The Mahabharata is dauntingly long, of course, so to get a sense of it before perhaps someday reading it all the way through in Bibek Debroy's full translation, I wanted to check out the abridged version published by Penguin.
It's abridged and, from what can gather, translated into prose, and I wanted to know if this is a worthwhile translation. The issue so far has been that it seems someone has either read the John D. Smith translation and nothing else (and thus can't really compare) or that they have read the original but not John D. Smith's translation (and thus also can't really compare). An ideal answer would be from someone who has read The Mahabharata in the original as well as in Smith's translation and could give a fair accounting, but that seems like much to ask. In lieu of that, if anyone here has any experience with any of the Sanskrit original or perhaps just a deep enough understanding of Hindu literature and philosophy in general, I would love to hear your thoughts on this translation.
Thanks for any help!
by so_sads