The Indian Epics Retold: The Ramayana, The Mahabharata, Gods Demons and Others

A great book by a wonderful author. Very revealing stories in a smooth flowing language.

Narayan retells the Ramayana and Mahabharata epics as well as some of his favourite tales from within them. Obviously, the epics are much condensed (the original Mahabharata is over 100,000 stanzas of verse and the longest composition in the world). Narayan describes his method as writing from memory the stories, focusing on personalities and plot, and ignoring the massive philosophical interludes (which can run to hundreds of pages - the Bhagavad Gita for example - and are often published separately in the English interpretation) and so this is a retelling rather than a translation.The stories themselves are wonderful, the Mahabharata especially. They are thought to have been writen several thousand years B.C., and still important in India today. In the Ramayana, the demon Ravana is given protection so that he cannot be killed by a supernatural being, so Vishnu comes to earth in human form (as the perfect prince Rama) to defeat Ravana. In his task he is assisted by various people including the monkey god Hanuman.The Mahabharata is the story of the conflict between the five divine Pandava brothers and their one hundred cousins who want to destroy them. This story is particularly interesting, and wise, and sometimes funny.I found the stories to be fascinating and a good insight into Indian culture. I'm in India at the moment, and a lot of things have become more clear to me after reading this book. It's fun to read.

R. K. Narayan does an impartial job at not just selecting the literature of North India, but also that of South India, abridging them in his own wry style while preserving the humour and pathos of the original. The simplicity of style does not betray the complexity of the texts he deals with. The pages are thick and can the font size big and easily readable without straining the eyes.Furthermore, this copy is incredibly cheap, because separate editions of Narayan's Mahabharata and Ramayana cost around 400. Here, however, both the epics and more are available at around 450.Overall, this omnibus is highly recommended if one is looking for a gateway, an INTRODUCTION into Indian literature, with one of the best writers India has ever produced as their guide, or a comfortable revision of some of the most influential texts in the history of Indian literature.

A truly superb and accessible rendition of the Hindu epics. Summaries the stories without losing the essence of the original and it's a great opportunity to read the story without feeling overwhelmed. The cast list at the beginning of each story is very useful although I found I didn't need to refer to this too often as the footnotes explain the name changes. The author presents some brief reviews at the end of each tale. I really love the way the Mahabarrata contextualises the Gita, there is so much more background to the story than simply Arjuna defending his brother's right to the throne not to mention the explanation of how Arjuna acquires his renowned warrior status and the major role his wife plays in the story.

Paper and printing is very good, fonts are sufficient big , any age group can read , those who had problem in reading due to age factors.Products is must in your shelf for next generation.

Must Read.This book is good for both Kids and Adult. Narration style is very simple and easy to understand.Must have in collection of every reader.Book and Print quality is very Good.

Written crisply.