Vacana Bhārata by Prof A.R. Krishna Sastri

Epics Nov 14, 2017

Mahābhārata and the Aspects of 'Karma'

The word ‘karma’ means ‘activity.’ In a narrower sense, it can also mean the Vedic rituals of yajña and yāga, building of socially useful amenities such as lake...

A R Krishna Sastri | Trans: Arjun Bharadwaj, Hari Ravikumar

Epics Nov 21, 2017

Mahābhārata’s Message for Today’s World

The primary characteristics of the modern world are material wealth and individual freedom [c. 1950]. Today, an individual desires to be independent as much as...

A R Krishna Sastri | Trans: Arjun Bharadwaj, Hari Ravikumar

Epics Nov 28, 2017

The Literary Approach in the Composition of Vacanabhārata

With this part, we conclude the translation series of the preface to Vacanabhārata. The current article describes the literary approach of AR Krishna Sastri in...

A R Krishna Sastri | Trans: Arjun Bharadwaj, Hari Ravikumar

Epics Jul 18, 2017

Mahābhārata – The Pauṣya-upaparva

The third adhyāya of the Ādi-parva contains the ‘Pauṣya’(upa)parva. The Sūta, Ugraśrava tells the story of Uttaṅka. After completing his studies, Uttaṅka sets o...

A R Krishna Sastri | Trans: Arjun Bharadwaj, Hari Ravikumar

Epics Jul 25, 2017

Mahābhārata – Pauloma and Āstīka-upaparvas

Adhyāyas 4-12. Pauloma-parva The adhyāyas from 4 to 12 form the Pauloma-parva. Just like the anukramaṇikā (prologue), this section starts with a prose passage....

A R Krishna Sastri | Trans: Arjun Bharadwaj, Hari Ravikumar

Epics Aug 01, 2017

Ādivaṃśāvataraṇa-parva and a Note on the Name 'Jaya'

Adhyāyas 54-61 : Ādivaṃśāvataraṇa -parva The ādivaṃśāvataraṇa-(upa-) parva spans eight adhyāyas – from the fifty fourth to the sixty first. In the beginning of...

A R Krishna Sastri | Trans: Arjun Bharadwaj, Hari Ravikumar

Epics Aug 08, 2017

Ādivaṃśāvataraṇa Parva: The Birth of Veda Vyasa

The fifty-seventh adhyāya of the Ādi-parva starts with the story of King Uparicara. Some scholars opine that this is the real beginning of the Bhārata epic...

A R Krishna Sastri | Trans: Arjun Bharadwaj, Hari Ravikumar

Epics Aug 15, 2017

Ādi-parva continued; A Note on Mahābhārata’s Origin and Development

  Adhyāyas 62-88 – Śakuntalopākhyānam, Vaṃśanukrama, Yayātyupākhyānam (Śakuntalā’s story, details of the lineage and Yayāti’s story)   In these adh...

A R Krishna Sastri | Trans: Arjun Bharadwaj, Hari Ravikumar

Epics Aug 22, 2017

The Timeline and the Composer of Mahabharata

The Timeline of the Composition of Mahābhārata For over a century, scholars from Germany, France, England, and India have extensively studied the Mahābhārata a...

A R Krishna Sastri | Trans: Arjun Bharadwaj, Hari Ravikumar

Epics Aug 29, 2017

Dharma and Nīti in the Mahābhārata

Dharma and Nīti (ethics) in the Mahābhārata Dharma is that which sustains and supports the world; that which upholds; that which nourishes and protects from de...

A R Krishna Sastri | Trans: Arjun Bharadwaj, Hari Ravikumar