Hello and Jai Guru Deva, Fall of ‘24 Mahabharata explorers!
Some of our group have already begun reading, and others are waiting until Monday, the 16th, to crack open Volume 1.
Either way, reading the Indian names and Sanskrit terms in the story can feel daunting.
We want the story to be able to flow as much as possible without tripping over a mental hurdle every time we see a name like, “Dhritarashtra,” or “Yudhishtira.”
No one expects you to have perfect pronunciation. In fact, I’ve been reading and talking about these stories for 7 years and I still don’t have it all correct.
I do make my best attempt, however, and am encouraging you to do the same.
Why?
These aren’t merely the complicated names of characters in a book.
These are the names of archetypal personalities living on a more subtle layer of consciousness. Within each name lies the intelligence of the principles of the Veda, expressed through the thoughts, words, and deeds of the actor in the play.
It would be impolite to meet a King named, Dhritarashtra, in real life, and instead of attempting to say his name properly, you asked, “mind if I call you King Dee?”
That said, the King will find your sincerest attempt endearing even if you make a total mess of it.
So here we go. I batched the names in small groups based on the characters we’ll be coming across the most in the first section. While we want to make our best attempt, we can also relax and enjoy. Be easy. Respect and reverence go a long way with these intelligences.
With love,
Jamey
Go ahead and hit play as you read along each group.
Matsyagandhi
Parashara
Vyasa
King Shantanu
Ganga
Bhishma (also spelled Bheeshma)
Amba, Ambalika, Ambika
Dhritarastra
Pandu
Vidura
Durvasa
Kunti
Madri
Surya
Dharma
Vayu
Indra
Aswins
Krishna
Balarama
Yudhishtira
Bhima
Arjuna
Nakula
Sahadeva
Draupadi
Duryodhana
Dusasana
Karna
Brahma, Vishnu, Siva
