In India, kingdoms and dynasties have come and gone, religious sects have formed and dissolved, schools of philosophy have come together and subsequently been replaced by others, yet the Mahabharata has never ceased to excite the Indian imagination.
The sheer volume of commentaries on the Mahabharata is awe-inspiring. So, what is it in the Mahabharata that gives it its timeless magic? Is it the mythical characters with which it is replete that makes the epic so enchanting? Or is it the great wealth of philosophical and metaphysical ideas in it that dazzles its audiences? Or could it be a combination of all these that makes it ever-fascinating to scholars and readers around the world? And, most of all, what accounts for its incredible effect on the subconscious of millions of Indians through several generations?
Translated into numerous languages, including Marathi, Kannada, Assamese, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Bengali, and Malayalam, Mahabharata: The Epic and the Nation answers many of these questions surrounding the Mahabharata and why it remains, undisputedly, one of India’s national epics.
Former Professor of English at the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda and Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information Technology, G. N. Devy writes in English, Marathi, and Gujarati. He is the founder of the Bhasha Research Centre, Baroda, and Adivasi Academy, Tejgadh, and has worked extensively with the Adivasi and nomadic communities in India. He led the People’s Linguisitic Survey of India (PLSI), a comprehensive documentation of all living Indian languages in fifty volumes. He has received several awards for his writing as well as for his community work, including the Padma Shri, Prince Claus Award, and the Linguapax Award.
Among his better-known works are After Amnesia, The Crisis Within, Of Many Heroes, Painted Words, Nomad Called Thief, Vanaprastha (in Marathi), and Adivasi Jaane Chhe (in Gujarati). He has co-edited a series of six volumes on indigenous cultures and knowledge. As an activist, he played a leading role in the movement for the rights of Denotified and Nomadic Tribes and, more recently, has initiated the Dakshinayan Movement of Writers and Artists. The author is based in Dharwad.
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