Midwest Book Review
“Dharma successfully captures the mood and majesty of a rich and ancient epic and, in the process, does full justice to the critical elements of the complex story. A well-wrought saga that will be appreciated by Western readers and admirably serve to introduce a new generation to the rich spiritual, cultural, and historic legacy of India. Highly recommended.”
Mahesh Nair – India Today
“Rarely, if ever, has an ancient epic received such modern blockbuster treatment. The narrative moves effortlessly, often as racily as a thriller, without compromising the elevated style and diction. The visual imagery is every bit as impressive as anything achieved in the cinematic editions.”
James F. DeRoche – Library Journal
“Dharma’s Mahabharata is very readable, its tone elevated without being ponderous. Though condensed, it still runs to more than 900 pages and would interest all serious students of Hinduism. Recommended for academic libraries and public libraries with collections on religion.”
Rachel Styer – Magical Blend Magazine
“When I dove into the Mahabharata, I expected something along the lines of a dry Arabian Knights, but what I got was something else! Once I began to read, I just could not tear my mind away from the book. Even as I write this, my mind lingers on the glorious spiritual Indian mythology captured on its pages. If you are looking for a cross between Arthurian legends and cultural epic spiked with romance, and overarching spiritual guidance, Mahabharata is for you. Aside from the wonderful magical tales, the novel is an ancient authority on karma, reincarnation, and yoga.”
James Meek, The Guardian
“With its intense love scenes, jewelled palaces, vast battles, superheroes, magical weapons and warring families, the novelised version resembles a 20th century saga-cum-soap opera, a marriage of Barbara Taylor Bradford and Arthur Hailey. It has, after all, already been turned into a TV soap, broadcast earlier in the decade on the BBC.”
“This is a well written work that captures very successfully the Ramayana’s epic quality. I have studied the religion, taught it, and written about it for some years, and by reading this version of the epic the nuances of the Ramayana kept rising to the surface like bubbles in a boiling saucepan. It deserves to be popular and widely read. I am thankful for a good and thought-provoking read.”
Dr.Owen Cole PhD
Author and Lecturer in Religious Studies, Chichester College
“For anyone who has no previous acquaintance with the Ramayana, this translation provides an accessible form of its basic narrative, free of most of the accretions that have surrounded it over the centuries. This translation is more than a reworking, though, since it stays so close to the Valmiki Ramayana, and is rather a vivid retelling, with the religious message that it has acquired presented in a way adjusted to our times. Above all, it is to be commended for the way it brings the story to life.”
Professor J.L.Brockington, PhD
Department of Sanskrit, University of Edinburgh.
“Ramayana makes for lively reading as a good adventure and love story as well as a guide to spiritual practice. Dharma consulted several existing translations and the Adhyatma Ramayanato to produce a clear, contemporary, and highly readable rendering of this ancient Indian classic.”
David Bourquin
California State University (for Library Journal)
“A spellbinding adventure and a work of profound philosophy, offering answers to life’s deepest questions, Ramayana is a beautiful tale of romance and high adventure. Krishna Dharma has provided the English-speaking reader with a superb opportunity to discover and enjoy this ancient and influential classic.”
J.C.Andrew
The Midwest Book Review