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MAHABHARAT

"What said about Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha in this work in detail are not available in other works. What is not said in other works is also said in this book."

Mahabharat literally means `the great story of Bharat dynasty`. It is a major part of the culture of Hinduism. This epic is part of the Hindu itih?sa or history and thus forms an important part of Hindu mythology. It has been believed by historians that Mahabharata is just a fictitious fable narrated by the great Sage Ved Vyas. However various noted scholars are of the conclusion that the Great Indian Epic is a detailed account of an event that occurred in the past. The Mahabharat is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, besides Ramayana.

Mahabharat is the heritage of the country India. In addition to that Mahabharata also mentions all four kinds of Purushartha to be achieved by every man. This Great Indian Epic describes about Politics (Artha sastra), Erotics (Kamasastra), Virtues (Dharmasastra) by the great sage Vyasa. Added to it Mahabharat is a compilation of stories about the ancestors of Pandavas and many kings like Yayathi, conflict of Devas and Asuras, Story of Garuda. Furthermore, Mahabharata is considered to be the source for the development of Sanskrit Literature. This Great Indian Epic gains prominence as a literary work. The Mahabharata is one of the longest epic in the world with more than 74000 verses, long prose and about 1.8 million words in total. Karma and Dharma play an integral role in the Mahabharata. It explains the Hindu philosophy at length.

The essential part of the Mahabharata is the innermost narrative of the story of two sets of paternal cousins, the five sons of the deceased king Pandu and the hundred sons of blind King Dhritarashtra. It is an interesting story of sibling rivalry, diplomatic maneuvering and shifting of human values concluding to a confrontation at the battle of Kurukshetra. Mahabharat is also considered to be a tale of tragic war which was odd and claimed brothers against brothers, sons against fathers and students against teachers. It is the description of exceptional characters, complex set of interwoven relationships and dramatization. It is a historical saga that marks the end of an era dvapar Yuga wherein characters lived up to morals, values and principles to the beginning of an era called the Kali Yuga, which is believed to the era of selfishness, deceit and immorality.

The Historical context of Mahabharata reveals that according to Hindu mythology it is believed that Mahabharata was written by Ved Vyasa. The origin of the Great Indian Epic dates back to the late Vedic period and it probably reached its final form in the early Gupta period. However the first section of the Mahabharata states that it was Ganesha who on behalf of Vyasa wrote down the text when Vyasa dictated it. Ganesha is said to have written it only on one condition that Vyasa would never pause in his recitation.

The epic is a story interwoven within a story structure. It is employed that it is recited to the King Janamejaya who is the great-grandson of Arjuna, by Vaisampayana, a disciple of Vyasa. The recitation of Vaisampayana to Janamejaya is then recited again by a professional story teller named Ugrasrava Sauti, many years later, to a gathering of sages. A copper-plate inscription of the Maharaja Sharvanatha 533-534 from Khoh, Madhya Pradesh illustrates the Mahabharata as a collection of 100,000 verses, it was known from this evidence, that it is likely there are about 18 books whose anthology took place in the first century. Most parvas are named after one of their constituent sub-parvas. The Harivamsa was considered an appendix (khila) to the Mahabharata.

The 18 Parvas of Mahabharat include `Adi Parva` or the `Book of the Beginning` describing the origin of the Great Indian Epic. `Sabha Parva` or the `Book of the Assembly Hall` is the second parva among the 18 parvas. It introduces Maya Danava and narrates the erecting a palace and court (sabha), at Indraprastha. The third chapter is the Vana Parva or Aranyaka-parva which is the `Book of the Forest` and mentions about Pandavas` life wile in exile. Virata Parva is the Book of Virata, narrating the year in incognito spent at the court of Virata. Udyoga Parva or the Book of the Effort describes the preparations for war by the karauvas and the pandavas. Bhishma Parva is the Book of Bhishma. Drona Parva or the Book of Drona speaks about the great battle with Drona as commander. Karna Parva is the Book of Karna describing Karna. Shalya Parva is the Book of Shalya dealing with the last day of the battle. Sauptika Parva is the Book of the Sleeping Warriors. Stri-parva is the Book of the Women explaining thir plight after the Kurukshetra war. Shanti-parva is the Book of Peace while Anushasana-parva is the Book of the Instructions laid down by Bhisma. Ashvamedhika-parva describes about the Horse Sacrifice conducted by Yudhishtira. Ashramavasika-parva or the Book of the Hermitage, Mausala-parva or the Book of the Clubs, Mahaprasthanika-parva or the Book of the Great Journey and the Svargarohana-parva respectively explains the final and eventual end of the Kauravas, Pandavas and Yadava and marked the end of an era.

A timeless creation, Mahabharat also sets up to learn much about the Older Generations of Mahabharat. It is described in the Mahabharat that Shantanu was the ancestor of the Pandavas and Kauravas. The two sons of Shantanu, Chitrangada and Vichitravirya ruled the Kingdom of Hastinapur. Vichitravirya was survived by Pandu and Dhritarashtra. Bhisma, commonly known as Devabrata, the great grandfather of principle warriors was also among the influencing ancestors of the Mahabharata.

Pandavas of Mahabharata are prominent characters of the Great Indian Epic. Pandu had five successors from his two queens Kunti and Madri. However, Pandu was cursed of not begetting heirs. Kunti was blessed to so that she can receive children from the gods. Thus The Dharma, Vayu, and Indra fathered three sons Yudhishtira, Bhima, and Arjuna respectively and the twins Nakula and Sahadeva were begetted by the Ashwini twins. Kunti shared her boon with the younger queen Madri. The five brothers are referred to as the Pandava. Every single incident of Mahabharata revealed about the greatness and truthfulness of the Pandavas. They mastered with certain skills which essentially were their inborn qualities Arjuna - unparalleled archer of that time, Yudhisthir - an icon of truth, Bhima- possessor of super human strength, Nakul - was an accomplished swordsman and Sahadeva- is heroic, intelligent and wise.

The Kauravas of Mahabharat are descendants from Kuru, a legendary king of north India. Dhritarashtra the blind heir of Vichitravirya fathered by Vyasa married Gandhari, Gandhari was blessed for hundred sons by sage Vyasa. However, only two brothers Duryodhan and Dushasana find prominance in the Great Indian Epic. Duryodhan was possessor of unending ambitions and main cause of the carnage in Kurukshetra. The rivalry and enmity between them and the Pandava brothers, from their youth and into manhood leads to the Kurukshetra war. The Kauravas represented evil forces and thus encountered the doom for their sins.

The Pandavas were exiled to forest by the Kauravas for fourteen years. After their return, Pandavas demanded for their share as they had already fulfilled the condition. Yet, this claim was not accepted by the Kauravas and the rivalry culminated to the great Battle at Kurukshetra. Both the sides called upon vast armies. This eighteen day long battle announced a momentous episode in the Great Indian Epic. After the eighteen day battle the survivors were Pandavas, Satyaki, Ashwathama and Lord Krishna. Pandavas ruled the kingdom for sometime and then decided to renounce everything. They retired to the Himalaya and climbed towards the heaven in their bodily form. The end of Pandavas forms one of the main themes of the Mahabharata and thus a great legend is concluded.

Mahabharata is a masterpiece in many ways as it includes larger than life characters such as Lord Krishna, Bhisma, Arjuna, Karna , Yudhisthir, Duryodhan, Dronacharya. Every single incident of Mahabharata is full of twists and turns moreover containing the song of the supreme, the Bhagavad-Gita. It can thus put forth that Mahabharata the basis of cultural consciousness that symbolize Hinduism. The Mahabharata ends with the Pandavas destination to heaven and 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 been crumbled, and man is heading towards the complete dissolution of right action, morality and virtue. In addition to that the Mahabharat, the Great Indian Epic can be used to traced the spread and development of Vaishnavite thought in Hinduism.

Jai Shri Radhe Krishan

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