Once upon a Time Thousands of Years Ago

As one of the two defining itih?sas of Bh?rata ñ the first and older one being R?m?ya?a ñ Mah?bh?rata has a grandeur that is unsurpassed and perennially unique. The multi-layered characters and plots, brilliantly portrayed by Veda Vy?sa, have continued to mesmerise millennia of generations. The lofty grandsire Bh??ma, the boy-warrior Abhimanyu, the humiliated Draupad?, the self-blinded G?ndh?r?, the fiery Dro?a, the righteous P???avas and their very own cousins, the scheming Kauravas, their many family members, friends and allies, with the incidents that interweave their lives make for the physical body of the Mah?bh?rata. The eternal value of the work comes from the guiding wisdom of ?r? K???a.

This set of fifty stories is perhaps the first time that an attempt is made to focus on a psychology-based understanding of the stories, portraying the many characters of the Mah?bh?rata in varied situations. Along with the well-recognised Bhagavad G?ta, there are other sources of deep insight that are embedded within the Mah?bh?rata: Yak?a Pra?na, Vidura n?ti and Bh??ma Upade?a - all the latter three have been touched upon in this book. This is also perhaps the first time that the IAST code of pronunciation has been used in a book of stories which is meant to help the readers, young and old, to grasp the Sanskrit pronunciation while reading in English.

The stories are written in simple language and in a concise manner, the aim being to drive the message through while at the same time leaving ample space to contemplate and introspect. The illustrations help to enliven the readerís imagery while reading the stories.