In this remarkable study well-known biographer Rajmohan Gandhi underscoring the prominence in the Mahabharata of the revenge impulse follows its trajectory in South Asian history. Side by side he traces the role played by reconcilers up to present times beginning with the Buddha Mahavira and Asoka. His explanation of the 1947 division of India identifies the role of the 1857 Rebellion in shaping Gandhi's thinking and strategy and reflects on the wounds of Partition. The survey of post-Independen