MAHABHARATA
("https://www.gutenberg.org/files/19630/19630-h/images/frontespiece.jpg"
What could be seven times longer than the Iliad and the Odyssey combined?
Events from about 1400–1000 B.C. · India
The Mahabharata, the great epic of the Bharata dynasty, is one of the two major epics of India. Its importance stems largely from its high literary merit and the fact that one of its four parts is the Bhagavadgita (Song of the Lord), the primary religious text of Hinduism.
About seven times longer
- The name: The great epic of the Bharata dynasty
- Its rank: One of the two major epics of India
- Length: More than 100,000 couplets
- Four parts: One of them is the Bhagavadgita, the primary religious text of Hinduism
- Compiled: Its main components are thought to date from between 1400 and 1000 B.C.
What rules should guide kings, warriors, and those seeking release from rebirth?
Hover or tap each idea to look closer
- DharmaThe Mahabharata as a whole is significant as an explication on the dharma, the codes of conduct that provide rules of conduct for kings, warriors, and persons seeking emancipation from reincarnation.
- Release from RebirthSome of its codes guide those seeking emancipation from reincarnation, the endless cycle of death and rebirth.
- A Religion in TransitionIn its religious role, the work embodies the transition from a religion of Vedic sacrifice to sectarian Hinduism.
- The Song of the LordThe Bhagavadgita reveals a deep concern with ethical questions, the nature of God, and the means by which humans may come to know him.
The Mahabharata has played a vital role in the moral development of the Hindu world.
Its importance stems largely from its high literary merit and from the Bhagavadgita, one of its four parts and the primary religious text of Hinduism. As a whole, the epic is an explication on the dharma, the codes of conduct for kings, warriors, and those seeking emancipation from reincarnation.
Debroy, Bibek (trans.). "The Mahabharata: Volume 1." Penguin Books, 2015.
Menon, Ramesh (trans.). "The Mahabharata: A Modern Rendering." iUniverse, 2006.
Brockington, John. "The Sanskrit Epics." Brill, 1998.
"The Cambridge Companion to the Mahabharata," edited by Vasudeva, Shashi. Cambridge University Press, 2011.
"Remembering the Mahabharata: War and Peace in the Global South," edited by Chakravarti, Uma. Routledge, 2020.
Swami Chidbhavananda (trans.). The Bhagavad Gita. Tirupparaitturai: Ramakrishna Tapovanam, 1980.
(Nepal. An Illustration from the Mahabharata. Opaque pigments and gold on wasli; 19.6 × 31.8 cm. ca. 1800. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:An_illustration_from_the_Mahabharata_1.jpg.)
This vivid Nepalese illustration from the Mahabharata epic captures a dramatic scene where the five Pandava brothers set fire to their enemy inside a striped tent, surrounded by scavengers, vultures, and ghouls, rendered in opaque pigments and gold on wasli paper.
(Unknown. Illustration of the Mahabharata. Painting. Date unknown. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Illustration_of_the_Mahabharata.jpg.)
An Indian painting illustrating a Mahabharata battle scene where the Kaurava troops launch an attack on the forces of Abhimanyu, son of Arjuna, showcasing dynamic warfare elements in traditional style.
(Purkhu (manner of). An Illustration to a Mahabharata Series. Opaque watercolor and gold on paper; 33.9 × 44.3 cm. ca. 1815–1820. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:An_illustration_to_a_Mahabharata_series.jpg.)
A Pahari-style illustration from a Mahabharata series in the manner of Purkhu of Kangra, depicting epic narrative elements with figures in vibrant attire, using opaque watercolor and gold on paper.