Mahabharata Unravelled: Lesser-Known Facets of a Well-Known History

Ami Ganatra

Jul 2021 · Bloomsbury Publishing

About this ebook

Millennia have passed since the dharma yudhha of the cousins shook the land of Bharata. But this history of our ancestors continues to fascinate us. Even today, we have passionate discussions about the people and their actions in the epic, fervidly defending our favourites and denouncing others. The number of works on the Mahabharata-adaptations, retellings and fiction-that still get written is a testimony to its enduring relevance.

While the general storyline is largely known, a lot of questions and myths prevail, such as-What was the geographical extent of the war? Did Drona actually refuse to take on Karna as his disciple? What were Draupadi's responsibilities as the queen of Indraprastha? Did she ever mock Duryodhana? Were the women in the time of the Mahabharata meek and submissive? What were the names of the war formations during the time? What role did the sons of the Pandavas play? Does the south of India feature at all in the Mahabharata? What happened after the war? These and many other intriguing questions continue to mystify the contemporary reader.

Author Ami Ganatra debunks myths, quashes popular notions and offers insights into such aspects not commonly known or erroneously known, based solely on facts as narrated in Vyasa's Mahabharata from generally accepted authentic sources. For a history of such prominence and influence as the Mahabharata, it is important to get the story right. So pick this book up, sit back and unveil the lesser-known facts and truths about the great epic.

Ratings and reviews

Absolutely love this book! Crisply written yet details on the tales that got lost in translation. I’m glad we have a scholarly body of work which not just clarifies a lot many misconceptions but also leaves the reader curious to explore the epic beyond the book. A must read for everyone, whether you are a noob in Indology or an expert :)

Amazing tales from our own “itihaas” based on facts narrated in Vyasa rishi’s Mahabharata. A must read for my kids (younger generation) as it in simple English but without losing the grip on storyline or understanding various characters. Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

Brilliance, the story , the concepts, the mythbusters, especially one around characters like shakuni, karn and draupadi. Awesome research.

About the author

Ami Ganatra is an alumna of Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA). A management professional, she is also a devout yoga practitioner, a certified yoga instructor, and a student of Sanskrit and Indian knowledge systems.