The Mahabharata

by Traditionally attributed to Vyasa

Also known as: महाभारतम् (Mahābhārata)

"The Mahabharata explores dharma, the moral complexities of life, the inevitability of fate, and the search for righteousness amidst chaos. It serves as a mirror of the human condition and the cosmic struggle between order and disorder."

Type:Epic Poem

Source:Ancient India

Original Date:c. 900–800 BCE (oral tradition, early Iron Age India)

Written Date:c. 400 BCE – 400 CE (compiled in Sanskrit)

Length:18 books (~100 hours)

Summary

The Mahabharata is the monumental Sanskrit epic narrating the dynastic conflict between the Pandavas and the Kauravas, culminating in the Kurukshetra War. Interwoven into its vast scope are legends, moral parables, and philosophical discourses, the most famous being the Bhagavad Gita. Themes of duty, justice, fate, love, betrayal, and divine intervention pervade its many stories. It is both a historical myth and a spiritual guide, considered one of the foundational texts of Hindu thought and world literature.

Themes

Dharma and adharmaWar and peaceDivine incarnationDuty vs desireFate and free willFamily and betrayalCosmic order

Major Characters

KrishnaArjunaYudhishthiraBhimaNakulaSahadevaKarnaDuryodhanaDronaBhishmaDraupadiVyasa

Notable Quotes

"Time creates all things, and time destroys them all. Time burns all creatures, and time again extinguishes that fire."
Book 1

"You have the right to work, but never to the fruit of work."
Book 6

"Whenever righteousness wanes and unrighteousness increases, I manifest Myself."
Book 6

Notable Translations

Kisari Mohan Ganguli(1883)

First complete English translation (prose).

C. Rajagopalachari(1951)

Condensed prose retelling, very accessible.

J. A. B. van Buitenen(1973)

Scholarly but incomplete multi-volume translation.

Debroy, Bibek(2010)

Complete modern unabridged English translation.

John D. Smith(2009)

Modern abridged retelling.