The Mahabharata is a tale that has been rendered and rerendered by a several authors and storytellers over time. Every person has had their own take on the events and incidents mentioned in the epic. It is my aim to offer the same story in a new light. The attempt is to remain as true to the content of the epic as possible, while stripping away the parts which can be deemed as illogical or improbable.
Most histories were written or composed for an audience. Most histories offered a skewed perspective to gain the favor of that audience. It can be assumed that Mahabharata was no different. While the original rendition by Vyasa might have been a truly objective version of events, it is mentioned within the epic itself that at the time of Janamejaya (great grandson to the Pandavas) there were several versions of the epic doing the rounds and there were several people who were analyzing the epic. The tale that has survived is a rendition by Vaishampayana, one of Vyasa's disciples. The epic is narrated at the site of a grand sacrifice by Janamejaya and judging by the fact that Janamejaya was the 'audience' for the history, it is obvious, that Vaishampayana would have taken great care not to hurt royal sentiments. This said, at various parts within the story it is obvious that the Pandavas were not devoid of their detractors and Duryodhana, far from the epitome of evil that he is today, had a faithful following among the citizens of his kingdom. My attempt is not to overturn perceptions, so much as to try and offer an objective version of the events.
I have refered largely from the Kisari Mohan Ganguly version of the Mahabharata (so far the only known verse for verse translation), written in Victorian english prose and an online version of the Mahabharata that I have found in Sanskrit. Here, I would like to say that I am by no means even an amateur as far as sanskrit is concerned, but am using my limited knowledge to cross-reference the text of the english version. Hopefully along the way I will learn a bit of the language and dispel some ambiguities that exist in my mind.
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