[Mahabharata 02] • Mahabharata Vol. 2

The complete; unabridged Mahabharata The Mahabharata is one of the greatest stories ever told. Though the basic plot is widely known; there is much more to the epic than the dispute between Kouravas and Pandava that led to the battle in Kurukshetra. It has innumerable sub-plots that accommodate fascinating meanderings and digressions; and it has rarely been translated in full; given its formidable length of 80;000 shlokas or couplets. The magnificent 10-volume unabridged translation of the epic is based on the Critical Edition compiled at the Bhandakar Research Institue. Volume 2 consists of the last part of the Adi Parva; the complete Sabha Parva and the early part of the Vana Parva. The story covers Arjuna's stay in the forest; his marriage to Subhadra; the burning of the Khandava forest; the Pandavas building the assembly hall and conquering the world; Yudhishthira's crowning as emperor; Duryodhana's envy at the Pandavas' prosperity; the two games with the dice; Droupadi's disrobing; Arjuna's encounter with Shiva; and ends with the Nala and Damayanti story. Every conceivable human emotion figures in the Mahabharata; the reason why the epic continues to hold sway over our imagination. In this lucid; nuanced and confident translation; Bibek Debroy makes the Mahabharata marvellously accessible to contemporary readers.