The Digital Turn in the Sarala Mahabharata : Text Variance and Pedagogy

Abstract

Worldwide, digital scholarly editions are increasingly challenging the model of the definitive critical edition by displaying textual variants both to expose editorial processes and to invite readers to participate in editorial decision-making. This article is a case study of a project which reconceptualizes digital editions as participatory spaces that reflect the dialogic nature of manuscript culture. Drawing on my praxis as a scribbler-reader, where the act of teaching and engaging with texts is inseparable from the process of annotating, writing marginalia and symbolically marking texts, I collaborated with a team to develop the digital edition of the Sarala Mahabharata. Our edition does not announce itself as polished and final, and integrates annotations and textual variations, utilizing the web's full potential to create a layered environment. By doing this, we expose the process of textual reconstruction and invite reader engagement, in a way imitating the collaborative practices of historical textual communities. Acknowledging the complexities of text creation in manuscript cultures, this article illustrates and reflects upon both process and product, while asserting the need to preserve textual integrity.