The Mahabharata: Volume 5  (English, Paperback, Debroy Bibek)

The Kurukshetra battle begins in this action-packed fifth volume of Bibek Debroy’s unabridged retelling of the Mahabharata.

Summary of the Book

Completing the Udyoga Parva, this volume begins with the story of Shikhandi, the reincarnated form of Amba, who vowed to destroy Bhishma, the Pitamaha. It continues with the Bhishma Parva, telling the stories of the first ten days of the chaotic battle. As the battle begins, Arjuna faces serious doubts in his duty. Krishna expounds the Song Divine, the Bhagavad Gita, explaining his divine duty towards the universe. Krishna explains that man’s failure to complete his duty, to uphold his Dharma, is why he is reborn, time after time as a mortal. Arjuna’s doubts are alleviated and soon, the battle to decide mankind’s fate begins. After the fall of Bhishma, Drona is instated as the commander, and he decides to use the unbreakable Chakravyuha, a military formation. While the only ones who are able to completely destroy this formation are otherwise incapacitated, the brave son of Arjuna, the mighty Abhimanyu decides to test his mettle. However, he knows that he lacks the skill to break out of the formation once he infiltrates it. Nevertheless, the son of Arjuna braves all odds and begins his one man assault against the Kaurava forces in a suicidal attempt to ease the odds. Can he survive this battle, or will his death signal the true starting of the war?

About Bibek Debroy

Bibek Debroy is an Indian author and economist. Currently a professor at the Centre for Policy Research, he is best associated with his books on economics.

He began translating the Mahabharata into modern English prose into 10 volumes in 2010, of which eight have been published so far.

Note on the Translation

This translation is based on the Sanskrit critical edition of the Mahabharata compiled at the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute.