Mahabharata: The Forest

Book Three of the great Indian epic the Maha·bhárata, “The Forest” covers the twelve years of the Pándavas’ exile in the forest, a penalty imposed upon them by the Káuravas because they have lost a rigged dicing match. A number of the colorful stories told to relieve the tedium of life in “The Forest” are now among the best known in Indian literature. The present volume consists of its concluding four episodes: “The Story of Rama,” “The Glorification of the Faithful Wife” (Sávitri’s story), “The Robbing of the Earrings” and “About the Drilling Sticks.” From a hero overcoming great odds, to a virtuous wife who rescues her family, and Indra tricking Karna, and Yudhi·shthira’s victory in the verbal contest with the tree spirit, these disparate stories speak to common human concerns across cultures and centuries.