Book review on: Evolution of The Mahabharata

The noble effort of Sage Vyasa's intense penance once bore fruit in the form of a great gift known to us as the "Mahabharata" today . This epic work serves as a bridge connecting the Vedic and Sanatana cultures, a testament to Vyasa's transcendence beyond the ordinary plane. The pages of this timeless text not only carry poetry but also reflect an eternal renaissance of Bharata's soul, with each story and moral principle carefully woven into its vast fabric. Even the greatest hero is marked by the stain of stigma here, whereas flowers of glory are seen to be showering down over the head of the protagonist. Within the folds of Mahabharata, one discovers an assortment of tales, short stories, valuable teachings and moral dilemmas, all intricately placed within the context of the whole. This extensive work encompasses a treasure of knowledge, ranging from science and philosophy to dharma, economics, politics and sociology. It is a reservoir of wisdom that the Hindus believe has the power to dispel sins and inauspiciousness, a sacred passage that resonates from the grandest castles to the humblest thatched huts. Just as we rely on water and air for sustenance, Indian society and literature have drawn inspiration, refreshment and essential life force from the text, adapting its teachings and principles to every age. To comprehend India, one must seek wisdom from this ancient scripture, as it is an indispensable source that has sustained the Indian social and cultural fabric for centuries. That is why Mahabharata itself says,

“That which is great in quality and quantity is called Mahabharata”.

If one wants to know India, if you want to understand the outlook of Indian people and want to recognize the essence of India’s own culture, it is mandatory to know Mahabharata. Also, the eternal pulse of human life is heavily felt in this epic. And, to understand the evolution of the text and various writings and important ideas connected to the epic one can go through this book this time, titled “Evolution of Mahabharata and Other Writings on the Epic”. The original book was a Kannada classic named ‘Mahabharatada Belavanige’ written in 1972 by S R Ramaswamy that also included other seven essays on Mahabharata.  This time the copy is effectively translated by Hari Ravikumar, Arjun Bharadwaj and Sandeep Balakrishna. The book reports on the interesting journey of one of the academic successes of the 12th century i.e. development of the Critical Edition of the Mahabharata by Vishnu Sitaram Sukthankar along with the scholarly teams at Bhandarkar Institute.

Till now I used to know that already a great storm of revolution at the societal to national level has swept through India. A blood-thirsty monstrous mishap arising from nucleus anger, jealousy and hatred- in the name of the Kurukshetra war took place, unbearable in the eyes of humanity- and, that is the historical background. Further, I have hear many commenting that there are many fascinating but out-of-context stories though interpolated but not a matter of surprise. Now, if interpolated, then, was there any reason for these interpolations? And, what is its connection with the main story? Well, the experts of the critical edition have already contemplated much on these. But, till now, I have always made an attempt to explore the text in totality. From my side, I have always tried to connect them with the contemporary society. And, also its historicity can’t be denied, right?

Now, let’s delve deep into the review of the book and what the author has to say regarding the world of Mahabharata.

S R Ramaswamy

Nature of work

The “Nature of the Work section” the author mentions how the development of intellectual activity took place in India from the Upanishadic era to the age of Smritis and Puranas. Again, the book mentions that the Sharada script was the one in which most of the ancient manuscripts of the text were written. Moreover, multiple sections from Vedas, Smritis and Puranas have references and connections with Mahabharata stories and teachings. After presenting the arguments put by the Western scholars the book mentions the important part i.e. Sukthankar’s Bhargava argument. It is Rishi Bhrigu who lies in the heart and then there are his descendants or Bhargavas who are liable for taking the narrative further. It is interesting to note that Mahabharata’s genealogical beginning starts with lineage of Bhrigu and some of the most important characters and accounts of the epic are somehow connected to Bhrigu.

Even in Bhagavat Gita Sri Krishna declares

“Among the great seers, I am Bhrigu”.

So, Arvind Sharma rightly comments “There is a demonstrable connection between Bhrigu myth cycle and the Bharata story, and there is a thematic parallel, the passage of an age, the extermination of a race, intervention and survival”.

Textual contradictions and variations

The book includes an important section that touches the Critical Edition and its necessity in the study of the Mahabharata. In this context, reminding the contribution of Vishnu Sitaram Sukthankar, Moriz Winternitz has rightly commented that-

"Here I may say that in my opinion, neither in India nor in Europe, any one scholar would be found who would have done the work better than Dr. Sukthankar has done in his first fascicule"

But, in this review will focus more on discussing the root and so let's look at the root of the real tree. Whatever characteristics the root has, that's what the original Mahabharata means. Even if there is a source point, the root is not just a single point. It's a network. So, the next thing to be seriously understood is the “Texual contradictions and variations”. Analyzing the different contradictive texts found from various parts of India at different times is obviously vital. And, for this, the author, considers the northern and southern contradictions, interpolated tales, recent additions and so on. I never used to know that the southern version of the scripture had been much more extensive than the northern one. Even the names of upa-parvas have been varying across different versions of India. Also, in the case of proper nouns and names, there are differences in Northern and Southern recensions, as the sub-plots change region-wise. Eg. There is a popular narrative that due to the curse of Urvashi, Arjuna had to live an impotent life but that is not true as this comes from later Puranas.  And, in those southern versions Chitrangada, the wife of Arjuna is considered a Pandya princess and the father of Satyavati is given the name Uccaihsravas. However, among the many things that are common in both the versions are ages of the Pandavas, the duration of their stay in the area of Indraprastha etc. I was even surprised to know that the story of Ganesha appointed to pen down Mahabharata is quite recent.

The discussion further pertains to what the original Mahabharata/ Vyasa's Mahabharata and how a from a common nucleus, all the regions versions is weaved, keeping in mind the time and region connected with social contexts in mind. It has taken such a complex meshwork that till now no one knows where it started (and, the Indians always had the full freedom to do that) and keep the message ever-green, the spirit that becomes old in due course of time but never becomes fade. The author’s extensive discussion has helped me to recognize the history of the evolution of Mahabharata studies; how much of the 'original Mahabharata' elements are present in the Bengali Mahabharata by Kashiram Das, Villi Bharatham, by Villiputtur Alwar, Oriya Mahabharata by Sarala Das, whether these can be considered the 'original Mahabharata' at all; if not, by what name should they be identified? The arguments include the flaws and deviations within these versions of the Mahabharata that are extremely popular among confused masses. Furthermore, it analyzes the importance of folklore in the study of Indian epics.