N.V. Thadani
The idea of the Mahabharata as a great picture of a great Philosophy of Life, occurred to me almost like a dream. I have pursued it for nearly eight years; and the result of my study, relating to the Vedas, is contained in this volume; and that, relating to the Mahabharata, will follow in the next. My study of the Mahabharata led me to the Vedas, Upanisads, Satapatha Brahmana and the Systems of Hindu Philosophy; for the "story" is, even as it claims to be, a picture of all sacred philosophy and literature; and it is in this light that I have explained and interpreted it. The First Volume ends with the Gods of the Vedas, and the Second starts with an examination of the Story of the Mahabharata. But, in order to give an idea of the whole, I have added a brief explanation of the main incidents of the Story in the Introduction, as it might be helpful in fixing its true scope and character. While examining words and names in accordance with the method of letter-analysis, I have, in a number of cases, omitted to give a full explanation of letters in the Introduction, as I did not wish to burden it with too many details. The reader can easily get all the meanings by reference to Chapters VI and VII, dealing with the Sanskrit language and the method of interpretation. The main idea of the present work is that the sacred books of the Hindus, from the Vedas to the Mahabharata, described as the fifth and the last Veda, deal with the one problem of all problems-the Truth of life conceived in various ways. The Vedas examine the different theories of life,-its origin, manifestation, and end-in the form of Hymns; the Brahmanas represent the Supreme creative energy conceived as Action in Sacrifice; the Upanisads and the Systems of Hindu Philosophy deal with the same subject with less symbolism and more directly; while the Puranas and the great Epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata describe it in Story-form. In the present work, I have as far as possible, referred to the original Sanskrit texts, and thought it desirable to give ample references. But, for obvious reasons, I have limited myself to the Rg-Veda, the most ancient as well as the most sacred, where other Vedas only repeat the same hymn or the same idea. Nor have I given many references, though easily available, where one has sufficed. The sacred works of the Hindus are the legacy of India-and the heritage of the world.
The Mystery of the Mahabharata(5 vol. Set)