Studying Mahabharata

महाभरत

Mahābharata

As retold by

Michael Dolan, B.V. Mahāyogi

Introductory Materials for Mahabharata

Ancient Manuscript of Mahabharata

Dear readers: I've been asked to create a newer retelling of Mahabharat; one that responds to a more modern, international, universal audience. In part, this blog is an experimental laboratory that allows me to adjust my work. I thank you for your participation. If people continue reading, I know it is becoming successful and will continue working on my end. If people stop reading, I'll take that into consideration. If you like what you read, share it with your friends and it will encourage the work to continue.

As I cast about for the appropriate style, frame, and manner for retelling the Mahabharata in such a way as to make it accessible and credible to the modern reader, I am sifting through various materials. My first source is the excellent shloka by shloka translation of Kishori Mohan Ganguli. It is a luxurious 12 volume edition, given to me by my old friend Bhakti Sudhir Goswami when I was working at Guardian of Devotion Press in San José, California back in the 1980s. Actually, the set was missing the first volume of the Adi Parva, and I had to go to India to buy the missing volume at the Sanskrit Pushti Bhavan on College Street in Calcutta in 1986. I´ve been through this edition a few times, and always find it satisfying. And yet the English prose used by Ganguli is a bit antiquated; it's high Victorian, and while it gives dignity to Arjuna and his brothers, it's hard to think of the Pandavas as being British Victorians. 

There's another shloka by shloka translation by Manmanathanath Dutta, available in the public domain which compares well with the Ganguli but lacks style. Most modern "retellings" such as Kamala Subramanian or William Buck rely on Ganguli, but are useful for their particular points of view.

 My point of view follows what I understood from my harinam guru, A.C. Bhaktivdedanta Swami Prabhupada, tempered by what I received through my diksha-guru,  His Divine Grace Bhakti Rakshaka Shridhar Dev Goswami Maharaja and his excellent follower and disciple, Bhakti Sundar Govinda Maharaja. These mentors and spiritual preceptors spoke of the personalities found in Mahabharata as living characters, personal friends, or  family members. They made me feel that the personalities whose exploits we read of here were true and real; that they actually lived and breathed, loved and lost, and searched for their souls in a battle on the plains of Kurukshetra thousands of years ago.

And when I heard from Prabhupada, from Shridhar Maharara, or Govinda Maharaja, their stories always illustrated ideas about spiritual practice, ethical life, or social dilemnas. The histories, stories, scriptural precepts, and mythological archetypes found in Mahabharata colored their speech, mannerisms, and living practice. It is from these great mentors and teachers that I have gathered my own idiosyncratic view, a view that while personal has much universality.

Still, in elaborating the tale properly, in order to find the right tone, I must immerse myself in the world of Mahabharata; to this end I use multiple sources. So, in addition to the above-mentioned, there's the work of Monier-Williams, author of the Sanskrit-English dictionary, Arthur Ryder's translation of Shakuntala and some recent translations that have lately appeared. Worthy of mention  for example, Devdutt Pattanaik's summary, "Jaya, an Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata," R.K. Narayana's summary, "The Mahabharata," as well as the new and well-done Debroy Bibek translation, which is a complete translation of all the shlokas recently done in Modern English and available from Penguin Editions. The Clay Sanskrit Library has also brought out excerpts of different episodes of the Mahabharata in fragmental form which are detailed, verse-by-verse analysis. Perhaps they will be collected into one larger work at some future date, I know of no plans to do so.

A useful starting place for a study of Mahabharata is the introduction given by R.K. Narayana to his summary of the work. While his main concern is for the story, his comments are perceptive and worth going through. He makes the point that many of the stories repeat themselves or turn inward revealing an inner cosmos of karma, just as the Russian matroshka doll, when opened, reveals a series of smaller dolls within.

The Matroshka of karma, endless regression

 To understand the story of Bhishma, we need to understand the story of Parashurama, the Ganges, and the creation of the universe. To understand the story of Draupadi, we need to probe her former lives. In this way, karma reveals the endless chain of being, the eternal give and take between time, space, the universe, God, and the jiva whose development is given in Bhagavad-gita and the Upanishads. 

Mahabharata is deep reading and an incredibly rich experience. Mahabharata holds within its mystic self the secrets of ancient Indian culture and its modern denouement. But to move deeply within the flow of Mahabharata requires an acquaintance with its structure and the important events that move the story. For this reason I include the simple introduction given by R.K. Narayana in his work, ¨The Mahabharata" published by Penguin, which is a summary study of the stories contained in the great epic. I found it useful and hope you might too. --Michael Dolan-Bhakti Vidhan Mahayogi

 INTRODUCTION to "The Mahabharata"

by R.K. Narayana

 

            THE ORIGINAL COMPOSITION in the Sanskrit language runs to one hundred thousand stanzas in verse, thus making it the longest composition in the world: in sheer quantity eight times longer than The Iliad and The Odyssey put together. A great deal of scholarly research, based on internal evidence, cross references, and astronomical data occurring incidentally in the texts, has gone on for years in order to reach a conclusion in regard to the authorship and date of this epic. There can, however, be no such thing as a final statement on the subject. However, a few salient points have emerged from all the research.

Bhagavad-gita is the core wisdom teaching of Mahabhartata

            The nucleus of the story in some form, perhaps a ballad, was known in 1500 B.C. The tension between two branches of a ruling family of the warrior caste, the ups and downs in their fortunes, and a mighty battle that ensued to settle the question of supremacy were familiar facts long before the Christian Era. The geographical locations, such as Hastinapura and Kurukshetra, are still extant in the northernmost part of India. Commemorative festivals are still being celebrated there in certain seasons, associated with the characters in the tale. “The Pandavas were exiled here… ” or “… lived in these forests… ” and so forth.

Bas-Relief of Mahabharata, Angkor Wat

            This tale of heroism, persecution, and intrigue must have passed into ballads or similar modes of popular entertainment. Out of these the first version of the epic was composed, consisting of twenty-four thousand stanzas, the authorship being attributed to Vyasa. Now, once again, speculation and doubt begins to grow around the name “Vyasa”. While ninety-nine percent of our public would accept the name and venerate him without question as an immortal, inspired sage, research-minded scholars have their own doubts and speculations. They explain that “Vyasa” could be a generic title, and that there could have been at different stages of the epic’s life several others who must have assumed the name for the purpose of composition. Speaking for myself, I would rather accept the traditional accounts. The conclusions of cold, factual research seem like “catching the rainbow with one’s fingers,” to quote a line from the epic itself.

Lord Brahma, riding a swan

            Vyasa’s epic was originally entitled Jaya, which means triumph or victory. When the vision of it came to him through the grace of Brahma, the Creator, Vyasa needed someone to take it down as he recited it. Ganesha, the god with an elephant head, accepted the assignment on one condition—that there should be no pause in the dictation. The author accepted this condition, provided that Ganesha realized and understood the meaning of every word before putting it down in writing.

Ganesh, Brahma, Vyasa from left to right.

            Vyasa kept up his dictation at a breathless speed, and Ganesha took it down with matching zest. When, at one point, his stylus failed, he broke off one of his tusks and continued the writing. The composer, whenever he found his amanuensis outrunning him, checked his speed by composing, here and there, passages—terse, packed and concentrated—which would force him to pause to get at the meaning. There are thus several passages in The Mahabharata which convey layers of meaning depending upon the stress and syllabification while reciting them aloud.

            Jaya became Bharata at the next stage, when Vysampayana, who had listened to the original narrative from Vyasa himself, conveyed it to an assembly of listeners at the court of Janamejaya. The work acquired considerable volume at this stage, swollen to about fifty thousand stanzas. Much later, it was narrated again at another assembly of sages in a forest, this time by one Sauti, who had heard it at Janamejaya’s court.

            Sauti is a great traveller and arrives at the ashram of a sage named Saunaka, set in deep woods, where a number of sages are gathered reposefully after a prolonged performance of certain rites and sacrifices for the welfare of humanity. While they are resting thus, Sauti walks in—a wayfarer. As prescribed by the code of hospitality, the sages offer him shelter and rest, and seat him comfortably. When the formalities are over, and when they feel certain that their guest has rested and overcome the fatigue of travel, they ask, “O guest, where are you coming from? What strange and rare experiences have you undergone and what places and men have you seen?”

Snake sacrifice of Janamejeya from "Jaya" by Datta.

            Sauti answers, “I visited the holy land of Kurukshetra where was fought the eighteen-day war between the Pandavas and their cousins, the Kauravas, and where the ground was washed in blood. I visited it after I had heard the tale narrated by Vysampayana at the great Serpent Sacrifice* performed at Janamejaya’s court.” And Sauti’s narrative acquired further quantity and quality at this stage.

            At other unspecified times, additions were made by each narrator. Episodes, philosophies, and moral lessons were added until the epic came to its present length of one hundred thousand stanzas. In this form, about A.D. 400, it came to be known as The Mahabharata, maha being a prefix indicating greatness.

            Scholars have worked hard to identify the recensions, alterations, and additions, and definitive editions are available indicating the changes from the original versions. It is a controversial field, but the main story is accepted on all hands and beyond all argument: once upon a time in ancient Hastinapura lived a royal family—with five brothers of divine origin on one side, and their one hundred cousins on the other, at war with each other. This framework is filled with details and lines of the finest poetic values in Sanskrit. Of its literary and other values, here is a summary as the author himself declared it:

            When Vyasa had the epic all complete in his mind, he invoked Brahma, the Creator, and explained, “I have composed a poem which is vast. Therein are revealed the mystery and the subtleties of the Vedas and Upanishads; descriptions of creeds and modes of life; the history of past, present, and future; rules for the four castes; the essence of the Puranas, of asceticism, and rules for the acolyte; the dimensions of the sun, moon, and stars; a description of the four yugas; a definition of charity, the subject of the incarnation of souls for specific purposes; the sciences and the healing of sickness; also a description of places of pilgrimage, of rivers, mountains, and forests, and of heavenly cities and palaces; the art of war; descriptions of different nations, their languages, and their qualities; and of the all-pervading universal spirit.” And at this stage Brahma said, “Call on Ganesha. He is the one fittest to take down your poem as you recite it.”

Vyasa narrates Mahabharata to Ganesh, traditional

            The Mahabharata consists of eighteen parvas (or parts), as many volumes by the present measure of production. Being a work dependent on oral report, there is naturally much repetition, perhaps for the benefit of a listener who might have missed a piece, as the narration goes on day after day. In this method of narrative a character reporting elsewhere on a situation which the reader already knows, gives again a complete account to his listener. The epic form is detailed and leisurely, and the technique of narration is different from what we are used to. There is an unhurrying quality about it which gives it stature. To point a moral, a complete, independent story of great length and detail may be included, a deviation from the mainstream which can run to several hundred pages. Thus, we have in The Mahabharata the well-known legends such as Harischandra, Nala, and Savitri, Yayati, Draupadi (presented here in an adapted form), Shakuntala, and Sibi, which are included in my previous book, Gods, Demons, and Others.

Shakuntala

            Another factor which swells The Mahabharata is philosophic discussion—discourses on life and conduct which one or another of the sages expounds—sometimes running to several hundred lines at a time. The Bhagavad Gita is an instance of such a situation. When the opposing armies are ready to attack each other, Krishna reveals and elaborates (in eighteen chapters) the Gita philosophy.

Bhagavad-gita

            Great edicts in the text often center round the duties of a king or a commoner. Thus we have a whole parva, or part, called Santhi, a full volume in which Bhishma, while dying, discourses on the duties of a king for the benefit of Yudhistira. This is followed by Anusasana, another complete book, which is equally voluminous, detailing the importance of rituals, worship, and their proper performance. In a sense, these could be termed “asides,” but no reader of The Mahabharata in India would miss any part of it.

Bhishma's instructions

            Although this epic is a treasure house of varied interests, my own preference is the story. It is a great tale with well-defined characters who talk and act with robustness and zest—heroes and villains, saints and kings, women of beauty, all displaying great human qualities, super-human endurance, depths of sinister qualities as well as power, satanic hates and intrigues—all presented against an impressive background of ancient royal capitals, forests, and mountains.

Mahabharata includes many stories of heroes and villains, saints and kings: Durga riding the tiger

            The actual physical quantum of the epic is staggering. If only a single word could be used to indicate the gist of each stanza, the total length of such a sampling would still run to one hundred thousand words. I have omitted none of the episodes relevant to the destinies of the chief characters. I have kept myself to the mainstream and held my version within readable limits.

Shantanu and Satyavati

            For a modern reader in English, one has necessarily to select and condense. I have not attempted any translation, as it is impossible to convey in English the rhythm and depth of the original language. The very sound of Sanskrit has a hypnotic quality which is inevitably lost in translation. One has to feel content with a prose narrative in story form.

            For me, the special interest in this work is the role the author himself plays in the story. Vyasa not only composed the narrative, but being aware of the past and future of all his characters, helps them with solutions when they find themselves in a dilemma. Sometimes he may see into the future and emphasize the inevitability of certain coming events, making his heroes resign themselves to their fate.

Pandavas with Yudhisthira and Draupadi seated, Bhima with mace, Arjuna on right, Nakula and Sahadeva behind

            In this way, at a moment when the Pandavas are all happily settled at Indraprastha, Vyasa hints to Yudhistira that he will be the total destroyer of their clan and race thirteen years hence. Yudhistira accepts this news with terror and resignation, stating, “We cannot change the circumstances that destiny decrees. But I shall do nothing to provoke anyone in any manner and practise absolute non-violence in thought, word and deed. It is the only way to meet the decrees of Fate.” This episode comes long before the gambling match which leads to the Pandavas’ ruin. When the invitation to gamble comes, Yudhistira accepts it, in addition to his own partiality for the game, as a part of his policy not to displease others. When others argue fiercely with him on any matter, he always answers them with gentleness and calm.

Yudhisthira the just

            Earlier in the story, when the Pandavas wander without aim, they are directed by Vyasa to go to Ekavrata and then on to Panchala, where they are destined to find their bride. Throughout, the author lives with his characters, and this is the greatest charm of this work for me. Vyasa’s birth itself is explained at the beginning of the epic. He was conceived in a ferry by his virgin mother, who later begot by Santanu the two brothers, the widows of the younger brother becoming pregnant through Vyasa’s grace, and giving birth to Dhritarashtra and Pandu, whose sons in turn become the chief figures of The Mahabharata.

            R. K. NARAYAN
Mysore, 1977

R.K. Narayan (10 October 1906 – 13 May 2001) Indian author R.K. Narayan was widely considered to be one of India's greatest English language novelistsof the 20th century and was known for his simple and unpretentious writing style, often compared to William Faulkner. 

Nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature multiple times during his lifetime, R.K. Narayana  was one a widely read Indian novelist and writer whose stories were grounded in a transcendental humanism that celebrated the humour and energy of ordinary life while sensitive to India's deep spiritual traditions.  With studies at University of Mysore, in South India, his breakthrough was with Swami and Friends in 1935, set in the fictional town of Malgudi typically Indian but with its own provincial spirit. His writing style is marked by its simplicity and subtle humour.  R.K. Narayan won numerous awards and honors for his works. These include: Sahitya Akademi Award for The Guide in 1958; Padma Bhushan in 1964; and AC Benson Medal by the Royal Society of Literature in 1980; R.K. Narayan was elected an honorary member of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters in 1982. He was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 1989. Besides, he was also conferred honorary doctorates by the University of Mysore, Delhi University and the University of Leeds.

 http://www.iloveindia.com/indian-heroes/rk-narayan.html#fYbcQD9OPIb0VYG2.99