Essays on the Mahabharata

by Arvind Sharma

This book is a classic study of a monumental work, the Mahabharata,  perhaps the largest epic in world literature.  It is an epic study of the epic on account of the voluminous size it has itself attained, the kaleidoscopic variety of the themes it covers, the great diversity of approaches it canvesses, the wide array of contributions it includes and the high standard of scholarship it achieves. 

The essays of this book are on survey and discussion of manuscripts used in the critical edition of the Mahabharata (Mhb); the stylistic study, computer analysis and concordance of Mhb; study of Karnabhara and Urubhanga; plays attributed to Bhasa; the tales of epic partheno-genesis; dark interactions in the Mhb; the story of Daksa's confrontation with Siva; the Sauptika episode which encapsulates the central meaning and message of the epic; Mahabharata's presentation of itself; santarasa in the Mhb; analysis of the characters of Bhisma and Vyasa; Arjuna's combat with Kirata; a study of the Jaina Mhb; ritual and performance in the Pandavalila of Garhwal; a study of Bhima's character; a study on the myth Savitri; the epic context of the Bhagavadgita; the battle of Kuruksetra in topological transposition; categories of Arthasastra in the Mhb; Janamejaya's snake sacrifice; Krisna as enigma; repetition in the Mahabharata; and the Himalayan variations on epic theme.

About the Author:

Arvind Sharma is the Birks Professor of Comparative Religion in the faculty of Religious Studies at McGill University; and was the first Infinity Foundation Visiting Professor of Indic Studies at Harvard University. His previous works on Advaita Vedanta include: The Experiential Dimension of Advaita Vedanta (1993); The Philosophy of Religion and Advaita Vedanta (1995); and The Rope and the Snake: A Metaphorical Exploration of Advaita Vedanta (1997).