Mahabharata

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The Mahabharata is one of the three major ancient Sanskrit epics of India. (The other two are the Ramayana and the Bhagavatam.) Traditionally ascribed to Vyasa, it is the third longest literary epic poem in the world. Besides being hailed as one of the greatest literary accomplishments of humanity, it is also of immense religious and philosophical importance in India. In particular, the Bhagavad Gita, which is one of its chapters (Bhishmaparva), summarizes the basic tenets of Hinduism.

1 Translation of title
2 Scope
3 Books
4 In modern times
5 External links
6 Relevant discussion threads

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Translation of title

The title may be translated as "History of the Great India" or, more accurately, "the Great Bharata Dynasty." Bharata means the progeny of Bharata, the king believed to have founded the Indian kingdom of Bharatavarsha. "Bharat" has equal status as the official name of India in all Indian governments today and is still commonly used today. The work is part of the Hindu itihaasas, literally "that which happened," along with the Puranas and Ramayana. The full version contains more than 100,000 verses, and is around 2.5 million words long. By comparison, the Christian Bible is around 775,000 words long.

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Scope

With its vast philosophical depth and sheer magnitude, a consummate embodiment of the ethos of not only India but of Hinduism and Vedic tradition, the Mahabharata's scope is best summarized by one quotation from the beginning of its first parva (section): "What is found here, may be found elsewhere. What is not found here, will not be found elsewhere." In its scope, the Mahabharata is more than simply a story of kings and princes, sages and wisemen, demons and gods. Its author, Vyasa, says that one of its aims is elucidating the four goals of life: kama (pleasure), artha (wealth), dharma (duty) and moksha (liberation). The story culminates in moksha, believed by many Hindus to be the ultimate goal of human beings. Karma and dharma play an integral role in the Mahabharata.

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Books

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

Adi-parva *Introduction, birth and upbringing of the princes. (Adi = first).
Sabha-parva *Life at the court, the game of dice, and the exile of the Pandavas. Maya Danava erects the palace and court (sabha), at Indraprastha.
Aranyaka-parva (also Vanaparva, Aranyaparva) *The twelve years in exile in the forest (aranya).
Virata-parva *The year in exile spent at the court of Virata.
Udyoga-parva *Preparations for war.
Bhishma-parva *The first part of the great battle, with Bhishma as commander for the Kauravas.
Drona-parva *The battle continues, with Drona as commander.
Karna-parva *The battle again, with Karna as commander.
Shalya-parva *The last part of the battle, with Shalya as commander.
Sauptika-parva *How Ashvattama and the remaining Kauravas killed the Pandava army in their sleep (Sauptika).
Stri-parva *Gandhari and the other women lament the dead (stri = woman).
Shanti-parva *The crowning of Yudhisthira, and his instructions from Bhishma (shanti = peace).
Anushasana-parva *The final instructions of Bhishma (anushasana = instruction .. also DISCIPLINE).
Ashvamedhika-parva *The royal ceremony or ashvamedha conducted by Yudhisthira.
Ashramavasika-parva *Dhritarashtra, Gandhari and Kunti leave for an ashram, and eventual death in the forest.
Mausala-parva *The infighting between the Yadavas with maces (mausala).
Mahaprasthanika-parva *The first part of the path to death of Yudhisthira and his brothers (mahaprasthana, the great journey = death).

Svargarohana-parva *The Pandavas return to the spiritual world (svarga = heaven).

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In modern times

Between 1919 and 1966, the scholars at the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune, compared the various manuscripts of the epic from India and abroad and produced a Critical Edition of the Mahabharata. This is the text that is usually used in current Mahabharata studies for reference. In the late 1980s, the Mahabharata was televised and shown on India's national TV (Doordarshan). Directed by B. R. Chopra and his son Ravi Chopra, it was immensely popular. In fact, it was so popular that streets were deserted when it was telecasted and even Cabinet meetings were re-scheduled so that Ministers could watch it. It was also shown in the UK by the BBC. The Mahabharata is arguably familiar to the vast majority of Hindus living in the Indian subcontinent, if not abroad. The most acclaimed and well known presentation of the epic to Western audiences is Peter Brook’s nine hour play premiered in Avignon in 1985 and its five hour movie version (1989), which was shown on other TV networks, including PBS. However, there have been film versions of the Mahabharata long before these various film versions. The earliest film version was shown in 1920 and there will be a film version released in 2007.

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