<DIV><DIV></div> <B>A new selection from the national epic of India</B><BR><BR> Originally composed in Sanskrit sometime between 400 BC and 400 AD, <I>The Mahabharata</I>-with one hundred thousand stanzas of verse-is one of the longest poems in existence. At the heart of the saga is a conflict between two branches of a royal family whose feud culminates in a titanic eighteen-day battle. Exploring such timeless subjects as <I>dharma</I> (duty), <I>artha</I> (purpose), and <I>kama</I> (pleasure) in a mythic world of warfare, magic, and beauty, this is a magnificent and legendary Hindu text of immense importance to the culture of the Indian subcontinent.<BR><BR></DIV>