Mahabharata. Three Great Legends of Ancient India

"Mahabharata" and "Ramayana" are the most important monuments of ancient Indian creativity. The authors of this edition, like N. A. Kun in his "Myths of Ancient Greece", have made a literary adaptation of the epic: they have dressed it in... prose form and adapted it for modern readers.
 
In essence, "Mahabharata" and "Ramayana" are similar to Homer's "Iliad" and "Odyssey". The "Ramayana" resonates with the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, as well as with the fairy tale epic "Ruslan and Ludmila" by Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin.
 
The book begins with "The Tale of Rama" — a gripping story about the abduction of the beautiful Sita by the terrible Ravana, the lord of the rakshasas. Rama, along with an army of monkeys, sets out to find his beloved, overcoming various obstacles that arise along their way.
 
"The Tale of Krishna" narrates the earthly life of the incarnation of Vishnu. The cruel king Kansa was foretold to die at the hands of the eighth son of his sister. Miraculously, Krishna survives. From a young age, he astounds those around him with his strength and agility. Like the cunning Odysseus, Krishna defeats his enemies.
 
The edition is illustrated with 17 watercolors by the famous Moscow artist Alexander Vasilyevich Melikhov.
 
For those interested in Ancient India, the edition includes an article explaining the specifics of working on the interpretation of literary monuments.