NISWARTHI UDYOGA PARVA

NISWARTHI UDYOGA PARVA

NISWARTHI UDYOGA PARVA

An English Translation
A Metrical Rendering of the Udyoga Parva in the Haryanvi Folk Tradition

Book Details

• Title: Niswarthi Udyoga Parva
  
  

• Original Hindi Work: Niswarthi Udyoga Parva
  
  

• Original Author: Ashok Kumar Jakhar “Niswarthi”
  
  

• English Transcreation: Anand Kumar Ashodhiya
  
  

• Publisher: Avikavani Publishers
  (Self-publishing imprint of Anand Kumar Ashodhiya)
  
  

• Place of Publication: Shahpur Turk, Sonipat, Haryana, India
  
  

• ISBN: 978-93-5525-694-2
  
  

• Edition: First Edition, 2025
  
  

• Presented by: Anand Kumar Ashodhiya for Avikavani Publishers
  
  

About the Book

NISWARTHI UDYOGA PARVA: An English Translation is a significant literary and cultural work that brings together the classical ethical vision of the Mahabharata and the living folk-poetic tradition of Haryana. This volume offers a metrical English transcreation of the Udyoga Parva—the Book of Effort—rendered originally in the Haryanvi folk–bhajan style by Ashok Kumar Jakhar, known by his pen name “Niswarthi” (The Selfless).

The Udyoga Parva occupies a pivotal position in the Mahabharata. It marks the moment when all possibilities of peace and diplomacy have been exhausted, and righteous effort stands on the threshold of inevitable war. Rather than presenting this parva merely as a historical or political failure, Niswarthi reinterprets it as a profound meditation on selfless action (Niswartha Karma)—the moral duty to act rightly without attachment to outcome.

The Folk–Epic Synthesis

The defining literary achievement of this work lies in its folk–bhajan structure. By casting the philosophical and diplomatic tensions of the Udyoga Parva into rhythmic, devotional compositions, the original author transforms epic discourse into an accessible and performative form. The bhajan metre allows the epic to be sung, remembered, and lived within the oral cultural spaces of Haryana—village baithaks, satsangs, and community gatherings.

This approach democratises classical literature, bringing epic ethics out of scholarly exclusivity and into the collective consciousness of the people.

An Act of Cultural Transcreation

The English rendering by Anand Kumar Ashodhiya is not a literal translation but an act of cultural transcreation. The challenge lay in preserving three essential elements simultaneously:

1. The ethical depth of the Mahabharata narrative
   
   

2. The devotional bhava of the bhajan tradition
   
   

3. The metrical rhythm and oral cadence of Haryanvi folk poetry
   
   

Ashodhiya’s transcreation succeeds in maintaining the musical flow, moral gravity, and epic momentum of the original, making the work accessible to global readers while remaining faithful to its regional soul. The translation serves as a cultural bridge, introducing international audiences to a uniquely Haryanvi interpretation of the Mahabharata.

The work is also deeply rooted in parampara, respectfully dedicated to the translator’s cultural guru, Late Paleram Dahiya Halalpuriya, affirming its authenticity within the living folk tradition.

Cultural and Literary Significance

This volume stands as:

• A regional contribution to the global Mahabharata tradition
  
  

• A documentation of Haryanvi folk epic practice
  
  

• A model of ethical literature grounded in selflessness and duty
  
  

• A resource for scholars, performers, and cultural historians
  
  

It confirms that India’s regional poetic traditions are not relics of the past, but vibrant, evolving carriers of epic wisdom.

About the Translator

Anand Kumar Ashodhiya is a poet, cultural documentarian, translator, and publisher, and the founder of Avikavani Publishers. A retired Indian Air Force Warrant Officer, he has devoted his post-service life to preserving and reinterpreting Indian folk and classical traditions through literature.

His work spans Hindi, Haryanvi, and English, with a special focus on epic reinterpretation, folk poetics, and cultural transcreation. Ashodhiya’s translations are marked by ethical sensitivity, metrical discipline, and deep respect for oral traditions, making regional literature accessible to wider national and international audiences.

“Niswarthi Udyoga Parva” is not merely a translation—it is a testament to selfless effort, cultural continuity, and the enduring moral voice of the Indian epic tradition.