A Study Guide for Anonymous's "Mahabharata"

Mahabharata

Anonymous

C. 400 BCE–400 CE

Introduction

The Mahabharata (officially known as Bharat) is the great epic poem of India. Comprising one hundred thousand stanzas of verse divided into eighteen books, or parvas, the poem remained in the early 2000s the largest single literary work in existence. Originally composed in the ancient language of Sanskrit sometime between 400 BCE and 400 CE, the work is set in a legendary era thought to correspond to tenth-century BCE Indian culture and history. Its main subject is a feud between two branches of the ruling family of the northern Indian kingdom of Kurujangala, the Pandavas and the Kauravas. Their conflict culminates in an eighteen-day battle and the annihilation of nearly all those involved in the conflict, except for the victors, the five Pandava brothers—Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva—and a handful of others.

The poem's theme concerns the Hindu concept of dharma, or sacred duty. In essence, the epic is an extended exploration of the responsibilities set forth by the code of dharma. In addition to recounting a heroic tale, the Mahabharata contains a collection of writings on a broad spectrum of human learning, including ethics, law, philosophy, history, geography, genealogy, and religion. It also features a number of legends, moral stories, and local tales, all woven into the elaborate narrative.

In the rest of the world, the poem is largely recognized for several of these exotic tales and for the Bhagavad Gita, which encapsulates many of the basic tenets of Hinduism. In India, the Mahabharata is considered one of the finest works on Hindu culture, and it is widely read and studied. In addition, it is viewed as the nation's most valued classical work of literature and continues to provide inspiration to new generations of Indian writers and artists. The encyclopedic inclusiveness and cultural importance of the Mahabharata cannot be overstated. A modern, highly praised translation by Kenneth Anderson appeared in 1999.

Author Biography

Scholars tend to agree that the Mahabharata was not written by a single individual. The belief is multiple authors compiled it over the course of several centuries. According to mythic tradition, however, the rishi (sage) Vyasa, who is also a character in the Mahabharata, wrote the work. In Sanskrit, the name Vyasa means collector, compiler, or arranger. Thus, Vyasa likely represents the countless individuals who put together the various tales, stories, histories, legends, and treatises that are known collectively as the Mahabharata.

A legendary figure occupying a prominent position in ancient Sanskrit literature, Vyasa is said to have composed the eighteen puranas, or ancient tales, and to have written the four Vedas, the sacred texts of the Hindu religion. Also according to myth, he is supposed to have written more than three million stanzas of the epic poem, the majority of which were for the entertainment and enlightenment of the gods, while only one hundred thousand of the stanzas were to be repeated among human beings as the Mahabharata.

The legend of Vyasa's creation of the poem explains that the great seer Vyasa wanted to write down the story of his people, the Bharata (an ancient Aryan tribe whose name became synonymous with India). While meditating on how he would give the work to his disciples, the elephant-headed god of writers, Ganesha, appeared. The deity offered