Reading the Mahabharata by the Tungabhadra - Day 19#
The End.
The 1008 names of Shiva, the 1000 names of Vishnu, the Anu Gita and the Purusha Suktam. Bhishma leaves Dharmaraja with this and other words of Dharma. And then, he leaves his body and Ganga mourns her son.
As the sun sets on my sojourn here at Hampi, so does the sun set on the story of the Kurus. Dhritarashtra leaves for the forest, losing his life to a fire. Thirty six years after the war, the Yadavas fall, and Krishna too dies. Maddened at the loss of the Best of the Vrishnis, the Pandavas head north. One by one, Panchali and Yudhishthira’s brothers fall.
Beseeching Indra to let him take the Dog with him, Dharmaraja reaches heaven, only to find himself tested once again.
At the end of the Mahabharata, I am swathed in a feeling of peace. Perhaps it is because I read more this month than I have in years, or because I have read 1300 pages today, or because I am looking forward to reading the Hari Vamsha Purana soon, but it doesn’t matter.
Today, I went to read the Mahabharata by the Tungabhadra for the last time and I did. And in doing so, I understood what Vyaasa wanted. Peace. That is what I have been searching for here, in Hampi. And peace is what I have found.
If you’re looking for a review, then yes. Bibek Debroy’s Mahabharata is the only version of this story that you should read. Unless, of course, you’re going to read it in Sanskrit.