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  • Difficulty of Being Good

  • Written by: Gurcharan Das
  • Narrated by: Pradeep Kumar
  • Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (68 ratings)

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Difficulty of Being Good

Written by: Gurcharan Das
Narrated by: Pradeep Kumar
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Publisher's Summary

Why be good? What exactly is dharma? How does one practice it; and to what effect? Gurcharan Das’ superb exposition of the dilemmas and ambiguities inherent in the Mahabharata shows us how we can come to terms with the uncertain ethics of the world today - a world that is uncannily similar to that of the great epic.

©2009 Gurcharan Das (P)2019 Random House Audio

What listeners say about Difficulty of Being Good

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Language issue

Cover of the book is in Hindi and it is narrated in English. Narration should also be in Hindi.

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5 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent but heavy

Das takes each character and investigates the ethics that their character is portraying or intending to portray. He remains mindful of his interpretation vs the interpretation of others with different political or religious orientations and offers a secular examination of India's greatest epic. Enjoyed how he places the book's events in modern context to examine how sibling rivalry may have played for the Ambani brothers for example in comparison to the Pandavas. Chapter 5 on Karna (and Ekalavya) was the most impactful for me since it addresses the most relevant topic of social justice and equity. The Mahabharata embraces inequity for its time and context but Das reminds us that the text is intended to make us challenge ourselves and is crystal clear through its entirety that it doesn't have any other certainty to offer. Certainty itself may be a cultural value denounced through this text. Philosophically gripping although cognitively heavy to consider and incorporate, this book is well worth the slow read for those who are philosophical and want to dig deeper into the Indian ethos.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

commendable study & analysis.

Despite his western education and employment, justice to the epic & ethos is done well.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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think

Very subtle explanation of Dharma.
ponder on more then ever . great work. 🤔

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Full of practical examples of following 'Dharm'

Thank you so much for providing an audio book of it. Truly mesmerising retelling of the great epic by comparing with contemporary world.

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Good read .

Loved it , long but good read bu gurucharan das . . . . .

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Om
  • 24-12-19

Mahabharata copy!

it's just narration of Mahabharata better to have own stories. should have included own life stories.

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    5 out of 5 stars

A brilliant study of a difficult subject

Gurcharan Das Dwells on the different faces of dharma in this brilliantly researched book using the stories in the Mahabharata as the backdrop. A brilliant work which makes you rethink the way you understand things.

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