Epic Liberation – James Fitzgerald

What does it mean to be free? One of the earliest overviews of yogic ideas is the *Mahābhārata*, whose epic stories include extensive teachings on philosophy and practice. These are detailed in a section called the *Mokṣadharma-parvan*, whose primary focus is liberating insight. James Fitzgerald has been working on this text for half a century. He recently published a full translation as part of a series begun by his mentor, Johannes van Buitenen. His work explores the *Mahābhārata* from multiple angles – as religious, philosophical and political literature, with a particular historical context. Our conversation reflects on how yoga relates to the battle at the heart of the narrative. This clash is preceded by the *Bhagavad-gītā* and followed by the twelfth book on peace (the *Śānti-parvan*), which contains the *Mokṣadharma* and echoes the *Gītā’s* principal themes, including devotion – here to Viṣṇu-Nārāyaṇa. It’s structured as a dialogue between Bhīṣma, the dying patriarch, and the new king Yudhiṣṭhira, who abhors the messy business of ruling and wants to renounce it. To persuade him to shoulder his duty for the greater good, Bhīṣma tells stories about yogic wisdom, which highlight the virtue of inner detachment. In the process, renunciate teachings – from Sāṃkhya philosophy to meditative practice and the precept of non-harming – are explained in depth. That raises the question of whether worldly action or turning inward is the highest objective. The result is a Brahmin synthesis that counters a challenge from Buddhists and Jains. -- 🔎 To explore yogic texts and traditions, join me for a course at truthofyoga.com 🙏 Your support makes this podcast sustainable – please consider subscribing or make a donation... It's greatly appreciated! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ancientfutures.substack.com/subscribe