The Mahabharata (Narayan book)

Plot

Narayan's version centres on the Kurukshetra War while abridging many tangential stories. It begins with King Santanu, Bhishma's vow, the birth of the Pandavas and Kauravas, and Pandu's death. The narrative follows the Pandavas' tutelage under Drona, the burning of the house of lacquer, and Draupadi's swayamvara. The Bhagavad Gita is summarized into two pages, and the book ends with a swift post-war chapter and a two-to-three page epilogue.

Development

Narayan stated he omitted no episodes relevant to the chief characters' destinies, keeping to the mainstream within readable limits. He noted that an English version requires selection and condensation of poetics into prose, as the rhythm and depth of Sanskrit are inevitably lost.

Although knowledgeable of scholarly research into the epic's textual history, Narayan accepted traditional accounts of its origins, comparing cold factual research to 'catching the rainbow with one's fingers'. Wendy Doniger observed that Narayan translated from the Sanskrit but maintained Tamil-style spellings of many character names, such as Kunthi and Satyavathi. She noted that crucial points, like Krishna's ambiguous divinity, follow Sanskrit conventions, and that Narayan selects precise details to keep the mortal/immortal tension alive throughout.