By Iravati Karve
Genre: MythologySIZZLER
The Book Club Rating : 5 Stars
Yuganta studies the principal, mythical-heroic figures of the Mahabharata from historical, anthropological and secular perspectives. The usually venerated characters of this ancient Indian epic are here subjected to a rational enquiry that places them in context, unravels their hopes and fears, and imbues them with wholly human motives, thereby making their stories relevant and astonishing to contemporary readers. Irawati Karve, thus, presents a delightful collection of essays, scientific in spirit, yet appreciative of the literary tradition of the Mahabharata. She challenges the familiar and formulates refreshingly new interpretations, all the while refusing to judge harshly or venerate blindly.
Irawati Karve (1905 1970) was born in Burma and educated in Pune. A Master s degree in Sociology from Bombay in 1928 and a Doctoral degree in Anthropology from Berlin in 1930 marked the onset of a long and distinguished career of pioneering research. She wrote in both English and Marathi, on academic subjects as well as on topics of general interest, and thus commanded an enviably wide circle of readership. Whether through her Hindu Society: An Interpretation, a scholarly treatise in English, or through Yuganta: The End of an Epoch, her study in Marathi of the characters and society in the Mahabharata, we obtain ample illustration of the range and quality of Irawati Karve s mind.
Irawati Karve (1905 1970) was born in Burma and educated in Pune. A Master s degree in Sociology from Bombay in 1928 and a Doctoral degree in Anthropology from Berlin in 1930 marked the onset of a long and distinguished career of pioneering research. She wrote in both English and Marathi, on academic subjects as well as on topics of general interest, and thus commanded an enviably wide circle of readership. Whether through her Hindu Society: An Interpretation, a scholarly treatise in English, or through Yuganta: The End of an Epoch, her study in Marathi of the characters and society in the Mahabharata, we obtain ample illustration of the range and quality of Irawati Karve s mind.
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I read Yuganta when I was barely in my teens. To a large extent this book has influenced my perceptions about Mahabharata.
Iravati Karve’s Yuganta – End of an Epoch is not a rehash of the epic. It is an in-depth character analysis of prominent characters and controversial subjects in the great epic of Mahabharata.
Stripping the trappings of myth, legend and imagination, the author presents us the bare truth, as she perceives it. Take Bhishma for instance. One of the strongest characters who virtually safeguards the Kuru empire, doing his duty regardless of the result. A man of unbendable will, virtue and irreproachable character. But to what avail? He gave up the right to his father’s kingdom and watched his step brothers ascend the throne. He is the grandsire of Kuru empire yet his life was an empty paradise. He couldn’t control Duryodhana and his brothers, he was virtually ineffective in the sabha room when Draupadi is disrobed and in the end he couldn’t stop the war. What did he achieve in the end?
Iravati Karve’s Yuganta – End of an Epoch is not a rehash of the epic. It is an in-depth character analysis of prominent characters and controversial subjects in the great epic of Mahabharata.
Stripping the trappings of myth, legend and imagination, the author presents us the bare truth, as she perceives it. Take Bhishma for instance. One of the strongest characters who virtually safeguards the Kuru empire, doing his duty regardless of the result. A man of unbendable will, virtue and irreproachable character. But to what avail? He gave up the right to his father’s kingdom and watched his step brothers ascend the throne. He is the grandsire of Kuru empire yet his life was an empty paradise. He couldn’t control Duryodhana and his brothers, he was virtually ineffective in the sabha room when Draupadi is disrobed and in the end he couldn’t stop the war. What did he achieve in the end?
Publisher: Orient Longman; 2nd Revised edition edition (19 July 2006)
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