Translation, Retelling, and Retranslation of the _Mahābhārata_

The two papers in this session consider issues in translation and retelling in the tradition of the _Mahābhārata_. Shankar Ramaswami’s paper compares the account in the _Mahābhārata_ of the snake sacrifice by Janamejaya with the retelling of it in Arun Kolatkar’s English poem “Sarpa Satra.” He argues that while Kolatkar’s poem suggests the contours of a non-anthropocentric vision of dharma (as that which sustains and promotes all life and the earth), this ideal is actually more fully developed in the critical edition of the _Mahābhārata_. Fred Smith’s paper approaches the ongoing project of translating the critical edition of the _Mahābhārata_ as an effort of retranslation, and describes the current publication plan. He compares examples from earlier efforts at translating segments of the text. Advances in translation methodology and cultural understanding can give greater focus to the meaning, intent, and comprehensibility of a received text.