Has anyone read the Mahabharata? Why couldn't the Jewish writers write such good myths?

Question

Mythology is mythology, but it's nicer when it makes good reading... I much prefer the Mahabharata to all that begatting in the Old Testament. Genesis nearly killed me.

Answer 1

I have read Mahabharat. I havent read OT.

Though I know its not literally a historical document, its not pure imgaination either. Dwarka the city mentioned in Mahabharat has been found and it s date goes back to 7000 years. Aryan invasion theory has proven to be a myth after all. Saraswati was not imaginary but disappeared some 3000 years before. As new archeaolgical and stalite images have proved it. So the civilisation which developed around it and fought mahabharat , and wrote it , is older too.

Point is that Indian civilisation is way older and I guess it was more stablised and at its zenith at the time. So the literature written is of mature level.

Do not to others what ye do not wish
Done to yourself; and wish for others too
What ye desire and long for, for yourself — This is the whole of dharma — heed —it well.

— Veda Vyasa, The Mahabharata

Then many other factors are there. Around 2000 year ago constant attacks on Indian borders and wave after wave of invaders/settlers/refugees, lead to downhill of society and quality of literature changed. Indian Literature too saw many ups and downs.

Jewish writers wrote those stories when they were starting their civilization I guess?

Answer 2

Mahabharata is an account of a war errupted over land dispute between cousin brothers, which they say was the biggest war fought in india, among indians. The war killed so many people, that indian society went in decline afterwards.
So, Arab-Isreal war, America-Iraq war are the episodes of The contemperory great epic of today.

Answer 3

Yes, I can see how it's difficult to read all the way thru the Scriptures, some of it is tedious, but at the same time, it's good for us to do at least once in our lifetime!
Does everything always have to be fun and exciting? Sometimes it's good discipline for us to read thru something that isn't, and we just plow our way thru. Not everything, all the time is exciting, life is not this way either, and that's ok too.

Answer 4

yes i do agree with u. mahabharatha is a beautiful story told beautifully. it makes u read till the end. it has everything in it. love, romance, egoism, hatredness, jealousy, kindness, belief, spirituality, revenge, each & every aspect of human tendencies are dealt with. there is mathura , brindavan, dwaraka, jamuna river , kurukshetra, still in india as living proof for the story. it is a great mythology. reading that makes one understand that india was rich in culture, tradition, & one of the most advanced countries of that time.