Mahabharata

The Mahabharata (phonetically Mahābhārata - see note), sometimes just called Bharata, is one of the great mythological epics of India. It is traditionally attributed to Vyasa, who is also one of the characters within the epic. The title may be translated as "The Great Story of the Bhāratas" (bhārata means the son/progeny of Bharata, the king believed to have founded the Bhāratavarsha (another name for India)). The work is part of the Hindu Smriti. The full version contains more than 100,000 verses, making it around four times longer than the Bible.

The core story of the work is that of a dynastic struggle for the throne of Hastinapura, the kingdom of the Kuru clan. The two cousin branches of the family that participate in the struggle are the Kauravas, the elder branch of the family, and the Pandavas, the younger branch. The struggle culminates in the great battle at Kurukshetra, and the Pandavas are victorious in the end. Hastinapura and the immediately surrounding kingdoms are based in the Doab, the region of the upper Ganges and Yamuna rivers, to the north of Delhi. Much of the rest of northern India also features in the story.

The Mahabharata is thought to have been derived from what was originally a much shorter work, called Jaya (Victory). While the dating of these is unclear, the events of the story may be reliably placed in early India, before the time of Mahavira and the Buddha. From this early beginning, the story was developed in its present form during the establishment of Classical Hinduism (also called the Brahminical religion), from which modern Hinduism was developed.

Over time, many other stories and works have come to be included in the story. Their relevance and importance to the main storyline varies, but many of them are now considered an integral part of the work, even though they often are told separately. The most important of these works is the Bhagavad Gita, in which Krishna teaches and advises Arjuna on his duty. Associated with this, is the story of Krishna himself.

Like much of other early Indian literature, it was often transmitted by oral means through the generations. This made it easier for additional episodes and stories to be interpolated within it. It also resulted in regional variations developing. However, the variation has in most cases been in the new additions, and not in the original story.

The story is often presented as a simple story of good winning over evil, of the victory of the rightful heirs to the throne over their enemies. However, the characters and story-line are much more complicated than that, and this undoubtedly contributes to its importance and appeal. The 'good' characters show weaknesses and faults. The 'evil' characters show nobility and grace. The occupation of the throne by the younger branch of the family can be seen as an usurpation, and much of the story as an attempt to justify it.

During the 20th century, scholars have used the earliest existing copies of the work in their regional variations, to develop a composite reference work known as the Critical Edition of the Mahabharata. This project was completed in 1966 at the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune.

The Mahabharata is written in eighteen parvas (chapters or books) which are:

1. Adiparva - Introduction, birth and upbringing of the princes. (Adi = first).
2. Sabhaparva - Life at the court, the game of dice, and the exile of the. Pandavas. Maya Danava erects the palace and court (sabha), at Indraprastha
3. Aranyakaparva (also Vanaparva, Aranyaparva) - The twelve years in exile in the forest (aranya) .
4. Virataparva - The year in exile spent at the court of Virata.
5. Udyogaparva - Preparations for war.
6. Bhishmaparva - The first part of the great battle, with Bhishma as commander for the Kauravas.
7. Dronaparva - The battle continues, with Drona as commander.
8. Karnaparva - The battle again, with Karna as commander.
9. Salyaparva - The last part of the battle, with Salya as commander.
10. Sauptikaparva - How Ashvattama and the remaining Kauravas killed the Pandava army in their sleep (Sauptika).
11. Striparva - Gandhari and the other women lament the dead (stri = woman)
12. Shantiparva - The crowning of Yudhisthira, and his instructions from Bhishma (shanti = peace).
13. Anushasanaparva - The final instructions of Bhishma (anushasana = instruction).
14. Ashvamedhikaparva - The royal ceremony or ashvameda conducted by Yudhisthira.
15. Ashramavasikaparva - Dhritarashtra, Gandhari and Kunti leave for an ashram, and eventual death in the forest.
16. Mausalaparva - The infighting between the Yadavas with maces (mausala).
17. Mahaprasthanikaparva - The first part of the path to death of Yudhisthira and his brothers (mahaprasthana = death).
18. Svargarohanaparva - The Pandavas return to the spiritual world (svarga = heaven).

There also exists an appendix of 16,375 verses, the Harivamsaparva.

Among the principal works and stories that are included in the Mahabharata are the following. These can all be found as separate works.

1. Bhagavad Gita (Krishna instructs and teaches Arjuna. Bhishmaparva.)
2. Damayanti (or Nala and Damayanti, a love story. Aranyakaparva.)
3. Krishnavatara (the story of Krishna, which is woven through many chapters of the story)
4. Rama (an abbreviated version of the Ramayana. Aranyakaparva.)
5. Rsyasrnga (also written as Rishyashringa, the one horned boy and rishi. Aranyakaparva.)

See also: Ramayana

External Links

• Full etext in devanagari and in transliterated Sanskrit:
  • http://www.hindunet.org/mahabharata/
  • http://bombay.oriental.cam.ac.uk/john/mahabharata/statement.html (requires free registration and license agreement)
• Brief Summary of the Mahabharata in English
• More detailed, book-by-book summary
• The Date Of The Mahabharata War

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Crosswords: Mahabharata

English words defined with "Mahabharata": Bhagavad-Gita. (references)