Mahabharat – A true-to-life Epic

The Mahabharata is a living epic. It has like other epic stories been retold in different times by different authors who have incorporated in the retelling the social understanding of the time. For instance the story of Shabari in the Ramayana is not found in either the Valmiki Ramayan or Tulsi Ramayan or Kamban's. It is a accretion of a much later date and we need to recognise that it represents the inclusion of different ways of caring and of worship among those outside the dominant social groups. the Mahabharat too provides many such instances that tell not only of the vibrancy of the epic tale but demonstrate the fact that they reflected society and social norms of the day at every point of their transmission to the present day. The first of a three-part series appearing in Sandarbh, a science education journal brought out by Eklavya.[in Hindi]