Best and Worst Book on Mahabharata? - Page 4

Originally posted by: Eloquent

I have read Palace of illusions, Ashok Bankar's MBH, Draupadi by Saiswaroopa Iyer, Aryavarta chronicles.

PoI has good language & exquisite description of Sakha sakhi relation. But little else. The Karna bits were vomit worthy.

Yuganta by Irawati Karwe is a revelation. Very sharp and crisp. She has roasted major characters in an apt way.

Sai Swaroopa Iyer's Draupadi is ok. The author seems to be well researched and does not fall into the Karna glorification trap. Aryavarta chronicles is good. Ashok Bankar's MBH is his own fanfictional world and is weird.

Never touched Karna's wife due to obvious reasons. Also Kavita Kane always denigrates Draupadi. Have recently read Ahalya in which she has used Draupadi was reincarnation of Nalayani (wife of Rishi Mudgala). She has made the Nalayani character as quite stupid, selfish, one dimensional.

Mrityunjaya : had started reading it. Again language is exquisite but some of the fiction about Karna comes from this book.

Recently downloaded Krishna's sister & Draupadi (new author - Vamshi Krishna) - couldn't read beyond few pages as language is pathetic.

Evading the shadows by Rajesh M. Iyer is an enjoyable spy thriller set during the Pandavas agyaatvaas in Virat kingdom.

Have also enjoyed reading Bhimsen by Prem Panicker which is his take/English translation on MT Vasudevan's book on Bhima's POV. It's quite good to read.

Want to read Sairandhri by Naresh Kohli.

That book is a part of the MB series Mahasamar with the first book being Bandhan i.e. Bondage. Even I'm interested in it.

Originally posted by: Wistfulness

You mean Narendra Kohli?

That book is a part of the MB series Mahasamar with the first book being Bandhan i.e. Bondage. Even I'm interested in it.

Just checked, while the mahasamar series is like his version of MBH, the Sairandhri book seems to be standalone. Book six of the series called Pracchann deals with Virat parva. But Sairandhri is maybe focussed completely on Draupadi?

In any case, the description of the first book says Yudhisthira is the real hero of MBH which makes me raise my eyebrows.

Originally posted by: AnkitaPurka66

The only thing good about palace of Illusions is the writing quality. It paints a very vivid picture but the content was well, we all have agreed on that.

Duryodhana as a protagonist has started based on the fact that there is a temple on him.

Actually, when I heard about this book, I thought the concept was interesting - to see his version. What I didn't sign up for was a fanfiction.😆

Your signature, btw, is interesting.

Duryodhan temple is there because howsoever bad he was but he was a warrior undoubtedly. He fought till death for what he felt was right

There is a play of around 4th Century AD by Bhasa which is called Urubhangam with Duryodhan's POV but he highlighted his point of view, as we have discussed multiple times even he had some good qualities and he highlighted, he didn't put imaginary qualities into it

As I had written in another thread. I wouldn't mind if you say that Duryodhan was better suited and more rightful for the throne. I wouldn't even contradict if you say he was a better mace fighter than Bheem, these could be looked from both perspectives. You might say he was a true friend to Karna and was a great husband (these are highlighted in many regional Mahabharata and in later sources) totally welcome

But if you come up with a statement that in the Dyut Sabha Duryodhan noticed that Draupadi was getting tired by all her shouting and realized that there was no space chair so he offered her to sit on his lap to confirm him then that wouldn't be acceptable

Originally posted by: FlauntPessimism

Duryodhan temple is there because howsoever bad he was but he was a warrior undoubtedly. He fought till death for what he felt was right

There is a play of around 4th Century AD by Bhasa which is called Urubhangam with Duryodhan's POV but he highlighted his point of view, as we have discussed multiple times even he had some good qualities and he highlighted, he didn't put imaginary qualities into it

As I had written in another thread. I wouldn't mind if you say that Duryodhan was better suited and more rightful for the throne. I wouldn't even contradict if you say he was a better mace fighter than Bheem, these could be looked from both perspectives. You might say he was a true friend to Karna and was a great husband (these are highlighted in many regional Mahabharata and in later sources) totally welcome

But if you come up with a statement that in the Dyut Sabha Duryodhan noticed that Draupadi was getting tired by all her shouting and realized that there was no space chair so he offered her to sit on his lap to confirm him then that wouldn't be acceptable

@bold - Duryodhan himself would not like it. He will be like wtf is this, i am not like this. He celebrated what he was, he thought it was right.

Originally posted by: Eloquent

I have read Palace of illusions, Ashok Bankar's MBH, Draupadi by Saiswaroopa Iyer, Aryavarta chronicles.

PoI has good language & exquisite description of Sakha sakhi relation. But little else. The Karna bits were vomit worthy.

Yuganta by Irawati Karwe is a revelation. Very sharp and crisp. She has roasted major characters in an apt way.

Sai Swaroopa Iyer's Draupadi is ok. The author seems to be well researched and does not fall into the Karna glorification trap. Aryavarta chronicles is good. Ashok Bankar's MBH is his own fanfictional world and is weird.

Never touched Karna's wife due to obvious reasons. Also Kavita Kane always denigrates Draupadi. Have recently read Ahalya in which she has used Draupadi was reincarnation of Nalayani (wife of Rishi Mudgala). She has made the Nalayani character as quite stupid, selfish, one dimensional.

Mrityunjaya : had started reading it. Again language is exquisite but some of the fiction about Karna comes from this book.

Recently downloaded Krishna's sister & Draupadi (new author - Vamshi Krishna) - couldn't read beyond few pages as language is pathetic.

Evading the shadows by Rajesh M. Iyer is an enjoyable spy thriller set during the Pandavas agyaatvaas in Virat kingdom.

Have also enjoyed reading Bhimsen by Prem Panicker which is his take/English translation on MT Vasudevan's book on Bhima's POV. It's quite good to read.

Want to read Sairandhri by Naresh Kohli.

I loathed Bhimsen because of how it portrayed Panchali. There is a scene in it where Krishna puts Panchali in his lap while the Pandavas are dumbly watching. The author's intent is clear. She used sex to get what she wanted.

Originally posted by: HearMeRoar

I loathed Bhimsen because of how it portrayed Panchali. There is a scene in it where Krishna puts Panchali in his lap while the Pandavas are dumbly watching. The author's intent is clear. She used sex to get what she wanted.

What?

Isn't Bheem supposed to love Panchali. Why this destruction 😲😲😲

Originally posted by: FlauntPessimism

Duryodhan temple is there because howsoever bad he was but he was a warrior undoubtedly. He fought till death for what he felt was right

There is a play of around 4th Century AD by Bhasa which is called Urubhangam with Duryodhan's POV but he highlighted his point of view, as we have discussed multiple times even he had some good qualities and he highlighted, he didn't put imaginary qualities into it

As I had written in another thread. I wouldn't mind if you say that Duryodhan was better suited and more rightful for the throne. I wouldn't even contradict if you say he was a better mace fighter than Bheem, these could be looked from both perspectives. You might say he was a true friend to Karna and was a great husband (these are highlighted in many regional Mahabharata and in later sources) totally welcome

But if you come up with a statement that in the Dyut Sabha Duryodhan noticed that Draupadi was getting tired by all her shouting and realized that there was no space chair so he offered her to sit on his lap to confirm him then that wouldn't be acceptable

Oh yeah definitely.

Agree, he was better suited to the throne in my opinion. At least more than Yudhisthir who gambled away his kingdom.

Yeah, I also heard that he was monogamous.

Not sure if it's true, but definitely a great trait to possess in Dwapara Yuga if true.

@Bold : 🤣

Originally posted by: CaptainSpark

@bold - Duryodhan himself would not like it. He will be like wtf is this, i am not like this. He celebrated what he was, he thought it was right.

Definitely. One of the qualities of Duryodhan I like is that he fought for what he thought was right not like his best friend who fought and then came up with lame excuses. OK my Karna Prem is way too much

But the problem is that this is the way the new age writers try to defend Duryodhan. That bird not hitting thing was an example

You wouldn't believe I had actually read somewhere that Duryodhan had put forward his right thigh to Draupadi, that thigh is for daughters his intentions were pure

Originally posted by: AnkitaPurka66

Oh yeah definitely.

Agree, he was better suited to the throne in my opinion. At least more than Yudhisthir who gambled away his kingdom.

Yeah, I also heard that he was monogamous.

Not sure if it's true, but definitely a great trait to possess in Dwapara Yuga if true.

@Bold : 🤣

The new age writers take exactly that route to over glorify him

Originally posted by: FlauntPessimism

Definitely. One of the qualities of Duryodhan I like is that he fought for what he thought was right not like his best friend who fought and then came up with lame excuses. OK my Karna Prem is way too much

But the problem is that this is the way the new age writers try to defend Duryodhan. That bird not hitting thing was an example

You wouldn't believe I had actually read somewhere that Duryodhan had put forward his right thigh to Draupadi, that thigh is for daughters his intentions were pure

LMFAO. 😂😂😂😭😭

@bold - Not more than me 😉😉

Whom do u hate the most? Karna or Dury or Yudhi (excluding DuNi of Chandal chaukdi gang as they are gems, bulls of Bharata and Gandhar race ❤🤗)