The Ramayana and Mahabharata Condensed into English Verse by Dutt Romesh C.;

The Ramayana and Mahabharata Condensed into English Verse by Dutt Romesh C.;

Author:Dutt, Romesh C.; [Dutt, Romesh C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 1900785
Publisher: Dover Publications
Published: 2012-10-22T16:00:00+00:00


ROMESH DUTT.

MAHA-BHARATA

EPIC OF THE BHARATAS

TO

THE MARQUIS OF RIPON

EVER GRATEFULLY REMEMBERED BY MY COUNTRYMEN FOR HIS

JUST AND BENEVOLENT ADMINISTRATION AND FOR HIS

GENEROUS AND HELPFUL MEASURES FOR THE

INTRODUCTION OF SELF-GOVERNMENT

IN INDIA

THIS TRANSLATION OF THE MAHA-BHARATA

IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED

BOOK I

ASTRA DARSANA

(The Tournament)

THE scene of the Epic is the ancient kingdom of the Kurus which flourished along the upper course of the Ganges ; and the historical fact on which the Epic is based is a great war which took place between the Kurus and a neighbouring tribe, the Panchalas, in the thirteenth or fourteenth century before Christ.

According to the Epic, Pandu and Dhrita-rashtra, who was born blind, were brothers. Pandu died early, and Dhrita-rashtra became king of the Kurus, and brought up the five sons of Pandu along with his hundred sons.

Yudhishthir, the eldest son of Pandu, was a man of truth and piety ; Bhima, the second, was a stalwart fighter ; and Arjun, the third son, distinguished himself above all the other princes in arms. The two youngest brothers, Nakula and Sahadeva, were twins. Duryodhan was the eldest son of Dhrita-rashtra and was jealous of his cousins, the sons of Pandu. A tournament was held, and in the course of the day a warrior named Karna, of unknown origin, appeared on the scene and proved himself a worthy rival of Arjun. The rivalry between Arjun and Karna is the leading thought of the Epic, as the rivalry between Achilles and Hector is the leading thought of the Iliad.

It is only necessary to add that the sons of Pandu, as well as Karna, were, like the heroes of Homer, god-born chiefs. Some god inspired the birth of each. Yudhishthir was the son of Dharma or Virtue, Bhima of Vayu or Wind, Arjun of Indra or Rain-god, the twin youngest were the sons of the Aswin twins, and Kama was the son of Surya the Sun, but was believed by himself and by all others to be the son of a simple chariot-driver.

The portion translated in this Book forms Sections cxxxiv. to cxxxvii. of Book i. of the original Epic in Sanscrit (Calcutta. edition of 1834).



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