Mahabharata
ancient Sanskrit epic by Vyasa
By Veda Vyasa
ancient Sanskrit epic by Vyasa
By Veda Vyasa
The Mahabharata (Sanskrit: महाभारतम्) [10] is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India revered in Hinduism, the other being the Ramayana [11]. Classified as an epic poem [5] and belonging to the category of Itihasa [3], it is also classed among smriti texts and is sometimes called the fifth Veda within the Indian tradition [9][11]. Its title is variously translated as "Great Bharat (India)," "the story of the great descendants of Bharata," or "The Great Indian Tale" [9].
The work narrates events before, during, and after the Kurukshetra War, a conflict of succession between two groups of princely cousins, the Kauravas and the Pandavas [2]. It also contains philosophical and devotional material, including discussion of the four goals of life, or purushartha [2]. Among its principal constituent works are the Bhagavad Gita, the stories of Damayanti, Shakuntala, Savitri and Satyavan, and an abbreviated version of the Ramayana [2]. Its cast of characters includes Arjuna, Krishna, Duryodhana, Yudhishthira, Bhima, Karna, and Draupadi, among others [7].
In terms of scale, the Mahabharata's longest version consists of over 100,000 shlokas and more than 200,000 individual lines, making it one of the longest epic poems known [9].
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