Women of Mahabharata: Voices of Strength, Sacrifice, and Silence in an Epic of War and Dharma

Book Description

What if the soul of the Mahabharata lies not in its warriors, but in its women?

In Women of Mahabharata: Voices of Strength, Sacrifice, and Silence in an Epic of War and Dharma, author Pankaj Sharma offers a powerful and deeply researched literary journey into the lives of the women who shaped, suffered, resisted, and redeemed one of the world's greatest epics.

This book brings to light the often-overlooked voices of the Mahabharata-not just queens and wives, but sages, warriors, nurses, and divine beings. From Draupadi's defiant cry for justice to Kunti's maternal dilemmas, from Gandhari's curse to Amba's transformation, and from Subhadra's silence to Shikhandi's rebellion, each chapter offers an intimate and richly detailed portrait of women navigating love, loss, loyalty, and cosmic destiny.

Structured thematically and narratively, the book includes:

• Powerful character-based chapters exploring figures such as Draupadi, Kunti, Gandhari, Subhadra, Madri, Amba, Ulupi, Chitrangada, and many more

• Philosophical and feminist reflections on dharma, agency, silence, gender, and justice in the epic

• Reinterpretations of minor and forgotten women such as Hidimbi, Devayani, Lopamudra, Ghritachi, and tribal figures from the forest and margins

• A comprehensive epilogue on the eternal feminine in the Mahabharata and its relevance in the 21st century

• A full-length chapter on how modern scholars, writers, and artists are reclaiming the feminine narrative through literature, theatre, dance, and visual storytelling

More than a retelling, this is a reclamation. Women of Mahabharata re-examines the epic not just as mythology, but as a mirror to contemporary struggles for voice, identity, and moral courage. With poetic prose, narrative depth, and philosophical insight, the book uncovers how these women were not mere witnesses to war and dharma-but co-authors of its deepest moral questions.

Whether you are a reader of mythology, student of epics, feminist thinker, or a lover of Indian culture, this book will offer fresh perspective, emotional resonance, and timeless wisdom from the women who have too long remained in the shadows of Kurukshetra.