The Forest of Stories (Book 1) Mahabharat Series by Ashok K. Banker

The Forest of Stories, Book One in Ashok Banker s long- awaited MBA Series, takes us deep into the haunted jungle of Naimisha-van. Here, at the ashram of Kulapati Shaunaka, a dusty traveller arrives with sad tidings: Maharishi Krishna Dweipayana Vyasa has passed on. Yet the great collator of the Vedas has left behind a fabulous legacy, the epic narrative poem called Maha Bharata. At the urging of the ashramites, the traveller Suta begins to recite the great composition, starting with the incredible creation myths and tales of gods and giants, snake- mothers and gargantuan eagles. And as the night wears on and the tale grows darker, he senses the presence of countless ghostly beings in the shadows beyond the flickering oil-lamps, the restless souls of the many millions butchered in the climactic war that ended the great tale itself, gathering now to hear the epic saga that led eventually to their destruction and the decimation of the Kuru Bharata race. 

Based on the original Sanskrit shlokas with vivid action-packed narration and descriptions, this sampoorn Mahabharata retelling brings to life all the magic and majesty, wonders and violence of the world s greatest epic..