Includes bibliographical references (pages 340-346) and index.
Contents:
Nāgas and Asuras : the origin of evil -- The ethical framework of the Mahābhārata -- Dharmakṣetra and adharmakṣetra : framing the kṣetra --Dharmakṣetra and adharmakṣetra : delineating the kṣetra -- The ideal of Dharmayuddha and its practicability -- Conclusion : questioning the tradition of the Mahābhārata.
Summary:
"Good and evil, loyalty and treachery, faith and doubt, honour and ignominy---the Mahabharata has served as a primer for codes of conduct of generations of Hindus. Over time, the epic has also fascinated those who love a tale well told. In its telling, however, the story has lost much of its richness and nuance, and the characters have become one-dimenssional cut-outs---either starkly good or irredeemably evil. In this reinterpretation, Meena Arora nayak analyses how the values espoused in the Mahabharata came to be distorted into meagre archetypes, creating customary laws that injure society even today." -- From publisher's website.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.