Destiny and Human Initiative in the Mahabharata
eBook - PDF

Destiny and Human Initiative in the Mahabharata

  1. 247 pages
  2. English
  3. PDF
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

Destiny and Human Initiative in the Mahabharata

About this book

Destiny and Human Initiative in the Mahabharata explores this epic's ongoing polemic regarding free will in the face of destiny. While the belief that human history is governed exclusively by external forces is evident in the Mahabharata, the epic also contains the commanding message of Kr's'n'a that the lives of individuals and societies may, and should indeed, be changed for the better through human initiative. Woods maintains that the resolution of this conundrum emerges from the epic's view of what it is to be a human being. We may harbor ideas about our self-determination and freedom, but the epic reveals that we are not at all free but trapped in a vicious cycle of birth and death that can be broken only when we realize that our precious ego-self with its sense of agency is a mental fiction. The Mahabharata admits to a modicum of freedom in everyday life which, from a higher perspective, is nothing but destiny in disguise.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, you can cancel anytime from the Subscription tab in your account settings on the Perlego website. Your subscription will stay active until the end of your current billing period. Learn how to cancel your subscription.
At the moment all of our mobile-responsive ePub books are available to download via the app. Most of our PDFs are also available to download and we're working on making the final remaining ones downloadable now. Learn more here.
Perlego offers two plans: Essential and Complete
  • Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
  • Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Both plans are available with monthly, semester, or annual billing cycles.
We are an online textbook subscription service, where you can get access to an entire online library for less than the price of a single book per month. With over 1 million books across 1000+ topics, we’ve got you covered! Learn more here.
Look out for the read-aloud symbol on your next book to see if you can listen to it. The read-aloud tool reads text aloud for you, highlighting the text as it is being read. You can pause it, speed it up and slow it down. Learn more here.
Yes! You can use the Perlego app on both iOS or Android devices to read anytime, anywhere — even offline. Perfect for commutes or when you’re on the go.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Yes, you can access Destiny and Human Initiative in the Mahabharata by Julian F. Woods in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Theology & Religion & Asian Literary Criticism. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Destiny and Human Initiative in the Mahabharata
  2. Contents
  3. Preface
  4. 1. Introduction
  5. 2. Hermeneutical Perspectives
  6. 3. Cosmic Destiny
  7. 4. Personal Destiny
  8. 5. Destiny and Human Initiative
  9. 6. Action and Contemplation
  10. 7. The Path of the Warrior
  11. 8. Action and Retribution
  12. 9. The Path of Self-Determination
  13. 10. Conclusion
  14. Appendix: Some Notes on Scholarship
  15. Notes
  16. Figure: Family Connections in the Mahabharata
  17. Glossary of Proper Names
  18. Glossary of Sanskrit Terms
  19. Bibliography
  20. Index