Unfortunately, the reading of Mahabharata has not been encouraged in the past as well as in the present. Because of its easy relevance and practical applications, attempts have been made to keep it away from the common people. In fact there is a myth, particularly in N. India, that if one keeps the Mahabharata at home, there shall be a war-like situation among the people in the home! Why nobody says that of other texts - whether Hindu or others? Has keeping the Bible or Quran, prevented wars? Have study of history prevented recurrence of any event?

So, it was against advice of many that I launched the reading of the original Maharshi Veda Vyaasa's Mahabharata. It comes in six big volumes published from Gita Press Gorakhpur. The original shloka in sanskrit is followed by a translation in Hindi.
Mahabharata = Bhagvad Gita + other stories

Bhagvad Gita is the essence of 'Sanatana Dharma'. It may appear to be a sermon to Arjuna before the great war but probably warfare is the least important aspect of the Book. The Battle of Kurukshetra is the smaller context the Battle within is addressed by Lord Krishna.The Gita equips us to handle everyday conflicts, tension, agitation, emotions, despondency, etc.

The Bhagvad Gita is terse and sometimes borders on the abstract. It is one of those things that need constant study. The Mahabharat, on the other hand is full of stories, advice and parables -- akin to the Holy Bible in this respect. Without doubt the Mahabharat is the easier to understand and practice as compared with the Bhagvad Gita.

Present day speakers on religion are quick to formulate their own rules regarding our texts. Speaker A on TV says that seva is the highest and none else, speaker B says gyan is the highest and none else, C says taking care ones family is the highest and none else and so on. If only they could remove superlatives and the none else from their speech. O God! there is so much of 'kalilam' (confusion) in the mind.

To remove these distortions, it is indeed wise to read the Mahabharata. The language is simple Sanskrit and the metre is like in the Bhagvad Gita -- easy to recite and understand. Unfortunately, even the translations of the Mahabharat are not easily available. Those that are, are poor transliterations. This prompted me to learn brush up my sanskrit. It is a bit like the hero of Maugham's 'The Razor's Edge' -- to read original classics he learns French, Greek and German.