Mahabharata

Also known as Jaya, Mahâbhârata, Mahābhārata, Mahabharatam

The Mahābhārata ( ; , , ) is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics of Hinduism known as the Itihasas, the other being the Ramayana. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kurukshetra War, a war of succession between two groups of princely cousins, the Kauravas and the Pāṇḍavas. It contains philosophical and devotional material, such as a discussion of the four "goals of life" or puruṣārtha (12.161). Among the principal works and stories in the Mahābhārata are the Bhagavad Gita, the story of Damayanti, Shakuntala, Pururava and

AI overview

The Mahābhārata is an ancient Sanskrit epic from India that tells the story of a great war of succession between two groups of royal cousins, the Kauravas and the Pāṇḍavas, along with its aftermath. It is one of the two most important epics in Hinduism and includes philosophical and devotional material, most notably the Bhagavad Gita, making it significant for both its narrative and spiritual teachings.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Book · Open Library

Author: Bibek Debroy
First published: 2010
Editions: 25

via Open Library

Key facts

Religious text.name: Mahabharata
Religious text.image: Kurukshetra.jpg
Religious text.alt: Mahabharata
Religious text.caption: Manuscript illustration of the Battle of Kurukshetra
Religious text.author: Vyasa
Religious text.period: circa 8th century BCE – 3rd century BCE Principally compiled in 3rd century BCE – 4th century CE
Religious text.religion: Hinduism
Religious text.language: Sanskrit
Religious text.verses: 100,000
Religious text.native_wikisource: महाभारतम्
Religious text.orig_lang_code: sa
Religious text.wikisource: Mahabharata
Religious text.chapters: 18 Parvas

via Wikipedia infobox

~53 min read

Encyclopedic overview

33 sections

Contents

Textual history and structure
Accretion and [[Redaction (editorial synthesis)|redaction]]
Historical references
The 18 parvas or books
Historical context
Synopsis
The older generations
The Pandava and Kaurava princes
Lakshagraha (the house of lac)
Marriage to Draupadi
Indraprastha
The dice game
Exile and return
The battle at Kurukshetra
The end of the Pandavas
The reunion
Themes
Just war
Translations, versions and derivative works
Translations
''Critical Edition''
Regional versions
Derivative literature
In film and television
Other adaptations
In folk culture
Jain version
Kuru family tree
Cultural influence
Explanatory notes
Citations
General sources
External links

thumb|right|upright=1.1|Krishna and [[Arjuna at Kurukshetra, 18th–19th-century painting]] Traditionally, the authorship of the Mahābhārata is attributed to Vyāsa. There have been many attempts to unravel its historical growth and compositional layers. The bulk of the Mahābhārata was probably compiled between the 3rd century BCE and the 3rd century CE, with the oldest preserved parts not much older than around 400 BCE. The text probably reached its final form by the early Gupta period ().

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Mahabharata” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.