Mahabharata Book Eight (Volume 2): Karna, Vol. 1

by Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Adam Bowles (Translator)

“The Book of Karna” relates the events of the two dramatic days after the defeat of the great warriors and generals Bhishma and Drona, in which Karna, great hero and the eldest Pándava, leads the Káurava army into combat. This first volume of "Karna" depicts mighty battles in gory detail, sets the scene for Karna's tragic death, and includes a remarkable verbal duel between Karna and his reluctant charioteer Shalya, the king of the Madras, as they hurl abuse at each other before entering the fray.
Co-published by New York University Press and the JJC Foundation
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604 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2007

About the author

Krishna Dvaipāyana Vyāsa, also known as Vyāsa or Veda-Vyāsa (वेदव्यास, the one who classified the Vedas into four parts) is a central and revered figure in most Hindu traditions. He is traditonally regarded as the author of the Mahābhārata, although it is also widely held that he only composed the core of the epic, the Bhārata. A significant portion of the epic later was only added in later centuries, which then came to be known as the Mahābhārata. The date of composition of this epic is not known - It was definitvely part of the traditions in Indian subcontinent at the time Gautam Buddha (~500 BCE) which would suggest it having been already around for atleast a few centuries. It was chiefy put down in the written form only somewhere between 300 BCE to 300 CE.

As the name would suggest, Vyāsa is believed to have categorised the primordial single Veda into its four canonical collections. He is also considered to be the scribe of Purānās, ancient Hindu texts eulogizing various deities, primarily the divine Trimurti God in Hinduism through divine stories.

Reviews

[Silvio Curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's in this volume where we see Karṇa in action as general with Śalya, King of the Madras, as his charioteer. It's also in this volume where the war starts to tilt decisively toward its final outcome. Like Duryodhana and all his closer associates, but probably more than any of them, Karṇa manages to be a plain villain in some ways and a tragic figure like Droṇa or Bhīṣma in others.