Mahabharata
Also known as: Mahābhārata, The Great Bharata, Mahabharat
The Mahabharata is the Sanskrit epic of the Kurukshetra War and the fate of the Kuru dynasty, embedding law, philosophy, and myth within a vast frame narrative. It culminates in the Bhagavad Gita and a moral reckoning of dharma, kinship, and kingship.
Description
Attributed to Vyasa, the Mahabharata weaves court intrigue, exile, and cataclysmic war into a capacious encyclopedia of ancient Indian myth and ethics. Its central conflict pits the five Pandava brothers and their allies against the Kauravas, climaxing on the plains of Kurukshetra, where Krishna counsels Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita. The poem integrates folktales, sage dialogues, cosmogonies, and royal sacrifices into a single narrative cosmos. Framed as recitations to King Janamejaya, it explores dharma’s ambiguities, the force of fate, and the costs of power. The epic’s concluding books move from grief and penance to renunciation and ascent, shifting from heroic action to philosophical reflection.
Historiography
Transmitted orally in bardic lineages, the epic accrued layers across centuries before stabilization in written redactions. Regional recensions (notably Northern and Southern) diverge in verses and episodes. The Critical Edition (BORI, Pune, 20th century) collates manuscripts to reconstruct an archetype, while major translations (Ganguli, Roy, van Buitenen, Debroy, Fitzgerald) reflect evolving philology. Reception spans ritual, drama, and political ethics, with enduring commentary traditions on the Bhagavad Gita and dharmaśāstra-related passages.
Date Notes
Layered composition over centuries; core heroic saga with later didactic and devotional strata; Harivamsa often treated as appendix (khila).
Major Characters
- Krishna
- Arjuna
- Yudhishthira
- Bhima
- Draupadi
- Duryodhana
- Karna
- Bhishma
- Drona
- Shakuni
- Kunti
- Pandu
Myths
- The Burning of the Lac House
- Draupadī’s Swayamvara
- The Dice Game and Exile
- The Bhagavad Gītā
- The Kurukṣetra War
- Bhīṣma on the Bed of Arrows
- The Yaksha’s Questions
- The Aśvamedha and the Departure
Facts
- Traditionally attributed to Vyasa, who also appears as a character and compiler within the narrative frame.
- The epic is organized into 18 parvas (books), with the Harivamsa as a khila (appendix).
- The Bhagavad Gita (700 verses) occurs in the Bhishma Parva as Krishna instructs Arjuna.
- Composed primarily in shloka meter (anuṣṭubh), with mixed meters in set pieces.
- The Critical Edition was produced at BORI (Pune) in the 20th century after collating hundreds of manuscripts.
- Often called the world’s longest epic: ~100,000 shlokas (~200,000 lines).
- Narrative frame: Ugrasravas Sauti recites to sages, recounting Vaishampayana’s recital to King Janamejaya.
- Explores dharma through dilemmas, oaths, and royal rituals such as rājasūya and aśvamedha.
- Kuru field (Kurukshetra) battle spans 18 days, mirroring the epic’s 18 books.
- Arjuna and Krishna are identified with Nara and Narayana in some passages, blending heroism and divinity.