The Indonesian Mahabharata: Virataparva

The complete Indonesian Viraiaparva has been translated into English for. the first time in this work. The present rendering of the VirBtaparva is the second volume of the projected English translation of all the available parvas. Eight, out of eighteen, parvas are extant in old Javanese prose adaptations: all works of great literary merit. They were rendered into Javanese in the tenth century. The Indonesian Virgtaparva records the exact date of its premier recitation as 14 October 996. Simple and, lucid, it relates the story vividly in limpid fluency. It was composed undo* the patronage of King Dharmavam^a tiguh Ananta- vikram-ottungadeva, who was the ruler of East Java from AD 991 to 1016. The reign of King Dharmavamsa is well-known as the golden age of the Kadiri kingdom. During this period there was all-round prosperity not only in the material sense but also in other spheres, particularly in art and literature. The Indonesian Mahabharata is not a literal Kawi rendering of the Sanskrit text. It is an original text in Kawi, which has taken inspiration from the Indian Mahabharata. Mahabharata has evoked the subtlety and richness of the soul of Asia. Centuries have listened to its words, and witnessed presentations in the performing arts. Sanctuaries and palaces have seen its sculptures and paintings. In Indonesia, the Mahabharata has been most vibrant in literature as well as in the performing arts. Known in these isles as the AstBdasa-parva and in a shortened orm as Parva, it has continued to excite the creative talent of the people. It is a guide to profound unity of ritual and repertoire, myth and meaning, cosmic transcendance and intrinsic dynamism of life in South-East Asia, where the Epic has been written, recited,^ sculpted and performed over a millenium. The present English translation of one of the great classical Indonesian literary texts would be of helo not only to students of Indology, but also to others interested in the cultural development of South-East Asia in Ancient Times.