The Puffin Mahabharata
Book Specification
| Item Code: | NAG869 |
| Author: | Namita Gokhale |
| Publisher: | Puffin Books |
| Language: | English |
| Edition: | 2009 |
| ISBN: | 9780143333005 |
| Pages: | 196 (Throughout Color Illustrations) |
| Cover: | Paperback |
| Other Details | 10 inch X 8 inch |
| Weight | 870 gm |
Book Description
About the Book
‘The Mahabharata is truly one of the greatest stories ever told. Namita Gokhale’s rendition makes for compelling reading, because it retains t he essential structure of the narrative without diluting its epic proportions. This book is the best gift for children who wish to discover and enjoy the wisdom and mythology of ancient India’
A long, long time ago, in the ancient lands of India, known in those days as Bharatvarsha, a family quarrel grew into a bloody war. There had been wars before, and there have been wars since, but that mighty battle between warring cousins of the Kuru clan has become a part of the mythology and history of India. Told and retold a million times, the story of the Mahabharata is about defeat as much as victory, about humility as much as courage. It is the greatest story ever told.’
Like a modern-day suta or storyteller, Namita Gokhale brings alive India’s richest literary treasure with disarming ease and simplicity She retells this timeless tale of mortals and immortals and stories within stories, of valour, deceit, glory and despair, for today’s young reader in a clear, contemporary style.
A brilliant series of evocative and thoughtful illustrations by painter and animator Suddhasattwa Basu brings the epic to life in a vibrant visual feast.
Matchless in its content and presentation, The Puffin Mahabharata is a book that will be cherished by readers of all ages.
About the Author
Namita Gokhale is a multi-faceted Indian novelist and publisher, and the author of Paro: Dreams if Passion (1984), Gods, Graves and Grandmother (1994), A Himalavan Love Story (1996), The Book if Shadows (1999), The Book if Shiva (2001) and Shakuntala: The play if Memory (2005), all published by Penguin India. In her forthcoming anthology In Search of Sita, she re-examines the figure of Sita in both mythic and modern contexts.
The Puffin Mahabharata is her first book for young readers.
Contents
| Tile story of the Mahabharata | 1 |
| The goddess ganga | 4 |
| Satyawati | 7 |
| Devavrata’s vow | 8 |
| The story of amba | 11 |
| The birth of karna | 14 |
| The birth of the pandavas | 17 |
| The birth of the kauravas | 18 |
| Pandu’s death | 19 |
| Kripa and drona | 20 |
| The lessons of dronacharya | 22 |
| The plot to kill bhima | 26 |
| The test of strength | 28 |
| The wax palace | 31 |
| The padavas’ escape | 35 |
| Mourning in hastinapura | 36 |
| Hidimb and hidimbi | 37 |
| Vakasura | 41 |
| Draupadi’s swayamvara | 44 |
| The retur from exile | 49 |
| Indraprastha | 52 |
| The khandava forest | 53 |
| The palace of maya | 57 |
| The rajasuya yagna | 57 |
| The death of jarasandha | 60 |
| At the yagna | 63 |
| Duryodhana visits the mayasabha | 65 |
| The game of dice | 67 |
| The second exile | 73 |
| The departure | 75 |
| Arjuna’s travels | 77 |
| At indraloka | 81 |
| Urvashi | 83 |
| The pandavas’ wanderings | 85 |
| The battle with the gandharvas | 87 |
| Plotting revenge | 91 |
| The exploits of jayadratha | 93 |
| The lake of questions | 95 |
| The year of disguise | 100 |
| Keechaka | 104 |
| The cattle wars | 106 |
| Arjuna in the battlefield | 109 |
| The return to virata | 115 |
| Karna’s genero sity | 118 |
| Negotiations | 121 |
| Krishna and karna | 127 |
| Before the battle | 131 |
| Arjuna’s hesitation | 133 |
| The bed of arrows | 137 |
| The chakravyuh | 139 |
| Avenging abhimanyu | 142 |
| Ghatotkacha | 145 |
| The death of drona | 148 |
| Dusasana’s death | 154 |
| Karna’s last battle | 155 |
| The defeat of duryodhana | 159 |
| Ashwathama’s revenge | 163 |
| Gandhari’ s curse | 164 |
| Kunti and her sons | 166 |
| The death of bhishma | 168 |
| A new beginning | 170 |
| The destruction of dwarka | 172 |
| The worlds beyond | 176 |
