BOOKS

An epic retold

S. VARADACHARY

Mahabharata - A Retelling of the Great Story of India by Margaret Simpson; Scholastic Press; pages 295, Rs. 295.

OVER a hundred years ago Romesh Chander Dutt wrote: "The Hindhu scarcely lives... men or women, high or low, educated or ignorant, whose earliest recollections do not cling round the story and the characters of the great epics." V.S. Sukhahankar, who edited the great critical edition of the Mahabharata, said that "the Mahabharata is the content of our collective unconscious".

The two epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, are known to most Indians irrespective of caste, colour, language or even religion, although the depth and subtlety of exposure could vary considerably. Of the two, the story of Rama and Sita is about divine characters in human form, and although the Ramayana is virtually in terms of black and white, it is to instil the importance of virtues. The story and structure of the Ramayana are comparatively simple. The Mahabharata, on the other hand, is extraordinarily complex and subtle with a mixture of the good, the noble, the brave and poignant as also the weak, the cowardly and often the disgusting and a lot that is magical. The epic bristles with such ambiguity that it is a virtual moral minefield.

From the time of R.C. Dutt and Murdoch, attempts have been made to retell the story more briefly in English. The most popular among the more recent ones have been those of C. Rajagopalachari, Kamala Subramaniam, R.K. Narayan and William Buck. Among the versions for English-speaking children, there are a few that disappoint, notably that of Picard, and there are reasonably good ones, such as that of Seegar. The outstanding one has been that of Shantha Rameshwar Rao, of which there is a magnificently produced version with illustrations by Badri Narayan (of which a paperback version is also available).

The version of the Mahabharata by Margaret Simpson, published by Scholastic Press, which specialises in children's literature, is intended for older schoolgoing children (young adults in publishers' parlance). It is interesting partly because it has all the till-recently tabooed ingredients of such books in the West, that is, sex, violence and death, the last two in considerable measure. As for the book itself, unlike the more didactic versions, the story is retold, to use P. Lal's felicitous words, in an intelligently genuflecting fashion and shows the Mahabharata to be an epic of action. In spite of the writer sticking to the main line of the story, the rich moral insights, some of them quite subtle, have not been ignored in the retelling. The story-telling is fluent, the prose is more than serviceable and there is considerable dexterity in the handling of the more delicate parts of the story (such as Vyasa carrying out his mother's order to father the children of Ambika and Ambalika); although an occasional infelicity like "he blew his chances" does jar. Simpson has admirably stuck to the Indian tradition of retelling the Mahabharata by repeatedly, yet briefly, emphasising Dharma (explicitly or implicitly) as a touchstone of one's action.

One cannot fail to note that the Mahabharata is not seen here as a great poem or epic or as something of historical interest or as a glorification of God. Although Krishna can be seen as the main character, there are still a number of heroes and brave men, a few who are cunning, a few who are cowards and a few who are heartless, and there are women of great beauty and extraordinary strength of will and tenderness. The uniqueness of most of the Mahabharata's characters, in all their complexity, is there, and they are portrayed with great depth and intensity. If Yudhishtira is probably the most complex character, there are many not far behind him in this respect. All this is brought out reasonably well in spite of the story having been abridged and simplified. What Dutt said about the use of Mahabharata stories to impart wisdom and instruction as well as about them being a rich storehouse of tales is still true.

What C.V. Narasimhan said in his version, about 40 years ago, is still relevant. He dwells on the enormous physical violence as well as the violence against all human feelings and the preoccupation with violence and revenge in the Mahabharata; yet he points out that the essential theme of the Mahabharata is peace and reconciliation. Yudhishtira says: "In all cases war is evil... Victory and defeat, O Krishna, are the same to one who is killed. Defeat is not very much better than death, I think; but he whose side gains victory also surely suffers some loss."

While the Bhagwad Gita and the Mahabharata endorse the importance of action (true action, by renouncing its fruits), even while emphasising such action (war and killing) and thus condoning violence, there is also the strength in Arjuna's arguments and the undeniable truth of the futility of revenge and war, and the importance of compassion.

It may be relevant to note today that in trying to destroy the perpetrators of mass murders of innocents, care should be taken to ensure that innocent people do not fall victim to "collateral damage". In fact, in one of the last battles of the Mahabharata, between Arjuna and Aswathama, where both have the Brahmastra, Aswathama decides to use the weapon as his mind is full of the feeling of hate and revenge which remove all conventional inhibitions. When Arjuna decides to retaliate with an equally powerful weapon, Krishna and the Rishis persuade him to withdraw his weapon and ensure that the destructive capacity of Aswathama's astra is nullified. Today, it is important to note that if the power of technology is not controlled by a mature mind the end result could be disastrous for humankind. In handling the kind of mindless terrorism unleashed today, the Mahabharata has the lesson in that it also tells us how to control one's anger and eagerness for revenge, and temper it with wisdom.

The illustrations in the book are interesting but somehow the figures look like stock comic book heroes and not like the conventional heroes of the Mahabharata.

This book is certainly a most welcome addition to children's literature and a good version to expose English-speaking (and Indian) children to the great epic.