Table Of ContentRecently I was speaking with Kapéndra Swami from the Prabhupäda
Saìkértana Center in lower Manhattan. When told that I was ready to
publish the summarized Mahäbhärata, he immediately asked, "Who
wrote it?", and he then lectured me about how we should only publish
books by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupäda,
being the ultra conservative Hare Kåñëa devotee that he is. His point
was that Çréla Prabhupäda was (and is) the foremost modern
representative and personification of the ancient Vedic literatures, and
had already translated into English all ofthe most important scriptures
of India.
So why publish the Mahäbhärata, and why one summarized by
Pürëaprajïa däsa?
Although Prabhupäda said that everything was in his books, it was his
hope that other important Vaiñëava literatures would be translated by
his disciples and presented to the world. He did not even have time to
complete the translation and commentary of the Çrémad-Bhägavatam,
the most valuable piece of the Vedic literatures. As his followers, it is
our duty to continue the work that he began, namely the publication
and distribution of transcendental literatures as far and wide as possible.
The Mahäbhärata is an extremely valuable Vaiñëava scripture and will
be an indispensable addition to any library. This becomes increasingly
clear to the reader page by page.
Written five thousand years ago by Çréla Vyäsadeva, a great sage and the
literary incarnation of the Godhead, the Mahäbhärata is a lengthy
history of great devotees of the Supreme Lord Çré Kåñëa. Innumerable
lessons can be derived from its parvas by persons from any walk of life, as
it reveals the highest knowledge of the self and its relationship of eternal
loving service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Furthermore,
the Mahäbhärata provides a thorough study of Vedic culture, the
absence of which has left the world in confusion, disarray and suffering.
The author of this summary, Pürëaprajïa däsa, was initiated by Çréla
Prabhupäda about 1969 in Boston, and soon moved to India, where he
served with his wife in the Bombay and Calcutta ISKCON temples as
head püjäré, or temple priest, for many years. I met him in Calcutta in
1976, and he was immersed in caring for the temple deities. I received a
letter from his wife Näräyaëé däsé in 1994, encouraging me to publish the
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book, and since then I have heard that Pürëaprajïa däsa has become
somewhat removed from ISKCON, the organization founded by Çréla
Prabhupäda. Thousands of Çréla Prabhupäda's disciples, including
myself, have been distanced from the troubled Hare Kåñëa institution in
the years after Çréla Prabhupäda's departure from this mortal world in
1977.
Pürëaprajïa däsa worked from the English Gäìguli edition and cross
referenced with Çréla Prabhupäda's books, especially the First Canto of
the Çrémad-Bhägavatam, which contains voluminous references to the
characters and stories of the Mahäbhärata. He produced a first version
which was then polished into a second one. He completed the
Mahäbhärata in Bombay in 1984, and then produced a summary of the
Rämäyaëa, whereabouts now unknown. All indications are that
Pürëaprajïa däsa was of a sound and pure spiritual consciousness when
he produced this summary of the Mahäbhärata. Pürëaprajïa däsa had
memorized the Bhagavad-gétä by heart, was quite scholarly and always
absorbed in the study of the Vedic texts. He wrote it for the children in
the Våndävana Gurukula, and there it was approved of and used by
school teachers Yaçodänandana däsa, Rüpa-viläsa däsa and Karëämåta
däsa, all three of whom I have since become good friends with.
What is particularly appreciated by myself, and others I have shown the
manuscript to, is the style and mood in which Pürëaprajïa däsa wrote
his work. This rendition of the Mahäbhärata has the devotional mood
and style of His Divine Grace Çréla Prabhupäda. Even if Çréla
Prabhupäda did not Himself translate the Mahäbhärata, at least we now
have a summary which is, and feels, faithful to Çréla Prabhupäda's style.
For those of us who are concerned about the purity and potency of the
spiritual literature we study, as the works of Çréla Prabhupäda are to the
superlative, we will be comfortable with this edition.
The Mahäbhärata is an invaluable scripture that was intended to
enlighten the common person. The device of historical narration, or
stories, was Vyäsadeva's method for attracting the minds of worldly
people. It definitely worked on me. The Mahäbhärata had a profound
influence on myself, connecting so many bits of transcendental
philosophy into a comprehensive network and filling in gaps that had
been missing since I began on the spiritual path. The pages are full of
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common sense, and show us how a transcendentalist can practically deal
with even the most extreme material circumstances. Constantly, I was
seeing parallels in my paltry life to the challenges faced by the heroes of
the Mahäbhärata, the Päëòavas. Their trials and tribulations and their
responses accordingly give us the perfect examples by which to mold our
own life into an uplifting, meaningful and spiritual journey.
Producing this book has been a great inspiration to me, and I hope the
readers will also find substantial benefit in terms of assisting with their
advancement on the spiritual path of Bhaktiyoga. The well-known
Bhagavad-gétä, about 700 out 100,000 verses, is a small part of the
Mahäbhärata, contained at the beginning of the Bhéñma-parva. The
Bhagavad-gétä, Lord Kåñëa’s instructions to Arjuna just prior to the
battle at Kurukñetra, has been only briefly summarized herein. This is
not meant to minimize the importance of the Bhagavad-gétä, but only to
honor the unsurpassable edition already produced by His Divine Grace
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupäda, to which the reader should
refer in any event that the philosophy therein is desired for study.
In 1988 I was involved in a "rtvik community" called New Jaipur, near
Natchez, Mississippi, and my good friend Rüpa-viläsa däsa joined us as
the gurukula headmaster. He gave me a copy (several times over) of the
manuscript, produced on an old manual typewriter, being a stack of
paper about twelve inches thick. After reading late into many nights, I
decided that I would publish the-book. Madirä däsé, my gifted and
studious teenage stepdaughter, spent hundreds of hours typing the book
into the computer. No sooner was this stage completed than the U.S.
government seized the computer, along with all the properties and assets
of the New Jaipur community. Regretfully, I had made some grave
misjudgements in business that enabled materialistic authorities to
justify confiscation of properties, vehicles and merchandise, including
supposed contraband such as scales, plastic bags and incense.
New Jaipur disbanded and the Mahäbhärata sat in a Customs office, on
an aging computer hard drive, for two years before being returned in
1993. Vaiñëava däsa of the Kåñëa Yoga Society in Chicago assisted me in
the editing process, but my life was in turmoil at the time and progress
was slow. After several proofreadings, my wonderful and intelligent
daughter, Çuddha-sattva däsé, did a final proofreading and the layout.
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Some of the illustrations were done by her mother Kanyä-kumäré däsé in
1990.
A full, verse by verse translation and rendition has been underway by
the ISKCON guru and scholar Hådayänanda Swami for many years.
Knowing this, I nevertheless decided to proceed with the Pürëaprajïa
däsa edition, for the simple reason that it would be good for an
inexpensive choice to be available to those who may not be able to
afford a deluxe, multivolume set. My intention was to market an
affordable softcover book under twenty dollars so that as many poor
(materially as well as spiritually) souls as possible may avail themselves of
lessons in the Mahäbhärata. Recently I have heard that Hådayänanda
Swami's Mahäbhärata project had been put on an indefinite hold, and so
there is all the more reason to bring this version to press now.
Pürëaprajïa däsa wrote for the children in the Våndävana Gurukula,
being a simple brähmaëa, unambitious and unpolitical. Thus we may be
comfortable and trust his rendition quite easily, not worrying that there
may be some subtle and alien message intertwined in these pages.
I personally find this edition presented herewith to be potent and
enthralling. I want to apologize to my old telephone friend, Satyaräja
däsa (Stephen Rosen), who very much wanted to do the final
proofreading. I chose my daughter instead for financial reasons, and I
also wanted to employ her in the study of this wonderful text so that it
might touch her heart as well. It has very much changed my life, and
hopefully it will add positively to the spiritual transformation of the lives
of many others as well.
But, above all other considerations, my desire is that this book will be
pleasing to my spiritual master, Çréla Prabhupäda. I will always
remember the days when I was a temple president in New Orleans,
receiving those wonderful and encouraging letters from Çréla
Prabhupäda to push on our distribution of transcendental literatures.
Now, twenty five years later, if I could only see even a small nod or half
smile from His Divine Grace, it would be the perfection of my sad and
sorry life. Hare Kåñëa.
Nétyänanda däsa
Vedavyäsa, the literary incarnation of Godhead, out of his deep
compassion, was eager to establish a great philosophical net that could
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capture all materially conditioned souls, no matter the degree to which
they were implicated in and conditioned by the three modes of material
nature. Whether a man or woman was spiritually elevated or degraded,
Çréla Vyäsadeva had a scheme for them which would gradually draw
them closer to Kåñëa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore,
he prepared convoluted, intellectual works like the Vedänta-sütra for
those who were very philosophically inclined, and he prepared eighteen
Puräëas (histories combined with philosophy) in different modes
(goodness, passion and ignorance) to capture the minds and hearts of
other souls. He even emphasized the special divinity and prominence of
different spiritual personalities in the Puräëas according to the
predilections ofthe readers under different modes of nature.
Çré Madhväcärya, who was personally instructed by Vyäsa at
Badarikäçrama, Vyäsa’s Himalayan retreat, called the Mahäbhärata the
"fifth Veda". The four Vedas are considered to be the authoritative
foundation of all other Vedic literature (çruti). Yet, Mahäbhärata was
considered by Vyäsa and Madhva to be of the same stature as the four
Vedas and their corollary Upaniñads. Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu, the
Kali-yuga avatära, considered two works to be supremely important
amongst all Vedic literature: Bhagavad-gétä (a small portion of
Mahäbhärata) and Bhägavata Puräëa (Çrémad-Bhägavatam), known as
the spotless crown jewel of all Vedic literature. Bhagavad-gétä's special
authority stems from the fact that it was spoken about God by God
(Kåñëa), and Çrémad-Bhägavatam was the definitive work by Vyäsa about
Kåñëa. Although Bhagavad-gétä is simply a portion of Mahäbhärata, it is
not the only section that is philosophically and devotionally significant.
For example, Bhéñma recites the Viñëu-sahasra-näma (Thousand Names
of Viñëu), and it also contains the deep discussions between Yudhiñöhira
Mahäräja and Yamaräja, the lord of death. Many great sages from that
era instruct the great kings in the science of self-realization; therefore
truly, the Mahäbhärata is the greatest epic in the history of mankind,
and the most philosophical also. It is important reading as confirmed by
Çréla Prabhupäda:
"The four Vedas with their supplementary Puräëas, the
Mahäbhärata, the Rämäyaëa, and their corollaries which are
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known as smritis are all authorized sources of knowledge. If we
are at all to gather knowledge, we must gather it from these
without hesitation." (C C. Adi lélä, Ch. 5, Text 14)
In the purport to Çrémad-Bhägavatam 7.15.41 Çréla Prabhupäda comments
on Mahäbhärata and other Vedic literatures: "One should take lessons
from these Vedic literatures and learn how to practice nivåtti-märga."
Nevertheless, readers are sometimes baffled by all the tales of romance,
greed, lust and revenge found in the pages of Mahäbhärata. It may
appear, at first perusal, to be merely a work about fierce warriors and
their bloodthirsty and romantic exploits. However, this conception is
superficial. At the heart of Mahäbhärata is dharma, the path of religious
life. With stories of souls tormented by material attachment, the path of
nivåtti-märga (renunciation) is illuminated by the instructions of
liberated sages throughout its pages. The stories serve as the illustrations
by which the sages are able to make their profound philosophical
message clear. The readers, being initially attracted by the stories,
nevertheless derive the benefit, in the end, of sädhu-saìga ( association
with saints). Although ordinary piety is often proffered, the supreme
authority, Çré Kåñëa, has the final word in the Bhagavad-gétä, with His
completely transcendental prescription for entering the spiritual
kingdom and giving up all other dharmas.
Other doubts raised about the Mahäbhärata are that some of the stories
seem to differ with the renditions of Çrémad-Bhägavatam, the topmost,
spotless Puräëa. Again, we must remember Vyäsa’s plan. He tells the
same stories in a variety of ways to capture souls at different stages of
spiritual advancement. The details of the stories are not the focus so
much as the siddhänta, the philosohical conclusion. Therefore, one must
look to the message more than the details of the stories, which, after all,
are devices by which the spiritual philosophy is revealed. This is not to
say that the stories are false. No. But stories may be told from different
angles of vision by the sages for different purposes. The aim,
nevertheless, is one: to draw everyone to Kåñëa and fix them as His
eternal servitors.
There are a number of English translations of Mahäbhärata, some are
cursory abridgements and some are elaborate verse-by-verse renditions.
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However, to date, there is a paucity of genuine Vaiñëava editions, and
this rendition is a valuable contribution to the Vaiñëava library. The
editor of this abridged version, Pürëaprajïa Prabhu, composed this
edition while living in Bombay in the late 1980's at Hare Kåñëa Land
(Juhu Beach), where he served as Çré Çré Rädhä-Räsabihäré’s püjäré. As a
scholarly and intellectual devotee, he composed it originally out of his
own intense interest and eagerness to know more about Kåñëa’s
pastimes. He later offered it to a gurukula teacher for use in the
Våndävana Gurukula. It was utilized in a number of courses, and
judging from the enlivenment of the students, it can only be surmised
that he was successful in presenting the essence – bhägavata-dharma.
Rüpa-viläsa däsa
Çré Kåñëa Dvaipäyana Vyäsadeva conceived of the Mahäbhärata after
executing a great deal of austerity and meditation. Although Vyäsadeva
had compiled numerous other Vedic literatures for the benefit of
persons in the dark age of Kali, the Mahäbhärata was specifically
intended to give women, laborers and degraded members of the higher
classes a chance to understand Vedic wisdom. While containing
extensive explanations of dharma, artha, käma and mokña, the
Mahäbhärata essentially teaches through the medium of historical
narrations which deal with the lives of great personalities. Because of
this, the Mahäbhärata quickly and ever-increasingly captures the
interest of the reader, in spite of its epic dimensions. When Çréla
Vyäsadeva saw that his composition had expanded to 100,000 verses,
however, he became anxious upon considering how the work could be
passed on to future generations through his disciples.
Lord Brahmä could understand Vyäsadeva's deep concern and so he
personally appeared before the compiler of Vedic wisdom in order to
bestow upon him his benediction. Along with numerous other great åñis,
the wonder-struck Vyäsadeva stood up and welcomed Lord Brahmä with
folded hands and then presented him with a very nice seat. Finally,
after circumambulating Lord Brahmä and then seating himself with the
permission of the universal grandsire, Vyäsadeva spoke unto him as
follows: "O Lord, I have composed a great work that centers around the
lives of the Päëòavas and their role in serving the Supreme Personality
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of Godhead, Lord Çré Kåñëa, who descended upon the earth just to
relieve her burden. Although this epic literature is ultimately meant to
draw one's attention to Lord Kåñëa’s instructions known as the
Bhagavad-gétä, the all-encompassing work deals with every aspect of
human existence in the course of its historical narrations. By the mercy
of the Supreme Lord, I have been able to conceive of this sublime
literature but the difficulty is that I cannot think of anyone capable of
writing it down so that it can be passed on to future generations."
Lord Brahmä then smilingly replied, "O foremost of åñis, you should
absorb your mind in meditation upon Çré Gaëeça, the son of Lord Çiva
and Pärvaté. Being pleased, he will surely take up the task which you
required."
After saying this, Lord Brahmä disappeared from that place, and without
wasting time, Vyäsadeva sat down in order to execute the instruction
which had been given to him. Indeed, it so happened that as soon as
Gaëeça was meditated upon, the celestial scribe appeared before
Vyäsadeva. Vyäsadeva was overjoyed and after offering Gaëeça proper
respect he said, "I have conceived a wonderful historical narration
within my mind that is intended for the welfare of all human society. I
request you to write down all 100,000 verses that comprise this epic
literature as I dictate them. Only then will my composition become
fruitful."
Gaëeça replied, "I agree to perform this laborious task, but only under
the condition that once I begin to write, my pen should not have to stop
for even a moment."
Vyäsadeva then said, "Let it be so. I shall never inconvenience you with
even the slightest delay, but in turn, you must agree not to continue
writing until you have actually comprehended that which has already
been dictated."
Gaëeça smilingly consented by vibrating the sacred syllable "Oà," and
then he sat down in order to commence work at once. After
concentrating his mind, Vyäsadeva began to narrate the Mahäbhärata,
and he composed it in such a way as to present many deep and grave
meanings in concise statements. Because of this, again and again
Gaëeça had to pause momentarily in order to contemplate the purport
of Vyäsadeva's verses. In this way, Çréla Vyäsadeva was very cleverly
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able to provide himself with ample time for dictation without making
Gaëeça lose patience.
The Mahäbhärata was recited for the first time by Çréla Vyäsadeva's
disciple, Vaiçampäyana, at the snake-sacrifice of King Janamejaya.
Vyäsadeva himself was present there and so was Süta Gosvämé, the son
of Romaharñaëa, who was also known as Ugraçravä. After hearing the
Mahäbhärata, Süta Gosvämé went to Naimiñäraëya, where sages headed
by Çaunaka Åñi were engaged in performing a 1,000-year sacrifice to
counteract the effects of the forthcoming age of Kali. The åñis at
Naimiñäraëya were very eager to hear this great composition from Süta
Gosvämé and so they welcomed him with great respect. After taking his
seat upon the vyäsäsana, Süta Gosvämé first of all described the contents
of the Mahäbhärata summarily. Then, before beginning the recitation
of the Mahäbhärata proper, Süta Gosvämé first-of-all related the
following incident:
While King Janamejaya was performing a great sacrifice along with his
younger brothers Çrutasena, Ugrasena and Bhémasena, the son of a
female celestial dog Saramä happened to come there. When the dog
tried to enter the sacrificial arena, it was beaten by the king and his
brothers. Therefore, when her son came home crying, Saramä inquired
about the cause and so the dog replied, "When I went to the sacrificial
arena of Mahäräja Janamejaya, I was beaten without reason. I did not
commit any offense, such as glancing at the sacrificial offerings or
touching them with my tongue, and yet the king and his brothers drove
me away."
Becoming enraged on account of this injustice, Saramä went to the
sacrificial arena and began to denounce King Janamejaya and his
brothers for having beaten her son. Then, when no one uttered a reply
but simply hung their heads down in shame, Saramä cursed the sons of
Parékñit by saying, "Misfortune will overcome you at the time when you
least suspect it, for that is the result obtained by people who are
unnecessarily cruel and violent."
After hearing these words, Mahäräja Janamejaya became very fearful at
heart. Then, at the conclusion of the sacrificial performance, he
returned to Hastinäpura. However, the remembrance of Saramä's curse
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continued to haunt him and so he began to search for a sacrificial priest
who could neutralize its effects.
Then, once upon a time, while hunting in the forest, King Janamejaya
happened to arrive at the äçrama of the åñi Çrutaçravä, who was engaged
in performing austerities along with his son, Somaçravä. The king
wanted Somaçravä to become his sacrificial priest, and when he made his
desire known, Çrutaçravä replied, "My son is fully endowed with the
power of ascetic merit, and thus, he is capable of absolving you from all
kinds of offenses, except those committed against Lord Viñëu and Lord
Çiva. This boy was born from a female snake that had drunk my semen,
and you should know that he unstintingly gives unto the brähmaëas
whatever they ask of him. If you are able to tolerate this, then I shall be
happy to give Somaçravä as your priest."
Mahäräja Janamejaya agreed to accept Somaçravä under these
circumstances and thereafter, he returned to his capital along with the
åñi's son. The king introduced Somaçravä to his brothers and ordered
them to implicitly follow him as their family priest. Having made this
arrangement, Mahäräja Janamejaya then assembled his army and left
Hastinäpura in order to conquer over the country known as Takñaçilä.
At this time, there was a åñi named Ayoda-Dhaumya who had three
disciples: Upamanyu, Aruni and Veda. One day, Ayoda-Dhaumya asked
Aruni, "My dear boy, please go to the agricultural field, for there is a
break in the irrigation ditch which is allowing all of the water to flow
out. Somehow or other, you must repair the breach so that our crops
will not be spoiled."
Aruni went to the fields but then he became very anxious because he
could not think of any way to execute his guru's order. Finally, however,
he decided to lay down in the ditch, and in this way he was able to stop
the water from flowing out of the breach. Then, when evening arrived,
the åñi Ayoda-Dhaumya found Aruni to be absent, so he inquired about
him from his other disciples. When Ayoda-Dhaumya was reminded of
his order, he hurriedly went to the agricultural fields along with
Upamanyu and Veda. Then, when the Åñi called for Aruni, the boy got
up out of the irrigation ditch and appeared before his preceptor. When
Ayoda-Dhaumya saw the way in which his disciple had executed his
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