Re-ending the Mahābhārata

The Rejection of Dharma in the Sanskrit Epic

Naama Shalom
eISBN-13: 9781438465036

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This book challenges two prevalent assumptions about the Mahābhārata: that its narrative is inherently incapable of achieving a conclusion and that its ending, the Svargārohaṇa parva, is an extraneous part of the text. While the exegetic traditions have largely tended to suppress, ignore, or overlook the importance of this final section, Shalom argues that the moment of the condemnation of dharma that occurs in the Svargārohaṇa parva, expressed by the epic protagonist, Yudhiṣṭhira, against his father, Dharma, is of crucial importance. It sheds light on the incessant preoccupation and intrinsic dismay towards the concept of dharma (the cardinal theme around which the epic revolves) expressed by Mahābhārata narrators throughout the epic, and is thus highly significant for understanding the Mahābhārata narrative as a whole.

ISBNs 1438465033, 9781438465036, 9781438465029
Language English
Number of Pages 266