On Sukthankar’s ‘S’ and Some Shortsighted Assessments and Uses of the Pune Critical Edition (CE)

Abstract

Hiltebeitel—one of the most prominent voices in Mahābhārata studies—revisits the assumptions of V. S. Sukthankar, lead editor of the Critical Edition. He critiques “shortsighted” scholarly tendencies that treat the CE as an oracle while ignoring its limitations and the significance of vernacular recensions. Hiltebeitel argues that the CE must be balanced by a literary appreciation of the epic as theological narrative, not just a field for textual archaeology.