Mahabharata

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The Mahābhārata (महाभारत) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the other being the Rāmāyaṇa.

With more than 74,000 verses, long prose passages, and about 1.8 million words in total, the Mahābhārata is one of the longest epic poems in the world. Including the Harivaṃśa, the Mahabharata has a total length of more than 90,000 verses.

The title may be translated as "the great tale of the Bhārata Dynasty", according to the Mahābhārata's own testimony extended from a shorter version simply called Bhārata of 24,000 verses The epic is part of the Hindu itihāsa, literally "that which happened", which includes the Ramayana but not the Purāṇas.

Contents

Period of Mahabharata

The earliest known references to the Mahabharata and its core Bharata date back to the 6th-5th century B.C., in the Ashtadhyayi (sutra 6.2.38) of Pāṇini (c. 520-460 B.C.), and in the Ashvalayana Grhyasutra (3.4.4). This may suggest that the core 24,000 verses, known as the Bharata, as well as an early version of the extended Mahabharata, were composed by the 6th-5th century B.C., with parts of the Jaya's original 8,800 verses possibly dating back as far as the 9th-8th century B.C.[1]

The story in brief

The core story of the work is that of a dynastic struggle for the throne of Hastinapura, the kingdom ruled by the Kuru clan. The two collateral branches of the family that participate in the struggle are the Kaurava and the Pandava. Although the Kaurava is the senior branch of the family, Duryodhana, the eldest Kaurava, is younger than Yudhisthira, the eldest Pandava. Both Duryodhana and Yudhisthira claim to the first in line to inherit the throne.

The struggle culminates in the great battle of Kurukshetra, in which the Pandavas are ultimately victorious. The battle produces complex conflicts of kinship and friendship, instances of family loyalty and duty taking precedence over what is right, as well as the converse.

The Mahabharata itself ends with the death of Krishna, and the subsequent end of his dynasty, and ascent of the Pandava brothers to heaven. It also marks the beginning of the Hindu age of Kali (Kali Yuga), the fourth and final age of mankind, where the great values and noble ideas have crumbled, and man is heading toward the complete dissolution of right action, morality and virtue.

The Parvas

The Harivamsa consists of the final two of the 100 sub-parvans, and was considered an appendix (khila) to the Mahabharata proper by the redactors of the 18 parvas. The division of Mahabharata into 18 parvans is as follows:

Parva title Sub-Parvas Contents
1 Adi Pparva (The Book of the Beginning) 1-19 Introduction, birth and upbringing of the princes. History of the Bharata race and also traces history of the Bhrigu race. (adi means first)
2 Sabha Parva (The Book of the Assembly Hall) 20-28 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 Aranyaka Parva (also Vana Parva, Aranya Parva) (The Book of the Forest) 29-44 The twelve years in exile in the forest (aranya).
4 Virata Parva (The Book of Virata) 45-48 The year in exile spent at the court of Virata.
5 Udyoga Parva (The Book of the Effort) 49-59 Preparations for war (udyoga means effort or work)
6 Bhishma Parva (The Book of Bhishma) 60-64 The first part of the great battle, with Bhishma as commander for the Kauravas.
7 Drona Parva (The Book of Drona) 65-72 The battle continues, with Drona as commander.
8 Karna Parva (The Book of Karna) 73 The battle again, with Karna as commander.
9 Shalya Parvan (The Book of Shalya) 74-77 The last part of the battle, with Shalya as commander.
10 Sauptika Parva (The Book of the Sleeping Warriors) 78-80 How Ashwathama and the remaining Kauravas killed the Pandava army in their sleep (sauptika).
11 Stri Parva (The Book of the Women) 81-85 Gandhari and the other women (stri) lament the dead.
12 Shanti Parva (The Book of Peace) 86-88 The crowning of Yudhisthira, and his instructions from Bhishma. This is the longest book of the Mahabharata (shanti means peace).
13 Anusasana Parva (The Book of the Instructions) 89-90 The final instructions (anusasana) from Bhishma.
14 Ashvamedhika Parva (The Book of the Horse Sacrifice) [2] 91-92 The royal ceremony of the ashvamedha conducted by Yudhisthira.
15 Ashramavasika Parva (The Book of the Hermitage) 93-95 Dhritarashtra, Gandhari and Kunti leave for an ashrama, and eventual death in the forest.
16 Mausala Parva (The Book of the Clubs) 96 The infighting between the Yadavas with maces (mausala).
17 Mahaprasthanika Parva (The Book of the Great Journey) 97 The first part of the path to death (mahaprasthana "great journey") of Yudhisthira and his brothers.
18 Svargarohana Parva (The Book of the Ascent to Heaven) 98 The Pandavas return to the spiritual world (svarga).
khila Harivamsa (The Book of the Genealogy of Hari) 99-100 Life of Krishna.

The Parvas having Jat connections

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