Reviews
Summary
The review section covers two works. The first is Fascicule 9 of the critical edition of the Mahabharata’s Udyogaparvan, part of an ongoing project by the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute to produce a reliable text of the epic. Edited by Dr. R. K. De, the fascicule comprises the first half of the Udyogaparvan. The reviewer notes that about forty manuscripts representing different recensions were collated and that variants from commentaries by scholars such as Devabodha, Sarvajnanarayana, Arjunamishra, Nilakantha and Sankaracharya were considered. None of the commentaries presents an unmixed text; Nilakantha’s version is a conflated one and Arjunamishra’s occasionally diverges from the Bengali manuscripts. The edition shows that the Udyogaparvan contains relatively few long interpolations, and the editor points out that many didactic verses in the Prajagara sub-parvan appear in other parts of the Mahabharata, the Ramayana, the Manusmriti and popular tale collections. The reviewer praises the thoroughness of the editorial notes and points out minor printing errors. The second review discusses Nandalal Chatterji’s “Mir Qasim: Nawab of Bengal.” The book examines the personality of Mir Qasim rather than the political context. The reviewer argues that Chatterji wrongly dismisses the Nawab’s patriotic motives, portraying him as a tyrant; the reliance on pro-English sources results in bias. The author criticises Chatterji’s attempt to explain away the oppressive behaviour of East India Company’s agents while condemning Mir Qasim’s actions. They highlight that the central dispute between the Nawab and the English concerned the Company’s claim of duty-free inland trade versus the Nawab’s right to regulate internal commerce and administer justice. The reviewer suggests that the book fails to adequately consider the Nawab’s perspective and oversimplifies the causes of conflict.
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Conclusion
The reviews underscore the continuing efforts of Indian scholars to produce critical editions of foundational texts and to reassess historical figures. The Udyogaparvan edition demonstrates meticulous philological work and draws attention to the complex transmission history of the Mahabharata. Conversely, the review of “Mir Qasim” warns against uncritical reliance on colonial sources and highlights the need for balanced interpretations of early colonial encounters. Together, the reviews reflect a critical engagement with both classical literature and modern historiography.