The Mahabharata, Book 1 of 18: Adi Parva

by J. Krishnamurti

Book

"The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the other being the Ramayana.

With more than 74,000 verses, long prose passages, and about 1.8 million words in total, the Mahabharata is one of the longest epic poems in the world. Including the Harivamsa, the Mahabharata has a total length of more than 90,000 verses.

It is of immense importance to the culture of the Indian subcontinent, and is a major text of Hinduism. Its discussion of human goals (artha or purpose, kama or pleasure, dharma or duty/harmony, and moksha or liberation) takes place in a long-standing tradition, attempting to explain the relationship of the individual to society and the world (the nature of the 'Self') and the workings of karma.

The title may be translated as "the great tale of the Bharata Dynasty", according to the Mahabharata's own testimony extended from a shorter version simply called Bharata of 24,000 verses The epic is part of the Hindu itihasa, literally "that which happened", which includes the Ramayana and the Puranas.

Traditionally, Hindus ascribe the Mahabharata to Vyasa. Because of its immense length, its philological study has a long history of attempts to unravel its historical growth and composition layers. Its earliest layers date back to the late Vedic period (ca. 5th c. [BC]) and it probably reached its final form in the early Gupta period (ca. 4th c. [AD])." (Quote from wikipedia.org)

Table of

Publisher's Preface; Translator's Preface; Section I.; Section ii.; Paushya Parva; Section iii.; Pauloma Parva; Section iv.; Section V.; Section vi.; Section vii.; Section viii.; Section ix.; Section X.; Section xi.; Section xii.; Astika Parva; Section xiii.; Section xiv.; Section xv.; Section xvi.; Section xvii.; Section xviii.; Section xix.; Section xx.; Section xxi.; Section xxii.; Section xxiii.; Section xxiv.; Section xxv.; Section xxvi.; Section xxvii.; Section xxviii.; Section xxix.; Section xxx.; Section xxxi.; Section xxxii.; Section xxxiii.; Section xxxiv.; Section xxxv.; Section xxxvi.; Section xxxvii.; Section xxxviii.; Section xxxix.; Section Xl.; Section Xli.; Section Xlii.; Section Xliii.; Section Xliv.; Section Xlv.; Section Xlvi.; Section Xlvii.; Section Xlviii.; Section Xlix.; Section L.; Section Li.; Section Lii.; Section Liii.; Section Liv.; Section Lv.; Section Lvi.; Section Lvii.; Section Lviii.; Adivansavatarana Parva; Section Lix.; Section Lx.; Section Lxi.; Section Lxii.; Section Lxiii.; Section Lxiv.; Sambhava Parva; Section Lxv.; Section Lxvi.; Section Lxvii.; Section Lxviii.; Section Lxix.; Section Lxx.; Section Lxxi.; Section Lxxii.; Section Lxxiii.; Section Lxxiv.; Section Lxxv.; Section Lxxvi.; Section Lxxvii.; Section Lxxviii.; Section Lxxix.; Section Lxxx.; Section Lxxxi.; Section Lxxxii.; Section Lxxxiii.; Section Lxxxiv.; Section Lxxxv.; Section Lxxxvi.; Section Lxxxvii.; Section Lxxxviii.; Section Lxxxix.; Section Xc.; Section Xci.; Section Xcii.; Section Xciii.; Section Xciv.; Section Xcv.; Section Xcvi.; Section Xcvii.; Section Xcviii.; Section Xcix.; Section C.; Section Ci.; Section Cii.; Section Ciii.; Section Civ.; Section Cv.; Section Cvi.; Section Cvii.; Section Cviii.; Section Cix.; Section Cx.; Section Cxi.; Section Cxii.; Section Cxiii.; Section Cxiv.; Section Cxv.; Section Cxvi.; Section Cxvii.; Section Cxviii.; Section Cxix.; Section Cxx.; Section Cxxi.; Section Cxxii.; Section Cxxiii.; Section Cxxiv.; Section Cxxv.; Section Cxxvi.; Section Cxxvii.; Section Cxxviii.; Section Cxxix.; Section Cxxx.; Section Cxxxi.; Section Cxxxii.; Section Cxxxiii.; Section Cxxxiv.; Section Cxxxv.; Section Cxxxvi.; Section Cxxxvii.; Section Cxxxviii.; Section Cxxxix.; Section Cxl.; Section Cxli.; Section Cxlii.; Jatugriha Parva; Section Cxliii.; Section Cxliv.; Section C

578 pages, Paperback

Published August 24, 2018

About the author

Jiddu Krishnamurti was born on 11 May 1895 in Madanapalle, a small town in south India. He and his brother were adopted in their youth by Dr Annie Besant, then president of the Theosophical Society. Dr Besant and others proclaimed that Krishnamurti was to be a world teacher whose coming the Theosophists had predicted. To prepare the world for this coming, a world-wide organization called the Order of the Star in the East was formed and the young Krishnamurti was made its head.

In 1929, however, Krishnamurti renounced the role that he was expected to play, dissolved the Order with its huge following, and returned all the money and property that had been donated for this work.

From then, for nearly sixty years until his death on 17 February 1986, he travelled throughout the world talking to large audiences and to individuals about the need for a radical change in humankind.

Krishnamurti is regarded globally as one of the greatest thinkers and religious teachers of all time. He did not expound any philosophy or religion, but rather talked of the things that concern all of us in our everyday lives, of the problems of living in modern society with its violence and corruption, of the individual's search for security and happiness, and the need for humankind to free itself from inner burdens of fear, anger, hurt, and sorrow. He explained with great precision the subtle workings of the human mind, and pointed to the need for bringing to our daily life a deeply meditative and spiritual quality.

Krishnamurti belonged to no religious organization, sect or country, nor did he subscribe to any school of political or ideological thought. On the contrary, he maintained that these are the very factors that divide human beings and bring about conflict and war. He reminded his listeners again and again that we are all human beings first and not Hindus, Muslims or Christians, that we are like the rest of humanity and are not different from one another. He asked that we tread lightly on this earth without destroying ourselves or the environment. He communicated to his listeners a deep sense of respect for nature. His teachings transcend belief systems, nationalistic sentiment and sectarianism. At the same time, they give new meaning and direction to humankind's search for truth. His teaching, besides being relevant to the modern age, is timeless and universal.

Krishnamurti spoke not as a guru but as a friend, and his talks and discussions are based not on tradition-based knowledge but on his own insights into the human mind and his vision of the sacred, so he always communicates a sense of freshness and directness although the essence of his message remained unchanged over the years. When he addressed large audiences, people felt that Krishnamurti was talking to each of them personally, addressing his or her particular problem. In his private interviews, he was a compassionate teacher, listening attentively to the man or woman who came to him in sorrow, and encouraging them to heal themselves through their own understanding. Religious scholars found that his words threw new light on traditional concepts. Krishnamurti took on the challenge of modern scientists and psychologists and went with them step by step, discussed their theories and sometimes enabled them to discern the limitations of those theories. Krishnamurti left a large body of literature in the form of public talks, writings, discussions with teachers and students, with scientists and religious figures, conversations with individuals, television and radio interviews, and letters. Many of these have been published as books, and audio and video recordings.

This author also writes under: Jiddu Krishnamurti