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The Mahabharata, Volume 3

Book 4: The Book of the Virata; Book 5: The Book of the Effort

The Mahabharata, an ancient and vast Sanskrit poem, is a remarkable collection of epics, legends, romances, theology, and ethical and metaphysical doctrine. The core of this great work is the epic struggle between five heroic brothers, the Pandavas, and their one hundred contentious cousins for rule of the land. This is the third volume of van Buitenen’s acclaimed translation of the definitive Poona edition of the text. Book 4, The Book of Virata, begins as a burlesque, but the mood soon darkens amid molestation, raids, and Arjuna’s battle with the principal heroes of the enemy. Book 5, The Book of the Effort, relates the attempts of the Pandavas to negotiate the return of their patrimony. They are refused so much as a "pinprick of land," and both parties finally march to battle.

Information on future volumes in this translation of the Mahabharata.


582 pages | 6-1/8 x 9-1/4 | © 1978

Asian Studies: South Asia

Literature and Literary Criticism: Asian Languages

Religion: South and East Asian Religions

Table of Contents

Preface
The Mahabharata Translated
Book 4. The Book of Virata
Introduction
Comments
Summaries and Translation
Book 5. The Book of the Effort
Introduction
Contents
Summaries and Translation
Notes to the Text
Concordance of Critical Edition and Bombay Edition: Books 4 and 5
Index

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