Mahābhārata and its Place in Indian Culture – Part 2

The story of the Mahābhārata is gigantic. It is thus divided into eighteen parvas. These divisions are called kāṇḍas in the Rāmāyaṇa. What is termed as ‘sandhi’ in later works such as Jaiminī-bhārata corresponds to an adhyāya. Several adhyāyas together constitute a parva. The word ‘parva’ means a span between two nodes of a sugarcane. Just like the span between nodes in a sugarcane stalk, so also is the role played by the parvas in the Mahābhārata. This section tells in brief the names of the parvas and the story segments contained inside them.

1. Ādi-parva

The introduction to the Bhārata story; the rule of King Śantanu; Bhīṣma’s oath; birth of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Pāṇḍu, and Vidura; Pāṇḍu is cursed; Pāṇḍu and his wives retire to the forests of the Himalayas; the birth of the Pāṇḍavas; the birth of the hundred Kaurava brothers, Duśśalā, and Yuyutsu; the death of Pāṇḍu and the sahagamana of Mādrī; the growth of the Pāṇḍavas and Kauravas; learning martial arts under Droṇa; Ekalavya’s story; the martial tournament of the princes; crowning of Karṇa as the king of Aṅga; Drupada defeated; Duryodhana out of jealousy puts the Pāṇḍavas in a lac house and tries to burn them alive; escape from the house of lac; slaying of Hiḍimba; Bhīma weds Hiḍimbā; stay at Ekacakranagara and slaying of Bakāsura; Draupadī’s svayaṃvara; Draupadi marries the five Pāṇḍava brothers; Dhṛtarāṣṭra invites the Pāṇḍavas to return to the capital; the kingdom is divided between cousins; stay of the Pāṇḍavas in the Khāṇḍava forest; Arjuna’s travels and marriages; Subhadrā weds Arjuna; burning of the Khāṇḍava forest.

2. Sabhā-parva

Rescuing Maya; construction of Maya-sabhā in Indraprastha; killing of Jarāsandha; Dharmarāja performs the Rājasūya-yāga; Agra-pūjā in the yāga given to Kṛṣṇa; killing of Śiśupāla; Duryodhana is jealous of the Pāṇḍavas’ wealth and the grandeur of the yāga; Duryodhana invited the Pāṇḍavas for a game of dice; Śakuni wins by deceit and Yudhiṣṭhira loses all his possessions; Draupadī is humiliated; Pāṇḍavas return for a second innings of gambling; Yudhiṣṭhira loses once again and as per the agreement is exiled to the forest.

3. Vana-parva

Pāṇḍavas spend twelve years in the forest; Duryodhana is cursed by Maitreya; Kṛṣṇa meets the Pāṇḍavas in the Kāmyakavana; Pāṇḍavas move to Dvaitavana; Arjuna is awarded the Pāśupatāstra by Śiva and several boons by Indra; Naḻopākhyāna; Pāṇḍavas go on a tīrthayātrā; Agastya’s story; story of Ṛṣyaśṛṅga; Śibi’s story; Śvetaketu’s story; the episode of the Saugandhikā flowers; slaying of Jaṭāsura; Arjuna returns from deva-loka; Ajagara-Yudhiṣṭhira conversation; story of Dharmavyādha (most of the sub-stories are told to console Dharmarāja); the ghoṣa-yātrā of Duryodhana; Vaiṣṇava-yāga performed by Duryodhana; Pāṇḍavas return to the Kāmyaka forest; Jayadratha abducts Draupadī and is later captured and punished by Bhīma; story of Rāma; story of Satyavān and Sāvitrī; return to the Dvaita forest; Yakṣa-praśna episode.

4. Virāṭa-parva

Pāṇḍavas must spend a year in ajñātavāsa (living incognito); they stay at Virāṭa’s court; Kīcaka tries to molest Sairandhrī (Draupadī in disguise); Bhīma kills Kīcaka and the Upakīcakas; Duryodhana attempts to steal the cows of Virāṭa and Arjuna rescues them; he drives away the Kauravas; with that the ajñātavāsa of the Pāṇḍavas come to an end; Uttarā marries Abhimanyu; Pāṇḍavas move to Upaplāvya.

5. Udyoga-parva

Udyoga means ‘attempt’; in this segment, both the parties prepare themselves for a war; Arjuna and Duryodhana visit Kṛṣṇa to seek his help; Śalya joins the Kauravas; Drupada sends his purohita as a peace emissary to Hastināpura; Sañjaya is sent to the Pāṇḍavas from the Kauravas’ side; Vidura-nīti; discussion about war and peace in the Pāṇḍava camp; Kṛṣṇa tries to strike a treaty of peace to evade war; Duryodhana however says that he wouldn’t even spare a land the size of the tip of a needle; Kṛṣṇa meets Karṇa and tries to win him over; Kuntī meets Karṇa; war is declared; Bhīṣma is appointed as the commander-in-chief; Karṇa’s squabble; Balarāma heads out on a tīrthayātrā.

6. Bhīṣma-parva

On the first day of the war, Arjuna refuses to fight his relatives and friends; Kṛṣṇa advices him and changes his mind, motivating him to fight the war; this is called the Bhagavad-Gītā and is well-known around the world; Yudhiṣṭhira bows down to all the elders in the Kaurava army; the war begins; Bhīṣma fights for ten days and then falls at the hands of Śikhaṇḍi and Arjuna; Bhīṣma lies on a bed of arrows; Karṇa meets Bhīṣma.

7. Droṇa-parva

Droṇa serves as the commander in chief of the Kaurava army for five days; Droṇa’s oath; Arjuna fights the Saṃśaptakas; Bhagadatta vanquished; Abhimanyu tears into the Padma-vyūha; Saindhava kills Abhimanyu and Arjuna avenges his son’s death by killing him; Ghaṭotkaca dies at the hands of Karṇa; after getting to know that his son Aśvatthāma is no more, Droṇa lays down his weapons; Dhṛṣṭadyumna kills the unarmed Droṇa; Aśvatthāma fires the Nārāyaṇāstra, which is brought under control.

8. Karṇa-parva

Śalya becomes the charioteer for Karṇa; Karṇa serves as the commander-in-chief for two days; Yudhiṣṭhira defeated; Bhīma slays Duśśāsana; Arjuna kills Karṇa.

9. Śalya-parva

Śalya is the commander-in-chief for half a day; after he dies, Duryodhana hides in a lake; because of the ridicule of the Pāṇḍavas, he comes out and engages in a mace combat with Bhīma; Balarāma returns; Duryodhana falls with his thigh broken; the Kuru crown falls; Balarāma is enraged; Kṛṣṇa provides solace; Kṛṣṇa consoles Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Gāndhārī; Aśvatthāma and others meet Duryodhana; Aśvatthāma made commander-in-chief.

10. Sauptika-parva

Sauptika refers to ‘the ones who are asleep’; the story of the crows and the owls; Aśvatthāma’s resolve; the Pāṇḍavas and their allies sleep peacefully thinking that the enemy is vanquished; Aśvatthāma chars them to death without leaving behind the slightest trace of their identity; death of Dhṛṣṭadyumna; the Pāṇḍavas survive because they are elsewhere at that point of time; Duryodhana dies; Draupadī laments for her children; Bhīma and others chase after Aśvatthāma; astra-yuddha; defeat at the hands of Arjuna; this brings the eighteen-day Mahābhārata war to an end; Aśvatthāma cursed; the jewel on his head is gifted to Draupadī by the Pāṇḍavas.

11. Strī-parva

Here women who have lost their husbands, Gāndhārī and Dhṛtarāṣṭra who have lost their children weep; Sañjaya consoles Dhṛtarāṣṭra; Vidura offers solace; Dharmarāja and others meet Dhṛtarāṣṭra; cooling down the anger of blind king; Gāndhārī meets Kuntī; Kuntī and Gāndhārī give solace to Draupadī; Gāndhārī curses Kṛṣṇa; Kṛṣṇa’s response.

12. Śānti-parva

Yudhiṣṭhira is overcome with detachment; his family and friends make him change his mind; Pāṇḍavas enter the capital; Dharmarāja is crowned king; Kṛṣṇa and Yudhiṣṭhira meet Bhīṣma, who is still alive waiting uttarāyaṇa (movement of the Sun into the northern hemisphere); Bhīṣma preaches dharma to Yudhiṣṭhira (rāja-dharma, āpad-dharma, and mokṣa-dharma).

13. Anuśāsana-parva

Bhīṣma continues his counsel of dharma; Gautamī and serpent episode; about vidyā, tapas, dāna; victory to dharma; Bhīṣma gives up his life; Gaṅgā laments; Kṛṣṇa consoles Gaṅgā.

14. Aśvamedha-parva

Yudhiṣṭhira laments; Kṛṣṇa meets his parents and describes the Kurukṣetra war to them; Parīkṣit is born; preparations for the Aśvamedha-yāga; Arjuna fights Babhruvāhana; grandeur of the yāga; a mongoose tells its story.

[The Kannada classic, Jaiminī Bhārata, begins with this part of the epic.]

15. Āśramavāsika-parva

Yudhiṣṭhira’s fifteen-year rule; Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s vairāgya; Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Gāndhārī, Kuntī, Vidura, and Sañjaya retire to the forest to perform penance; Pāṇḍavas meet them in the forest; Vidura gives up his body; Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Gāndhārī, and Kuntī get caught in a forest fire and meet their end.

16. Mausala-parva

Musala means ‘pestle’; Samba (son of Kṛṣṇa) gives birth to an iron pestle; in-fights among the Yādavas; after a drunken brawl on the shores of the Western ocean, the Yādavas fight with pestles and kill each other; women lament; Balarāma gives up his body; Kṛṣṇa is killed by a hunter; Arjuna rushes to Dvārakā; Kṛṣṇa’s father Vasudeva gives up his body; his wives immolate themselves; Dvārakā is consumed by the ocean; the Yādava women who are under Arjuna’s protection are molested by wayfarers while Arjuna watches helplessly, unable to fight; Vajra is installed in Indraprastha; Rukmiṇī and other Yādava women enter the fire or retire to the forest.

17. Mahāprasthāna-parva

Mahāprasthāna means ‘great journey’; the Pāṇḍavas hand over their kingdom to Parīkṣit and head towards svarga; Yuyutsu is crowned the king of Hastināpura; journey towards the Himalayas; a dog follows them; Arjuna gives up his Gāṇḍīva and armour; Draupadī, Sahadeva, Nakula, Arjuna, and Bhīma – one by one fall off on their path while climbing up towards svarga; the reasons behind their fall are given by Yudhiṣṭhira; Indra welcomes Dharmarāja to heaven; deity of dharma blesses Yudhiṣṭhira; he alone ascends to heaven in his bodily form.

18. Svargārohaṇa-parva

Dharmarāja first has a vision of naraka and then attains svarga; deity of dharma explains the reason behind this; Duryodhana, Karṇa, and others too attain vīra-svarga since they adhered to kṣatriya-dharma and died on the battlefield; Kauravas and Pāṇḍavas become one with the deities.

After this, in the segment called Harivaṃśa, we find the story of Kṛṣṇa; it is technically not a part of the Mahābhārata.

 

To be continued…

This is an English translation of Prof. A R Krishna Shastri’s Kannada article "ಮಹಾಭಾರತ ಮತ್ತು ಭಾರತೀಯ ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಅದರ ಸ್ಥಾನ" by Hari Ravikumar and Arjun Bharadwaj published in a serialized form. The original article appears as a part of the anthology "ಭಾಷಣಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ಲೇಖನಗಳು."
 

The original Kannada article is available for free online reading here. To read other works of Prof. Krishna Shastri, click here.

Author(s)

About:

Prof. A R Krishna Sastri was a journalist, scholar, polyglot, and a pioneer of the modern Kannada renaissance, who founded the literary journal Prabuddha Karnāṭaka. His Vacana-bhārata and Kathāmṛta are classics of Kannada literature while his Saṃskṛta-nāṭaka and Bankimacandra are of unrivalled scholarship.

Translator(s)

About:

Hari is an author, translator, editor, designer, and violinist with a deep interest in philosophy, education pedagogy, literature, and films. He has (co-)written/translated and (co-)edited some forty books, mostly related to Indian culture.

About:

Arjun is a writer, translator, engineer, and enjoys composing poems. He is well-versed in Sanskrit, Kannada, English, Greek, and German languages. His research interests lie in comparative aesthetics of classical Greek and Sanskrit literature. He has deep interest in the theatre arts and music. Arjun has (co-) translated the works of AR Krishna Shastri, DV Gundappa, Dr. SL Bhyrappa, Dr. SR Ramaswamy and Shatavadhani Dr. R Ganesh

Prekshaa Publications

Among the many contributions of ancient Indians to world thought, perhaps the most insightful is the realisation that ānanda (Bliss) is the ultimate goal of human existence. Since time immemorial, India has been a land steeped in contemplation about the nature of humans and the universe. The great ṛṣis (seers) and ṛṣikās (seeresses) embarked on critical analysis of subjective experience and...

One of the two great epics of India and arguably the most popular epic in the world, the Ramayana has enchanted generations of people not just in Greater India but the world over. In less than three hundred pages The Essential Ramayana captures all the poetic subtleties and noble values of the original and offers the great epic in an eminently readable form that will appeal to the learned and...

The Bhagavad-gītā isn’t merely a treatise on ultimate liberation. It is also a treatise on good living. Even the laity, which does not have its eye on mokṣa, can immensely benefit from the Gītā. It has the power to grant an attitude of reverence in worldly life, infuse enthusiasm in the execution of duty, impart fortitude in times of adversity, and offer solace to the heart when riddled by...

Indian Perspective of Truth and Beauty in Homer’s Epics is a unique work on the comparative study of the Greek Epics Iliad and Odyssey with the Indian Epics – Rāmāyaṇa and Mahābhārata. Homer, who laid the foundations for the classical tradition of the West, occupies a stature similar to that occupied by the seer-poets Vālmīki and Vyāsa, who are synonymous with the Indian culture. The author...

Karnataka’s celebrated polymath, D V Gundappa brings together in the sixth volume of reminiscences character sketches of prominent public figures, liberals, and social workers. These remarkable personages hailing from different corners of South India are from a period that spans from the late nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century. Written in Kannada in the 1970s, these memoirs go...

An Introduction to Hinduism based on Primary Sources

Authors: Śatāvadhānī Dr. R Ganesh, Hari Ravikumar

What is the philosophical basis for Sanātana-dharma, the ancient Indian way of life? What makes it the most inclusive and natural of all religio-philosophical systems in the world?

The Essential Sanātana-dharma serves as a handbook for anyone who wishes to grasp the...

Karnataka’s celebrated polymath, D V Gundappa brings together in the fifth volume, episodes from the lives of traditional savants responsible for upholding the Vedic culture. These memorable characters lived a life of opulence amidst poverty— theirs  was the wealth of the soul, far beyond money and gold. These vidvāns hailed from different corners of the erstwhile Mysore Kingdom and lived in...

Padma Bhushan Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam represents the quintessence of Sage Bharata’s art and Bhārata, the country that gave birth to the peerless seer of the Nāṭya-veda. Padma’s erudition in various streams of Indic knowledge, mastery over many classical arts, deep understanding of the nuances of Indian culture, creative genius, and sublime vision bolstered by the vedāntic and nationalistic...

Bhārata has been a land of plenty in many ways. We have had a timeless tradition of the twofold principle of Brāhma (spirit of wisdom) and Kṣāttra (spirit of valour) nourishing and protecting this sacred land. The Hindu civilisation, rooted in Sanātana-dharma, has constantly been enriched by brāhma and safeguarded by kṣāttra.
The renowned Sanskrit poet and scholar, Śatāvadhānī Dr. R...

ಛಂದೋವಿವೇಕವು ವರ್ಣವೃತ್ತ, ಮಾತ್ರಾಜಾತಿ ಮತ್ತು ಕರ್ಷಣಜಾತಿ ಎಂದು ವಿಭಕ್ತವಾದ ಎಲ್ಲ ಬಗೆಯ ಛಂದಸ್ಸುಗಳನ್ನೂ ವಿವೇಚಿಸುವ ಪ್ರಬಂಧಗಳ ಸಂಕಲನ. ಲೇಖಕರ ದೀರ್ಘಕಾಲಿಕ ಆಲೋಚನೆಯ ಸಾರವನ್ನು ಒಳಗೊಂಡ ಈ ಹೊತ್ತಗೆ ಪ್ರಧಾನವಾಗಿ ಛಂದಸ್ಸಿನ ಸೌಂದರ್ಯವನ್ನು ಲಕ್ಷಿಸುತ್ತದೆ. ತೌಲನಿಕ ವಿಶ್ಲೇಷಣೆ ಮತ್ತು ಅಂತಃಶಾಸ್ತ್ರೀಯ ಅಧ್ಯಯನಗಳ ತೆಕ್ಕೆಗೆ ಬರುವ ಬರೆಹಗಳೂ ಇಲ್ಲಿವೆ. ಶಾಸ್ತ್ರಕಾರನಿಗಲ್ಲದೆ ಸಿದ್ಧಹಸ್ತನಾದ ಕವಿಗೆ ಮಾತ್ರ ಸ್ಫುರಿಸಬಲ್ಲ ಎಷ್ಟೋ ಹೊಳಹುಗಳು ಕೃತಿಯ ಮೌಲಿಕತೆಯನ್ನು ಹೆಚ್ಚಿಸಿವೆ. ಈ...

Karnataka’s celebrated polymath, D V Gundappa brings together in the fourth volume, some character sketches of the Dewans of Mysore preceded by an account of the political framework of the State before Independence and followed by a review of the political conditions of the State after 1940. These remarkable leaders of Mysore lived in a period that spans from the mid-nineteenth century to the...

Bharatiya Kavya-mimamseya Hinnele is a monograph on Indian Aesthetics by Mahamahopadhyaya N. Ranganatha Sharma. The book discusses the history and significance of concepts pivotal to Indian literary theory. It is equally useful to the learned and the laity.

Sahitya-samhite is a collection of literary essays in Kannada. The book discusses aestheticians such as Ananda-vardhana and Rajashekhara; Sanskrit scholars such as Mena Ramakrishna Bhat, Sridhar Bhaskar Varnekar and K S Arjunwadkar; and Kannada litterateurs such as DVG, S L Bhyrappa and S R Ramaswamy. It has a foreword by Shatavadhani Dr. R Ganesh.

The Mahābhārata is the greatest epic in the world both in magnitude and profundity. A veritable cultural compendium of Bhārata-varṣa, it is a product of the creative genius of Maharṣi Kṛṣṇa-dvaipāyana Vyāsa. The epic captures the experiential wisdom of our civilization and all subsequent literary, artistic, and philosophical creations are indebted to it. To read the Mahābhārata is to...

Shiva Rama Krishna

சிவன். ராமன். கிருஷ்ணன்.
இந்திய பாரம்பரியத்தின் முப்பெரும் கதாநாயகர்கள்.
உயர் இந்தியாவில் தலைமுறைகள் பல கடந்தும் கடவுளர்களாக போற்றப்பட்டு வழிகாட்டிகளாக விளங்குபவர்கள்.
மனித ஒற்றுமை நூற்றாண்டுகால பரிணாம வளர்ச்சியின் பரிமாணம்.
தனிநபர்களாகவும், குடும்ப உறுப்பினர்களாகவும், சமுதாய பிரஜைகளாகவும் நாம் அனைவரும் பரிமளிக்கிறோம்.
சிவன் தனிமனித அடையாளமாக அமைகிறான்....

ऋतुभिः सह कवयः सदैव सम्बद्धाः। विशिष्य संस्कृतकवयः। यथा हि ऋतवः प्रतिसंवत्सरं प्रतिनवतामावहन्ति मानवेषु तथैव ऋतुवर्णनान्यपि काव्यरसिकेषु कामपि विच्छित्तिमातन्वते। ऋतुकल्याणं हि सत्यमिदमेव हृदि कृत्वा प्रवृत्तम्। नगरजीवनस्य यान्त्रिकतां मान्त्रिकतां च ध्वनदिदं चम्पूकाव्यं गद्यपद्यमिश्रितमिति सुव्यक्तमेव। ऐदम्पूर्वतया प्रायः पुरीपरिसरप्रसृतानाम् ऋतूनां विलासोऽत्र प्रपञ्चितः। बेङ्गलूरुनामके...

The Art and Science of Avadhānam in Sanskrit is a definitive work on Sāhityāvadhānam, a form of Indian classical art based on multitasking, lateral thinking, and extempore versification. Dotted throughout with tasteful examples, it expounds in great detail on the theory and practice of this unique performing art. It is as much a handbook of performance as it is an anthology of well-turned...

This anthology is a revised edition of the author's 1978 classic. This series of essays, containing his original research in various fields, throws light on the socio-cultural landscape of Tamil Nadu spanning several centuries. These compelling episodes will appeal to scholars and laymen alike.
“When superstitious mediaevalists mislead the country about its judicial past, we have to...

The cultural history of a nation, unlike the customary mainstream history, has a larger time-frame and encompasses the timeless ethos of a society undergirding the course of events and vicissitudes. A major key to the understanding of a society’s unique character is an appreciation of the far-reaching contributions by outstanding personalities of certain periods – especially in the realms of...

Prekṣaṇīyam is an anthology of essays on Indian classical dance and theatre authored by multifaceted scholar and creative genius, Śatāvadhānī Dr. R Ganesh. As a master of śāstra, a performing artiste (of the ancient art of Avadhānam), and a cultured rasika, he brings a unique, holistic perspective to every discussion. These essays deal with the philosophy, history, aesthetics, and practice of...

Yaugandharam

इदं किञ्चिद्यामलं काव्यं द्वयोः खण्डकाव्ययोः सङ्कलनरूपम्। रामानुरागानलं हि सीतापरित्यागाल्लक्ष्मणवियोगाच्च श्रीरामेणानुभूतं हृदयसङ्क्षोभं वर्णयति । वात्सल्यगोपालकं तु कदाचिद्भानूपरागसमये घटितं यशोदाश्रीकृष्णयोर्मेलनं वर्णयति । इदम्प्रथमतया संस्कृतसाहित्ये सम्पूर्णं काव्यं...

Vanitakavitotsavah

इदं खण्डकाव्यमान्तं मालिनीछन्दसोपनिबद्धं विलसति। मेनकाविश्वामित्रयोः समागमः, तत्फलतया शकुन्तलाया जननम्, मातापितृभ्यां त्यक्तस्य शिशोः कण्वमहर्षिणा परिपालनं चेति काव्यस्यास्येतिवृत्तसङ्क्षेपः।

Vaiphalyaphalam

इदं खण्डकाव्यमान्तं मालिनीछन्दसोपनिबद्धं विलसति। मेनकाविश्वामित्रयोः समागमः, तत्फलतया शकुन्तलाया जननम्, मातापितृभ्यां त्यक्तस्य शिशोः कण्वमहर्षिणा परिपालनं चेति काव्यस्यास्येतिवृत्तसङ्क्षेपः।

Nipunapraghunakam

इयं रचना दशसु रूपकेष्वन्यतमस्य भाणस्य निदर्शनतामुपैति। एकाङ्करूपकेऽस्मिन् शेखरकनामा चित्रोद्यमलेखकः केनापि हेतुना वियोगम् अनुभवतोश्चित्रलेखामिलिन्दकयोः समागमं सिसाधयिषुः कथामाकाशभाषणरूपेण निर्वहति।

Bharavatarastavah

अस्मिन् स्तोत्रकाव्ये भगवन्तं शिवं कविरभिष्टौति। वसन्ततिलकयोपनिबद्धस्य काव्यस्यास्य कविकृतम् उल्लाघनाभिधं व्याख्यानं च वर्तते।

Karnataka’s celebrated polymath, D V Gundappa brings together in the third volume, some character sketches of great literary savants responsible for Kannada renaissance during the first half of the twentieth century. These remarkable...

Karnataka’s celebrated polymath, D V Gundappa brings together in the second volume, episodes from the lives of remarkable exponents of classical music and dance, traditional storytellers, thespians, and connoisseurs; as well as his...

Karnataka’s celebrated polymath, D V Gundappa brings together in the first volume, episodes from the lives of great writers, poets, literary aficionados, exemplars of public life, literary scholars, noble-hearted common folk, advocates...

Evolution of Mahabharata and Other Writings on the Epic is the English translation of S R Ramaswamy's 1972 Kannada classic 'Mahabharatada Belavanige' along with seven of his essays on the great epic. It tells the riveting...

Shiva-Rama-Krishna is an English adaptation of Śatāvadhāni Dr. R Ganesh's popular lecture series on the three great...

Bharatilochana

ಮಹಾಮಾಹೇಶ್ವರ ಅಭಿನವಗುಪ್ತ ಜಗತ್ತಿನ ವಿದ್ಯಾವಲಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಮರೆಯಲಾಗದ ಹೆಸರು. ಮುಖ್ಯವಾಗಿ ಶೈವದರ್ಶನ ಮತ್ತು ಸೌಂದರ್ಯಮೀಮಾಂಸೆಗಳ ಪರಮಾಚಾರ್ಯನಾಗಿ  ಸಾವಿರ ವರ್ಷಗಳಿಂದ ಇವನು ಜ್ಞಾನಪ್ರಪಂಚವನ್ನು ಪ್ರಭಾವಿಸುತ್ತಲೇ ಇದ್ದಾನೆ. ಭರತಮುನಿಯ ನಾಟ್ಯಶಾಸ್ತ್ರವನ್ನು ಅರ್ಥಮಾಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳಲು ಇವನೊಬ್ಬನೇ ನಮಗಿರುವ ಆಲಂಬನ. ಇದೇ ರೀತಿ ರಸಧ್ವನಿಸಿದ್ಧಾಂತವನ್ನು...

Vagarthavismayasvadah

“वागर्थविस्मयास्वादः” प्रमुखतया साहित्यशास्त्रतत्त्वानि विमृशति । अत्र सौन्दर्यर्यशास्त्रीयमूलतत्त्वानि यथा रस-ध्वनि-वक्रता-औचित्यादीनि सुनिपुणं परामृष्टानि प्रतिनवे चिकित्सकप्रज्ञाप्रकाशे। तदन्तर एव संस्कृतवाङ्मयस्य सामर्थ्यसमाविष्कारोऽपि विहितः। क्वचिदिव च्छन्दोमीमांसा च...

The Best of Hiriyanna

The Best of Hiriyanna is a collection of forty-eight essays by Prof. M. Hiriyanna that sheds new light on Sanskrit Literature, Indian...

Stories Behind Verses

Stories Behind Verses is a remarkable collection of over a hundred anecdotes, each of which captures a story behind the composition of a Sanskrit verse. Collected over several years from...