Sri Aurobindo

The Harmony of Virtue

Early Cultural Writings — 1890-1910

Section Four. Valmiki and Vyasa
Notes on the Mahabharata

Notes on the Mahabharata of Krishna Dvypaiana Vyasa prepared with a view to disengage the original epic of Krishna of the Island from the enlargements, accretions and additions made by Vaishampaiana¹, Ugrashravas² and innumerable other writers.

Proposita

An epic of the Mahabharata³ was written by Krishna of the Island called Vyasa, in 24,000 couplets or something more, less at any rate than 27,000 on the subject of the great civil war of the Bharatas and the establishment of the Dharmarajya⁴ or universal sovereignty in that house.

This epic can be disengaged almost in its entirety from the present form⁵ of nearly 100,000 Slokas.

Later edition of this work: The Complete Works of Sri Aurobindo.- Set in 37 volumes.- Volume 1.- Early Cultural Writings (1890 — 1910).- Pondicherry: Sri Aurobindo Ashram, 2003.- 784 p.

¹ 2003.: Vyshampaian

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² 2003 ed.: Ugrosravas

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³ 2003 ed.: Bharatas

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⁴ 2003 ed.: Dhurmarajya

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⁵ 2003 ed.: poem

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