Shanti Parva

The Shanti Parva (Sanskrit: शान्ति पर्व; IAST: Śānti parva; "Book of Peace") is the twelfth of eighteen books of the Indian Epic Mahabharata. It traditionally has 3 parts and 365 chapters.[1][2] The critical edition has 3 parts and 353 chapters.[3][4] It is the longest book among the eighteen books of the epic.

The book is set after the war is over- the two sides have accepted peace and Yudhishthira starts his rule of the Pandava kingdom. The Shanti parva recites the duties of the ruler, dharma and good governance, as counseled by the dying Bhishma and various Rishis.[5] The parva includes many fables such as that of "the fowler and pigeons". The book also provides what some have described as a "theory of varna" as well as a comparative discussion between a rule of truth versus a rule of rituals, declaring truth to be far superior over rituals.[6] Shanti parva has been widely studied for its treatises on jurisprudence, prosperity and success.[7][8]

Scholars have questioned whether parts or all of the parva was inserted or interpolated at a later age.[9][10]

  1. ^ Ganguli, K.M. (1883-1896) "Shanti Parva" in The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa (12 Volumes). Calcutta
  2. ^ Dutt, M.N. (1903) The Mahabharata (Volume 12): Shanti Parva. Calcutta: Elysium Press
  3. ^ van Buitenen, J.A.B. (1973) The Mahabharata: Book 1: The Book of the Beginning. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, pp 477-478
  4. ^ Debroy, B. (2010) The Mahabharata, Volume 1. Gurgaon: Penguin Books India, pp xxiii - xxvi
  5. ^ S. N. Mishra (2003). Public governance and decentralisation, Vol. 1. Mittal Publications. p. 935. ISBN 81-7099-918-9.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference jm was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Sivakumar & Rao (2010), An integrated framework for values-based management – Eternal guidelines from Indian ethos, International Journal of Indian Culture and Business Management, 3(5), pages 503-524
  8. ^ Harrop Freeman (1959), An Introduction to Hindu Jurisprudence, The American Journal of Comparative Law, 8(1), pages 29-43
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference vss was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ V.V. Iyer (1922), Notes on a study of the preliminary chapters of The Mahabharata - An attempt to separate genuine from spurious matter, Ramaswami Sastrulu & Sons, Madras, pages 270-282, also see pages 1-19