Krishnavatara Volume IV The Book of Bhima

The Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan-that Institute of Indian Culture in Bombay-needed a Book University, a series of books which, if read, would serve the purpose of providing higher education. Particular emphasis, however, was to be put on such literature as revealed the deeper impulsions of India. As a first step, it was decided to bring out in English 100 books, 50 of which were to be taken in hand almost at once.

I is our intention to publish the books we select, not only in English, but also in the following Indian languages: Hindi Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam.

This scheme, involving the publication of 900 volumes, requires ample funds and an all-Indian organisation. The Bhavan is exerting its utmost to supply them.

The objectives for which the Bhavan stands are the reintegration of Indian culture in the light of modern knowledge and to suit our present-day needs and the resuscitation of its fundamental value in their pristine vigour.

Let me make our goal more explicit:
We seek the dignity of an, which necessarily implies the creation of social conditions which would allow him freedom to evolve along the lines of his own temperament and capacities; we seek the harmony of individual efforts and social relations, not in any make-shirt way, but within the frame-work of the Moral Order; we seek the creative art of life, by the alchemy of which human limitations are progressively transmuted, so that man become the instrument of God, and is able to see Him in al and all in Him.

The world, we feel, is too much with us. Nothing would uplift or inspire us so much as the beauty and aspiration which such books can teach.

In this series, therefore, the literature of India, ancient and modern, will be published in a form easily accessible to all. Books in other literatures of the world, if they illustrate the principles we stand for, will also be included.

This common pool of literature, it is hope, will enable the reader, eastern or western, to understand and appreciate currents of world thought, as also the movements of the mind in India, which, though they flow through different linguistic channels, have a common urge and aspiration.

Fittingly, the book University's first venture is the Mahabharata, summarized by one of the greatest living Indians, Rajagopalachari; the second work is on a section of it, the gita, by H. V. Divatia, an eminent jurist and a student of philosophy. Centuries ago, it was proclaimed of the Mahabharata: "What is not in it, is nowhere." After twenty-five centuries, we can use the same words about it. He who knows it not, knows not the heights and depths of the soul; he misses the trials and tragedy and the beauty and grandeur of life.

The Mahabharata is not a mere epic; it is a romance, telling the tale of heroic men and women and of some who were divine; it is a whole literature in itself, containing a code of life, a philosophy of social and ethical relations, and speculative thought on human problems that is hard to rival; but, above all, it has for its core the Gita, which is, as the world is beginning to find out, the noblest of scriptures and the grandest of sages in which the climax is reached in the wondrous Apocalypse in the Eleventh Canto.

Through such books alone the harmonies underlying rue culture, I am convinced, will one day reconcile the disorders of modern life.

I thank all those who have helped to make this new branch of the Bhavan's activity successful.

Kanaiyalal Maneklal Munshi's versatility and achievements were in a way unique. He was an eminent lawyer, one of the framers of India's constitution and a seasoned statesman. Coming under the inspiring influence of Sri Aurobindo during his student days, Munshi and been an ardent fighter for India's freedom, working at different stages in close association with Jinnah, Tilak, Besant, mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel and Pandit Nehru. His achievements as Home Minister of Bombay in 1937, as India's Agent-General in Hyderabad before the Police Action, as India's Food Minister and as Governor of Uttar Pradesh had been characterized by rare courage and decisive energy.

Acknowledged as the foremost writer in modern Gujarati literature, he has to his credit a vast and varied literature including novels, dramas, memoirs and history in Gujarati, as also several historical and other works in English, notably "Gujarat and Its Literature", "Imperial Gurjaras", "Creative Art of Life", "To Badrinath", "The End of an Era", "Krishnavatara", "Bhagavad Gita and Modern Life", "Saga of Indian Sculpture", "Bhagawan Parashurama", "Tapasvini" and "Prithvi Vallabh.

The Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan that Institute of Indian culture in Bombay needed a book University a series of books which if read would serve the purpose of providing higher education. Particular emphasis however was to be put on such literature as revealed the deeper impulsions of India. As a first step it was decided to bring out in English 100 books 50 of which were to be taken in hand almost at once.

It is our intention to publish the books we select not only in English but also in the following Indian languages Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam.

This scheme involving the publication of 900 volumes requires ample funds and an all India organization. The Bhavan is exerting its utmost to supply them.

The objectives for which the Bhavan stands are the reintegration of the Indian culture in the light of modern knowledge and to suit out present day needs and the resuscitation of its fundamental values in their pristine vigour.

We seek the dignity of man which necessarily implies the creation of social condition which would allow him freedom to evolve along the lines of his own temperament and capacities we seek the harmony of individual efforts and social relations not in my makeshift way but within the frame work of the moral order we seek the creative art of life by the alchemy of which human limitations are progressively transmuted so that man may become the instrument of God and is able to see him in all and all in him.

The world we feel is too much with us. Nothing would uplift or inspire us so much as the beauty and aspiration which such books can teach.

In this series therefore the literature of India ancient and modern will be published in a form easily accessible to all. Books in other literature of the world if they illustrate the principles we stand for will also be included.

This common pool of literature it is hoped will enable the reader eastern or western to understand and appreciate currents of world thought as also the movements of the mind in India though they flow through different linguistic channels have a common urge and aspiration.

Fittingly the book University’s first venture is the Mahabharata summarized by one of the greatest living Indians C. Rajagopalachari the second works is on a section of it the Gita by H.V. Divatia an eminent jurist and a student of philosophy. Centuries ago it was proclaimed of the Mahabharata what is not in it nowhere. After twenty five centuries we can us the same words about it. He who knows it not knows not the heights and depths of the soul he misses the trials and tragedy and the beauty and grandeur of life.

The Mahabharata is not a mere epic it is a romance telling the tale of heroic men and women and of some who were divine it is a whole literature in itself containing a code of life a philosophy of social and ethical relations and speculative thought on human problems that is hard to rival but above all it has for its core the Gita which is as the world is beginning to find out the noblest of scriptures and the grandest of sagas in which the climax is reached in the wondrous Apocalypse in the Eleventh Canto.

Through such books alone the harmonies underlying true culture I am convinced will one day reconcile the disorders of modern life.

I thank all those who have helped to make this new branch of the Bhavan’s activity successful.

Who has not heard of Sri Krishna who delivered the message of the Bhagavad Gita and whom the Bhagavat calls God Himself?

From the earliest days that my memories can go back to Sri Krishna Has been in a sense dominating my imagination. In my childhood I heard his adventures with breathless amazement. Since then I have read of him sung of him admired him worshipped him in a hundred temples and every year on his birthday at home. And day after day for years and years his message has been the strength of my life.

Unfortunately his fascinating personally which could be glimpsed in what may be called the original Mahabharata has been overlaid with legends myths miracles and adorations for about three thousand years.

Wise and valorous he as loving and loved far seeing and yet living for the moment gifted with sage like detachment and yet intensely human the diplomat the sage and the man of action with a personality as luminous as that of divinity.

The urge therefore came upon me time and again to embark upon a reconstruction of his life and adventures by weaving a romance around him.

It was an impossible venture but like hundreds of authors in all parts of India for centuries I could not help offering him whatever little of imagination and creative power I possessed feeble though they were.

I have called the whole work Krishnavatara the Descent of the Lord. The first Part which ends with the death of Kamsa has been named the magic flute for it deals with his boyhood associated with the flute which hypnotized men animals and birds alike sung with such loving tenderness by innumerable poets.

I have named the second part which ends with Rukmini Haran the wrath of an Emperor as the central theme the successful defiance by Sri Krishna of Jarasandha the Emperor of Magadha. The third part is entitled the five brothers and ends with Draupadi’s Swayamvara. The fourth Part is entitled the book of Bhima and the fifth part is entitled the book of Satyabhaama. The sixth part is entitled the book of Vyaasa the master.

I hope to carry forward the series till the episode when on the battle field of Kurukshetra Krishna reveals himself as the eternal Guardian of the Cosmic law Sasshvata Dharma Gopta to Arjuna if it is his will that I should do so.

I have followed the technique since 1922 to reconstruct the episodes connected with Chyavana and Lopamudra Vasishta and Vishwamitra Parashurama and Sahastarjuna is Vishvaratha, Deve Didheli, Vishwamitra Rishi, Lomaharshini and Bhagavan parashurama and now Sri Krishna and the heroes and heroines of Mahabharata in these volumes of Krishnavatra.

Time and again I have made it clear that none of these works is an English rendering of any old Purana.

In reconstructing Sri Krishna’s life and adventures I had like many of my predecessors to reconstruct the episodes inherited from the past so as to bring out his character attitude and outlook with the personality sustained technique of modern romance. I had also to give flash and blood to various obscure characters referred to in the Mahabharata.

In the course of this adventure I had often to depart from the legend and myth for such reconstruction by a modern author must necessarily involve the exercise of whatever little imagination he has. I trust he will forgive me for the liberty I am taking but must write of him as I see him in my imagination.