MahabharataFew works in world literature have inspired so vast an audience, in nations with radically different languages and cultures, as the Ramayana and Mahabharata, two Sanskrit verse epics written some 2,000 years ago. In Ramayana (written by a poet known to us as Valmiki), William Buck has retold the story of Prince Rama--with all its nobility of spirit, courtly intrigue, heroic renunciation, fierce battles, and triumph of good over evil--in a length and manner that will make the great Indian epics accessible to the contemporary reader. The same is true for the Mahabharata--in its original Sanskrit, probably the longest Indian epic ever composed. It is the story of a dynastic struggle, between the Kurus and Pandavas, for land. In his introduction, Sanskritist B. A. van Nooten notes, "Apart from William Buck’s rendition [no other English version has] been able to capture the blend of religion and martial spirit that pervades the original epic." Presented accessibly for the general reader without compromising the spirit and lyricism of the originals, William Buck’s Ramayana and Mahabharata capture the essence of the Indian cultural heritage. |
Contents
A Mine of Jewels and Gems | 5 |
The Ring and the Well | 27 |
The Falling Sand | 95 |
An Iron Net | 167 |
The Invasion | 215 |
Sanjaya Returns | 249 |
Trees of Gold | 265 |
The Enchanted Lake | 285 |
In the End | 329 |
The Blade of Grass | 333 |
The Lonely Encounter | 353 |
Parikshita | 373 |
The Timeless Path | 389 |
The City of Gates | 401 |
Notes | 413 |
Reference List of Characters | 415 |
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Common terms and phrases
answered Arjuna armor arms army arrows asked Aswatthaman Balarama beautiful Bharata Bhima Bhishma brahmana brothers burn chariot Chitraratha Damayanti dark dead death Dharma Dhrishtadyumna Dhritarashtra dice Draupadi Drona drove Drupada Duhsasana Duryodhana Dwaravati Earth elephant eyes face father fell fight fire flowers forest Gandharvas Ganga gods gold golden gone grass hair hand Hastinapura head heard heart heaven horses Indra Indraprastha Jayadratha jewels Karna Kichaka kill king kingdom Kripa Krishna Kunti Kurukshetra Kurus laughed leave live looked Lord Mahabharata Majesty Matsya moon mountain Naga Nakula Nala never night palace Panchala Pandavas Pandu Rishyasringa Rituparna river robes Sahadeva Sairindhri Sakuni Sanjaya Satyaki Satyavan Savitri Shiva silver smiled stood stopped story sword tell threw told tree Uttara Vahuka Vibhandaka Vidura Virata Vrihannala Vyasa walked warriors watched weapons wife wind Yudhishthira Yuyutsu