its own right. However, the Mahabharata assuredly is; and Rajagopalachari's translation, though strange, does not dampen its impact as much as one might expect. He does manage to get across to the reader its essentials and, as others have said, its humor and poignancy. Be forewarned that the battle scenes at Kurukshetra do suffer somewhat. Though Rajagopalachari says he will not skip over the battle, long as it is, it seems he can't help himself; the fighting is described, but only factually, and in a very condensed style. That which must have taken hours on the battlefield is often compressed into a few sentences, and the narrative continuously jumps from scene to scene. In short, there is little sense of being present in the midst of the death and destruction. In addition, Rajagopalachari's editorializing is interesting but does make the chapters seem a bit like school lessons at times. This, however, should be no surprise, considering that this Mahabharata was the first publication of Bhavan's Book University.

When all is said and done, this is not a perfect translation, but it is eminently serviceable and has a charm all its own. I might suggest picking up both this and another translation, as the Mahabharata is so rich and detailed (and long!) that what one version lacks another stands a good chance of having.

This is the best book about Mahabharata that I have ever read. Rajaji gives a thrilling account of this classic. I cannot recommend it enough!!