PASSAGES FROM INDIA

From The Independent archive: Alice Albinia on the ‘Mahabharata’, the ancient Indian epic that contains so much of the world within its pages, it takes a lifetime to read

- Alice Albinia

One of the longest books in the world, the Mahabharata tells the story of a country, a culture and a family tearing itself apart.

In ancient India, it was said that nothing exists which is not within its pages. This hubristic claim hints at the fatigue which sets in if you try to absorb it in one go. The epic is best read piecemeal, over several years, even a lifetime. The Kolkata publisher, P Lal, spent his entire career “transcreating” the epic. The University of Chicago translator, JAB van Buitenen, died on the job. RK Narayan took a more relaxed approach, abridging it into one volume, as did the Cambridge Sanskritist, John D Smith.

These short English versions are recommended for anyone who wishes to read the