Mahabharata Condensed in the Poet's Own Words /8

TRANSLATOR'S NOTE
 

 
THE great Epic of
 
Mahabharata was
 

composed by Sage Krishna Dvaipayana

Vyasa, the grandfather of the heroes of the

Epic. He taught his Epic to his son Suka

and to his pupils, Vaisampayana and others.

King Janamejaya, son of king Parikshit, the

grandson of the heroes of the Epic,
performed a great sacrifice and during its

performed a great sacrifice and during its
session, the Epic was recited by Vaisam-

payana to Janamejaya at the bidding of

Vyasa. Subsequently, Sauti recited the Epic,

as done by Vaishampayana to Janamejaya,

to the Brahmin Saunaka and others

during a sacrifice performed by Saunaka in

the Naimisa forest. The text presented

in the following pages is condensed as

narrated by Vaishampayana to Janamejaya,

with the addition at the beginning of five
benedictory lines eight concluding lines

benedictory lines eight concluding lines
at the end, belonging to Sauti's recital before

Saunaka and others. Though Vaisam-
payana narrates
the story all through, the

payana narrates the story all through, the
account of the Great War alone is given

by him as narrated by Sanjaya, the minister

and charioteer, to the blind Dhritarashtra.

The discourse of Bhishma in the Santi and

Anusasana Parvas is given in the original,

for the most part, as dialogues between