The Cilappatikäram - Introduction

Thus the Indian and Greek worldviews are fundamentally different. Faced with the inevitability of death, the Indian mind turns to metaphysical reflection while the Greek mind engages itself with life more fully and urgently. This difference is reflected in their epics. Consistent with the four ends of humans, the protagonists in the Indian epics are urged to renounce this world as unreal and to seek enlightenment. The protagonists in the Greek epics, on the other hand, cherish life and enjoy it to the utmost. While Homer lies embalmed in a book and is the special preserve of scholars, the daily life of the Hiindus continues to resonate with the uplifting stories from their epics.