カルナとアルジュナ，そして『マハーバーラタ』研究のこれから : 川尻道哉『カルナとアルジュナ—『マハーバーラタ』の英雄譚を読む』書評論文

Kawajiri, M. Karṇa and Arjuna: Reading the Heroic Tales of the Mahābhārata, 2022 is a recent Japanese translation of Chapters 49–69 of the eighth book (Karṇaparvan) of the Mahābhārata with an introduction to the epic, the stories surrounding Karṇa and Arjuna, and their cultural backgrounds. The Mahābhārata was translated into Japanese up to 8.49.24 by the late Katsuhiko Kamimura, whose death in 2003 unfortunately brought the translation to an abrupt end; the remainder of the epic has been left untranslated since then. Kawajiri’s book is intended as a continuation of Kamimura’s unfinished work.
Although Kawajiri’s determination to publish an accessible Japanese translation of the Mahābhārata is commendable, the book contains multiple imprecise descriptions and sloppy translations, causing the reader unnecessary confusion. The present paper discusses the ungrounded arguments advanced in the introductory part of the book and offers our new annotated translations for Chapters 66–67. In doing so, the present work aims to set an academic standard for philological research in Sanskrit literature and envision the future of studying this great epic.