Mahabharat

Whatever is here, is found elsewhere. But what is not here, is nowhere else.

So says the Mahabharata.

As a kid, I enjoyed the stories of Mahabharata but they did not mean anything more to me than the obvious. As I read and re-read, I think am getting an idea of what a great epic it is! So, here I am, trying to read as much as possible on Mahabharata and to inspire myself to do so, am going to do a series of posts related to it. Currently am reading Mahabharata by C.Rajagopalachari. It is more of a compilation of stories than a retelling or translation. The Mahabharata by Ramesh Menon (My next read) is a modern rendering in two volumes. A sneak peak into it makes me want to read it. 

There are so many resources on Mahabharata. Below are the ones that kindle my interest.

• The blog recommendbooks lists a lot of interesting books on the Mahabharata. 
• Mythologist Devdutt pattanaik has a handful of articles in addition to his book Jaya.
• English translation from original sanskrit text by Kisari Mohan Ganguli is available in Project Gutenburg. Also available is the play Chitra by Rabindranath Tagore based on Chitrangada. 
• There is Ashok Banker's MBA series
• There are few books that offer Mahabharata from the point of view of various characters. The famous among them being The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Devakaruni, from Draupadi's point of view. A translation of Bhim's point of view available for download here. 
• I found a podcast here and I am planning to listen to that as well
• Then there is The Difficulty of being Good by Gurucharan Das, an analysis of Mahabharata.

Obviously, there is never going to be an end to this list. Hoping to read as much as possible!