Volume-1: Beginnings
Volume-2: Preparations For War
The text is a creative and concise translation of Vyasa's Mahabharata (Critical Edition). The author narrates the epic story through the perspective of Vidura (Vyasa's son). The main narrative, presented in the third person, is interspersed with Vidura's first-person commentary on the various characters and events, adding a distinctive touch to this retelling of the timeless tale of the Mahabharata. The lucid prose effortlessly guides readers through this epic journey, while Vidura's reflections encourage pauses to ponder moral dilemmas that remain as relevant and thought-provoking today as they were in ancient India.
Book 1, titled Beginnings, covers the Adi Parva and Sabha Parva of Vyasa's Mahabharata. Book 2, Preparations for War, spans the Vana, Virata, and Udyoga Parvas. Book 3, War at Kurukshetra, encompasses the Bhishma, Drona, Karna, and Shalya Parvas. Finally, Book 4, Aftermath of War, concludes the epic with the remaining Parvas.
You have finally come, dear Yudhishthira! I have been waiting for this moment. My role as the character Vidura in this earthly lifetime is now ending. I feel a deep urge to share some of the lessons I have learnt before shedding this body. It is providential that you have come on time to see me in this wilderness, where I have been living as a renunciate. I can barely speak, so I am telepathically conveying the text of 'Vidura's Mahabharata' with the aid of the Yogic powers that have come naturally to me from my austerities.
We need not worry about whether this epic work will ever see the light of day and reach those it is intended for in the years to come. If it is meant to happen, it will! This work in prose-is inspired by the great epic poem called 'Jaya' or 'Mahabharata', composed by Krishna Dvaipayana-popularly known as Maharshi Vyasa-who compiled the four Vedas. He also happens to be my dear father, whose wise counsel I have invoked repeatedly-taking advantage of a secret blessing he had bestowed upon me, "If you ever need my counsel, all you have to do is to think of me."
I had the good fortune of hearing the epic poem directly from him at a gathering of his disciples. Its core narrative deals with the story and background of the disastrous war at Kurukshetra, which led to the culmination of the Dvapara-yuga. The remaining part concerns the death and afterlife of the surviving protagonists, including you and me. Vyasa's original epic is remarkably objective, leaving it to the listeners to draw their judgements regarding the various characters and ethical dilemmas they face.
However, in this retelling of Vyasa's Mahabharata, I have taken the liberty to intersperse the narration of the key events with my commentary (narrated in first person¹)-for whatever it is worth. As you know, I have always been obsessed with discerning right from wrong and understanding and establishing Dharma. And I have felt shocked at seeing even the noblest beings (including the gods or Devas) sometimes resorting to unrighteous (Adharmic) means to achieve their ends.
In many depictions, such stories are often sanitised to portray characters as wholly 'good' and noble or 'bad' and evil. This simplistic approach may be meaningful while narrating these stories to little children. Still, it turns out to be untrue when encountering real people especially in the coming Kali-yuga. This retelling of the Mahabharata attempts to stay true to Vyasa's original rendering-in which all possible shades of good and evil are reflected.
It would be simplistic to interpret the main Mahabharata war between the 'noble' Pandavas and the 'evil' Kauravas-solely as a war between the forces of good ('Daivic' forces) and the forces of evil ('Asuric' forces). The outer war symbolises the relentless war between Daivic and Asuric tendencies within us in all places and at all times. This is what gives the Mahabharata a timeless and universal appeal. And so, it has been rightly said that there is practically nothing here that lies outside the entire scope of human desire-be it 'kama' (pleasure), 'artha' (wealth, knowledge, and power), 'dharma' (virtue), or even 'moksha' (ultimate liberation)!
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