Taking Mahabharata beyond Bharat

In the city at the invitation of the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi,Knutson presented interesting insight on the Mahabharata,focusing on the in-built contradictions and antinomies in the text. Looking at the mahakavya from three different angles — that of dharma,kaal and yoga — Knutson,who has been studying the epic for decades now,talked about its complexities.

“Mahabharata is not just an Indian epic,it belongs to the tradition of the world literature. It may be regarded as a global text since it cuts across geographical boundaries,” says Knutson,who has also spent a long time time studying ancient Sanskrit texts in the company of Indian scholars.

Knutson says he is now studying the epic from a conceptual point of view. “There are so many concepts within,through and beyond the text,which I am pouring over,” says the scholar,who has even read the final books of the Mahabharata when the Pandavas march off to their death.

Besides studying the Mahabharata,Knutson is these days writing a book called Into The Crepuscule Of Sanskrit Court Poetry: The Sena Court of Bengal and Beyond,giving out his take on the 12-13th century court of Laksmananasena of Bengal.

Talking about Sanskrit,Knutson says the term “dying language” is very funny. “Sanskrit is a classical language,an ancient language,and is well-preserved. Yes,it’s not used in everyday life,for there are no career openings in the language. How many people in the US learn Latin or Greek?” he asks.