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Arjuna and the Hunter
Series: Murty Classical Library of India
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Celebrated for its elegant verse, vivid imagery, and dramatic speeches, this edition presents a complete English translation alongside the original Sanskrit in Devanagari script.
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Format: Hardback
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Arjuna and the Hunter
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
Ideal for readers interested in classical Indian literature, Sanskrit poetry, epic narratives, and South Asian arts and culture.
Arjuna and the Hunter, by the sixth-century poet Bharavi, portrays Arjuna’s travels to the Himalayas, where Shiva tests the hero’s courage in combat and bestows upon him an invincible weapon. This is a masterful contemplation of ethical conduct, ascetic discipline, and religious devotion—enduring themes in Indian literature.
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Description
Kirātārjunīya, or Arjuna and the Hunter, is one of the great court epics of the Sanskrit literary canon. Written by the sixth-century poet Bharavi, it is also the first and most remarkable reinterpretation of a pivotal episode in the Mahābhārata, India's ancient epic.
The warrior Arjuna travels to the Himalayas to perform penance and win a boon from the god Shiva that will help his brothers, the Pandavas, overcome their enemies in righteous war. Appearing in the guise of a hunter, Shiva tests Arjuna's courage in combat, ultimately reveals himself, and bestows upon the hero an invincible weapon.
In Bharavi's hands, the episode is turned into a masterful contemplation of heroic action, ethical conduct, ascetic discipline, and religious devotion—core values in India's classical civilization and enduring themes in Indian literature. But the poem's fame rests above all on its aesthetic achievement.
With its elegant, epigrammatic verse, powerful imagery, dramatic speeches, and vivid descriptions, Arjuna and the Hunter, now made available for the first time in a complete English translation and accompanied by the Sanskrit original in the Devanagari script, will dazzle and move contemporary readers no less powerfully than its first courtly connoisseurs.
Series: Murty Classical Library of India
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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Critics praise this edition for its enjoyment as a standalone English text and its rich supporting material, including the original Sanskrit, a detailed introduction, and translation notes. It offers readers a deeply rewarding experience that reveals Bharavi's masterful craftsmanship. -- M. A. Orthofer, Complete Review
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780674504967
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 05 January 2016
Country: United States
Imprint: Harvard University Press
Contributors:
- Edited and translated by Indira Viswanathan Peterson
Audience: General / adult, Adult education
DIMENSIONS
Width: 133.0mm
Height: 203.0mm
Weight: 250g
Pages: 480
About the Author
Indira Viswanathan Peterson is David B. Truman Professor of Asian Studies at Mount Holyoke College.
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