Shrila Vyasadeva's Mahabharata

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Shrila Vyasadeva's Mahabharata, Summarized by Purnaprajna das, edited and produced by Nityananda das (Mayodan, North Carolina, New Jaipur Press, 1998), 736 pages, with illustrations and extensive glossary.

 

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Reviewed by Satyaraja Dasa

 

When Nityananda Prabhu asked me to review this book, I was frought with trepidation: would readers then associate me with Nityananda, whose reputation in ISKCON leaves something to be desired? I was saddened that this thought even came to mind. And then there is the daunting task of reviewing a book some 700-pages long. I didn't want to make any promises, but I did assure him that I would read the book.

 

After going through Purnaprajna's voluminous text, I can only commend Nityananda for coming out with this edition of Mahabharata. Philosophical stances aside, the good that this book will do if it is widely distributed far outweighs the reputation of one questionable brahmana.

 

The book itself is an important contribution to the storehouse of Vaishnava literature. It is not a scholarly contribution, at least not by western conventions-there are no diacritics (spelling is phonetic) and the original verses are nowhere to be found. Rather, the style Purnaprajna favors is one of a summary-study, much like Shrila Prabhupada's Nectar of Devotion.

 

Nor is the book easy on the eyes-margins are too small and typos appear throughout the text. Nonetheless, the virtues of this work should be obvious: it is Vaishnava-friendly and it makes a formidable scripture, both in size and content, easily accessible.

 

Devotees will be enlivened to read the Mahabharata in a single volume. Moreover, they can read it without concern: Purnaprajna summarizes the content in a way that is sympathetic to Vaishnava siddhanta. Thus, while he remains true to the text, he emphasizes points that are crucial to a devotional understanding. This he does by cross-referencing his reading of the Mahabharata with Shrila Prabhupada's books, particularly the first canto of Shrimad Bhagavatam, which has summary descriptions of many of the personalities and scenes of the Great Epic.

 

For those who are not familiar with the story, the Mahabharata, in its many pages, deals with a multitude of subjects, but its central narration focuses on the furious quarrel between the Pandavas and the Kauravas, two groups of related cousins. The quarrel escalates into a full-scale civil war-involving gods and men, tricksters and ascetics with magical powers, brahmanas and royalty, and even Krishna, the Supreme Being-which ultimately jeopardizes the fate of the entire universe. Without giving an elaborate overview of the entire story, a brief outline of the eighteen books that make up the epic would not be out of place here.

 

First is the Adi-parvan, which serves to introduce many of the characters, their divine geneology (Purnaprajna's edition contains a useful geneological table), and this, in turn, sets the scene for the ensuing story (or set of stories). The lives of the royal brothers, Dhritarashtra and Pandu, are elaborated upon. Dhritarashtra and his sons sought to usurp a kingdom that, according to Vedic etiquette, rightly belonged to Pandu and his five righteous sons. This difference eventually led to a massive battle including millions of warriors. Next, the Sabha-parvan describes the colorful assembly in Hastinapura, and the foul trick via a gambling match by which the Pandavas lose their kingdom. By devious methods, the sons of Dhritarashtra won the kingdom and banished the five Pandavas to the forest for twelve years.

 

Life in the forest is full of adventures and important lessons, many of which are revealed in the epic's third section, the Vana-parvan (also known as Aranyaka-parvan), and Purnaprajna tells this story with great style and panache. Here we meet Nala, who, like the Pandavas, lost a kingdom due to some demoniac person's underhanded cunning. The story of the faithful Savitri is also related here. In the Virata-parvan we learn of the Pandavas' last year of exile, in which the five brothers were forced to spend their time in disguise, in the service of King Virata. Udyoga-parvan details all of the events leading up to the massive war, including several efforts for peace (which fail miserably!), and the Pandavas finally agree to fight for what is rightfully theirs.

 

Next is the famous Bhishma-parvan. This section contains a detailed description of the beginning battles of what would be a devastating eighteen-day war. The renowned Bhagavad-gita occupies chapters twenty-five through forty-two of this consequential sixth book, and Purnaprajna Prabhu sensitively summarizes the Gita for the pleasure of his readers.

 

The seventh section of the Mahabharata is called, again, the Drona-parvan, for the death of the great Dronacharya occurs here. The minutes of the war are continued throughout this section and are expressed in a colorful and dynamic way. Next, the Karna-parvan graphically describes the slaying of Karna, the Kuru leader. In the ninth book, the Salya-parvan, the war rages on. Salya is killed, but the Kaurava Princes retaliate at night, slaughtering much of the Pandava army. Only the five brothers, in fact, escape with their lives. This is described in the Sauptika-parvan.

 

Stri-parvan then elucidates the heart-rending funeral rites of the many heroes who died on the battlefield; eulogies by many of the saintly wives are found in this section. Finally, in the Santi-parvan, the eldest Pandava Prince, Yudhisthira, is crowned. Also related here is the death of Grandfather Bhishma, who proceeds to enunciate the highest philosophical truths while on his deathbed. In fact, his dissertation continues into the thirteenth section, Anusasana-parvan, when the distinguished grandfather of the Pandava clan passes away.

 

Asvamedha-parvan describes an elaborate horse sacrifice in celebration of the Pandava victory and Yudhisthira's coronation. Asramavasika-parvan then relates Dhritarashtra's retreat into the forest, where he dies after three years. Time passes. And we are soon confronted with Lord Krishna's desire to depart for his supreme abode. Thus, the Mausala-parvan, or the sixteenth book of the Mahabharata, briefly describes Krishna's departure from this planet and His transcendental ascension to His own kingdom.

 

Mahaprasthanika-parvan deals with Krishna's devotees, and their reaction to the Lord's decision to leave them. As the Mahabharata comes to its eighteenth and final book, known as the Svargarohanika-parvan, after a complex series of events, the five Pandava brothers also ascend into heaven, and the details of their ascension are beautifully elaborated upon. But Purnaprajna does not only tell of happy events-he also describes the Pandava visit to hell, which, while disconcerting in some ways, is nonetheless part of the story, and so he dutifully reports the details to the anxious devotee reader.

 

The book also includes an excellent glossary, which, in itself, can give readers a good introduction to the names, places, and concepts found in the Mahabharata. Overall, this work is indispensable, and both Purnaprajna and Nityananda should be commended for producing it and making it available to the English-speaking Vaishnava world.