Mahabharata Resources

Mahabharata Resources

The purpose of this site is to provide resources on the Great Itihasa, Mahabharata.

Visit the companion site www.dvaipayana.net

What does this mean?

Introductions to Mahabharata

Jaya - Siddhinathananda Swami
Explains the meaning of Jaya, the other name of Mahabharata, its connection with Sacrifice via the number eighteen which pervades Mahabharata.
Introduction to Mahabharata by Dr. P. Lal
Read this article in French, Malayalam

Texts of Mahabharata available on the internet

Mahabharata with Bhavadipa commentary of Nilakantha, published by Gopal Narayan and Co., Bombay, 1901.
Files available at the Internet Archive.

Kumbakonam Edition of Mahabharata
Sriman Mahabharatam, a new edition, mainly based on the Southern Indian Texts, with footnotes and readings.
Printed at the Davaji Dadaji's Nirnayasagar Press, Bombay, 1906.
Published by T.R. Krishnacharya, proprietor, Madhva Vilas Book Depot, Kumbakonam, printed by R.V. Shedge for the proprietor at the Nirnayasagar Press, 28 Kolbhat Lane, Bombay (1914)

The introductory volume, SRIMAN MAHABHARATAM, 5990010102404, Krishnacharya T. R., 1914, 405 pgs.
Available at www.dvaipayana.net thanks to Digital Library of India
Contains the following:
- A preface in Sanskrit, a brief description of manuscripts consulted and a list of patrons, subscribers and donors
- An antroduction in English by S. Subba Rao
- List of number of adhyayas and shlokas of parvas and upaparvas
- A descriptive table of contents of Mahabharata
- The errata for alphabetical index
- A very detailed alphabetical index
The following files available at Internet Archive unless otherwise stated
Sriman Mahabharatam: adiparva
260 adhyAyas 444 pages
Sriman Mahabharatam: sabhaparva
103 adhyAyas 174 pages
Sriman Mahabharatam: vanaparva
incomplete, abruptly stops at shloka 64 of adhyAya 298, 444 pages
Rest of vanaparva
available at www.dvaipayana.net
Sriman Mahabharatam: virataparva
mbh-kumbakonam-virata.pdf 78 adhyAyas 146 pages, available at www.dvaipayana.net
Sriman Mahabharatam: udyogaparva
196 adhyAyas 300 pages
Sriman Mahabharatam: bhishmaparva
122 adhyAyas 228 pages
Sriman Mahabharatam: dronaparva
203 adhyAyas 376 pages
Sriman Mahabharatam: karnaparva
101 adhyAyas 220 pages
Sriman Mahabharatam: shalyaparva
66 adhyAyas 146 pages
Sriman Mahabharatam: sauptikaparva
18 adhyAyas 44 pages
Sriman Mahabharatam: striparva
27 adhyAyas 44 pages
Sriman Mahabharatam: shantiparva
375 adhyAyas 618 pages
Sriman Mahabharatam: anushasanaparva
274 adhyAyas 446 pages
Sriman Mahabharatam: ashvamedhikaparva
118 adhyAyas 184 pages
Sriman Mahabharatam: ashramavasikaparva
41 adhyAyas 56 pages
Sriman Mahabharatam: mausalaparva
26 adhyAyas 9 pages
Sriman Mahabharatam: mahaprasthAnikaparva
3 adhyAyas 20 page
Sriman Mahabharatam: svargarohanaparva
5 adhyAyas 26 pages

Southern recension of Mahabharata edited by P.P.S. Sastri

The Mahabharata (Southern Recension), critically edited by P.P.S. Sastri, B.A. (Oxon), M.A., published by Vavilla Ramaswamy Sastrulu and Sons, Madras (1931-1933).
Made available on the net thanks to the Digital Library of India and a team of dedicated volunteers.

Critical Edition of Mahabharata
Electronic text of Mahabharata (Critical Edition) available from here thanks to Dr. Muneo Tokunaga and Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute and Dr. John Smith

Sanskrit Recensions and Editions of the Mahabharata

Harivamsa (On-going Project)

To Harivamsa Resources Page
Text of Harivamsa (Sanskrit text follows that edited by Pandit Ramachandrashastri Kinjawadekar and published by the chitrasala press in 1936. Text in itrans prepared by K.S. Ramachandran and Gilles Shchhaufelberger.
English Translation of
Harivamsha Parva by Desiraju Hanumanta Rao.
Vishnu Parva by A. Purushothaman and A. Harindranath
Bhavishya Parva (ongoing) by A. Purushothaman and A. Harindranath
Selections from Vishnu Parva of Southern Recension
Sheshadharamaprakaranam
The Appendix II of the Critical Edition of the BORI Harivamsa contains a section called Sheshadharmaprakaranam found in a few manuscripts of Harivamsa and in a few independent manuscripts.
Text in itrans prepared by A. Purushothaman.
Scanned texts of Harivamsa with Nilakantha commentary available on the internet

English Translation of mahabharata by Kisari Mohan Ganguli

English Downloadable electronic text available at www.sacred-texts.com
Ganguli translation of the Mahabharata in full text as pdf-files
Chapterwise table of contents of the Ganguli translation (45 pages). Prepared by Duncan Watson

Selections from Translations (on line)

By Edwin Arnold Indian Idylls from Sanskrit Mahabharata (Savitri, Nala and Damayanti, The Enchanted Lake, The Saint's Temptation, The Birth of Death, The Night of Slaughter, The Great Journey, The Entry into Heaven)
Selections from Translation in French by Gilles Schaufelberger and Guy Vincent
This site also contains among others, a complete book by book and chapter by chapter summary of the Epic in French.

Anugita

English Translation by Kashinath Trimbak Telang
English Translation by Kisari Mohan Ganguli
Anugita, an expose on samkhya and yoga doctrines in the Mahabharata - Guy Vincent (Translated by Gilles Schaufulberger)

Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya

Mahabharata-Tatparya-Nirnaya by Acharya Madhva - A critical edition of the oldest datable commentary on the Mahabharata.
Table of Contents of Mahabharata-Tatparya-Nirnaya
English summary of Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya of Madhvacharya by Prof. K.T. Pandurangi.
1. Part 1
2. Part 2
3. Part 3
4. Part 4
English Translation of Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya
Chapters 1-9 by B. Gururajah Rao
Chapters 10-16 by by Desiraju Hanumanta Rao
Chapters 17 by Harshala Rajesh based on the Kannada translation by R.H. Kulkarni
Chapters 18 onwards by Harshala Rajesh based on the Kannada translation, explanation and special notes by Dr. Vyasanakere Prabhanjanacharya
Audio archival of a discourse (140 hrs) on Mahabharata in Kannada by Dr. Vyasanakere Prabhanjanacharya based on Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya is available at http://www.vyasamadhwa.org/upanyasa/Mahabharata
For detailed information on Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya, visit this site maintained by Harshala Rajesh