The Mahābhārata and Dharma Discourse

Book excerpt: This compact and engaging text provides unique insights into the issues of ‘dharma’ in the Indian epic the Mahābhārata. The word ‘dharma’ is untranslatable and usually mistaken to mean religion. However, as argued here, it is evident through the tales of the epic that the word ‘dharma’ is an umbrella term for all the deeds one does in one’s life. Each chapter of this book is expository, as well as explanatory, providing examples through the tales of the Mahābhārata. The book will be of great interest to research scholars, Indologists and commentators, through its use of tales, narratives, parables, and fables as evidence for understanding the issues of dharma embedded in the Mahābhārata.