The Mahabharata [Paperback]

Chakravarthi V. Narasimhan (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 1997 | ISBN-10: 0231110553 | ISBN-13: 978-0231110556 | Edition: Rev Sub

Intended to be a treatise on life itself, this epic poem embraces religion and ethics, polity and government, philosophy and the pursuit of salvation. This collection of more than 4,000 verses is supplemented by a glossary, genealogical tables, and an index correlating the verses with the original Sanskrit text.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This current translation of the epic poem (no one's exactly sure who wrote it or when it first appeared) includes two new verses as well as a new preface and a glossary, genealogical tables, and an index correlating the verses with the original Sanskrit text. A lot of bang for the buck, though more for scholarly collections.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Chakravarthi V. Narasimhan was educated at Madras University in India and at Oxford University. From 1937 to 1956 he worked in the Indian Civil Service, and for the next twenty-two years he worked at the undersecretary-general level at the United Nations.

Product Details

• Paperback: 254 pages
• Publisher: Columbia University Press; Rev Sub edition (April 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0231110553
• ISBN-13: 978-0231110556
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #175,338 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #19 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Hinduism > Sanskrit
  • #74 in Books > Literature & Fiction > History & Criticism > Asian

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best abridgment of the Mahabharata available, April 15, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Mahabharata (Paperback)

This is the best abridgment of the Mahabharata currently available. Unlike other abridgments it is based on an actual translation of Sanskrit verses Chakravarti Narasimhan has selected. He includes an index of the verses and a glossary of names at the end of the book, as well as several simplified genealogical tables. The introduction could be more inofrmative, but at least it is accurate in its refrences to previous translations. In my opinion more verses should have been inlcluded from the Philosophical portions of the Mahabharata, especially from the Santi- and Anusasanaparva. Still, the translation is accurate and it a much better introduction than some of the other abridgnents. For the beginning student, wanting to get a glimpse of the Epic, I highly recommend this book.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mahabharata I was looking for, April 10, 2002

By 

Ljubomir Prskalovic (Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Mahabharata (Paperback)

Reading any abridgement gives me a bad feeling of missing something important, but this book deserves five stars:

- It is written in simple English, without archaic words, so I was able to read it without using my dictionary too much. It means much to me, English not being either my mother or second, but learned language.

- Every Sanskrit word is written using diacritics, so that you know how to pronounce names and places. I like to know that Pandu's brother is DhritaraSHtra and not DhritaraStra.

- All the ninety-nine chapters are self-contained, each forming a logical unit, so you can read one chapter at a time.

- It has very useful genealogical tables, glossary and list of alternative names.

Like the Mahabharata by Rajagopalachari this is a very good book for introduction to this great epic.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Flat and characterless narration, October 28, 2005

By 

Bruce Lee - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mahabharata (Paperback)

Although Narasimhan has done a proficient enough job in this translation - his English is certainly much better than most full length translations currently available -- it is nevertheless a rather dry version of the great epic. If you are new to the text this will be heavy going, IMO, and you will probably soon find yourself lost in the morass of characters and their complicated relationships. He has not done much to help the reader make sense of the whole thing, unlike some other introductory versions, such as that by Krishna Dharma. It is a page turner only in the sense that you will be constantly turning backwards to remind yourself what is going on. But three stars anyway, as it is after all a faithful version of this wonderful work.