MISIMPRESSIONS OF ‘MAHABHARATA’
In his review of Peter Brook and Jean-Claude Carriere’s stage version of the Indian book “Mahabharata,” Dan Sullivan aptly compared himself to a snake that has swallowed a rabbit in one gulp (“The Lengthy but Worthy Trip of ‘Mahabharata,’ ” Sept. 7).
The review was one of the most patchy and confused pieces of writing that I have ever read. A little bit of research and attention to accuracy wouldn’t have hurt--for instance, the “Mahabharata” was written roughly 25 centuries ago, not just “God knows when, but well before the Christian era.” And the Bhagavad-Gita section is a dialogue between Lord Krishna and the warrior-prince Arjuna, not Yudhishtra, as Sullivan tells us.
Western viewers wouldn’t be confused by Yudhishtra finding his “crass cousin” in heaven if they had been open-minded enough to absorb the twin concepts of the Hindu epic: karma , the concept that one reaps what one sows; and dharma , which can roughly be translated as fulfilling one’s obligations in life.
Sullivan remarks that Western epics are “our stories in a way that ‘Mahabharata’ can never be.” I strongly disagree.
The “Mahabharata” is a human story of greed and reckless ambition. It is an extremely modern exposition on how to survive in an evil age, and a sage and wise look at the ultimate consequences of violence and bloodshed. It is not a work that is uniquely Indian--it is, indeed, a work that belongs to the Bharatas , or the human race.
I really wish Sullivan had waited to digest his rabbit before coming out with his initial, inchoate impressions.
RADHA BHARADWAJ
Los Angeles
More to Read
Sign up for our Book Club newsletter
Get the latest news, events and more from the Los Angeles Times Book Club, and help us get L.A. reading and talking.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.