The Mahabharata

CVVN translation is excellent. He has been able to capture the essential essense for the novice reader as well as the experienced academic. Compared with other translations CVN is a joy to read.

I am reading The Mahabharata for a book club. Very complex book. I am looking forward to delving into it.Sue

If you like to watch the programs on the History channel about Ancient Aliens, they talk about this book all the time. It is a little difficult to read at times, but it's a translation from an ancient language, Sanskrit or something, so be ready to only use this for fun.I looked into this at several places online and decided most people thought this translation was fairly true to the original. Though by no means is it the whole book.I own this in paperback

Excellent

The book was in much worse condition than represented. Too many writings with pen throughout and mark ups, making the book difficult to read.

From page 193: "Bhisma...addressing his grandson in a sweet voice..." After all the fuss about Bhisma being celebate, where did this grandson come from? If you know the answer, please let me know.The translation is very easy to read, but you should watch the DVD first -- it helps greatly in keeping the characters straight. And you will want a separate edition of the Gita, which is here condensed into just a couple of pages!Rick Norwood

Relationships in Indian Culture are somewhat different than in Western Culture...First Cousins are often times regarded as brothers and sisters. Similarly, Yudhistra looked to his own grandfather's half brother (Bishma), as his own grandfather.

Although Narasimhan has done a proficient enough job in this translation - his English is certainly much better than most full length translations currently available -- it is nevertheless a rather dry version of the great epic. If you are new to the text this will be heavy going, IMO, and you will probably soon find yourself lost in the morass of characters and their complicated relationships. He has not done much to help the reader make sense of the whole thing, unlike some other introductory versions, such as that by Krishna Dharma. It is a page turner only in the sense that you will be constantly turning backwards to remind yourself what is going on. But three stars anyway, as it is after all a faithful version of this wonderful work.