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GEMS OF MAHABHARATA What's Not In It, You'll Find Nowhere Volume II: Pearls of Wisdom & Eternal Truths from the Longest Epic, Portrayed in Captivating Style by a Behavioral Scientist
GEMs of MAHABHARATA
Is there any piece of world literature that
-transcends time and space, encompasses every aspect of human living, nature, and the universe?
-holds eternal values, survived for over 5000 years, and remains new and a promising 'work-in-progress'?
-a cornucopia of myths, passion, love, hatred, revenge, and all the conceivable emotions?
- explores all aspects of spirituality and temporality, creates a code of living, a philosophy of social and ethical living, and explains the law of cause and effect of everything?
- and can be passed on from generation to generation as an inexhaustible treasure trove of eternal wisdom?
The only answer is the Mahabharata.
The very book of Life, the Mahabharata is some fifteen times the combined length of the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, and seven times The Iliad and The Odyssey put together. At the same time, it is also "100 times more interesting" than them all, as observed by Wendy Doniger.
W.J. Johnson has put it, in the context of world civilization, on par with the Bible, the works of William Shakespeare, the works of Homer, Greek drama, or the Quran. In India, it is called the Fifth Veda. "He who knows it not," said C. Rajagoplachari, "knows not the heights and the depths of the soul"; he misses the real reasons behind the intriguing trajectory of human living.
The beauty of this greatest of the epics has attracted centuries of readers and scholars, and it has been re-told umpteen times. As A.K. Ramanujan, the great scholar and poet of India said, there's no Indian who hears Mahabharata for the first time - for centuries it has been with the Indians in one form of art or the other. It has been an integral part of the cultural ethos of the country. Still it is called a 'work-in-progress', as it is a piece of literature that does not confine to a book. As Mahabharata describes itself, it is unlimited both in time and space - eternal and infinite. Not only the kings, saints, heroes, and women of mettle, even the villains and barbarians in the epic are portrayed in such a way that they present many a valuable learning point for the discerning reader of modern times.
What makes the present version, which is the first of several volumes, distinct is its critical analysis of the characters and events of Mahabharata from the angle of modern behavioral science, and the valuable lessons it churned out from an in-depth study of it .
This book, for instance, throws light into certain less-known aspects of the well-known characters like Bhishma, Drona, Duryodhana, etc. and answers questions like the
-What's the meaning of Gandhari's two-year pregnancy and 101 babies at one birth?
-How was Kunti a role model of an ideal parent?
-How did Bhishma err in following his dharma, and why his tyaga (sacrifice) was not superior?
-Why Yudhishtira was considered the kingpin of the Pandavas' victory in the Kurukshetra war?
-Who was the only person in the Mahabharata, whose soul directly merged with the Almighty on death?
-Why was Duryodhana considered a master communicator?
Five star review of the book by an international bestselling " Great insights.I I have followed Dr. Nair's blogs and was waiting to grab this book as soon as published.It's a great work of literature by the Vyasa of modern times ." Vikram K.
Is there any piece of world literature that
-transcends time and space, encompasses every aspect of human living, nature, and the universe?
-holds eternal values, survived for over 5000 years, and remains new and a promising 'work-in-progress'?
-a cornucopia of myths, passion, love, hatred, revenge, and all the conceivable emotions?
- explores all aspects of spirituality and temporality, creates a code of living, a philosophy of social and ethical living, and explains the law of cause and effect of everything?
- and can be passed on from generation to generation as an inexhaustible treasure trove of eternal wisdom?
The only answer is the Mahabharata.
The very book of Life, the Mahabharata is some fifteen times the combined length of the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, and seven times The Iliad and The Odyssey put together. At the same time, it is also "100 times more interesting" than them all, as observed by Wendy Doniger.
W.J. Johnson has put it, in the context of world civilization, on par with the Bible, the works of William Shakespeare, the works of Homer, Greek drama, or the Quran. In India, it is called the Fifth Veda. "He who knows it not," said C. Rajagoplachari, "knows not the heights and the depths of the soul"; he misses the real reasons behind the intriguing trajectory of human living.
The beauty of this greatest of the epics has attracted centuries of readers and scholars, and it has been re-told umpteen times. As A.K. Ramanujan, the great scholar and poet of India said, there's no Indian who hears Mahabharata for the first time - for centuries it has been with the Indians in one form of art or the other. It has been an integral part of the cultural ethos of the country. Still it is called a 'work-in-progress', as it is a piece of literature that does not confine to a book. As Mahabharata describes itself, it is unlimited both in time and space - eternal and infinite. Not only the kings, saints, heroes, and women of mettle, even the villains and barbarians in the epic are portrayed in such a way that they present many a valuable learning point for the discerning reader of modern times.
What makes the present version, which is the first of several volumes, distinct is its critical analysis of the characters and events of Mahabharata from the angle of modern behavioral science, and the valuable lessons it churned out from an in-depth study of it .
This book, for instance, throws light into certain less-known aspects of the well-known characters like Bhishma, Drona, Duryodhana, etc. and answers questions like the
-What's the meaning of Gandhari's two-year pregnancy and 101 babies at one birth?
-How was Kunti a role model of an ideal parent?
-How did Bhishma err in following his dharma, and why his tyaga (sacrifice) was not superior?
-Why Yudhishtira was considered the kingpin of the Pandavas' victory in the Kurukshetra war?
-Who was the only person in the Mahabharata, whose soul directly merged with the Almighty on death?
-Why was Duryodhana considered a master communicator?
Five star review of the book by an international bestselling " Great insights.I I have followed Dr. Nair's blogs and was waiting to grab this book as soon as published.It's a great work of literature by the Vyasa of modern times ." Vikram K.
102 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 21, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 26, 2022
Wow
This is truly a gem. I have never understood Mahanharata the way it is portrayed in the book. Amazing. The narration is simple and effective. Recommended
This is truly a gem. I have never understood Mahanharata the way it is portrayed in the book. Amazing. The narration is simple and effective. Recommended
December 12, 2022
Beautiful
I'm hooked on this series as it expounds the greatness of this great epic; the Mahabharata. I continue to learn so much from the way the author analyzes this great epic.
I'm hooked on this series as it expounds the greatness of this great epic; the Mahabharata. I continue to learn so much from the way the author analyzes this great epic.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews