A brief overview of the Mahabharata

Yudhisthira says: Forgiveness is the gateway to heaven

History of the Mahabharata
The Epic Mahabharata belongs to the group of scriptures called Smriti - the remembered word of God (see
literature). Shruti (Vedas and Upanishads) is the group of scriptures that represent the cosmic sound of God that people once
heard.
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of use in mind.
To specify a certain date of the Mahabharata events, historians compare various texts with true historical incidents. Thus, they can
calculate dates such as when, for example, Krishna died. Albeit doubts can be cast on various conclusions of such approaches, for
Hindus the Krishna's death startsthe new era - Kali Yuga. The majority of scholars, historians and Hindu sages agree on the
year 3102 BC (January 23). The Mahabharata ends withKrishna's death and there is a general consensus on the above date.
The earliest known historical records about this valuable book madePanini, an Indian Sanskrit grammarian from the 4th century
BC. Western scholars often deform Indian history and screw it up to 2000 years BConly. A typical example is a statement
from Encyclopedia Britannica (2005 Deluxe Edition) where it is said: "The traditional date for the war that is the central event
of the Mahabharata is 1302 BC, but most historians prefer a later date". However, no source is given and no reference to how
Hindus perceive the concept of "Brahma ages" (Dvapara Yuga, Kali Yuga, etc.) is presented. As we can see above, the distortion is
too undisguised. Not a "preference", of course, but only an in-depth study supported with (cited) arguments can claim that a
particular date is correct or not. TheMahabharata also unveils some important historical events that archeologists can document
in a number of excavations the age of which goes back to the time before 4th century BC. These excavations have illustrations of
the Mahabharata events on them.
As a written document, the Mahabharata had developed gradually and it was supplemented later. If we accept the general opinion
of Hindus (date of Krishna's death), its story must have happened before the year 3102 BC.
On the Indonesian island Java there is a version of the Mahabharata that developed territorially independently from the Indian
subcontinent - Kakawin Bharatayuddha is an ancient poetical rendering of the Mahabharata.
Krishna and Arjuna are not only cousins
Vasudeva (Krishna's father) and Kunti (mother of the Pandavas) were brother and sister. Arjuna later
married Krishna's sister Subharda, so he was also Krishna's brother-in-law.
The story
The authorship of the epic is traditionally ascribed to Vyasa, who is also one of the most important characters of the book. The first
section of the Mahabharataintroduces a few things and characters such as Ganesha - who, at the Vyasa's request - writes down
the epic uninterruptedly in one time interval while Vyasakeeps dictating it.
Although there are several other things written in the beginning of the book, the main plot starts evolving around the story of King
Shantanu (King of Hastinapura). Shantanumet Ganga, was enthralled by her beauty, they started living together and she gave him
children. ButGanga, in order to protect her children's souls from the curse once Vashishtahad imposed upon them (their children
were actually eight Vasus being cursed by Vashishta), decided to kill them. Upon agreeing with Shantanu to become his partner she
lays down a condition that he would never ask her anything.

When after birth of their eighth child Ganga goes to

the river to throw her little innocent boy into it,
Shantanu is so depressed that he bursts out in anger
and asks Ganga why she keeps killing all their children.
However, upon breaking his promise not to ask any
questions Ganga decides to leave, but the King
receives a promise that his last son will come back one
day.
Ganga keeps her promise and after some time she
comes back and returns her eighth son - Devavrata.
When Devavrata grows into a handsome prince,
Shantanu meets Satyavati and falls in love with her.
But their marriage is almost impossible, as Satyavati's
father asks the King that it must be his daughter's
children - not anyone else in the world - who would
once inherit the throne.
King Shantanu is unable to agree. Had he agreed,
Devavrata would have lost his legitimate right to
become the successor of the throne. But Devavrata
decides to help the Fates' steerage by an Oath that will
constrain him to eternal celibacy. As soon as he takes the Oath before the Satyavati's father, he becomes a new man with a new
name - Bhishma.
Shantanu and Satyavati have two children - Chitrangada and Vichitravirya. But the children do not live a long life and Shantanu
falls ill and dies too. Satyavati is confronted with kingless Hastinapura - there is no successor of the throne.Bhishma refuses it
because of his oath. She therefore asks Vyasa - a saint and her firstborn son, to help her. Vichitravirya was married
to Ambika and Ambalika. Satyavati asked Vyasa to procreate a successor for the throne. Vyasa, although reluctant, after some
time agrees and goes to Ambika first (first Vichitravirya's wife), but she gets so scared by seeing his dirty ascetic body that she,
while they make love, keeps her eyes closed in anguish. Later she gives birth toDhritarashtra, who is unfortunately blind. Satyavati
therefore asks Vyasa to help her again. Now it is the Ambalika's turn, the second Vichitravirya's wife, but she, after seeing Vyasa,
gets so scared that she looses all color and becomes pale. She gives birth to Pandu who is also pale.
Pandu becomes King, but one day he makes a big mistake and shoots a sageKindama while he (Kindama) makes love with his
spouse in the woods, being transformed to animals. As a consequence of this, the mating deer couple was seriously hurt and they
transformed themselves back to human form. The male part, Kindama, after being shot by the Pandu's deadly arrow, gets so angry
that his inescapable curse mutilates all Pandu's future life - the verdict is: if Pandu ever sexually associates with a woman, he
falls right away into the hands of death. After the curse Pandu renounces the material world and Dhritarashtra, his stepbrother,
becomes King of Hastinapura.
Pandu had two wives - Madri and Kunti. One day he cannot defend himself against Madri's sexual appeal, which makes him so
desirous that the Kindama's curse straightens out its awaiting hands of death.
The Pandavas
Kunti wants to fulfill her maternal expectations, but she has no man. She recollects the moment when her first son Karna was
conceived from an arcane mantra one sage had given her once. Surya, the Sun God, appeared to her then. Thus, Kunti remembers
her secret mantra and gives birth to three sons (other two come from Madri), which are referred to as the Pandavas.
Yudhisthira's father was Yama; Bhima's father was Vayu, Arjuna's father wasIndra. Then it was Madri who gave birth to two
other sons - the twins, whose fathers were Ashwins (divine twins). Madri's sons are Nakula and Sahadeva. These all are the five
Pandavas.
The Kauravas
Pandu and Dhritarashtra are stepbrothers and their descendants - the Pandavas and Kauravas, later fight for the throne
of Hastinapura. Dhritarashtra had a son - Duryodhana, who was very evil. Although the Mahabharata says that Dhritarashtra had
one hundred sons, when the story unfolds in reference to the Kauravas, the epic pays most attention predominantly to Duryodhana,
Karna, Gandhari (Dhritarashtra's wife), Shakuni (Gandhari's brother) and a few other persons on the Kaurava's part.
The Kauravas also have support from important royal advisors and teachers such as Drona (a superb teacher of martial arts),
Kripa (a chief priest of the kingdom), Ashwattama (Drona's son), Bhishma, and Vidura (the third son whom Vyasa had conceived
with a maiden - he later became the chief minister in the Dhritarashtra's kingdom).

Conflicts between the Pandavas and Kauravas

The generally accepted rule on the basis of which a successor of the throne wasappointed had been historically based mostly on
the hereditary principle (father - first-born son). When Satyavati had decided that the Hastinapura's crown would glow on the
Vyasa's offshoots, she had not expected that Dhritarashtra's and Pandu's sons would be in conflict. Yudhisthira was older
than Duryodhana and after Dhritarashtra's death the legitimate successor of the throne would be Yudhisthira. For Duryodhana, the
King Dhritarashtra's first-born son, this was a big pain and he therefore strived every effort to contrive all unthinkable intrigues and
plots with aim to kill the Pandavas.
Exile and War
By inviting the Pandavas to play a dice game, Duryodhana misuses their kind-heartedness. The game turns up to be a fiendish
decoy where with assistance of the treacherous and double-faced Shakuni the Pandavas lose everything including themselves.
They have a wife - Draupadi, and when the Kauravasordered that she must come before them and look upon her humiliated
husbands, the Kauravas then hanker after seeing her undressed. But a miracle happens and her dress unwinds as if being made of
endless cloth strips. Draupadi then speaks loud to Dhritarashtra and asks - did Yudhisthira put her at stake before, or after
he became a slave? An emotional and impressive Draupadi's self-defending long monologue makes everybody still for a long time
until suddenly, under the pressure of Draupadi's honesty and well-argued words, King Dhritarashtramakes the result of the
game void.
Duryodhana gets so angry that he invites the Pandavas to play a second game where exile is at stake - either
the Pandavas or Kauravas spend 12 years in exile. The Pandavas lose again and go to exile.
After 12 years (with one more year of anonymity - 13 years all together, which was the Duryodhana's condition), they come back
and the war between the two family clans is imminent. Duryodhana refuses to accept their successful concealment during
the anonymity year; both family clans communicate via messengers only. Krishna becomes one of them, too, and with intention to
stop the war he demands only five villages for the Pandavas. Duryodhana refuses this offer too.
Divine Weapons
In the Mahabharata, divine weapons are used and here is a brief overview of them:

Agneyastra is the fire weapon, which belongs to God Agni, master of flames. Drona and Arjuna used it.
Brahmastra is the Brahma's weapon. It is the most sinister weapon and few trustworthy scholars suggested that it
could have the power of atomic destructiveness.

Gandiva is a miraculous bow God Agni gave to Arjuna.

Kaumodaki is the Lord Vishnu's invincible celestial mace.

Narayanastra is the missile weapon of Lord Vishnu.

Pashupatastra is the Lord Shiva's weapon, one of the most destructive ones.

Vajra is the weapon (thunderbolt) of Indra, a combination of sword, mace and spear.

Vimana (also Viman, Vihmana, Viwan) is the Sanskrit term for a flying machine and it has several occurrences in the
Mahabharata. It is translated with words such as "celestial car" or "celestial vehicle" and an example from the
Mahabharata (Ganguli English translation) is: "The gods also, with their spouses, respectfully invited thereto, came on
their celestial cars and seated thereon shone like blazing fires."

Vishnu's chakra (Sudarsana discus) is a sharp spinning disc - a very dangerous weapon.
Conclusion
The Epic Mahabharata is the book about two family clans - the Pandavas and the Kauravas, where Krishna is depicted as the
avatar of God Vishnu and who appears in His true form to Arjuna in a dialogue on the battlefield just a few moments before the war
takes place. This probably the most precious historical dialogue in the Mahabharata is referred to as Bhagavadgita (or Bhagavad
Gita), where Krishna shines light on many Arjuna's doubts in his indecisiveness about going to war. For example, Arjuna asks,
"How can I fight with people whom I respect?" But Krishna answers that going away without responding to such humiliation would
result in historical records referring to the Pandavas ascowards. Apart from many other things, Krishna gives to Arjuna also
answers to many religious questions including those about life after death and the immortality of soul.
Finally, the Pandavas win.
The Ganguli English translation of the Epic Mahabharata is the only complete translation in the public domain.
Back

Mahabharata Characters
(found in Maha Multipedia)

Abhimanyu

Son of Arjuna and Subhadra, nephew to Krishna. He was slain in the battle of Kurukshetra when just sixteen years

old. He married Uttara, King Virata's daughter, and fathered Pariksit.

Adhiratha

A leader of the sutas- the caste generally employed as charioteers. He found Karna after Kunt had cast him away in a

basket and raised him as his own son. His wife's name was Radha, and thus Karna was known as Radheya.

Amba

The king of Kashi's eldest daughter. Bhishma abducted her from her swayamvara along with her two sisters to be his

brother's bride. After Amba told Bhishma that she had committed herself to Shalva, Bhishma released her. Shalva rejected her as a
wife because she had been touched by another, so Amba developed an intense hatred for Bhishma. She worshipped Shiva and
obtained a boon that she would kill Bhsma in her next life. Amba was then reborn as Shikhandhi.

Ambalika

The king of Kashi's youngest daughter. She was abducted by Bhishma along with her sisters and married Vichitravirya.

After he died, she became Pandu's mother (with Vyasa).

Ambika

Second daughter of the king of Kashi, abducted from her swayamvara by Bhisma. She married Vichitravirya and, after

his death, became Dhritarastra's mother (with Vyasa).

Arjuna

Third son of Pandu and Kunti, begotten by Indra. He is famous as Krishna's dear friend. He is known by nine other

names: Dhananjaya (winner of wealth), Vijaya (always victorious), Swetavahana (he whose chariot is drawn by white horses),
Phalguna (born under the auspicious star of the same name), Kiriti (he who wears the diadem), Bhibatsu (terrifying to behold in
battle), Savyasachi (able to wield a bow with both hands), Jishnu (unconquerable), and Krishna (dark-complexioned). The name
Arjuna means "one of pure deeds." He is said to be an incarnation of the ancient sage Nara. One of the greatest archers of his
generation, Arjuna is described as very handsome and popular with the ladies. Besides Draupadi, he married Subhadra, Ulipi

Ashwatthama

Bharata

Son of Drona and Kripi. Said to be a partial expansion of Shiva.

A great king in the dynasty of the moon-god (all kshatriyas are descendents either of Chandra, the moon-god, or Surya,

the sun-god) who ruled the earth for thousands of years. It was common during the Mahabharata era to call his descendents by his
name. Bharata was born from the union of King Dushyanta and the daughter of Kanva Rishi, named Shakuntala.

Bhima

Pandu and Kunti's second son, sired by Vayu, the wind-god. Bhima is described as a powerful, large and hugely strong

man. His favorite weapon was the mace. After the great war he was installed by Yudhisthira as the crown prince.
Besides Draupadi, he married Hidimbi.

Bhisma

Son of Shantanu and Ganga, known as the "grandfather" of the Kurus. Although he never became king, he officiated at

Hastinapur as regent until Vichitravirya was of age. He is said to be an incarnation of Dyau, the chief Vasu. Sanskrit editions of the

Mahabharata contain an entire book, the Shanti Parva, devoted to Bhishma's instructions on religion and morality, which he
delivered to Yudhisthira while lying on the bed of arrows. Bhisma took a vow of celibacy at a very young age so his father Shantanu
could marry Satyavati.

Devaki

Krishna's mother and the wife of Vasudeva, a chief of the Vrishni clan. Sister of Kamsa, she was imprisoned by him soon

after her marriage.

Dhristadhyumna

Son of King Drupada; Brother of Draupadi; He was born of a sacrificial fire along with Draupadi. His father

Draupad wanted a son to destroy his arch enemy Drona.

Dhritarastra

The blind son of Vyasa, born to Ambika. Elder brother of Pandu. He became king in Hastinapur after Pandu retired

to the forest. Married to Gandhari, and fathered the Kauravas.

Drona

Teacher of the Pandavas and Kauravas. Son of Bharadvaja, married to Kripi and had a son, Aswatthama.

The sage Bharadvaja once caught sight of a beautiful apsara and ejaculated into a pot. Drona was born from that pot.

Drupada

Father of Draupadi and Dhristadhyumna; King of Panchal; father of Shikhandi; Childhood friend and then arch enemy

of Drona.

Durvasa

A powerful rishi famous for his quick temper. The Puranas and Mahabharata contain many stories about Durvasa. He is

particularly famous for having granted Kunti the boon that she could summon any god to do her will, which resulted in the births of
the Pandavas from five principal deities.

Draupadi

Wife of five Pandavas; daughter of Drupad, king of Panchala. Born from a sacrificial fire at the same time as

Dhristadhyumna. Won in a swayamvara by Arjuna. Also known as Panchali (She who is from Panchal), Krishnaa (The Dark One)
and Yajnaseni (she who is born from a sacrificial fire).

Duryodhana

Eldest son of Dhritarastra sons and leader of the Kauravas. Born to Gandhari from a boon she got from Vyasa. He

was one of a hundred sons and one daughter, incubated in jars filled with ghee.

Dushasana

Dushala

Brother of Duryodhana and son of Gandhari. He dragged and attempted to disrobe Draupadi.

Daughter of Gandhari and Dhritarastra; Lone sister of the hundred Kauravas.

Gandhari

Wife of Dhritarastra, she blindfold herself after the marriage. Mother of hundred Kauravas and Dushala; Sister of

Shakuni; Daughter of the King of Gandhara. She pleased Vyasa and was blessed with a hundred sons. Gandhari is famous for being
one of the most chaste ladies in Vedic history. She cursed Krishna at the end of the war.

Ganga

Married to Shantanu; Mother of Bhishma; Goddess of the sacred river, Ganga. She killed her first seven sons (they were

celestial souls cursed to be born as humans). She could not free the eighth soul, Bhishma.

Ghatotkatcha

The son of Bhima and the raskshasi (demoness) Hidimbi. He became a leader of the Rakshasas and assisted the

Pandavas in the Kurukshetra war. Karna killed him with Indra's celestial Shakti weapon.

Jayadratha

Son-in-law of Dhritarastra and King of Sindhu kingdom; Married to Dushala, sister of the Kauravas.

When he was born, a heavenly voice announced that he would be a powerful warrior but would be beheaded by an enemy of
unparalleled strength. His father, Vridhakshetra, then cursed whomever would cause his son's head to fall to the ground to himself
die, his own head shattering into a hundred fragments. Jayadratha was killed by Arjuna at Kurukshetra to avenge Abhimanyu.
Arjuna chopped his head off in such a way that it went and landed on the father's lap.

Kamsa or Kansa

Maternal uncle of Krishna who usurped the throne from his father, Ugrasena. He was killed by Krishna.

Details of his life are found in the Bhagavata Purana.

Karna

Eldest son of Kunti, sired by the Sun God; Friend of Duryodhana; Raised by a charioteer when his mother abandoned him

at birth. Karna was a tremendous archer, famed for his generosity and loyalty. He pledged hiumself to Duryodhana and became an
enemy of the Pandavas. Karna had a passionate rivalry and hatred for Arjuna in particular.

Kripacharya

Teacher of Pandavas and Kauravas but ended up fighting for Kauravas.

Son of the sage Saradvan, who was once practicing asceticism in the forest when he saw the apsara Janapadi. He passed semen,
which fell into a clump of reeds, and a boy and girl were born from it. They were named

Kripa and Kripi (sister married to Drona). The two children were found and brought to King Shantanu. Kripa was taught
Dhanurveda, the martial arts, by his father, and he became one of the Kurus' martial teachers. Kripa survived the Kurukshetra war
and counseled the Pandavas when they ruled the world. Later, they appointed him preceptor of their grandson and heir, Pariksit.

Krishna

Incarnation of Lord Vishnu, who delivered Bhagavad Gita; cousin of Kunti; Friend and Charioteer of Arjuna; Chief

councilor of the Pandavas. Born to Devaki and Vasudeva in a prison cell, but brought up by Yashoda.

Kunti

The Pandavas' mother. She was the sister of Vasudeva, Krishna's father. Her own father, Surasena, had given her as a baby

to his close friend King Kuntibhoja, who had no children. She was named Pritha at birth, but became better known as Kunti after
being raised by Kuntibhoja. She married Pandu.

Kuru

Ancient king and founder of the Kuru dynasty. Due to his performance of sacrifice and asceticism at the site, the place

known as Kurukshetra, named after Kuru, is considered sacred.

Madri

Nakula

Second wife of Pandu; Mother of Nakul and Sahdeva; daughter of King Shalya.

Son of Madri and Pandu, known for patience

Pandu

Younger brother of Dhritarastra; husband of Kunti; Father of the Pandava's born to Vichitravirya's widow queen Ambalika

(by Vyasa).

Parasara

A powerful rishi, grandson of Vasishta, Father of Vyasa. Satyavati ferried the sage across a river and he was attracted by

her beauty. Parasara asked if he could have union with her, promising that by his mystic power she would not lose her virginity. She
agreed and they united on an island in the middle of the river, which Parasara shrouded from view by creating volumes of mist.
Vyasa was born immediately, fully grown.

Parashurama

A rishi said to be an empowered incarnation of Vishnu. He is famous for having annihilated all the kshatriyas of

the world after his father, Jamadagni, had been killed by a kshatriya named Kartavirya. An expert in the Vedic military arts,
Parashurama was the martial teacher of Bhishma, Drona and Karna.

Parikshit

Posthumous son of Abhimanyu, heir of the Pandavas. Pariksit means 'the examiner', as the brahmins said he would

come to examine all men in his search for the Supreme Lord, whom he saw while still an embryo in his mother's womb.

Sahadeva

Second son of Madri and Pandu; The youngest Pandava. One of the two twin sons of Madri fathered by the Ashvini

gods. He conquered southern Bharata before Yudhisthira's Rajasuya sacrifice. Famous for his perceptive powers and intelligence, he
was appointed as Yudhisthira's personal advisor after the Kurukshetra war. Besides being married to Draupad, he married a
princess of Madra named Vijaya.

Satyavati formerly Matsyagandha Mother of Vyasa (from the union with Parasara Rishi), -Chitrangada and Vichitravirya. Stepmother of Bhisma. She married Shantanu.

Sanjaya

Dhritarastra's charioteer and secretary. Although he belonged to the suta caste, he was a spiritually advanced disciple of

Vyasa, who gave him the power to see the events during the Kurukshetra war. Consequently, he narrated all the battle scenes to
Dhritarastra.

Shakuni

Younger brother of Gandhari; maternal uncle of Duryodhana; An expert dice player.

Shantanu or Santanu

Great grandfather of the Pandavas and Kauravas; Father of Bhishma, Chitranga and Vichitravirya;

Married to Ganga and Satyavati.

Sishupala

King of Chedi and an avowed enemy of Krishna. His mother got a boon from Krishna that he would forgive Shishupala

a hundred times. Krishna killed him at Yudhisthira's Rajasuya sacrifice.

Subhadra

Krishna's sister, (daughter of Devaki and Vasudeva). She married Arjuna and they had a son named Abhimanyu.

Unlike her co-wife Draupadi, no details are given in the original text about how she ended her life.

Uttara

Princess of Virata, pupil of Arjuna as Brihhannala (his disguised identity as the eunuch dance teacher during the Pandavas

final year of exile). She married Abhimanyu and their son was named Pariksit.

Vasudeva

Vidura

Krishna's father, husband of Devaki.

Son of Vyasa and a palace maidservant; Brother to Dhritarstra and Pandu; counsel to the King of Hatinapur. Vidura was

said to be an expansion of Yamaraja, the lord of justice. Once a rishi named Mandavya was mistaken for a robber. The king arrested
and punished him by having him pierced by a lance. The sage later went to Yamarja and asked why this had happened and was told
that in his childhood he had pierced an insect with a blade of grass. Hearing that he had received punishment for a mistake made
when he was still an ignorant child, the sage cursed Yamaraja to take birth on earth as a sdra. Thus he became Vidura.

Virata

King of Matsya- where the Pandavas spent their final year of exile in disguise. Virata's daughter Uttara married Arjuna's

son Abhimanyu and so Virata joined the Pandavas in the Kurukshetra war. Drona killed him in the battle.

Vyasa

The sage who authored the Mahabharata. Born from the union of Parasara Rishi and Satyavati, he is also known as

Krishna Dwaipayana because he was born on an island and dark skinned. Father of Dhritarastra and Pandu. Grandfather of the
Pandavas and Kauravas.

Yudhisthira

Eldest Pndava, born from the union of Kunti and the god Dharma. Famous for his adherence to virtue and truth,

he is also known as Dharmaraja, as well as Ajatashatru, which means "one who has no enemies." After the war he ruled the world for
thirty-six years and was succeeded by Pariksit.

Mahabharata
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the Sanskrit epic. For other uses, see Mahabharata (disambiguation).

Manuscript illustration of the Battle of Kurukshetra

Krishna and Arjuna atKurukshetra, 18th-19th-century painting.

The Mahabharata or Mahbhrata (/mhbrt/;[1] Sanskrit: ,Mahbhratam, pronounced [mabarttm]) is
one of the two major Sanskrit epicsof ancient India, the other being the Ramayana.[2]
Besides its epic narrative of the Kurukshetra War and the fates of the Kaurava and thePandava princes,
the Mahabharata contains philosophical and devotional material, such as a discussion of the four "goals of life"
or purusharthas (12.161). Among the principal works and stories in the Mahabharata are the Bhagavad Gita, the story ofDamayanti,
an abbreviated version of the Ramayana, and the Rishyasringa, often considered as works in their own right.
Traditionally, the authorship of the Mahabharata is attributed to Vyasa. There have been many attempts to unravel its historical
growth and compositional layers. The oldest preserved parts of the text are thought to be not much older than around 400 BCE,
though the origins of the epic probably fall between the 8th and 9th centuries BCE.[3] The text probably reached its final form by the
early Gupta period (c. 4th century CE).[4] The title may be translated as "the great tale of the Bhrata dynasty". According to
the Mahabharata itself, the tale is extended from a shorter version of 24,000 verses called simply Bhrata.[5]

The Mahabharata is the longest known epic poem and has been described as "the longest poem ever written".[6][7] Its longest version
consists of over 100,000 shloka or over 200,000 individual verse lines (each shloka is a couplet), and long prose passages. About
1.8 million words in total, the Mahabharata is roughly ten times the length of the Iliad and the Odyssey combined, or about four
times the length of the Ramayana.[8][9] W. J. Johnson has compared the importance of the Mahabharata to world civilization to that of
the Bible, the works ofShakespeare, the works of Homer, Greek drama, or the Qur'an.[10]
Contents
[hide]
Textual history and structure

Modern depiction of Vyasa narrating the Mahabharata toGanesha at the Murudeshwaratemple, Karnataka.
The epic is traditionally ascribed to the sage Vyasa, who is also a major character in the epic. Vyasa described it as
being itihsa (history). He also describes the Guru-shishya parampara, which traces all great teachers and their students of the
Vedic times.
The first section of the Mahabharata states that it was Ganesha who wrote down the text to Vyasa's dictation. Ganesha is said to
have agreed to write it only if Vyasa never paused in his recitation. Vyasa agrees on condition that Ganesha takes the time to
understand what was said before writing it down.
The epic employs the story within a story structure, otherwise known as frametales, popular in many Indian religious and nonreligious works. It is recited by the sageVaisampayana, a disciple of Vyasa, to the King Janamejaya who is the great-grandson of
the Pandava prince Arjuna. The story is then recited again by a professional storyteller named Ugrasrava Sauti, many years later, to
an assemblage of sages performing the 12-year sacrifice for the king Saunaka Kulapati in the Naimisha Forest.
The text has been described by some early 20th-century western Indologists as unstructured and chaotic. Hermann
Oldenberg supposed that the original poem must once have carried an immense "tragic force" but dismissed the full text as a
"horrible chaos."[11] Moritz Winternitz (Geschichte der indischen Literatur 1909) considered that "only unpoetical theologists and
clumsy scribes" could have lumped the parts of disparate origin into an unordered whole.[12]
Accretion and redaction
Research on the Mahabharata has put an enormous effort into recognizing and dating layers within the text. Some elements of the
present Mahabharata can be traced back to Vedic times.[13] The background to the Mahabharata suggests the origin of the epic
occurs "after the very early Vedic period" and before "the first Indian 'empire' was to rise in the third century B.C." That this is "a date
not too far removed from the 8th or 9th century B.C."[3][14] is likely. It is generally agreed that "Unlike the Vedas, which have to be
preserved letter-perfect, the epic was a popular work whose reciters would inevitably conform to changes in language and
style,"[14] so the earliest 'surviving' components of this dynamic text are believed to be no older than the earliest 'external' references
we have to the epic, which may include an allusion in Panini's 4th century BCE grammar Ashtdhyy 4:2:56.[3][14] It is estimated that
the Sanskrit text probably reached something of a "final form" by the early Gupta period (about the 4th century CE).[14] Vishnu
Sukthankar, editor of the first great critical edition of theMahabharata, commented: "It is useless to think of reconstructing a fluid text
in a literally original shape, on the basis of an archetype and a stemma codicum. What then is possible? Our objective can only be
to reconstruct the oldest form of the text which it is possible to reach on the basis of the manuscript material available."[15] That
manuscript evidence is somewhat late, given its material composition and the climate of India, but it is very extensive.
The Mahabharata itself (1.1.61) distinguishes a core portion of 24,000 verses: the Bharata proper, as opposed to additional
secondary material, while the Ashvalayana Grhyasutra (3.4.4) makes a similar distinction. At least three redactions of the text are
commonly recognized: Jaya (Victory) with 8,800 verses attributed to Vyasa, Bharata with 24,000 verses as recited
by Vaisampayana, and finally the Mahabharata as recited by Ugrasrava Sauti with over 100,000 verses.[16][17] However, some
scholars such as John Brockington, argue that Jaya and Bharata refer to the same text, and ascribe the theory ofJaya with 8,800
verses to a misreading of a verse in Adiparvan (1.1.81).[18] The redaction of this large body of text was carried out after formal
principles, emphasizing the numbers 18[19] and 12. The addition of the latest parts may be dated by the absence of the Anushasana-

parva and the Virata parva from the "Spitzer manuscript".[20] The oldest surviving Sanskrit text dates to the Kushan Period (200 CE).
[21]

According to what one character says at Mbh. 1.1.50, there were three versions of the epic, beginning
with Manu (1.1.27),Astika (1.3, sub-parva 5) or Vasu (1.57), respectively. These versions would correspond to the addition of one
and then another 'frame' settings of dialogues. The Vasu version would omit the frame settings and begin with the account of the
birth of Vyasa. The astika version would add the sarpasattra and ashvamedha material from Brahmanical literature, introduce the
name Mahabharata, and identify Vyasa as the work's author. The redactors of these additions were probably Pancharatrinscholars
who according to Oberlies (1998) likely retained control over the text until its final redaction. Mention of the Huna in the Bhishmaparva however appears to imply that this parva may have been edited around the 4th century[citation needed].

The snake sacrifice of Janamejaya

The Adi-parva includes the snake sacrifice (sarpasattra) of Janamejaya, explaining its motivation, detailing why all snakes in
existence were intended to be destroyed, and why in spite of this, there are still snakes in existence. This sarpasattra material was
often considered an independent tale added to a version of the Mahabharata by "thematic attraction" (Minkowski 1991), and
considered to have a particularly close connection to Vedic (Brahmana) literature. The Panchavimsha Brahmana (at 25.15.3)
enumerates the officiant priests of a sarpasattra among whom the names Dhrtarashtra and Janamejaya, two main characters of
the Mahabharata's sarpasattra, as well as Takshaka, the name of a snake in the Mahabharata, occur.[22]
Historical references
See also: Bhagavad Gita Date and text
The earliest known references to the Mahabharata and its core Bharata date to theAshtadhyayi (sutra 6.2.38) of Pini (fl. 4th
century BCE) and in the Ashvalayana Grhyasutra (3.4.4). This may suggest that the core 24,000 verses, known as theBharata, as
well as an early version of the extended Mahabharata, were composed by the 4th century BCE.
A report by the Greek writer Dio Chrysostom (c. 40 - c. 120 CE) about Homer's poetry being sung even in India[23] seems to imply
that the Iliad had been translated into Sanskrit. However, scholars have, in general, taken this as evidence for the existence of
a Mahabharata at this date, whose episodes Dio or his sources identify with the story of the Iliad.[24]
Several stories within the Mahabharata took on separate identities of their own in Classical Sanskrit literature. For
instance,Abhijnashkuntala by the renowned Sanskrit poet Klidsa (c. 400 CE), believed to have lived in the era of
the Guptadynasty, is based on a story that is the precursor to the Mahabharata. Urubhanga, a Sanskrit play written by Bhsa who is
believed to have lived before Klidsa, is based on the slaying of Duryodhana by the splitting of his thighs by Bhima.
The copper-plate inscription of the Maharaja Sharvanatha (533534 CE) from Khoh (Satna District, Madhya Pradesh) describes
the Mahabharata as a "collection of 100,000 verses" (shatasahasri samhita).
The 18 parvas or books
The division into 18 parvas is as follows:

Par
va

Title

Adi Parva (The Book of

the Beginning)

Subparv
as

119

Contents

How the Mahabharata came to be narrated by Sauti to the

assembled rishis atNaimisharanya, after having been recited at
the sarpasattra of Janamejaya by Vaishampayana at Takail. The history
and genealogy of the Bharata and Bhriguraces is recalled, as is the birth

and early life of the Kuru princes (adi means first).

Maya Danava erects the palace and court (sabha), at Indraprastha. Life at
2028 the court,Yudhishthira's Rajasuya Yajna, the game of dice, the disrobing of
Pandava wifeDraupadi and eventual exile of the Pandavas.

Sabha Parva (The Book

of the Assembly Hall)

Vana
Parva alsoAranyaka2944 The twelve years of exile in the forest (aranya).
parva, Aranya-parva
(The Book of the Forest)

Virata Parva (The Book

of Virata)

Udyoga Parva (The Book

Preparations for war and efforts to bring about peace between the Kurus
4959
of the Effort)
and the Pandavas which eventually fail (udyoga means effort or work).

Bhishma Parva(The
Book of Bhishma)

The first part of the great battle, with Bhishma as commander for the
6064 Kauravas and his fall on the bed of arrows. (Includes the Bhagavad Gita in
chapters 25[25]-42.[26])

Drona Parva (The Book

of Drona)

The battle continues, with Drona as commander. This is the major book of
6572 the war. Most of the great warriors on both sides are dead by the end of this
book.

Karna Parva (The Book

of Karna)

73

Shalya Parva (The Book

of Shalya)

The last day of the battle, with Shalya as commander. Also told in detail, is
the pilgrimage of Balarama to the fords of the river Saraswati and the mace
7477
fight between Bhima and Duryodhana which ends the war, since Bhima kills
Duryodhana by smashing him on the thighs with a mace.

10

Sauptika Parva(The
Book of the Sleeping
Warriors)

Ashvattama, Kripa and Kritavarma kill the remaining Pandava army in their
7880 sleep. Only 7 warriors remain on the Pandava side and 3 on the Kaurava
side.

11

Stri Parva (The Book of

the Women)

Gandhari and the women (stri) of the Kurus and Pandavas lament the dead
8185 and Gandhari cursing Krishna for the massive destruction and the
extermination of the Kurus.

4548 The year spent incognito at the court of Virata.

The continuation of the battle with Karna as commander of the Kurus.

The crowning of Yudhisthira as king of Hastinapura, and instructions

from Bhishma for the newly anointed king on society, economics and
8688
politics. This is the longest book of the Mahabharata. Kisari Mohan
Ganguli considers this Parva as a later interpolation.'

12

Shanti Parva (The Book

of Peace)

13

Anushasana Parva(The
8990 The final instructions (anushasana) from Bhishma.
Book of the Instructions)

14

Ashvamedhika
Parva (The Book of the
Horse Sacrifice)[27]

The royal ceremony of the Ashvamedha (Horse sacrifice) conducted by

9192 Yudhisthira. The world conquest by Arjuna. The Anugita is told by Krishna to
Arjuna.

15

Ashramavasika
Parva (The Book of the
Hermitage)

The eventual deaths of Dhritarashtra, Gandhari and Kunti in a forest fire

when they are living in a hermitage in the Himalayas. Vidura predeceases
9395
them and Sanjaya on Dhritarashtra's bidding goes to live in the higher
Himalayas.

16

Mausala Parva (The

Book of the Clubs)

96

The materialisation of Gandhari's curse, i.e., the infighting between

the Yadavas with maces (mausala) and the eventual destruction of the
Yadavas.

17

Mahaprasthanika
Parva (The Book of the
Great Journey)

97

The great journey of Yudhisthira, his brothers and his wife Draupadi across
the whole country and finally their ascent of the great Himalayas where
each Pandava falls except for Yudhisthira.

18

Svargarohana
Parva (The Book of the
Ascent to Heaven)

98

Yudhisthira's final test and the return of the Pandavas to the spiritual world
(svarga).

khil
a

Harivamsa Parva(The
Book of the Genealogy
of Hari)

99
100

This is an addendum to the 18 books, and covers those parts of the life
of Krishnawhich is not covered in the 18 parvas of the Mahabharata.

Historical context
Further information: Epic India
The historicity of the Kurukshetra War is unclear. Many historians estimate the date of the Kurukshetra war to Iron Age Indiaof
the 10th century BCE.[28] The setting of the epic has a historical precedent in Iron Age (Vedic) India, where the Kurukingdom was the
center of political power during roughly 1200 to 800 BCE.[29] A dynastic conflict of the period could have been the inspiration for
the Jaya, the foundation on which the Mahabharata corpus was built, with a climactic battle eventually coming to be viewed as an
epochal event.
Puranic literature presents genealogical lists associated with the Mahabharata narrative. The evidence of the Puranas is of two
kinds. Of the first kind, there is the direct statement that there were 1015 (or 1050) years between the birth of Parikshit (Arjuna's

grandson) and the accession of Mahapadma Nanda, commonly dated to 382 BCE, which would yield an estimate of about 1400
BCE for the Bharata battle.[30] However, this would imply improbably long reigns on average for the kings listed in the genealogies.
[31]
Of the second kind are analyses of parallel genealogies in the Puranas between the times of Adhisimakrishna (Parikshit's greatgrandson) and Mahapadma Nanda. Pargiter accordingly estimated 26 generations by averaging 10 different dynastic lists and,
assuming 18 years for the average duration of a reign, arrived at an estimate of 850 BCE for Adhisimakrishna, and thus
approximately 950 BCE for the Bharata battle.[32]
B. B. Lal used the same approach with a more conservative assumption of the average reign to estimate a date of 836 BCE, and
correlated this with archaeological evidence from Painted Grey Ware sites, the association being strong between PGW artifacts and
places mentioned in the epic.[33]
Attempts to date the events using methods of archaeoastronomy have produced, depending on which passages are chosen and
how they are interpreted, estimates ranging from the late 4th to the mid-2nd millennium BCE. [34] The late 4th millennium date has a
precedent in the calculation of the Kaliyuga epoch, based on planetary conjunctions, by Aryabhata (6th century). His date of
February 18 3102 BCE has become widespread in Indian tradition (for example, the Aihole inscription of Pulikeshi II, dated to Saka
556 = 634 CE, claims that 3735 years have elapsed since the Bharata battle.[35]) Another traditional school of astronomers and
historians, represented by Vriddha-Garga, Varahamihira (author of the Brhatsamhita) and Kalhana(author of the Rajatarangini),
place the Bharata war 653 years after the Kaliyuga epoch, corresponding to 2449 BCE.[36]
Synopsis

Ganesha writing the Mahabharata

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 thanYudhisthira, the eldest Pandava. Both Duryodhana and
Yudhisthira claim to be 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 Yuga, the fourth and final age of mankind, in which great values and
noble ideas have crumbled, and man is heading towards the complete dissolution of right action, morality and virtue.
The older generations

Shantanu woos Satyavati, the fisherwoman. Painting by Raja Ravi Varma.

King Janamejaya's ancestor Shantanu, the king of Hastinapura, has a short-lived marriage with the goddess Ganga and has a son,
Devavrata (later to be calledBhishma, a great warrior), who becomes the heir apparent. Many years later, when King Shantanu goes
hunting, he sees Satyavati, the daughter of the chief of fisherman, and asks her father for her hand. Her father refuses to consent to
the marriage unless Shantanu promises to make any future son of Satyavati the king upon his death. To resolve his father's
dilemma, Devavrata agrees to relinquish his right to the throne. As the fisherman is not sure about the prince's children honouring
the promise, Devavrata also takes a vow of lifelong celibacy to guarantee his father's promise.
Shantanu has two sons by Satyavati, Chitrngada and Vichitravirya. Upon Shantanu's death, Chitrangada becomes king. He lives a
very short uneventful life and dies. Vichitravirya, the younger son, rules Hastinapura. Meanwhile, the King of K arranges
a swayamvara for his three daughters, neglecting to invite the royal family of Hastinapur. In order to arrange the marriage of young
Vichitravirya, Bhishma attends the swayamvara of the three princesses Amba, Ambika and Ambalika, uninvited, and proceeds to
abduct them. Ambika and Ambalika consent to be married to Vichitravirya.

The oldest princess Amba, however, informs Bhishma that she wishes to marry king of Shalva whom Bhishma defeated at their
swayamvara. Bhishma lets her leave to marry king of Shalva, but Shalva refuses to marry her, still smarting at his humiliation at the
hands of Bhishma. Amba then returns to marry Bhishma but he refuses due to his vow of celibacy. Amba becomes enraged and
becomes Bhishma's bitter enemy, holding him responsible for her plight. Later she is reborn to King Drupada as Shikhandi (or
Shikhandini) and causes Bhishma's fall, with the help of Arjuna, in the battle of Kurukshetra.
The Pandava and Kaurava princes

Draupadi with her five husbands - the Pandavas. The central figure isYudhishthira; the two on the bottom
are Bhima and Arjuna. Nakula andSahadeva, the twins, are standing. Painting by Raja Ravi Varma, c. 1900.
When Vichitravirya dies young without any heirs, Satyavati asks her first son Vyasa tofather children with the widows. The eldest,
Ambika, shuts her eyes when she sees him, and so her son Dhritarashtra is born blind. Ambalika turns pale and bloodless upon
seeing him, and thus her son Pandu is born pale and unhealthy (the term Pandu may also mean 'jaundiced'[37]). Due to the physical
challenges of the first two children, Satyavati asks Vyasa to try once again. However, Ambika and Ambalika send their maid instead,
to Vyasa's room. Vyasa fathers a third son, Vidura, by the maid. He is born healthy and grows up to be one of the wisest characters
in the Mahabharata. He serves as Prime Minister (Mahamantri or Mahatma) to King Pandu and King Dhritarashtra.
When the princes grow up, Dhritarashtra is about to be crowned king by Bhishma when Vidura intervenes and uses his knowledge
of politics to assert that a blind person cannot be king. This is because a blind man cannot control and protect his subjects. The
throne is then given to Pandu because of Dhritarashtra's blindness. Pandu marries twice, to Kunti and Madri. Dhritarashtra
marries Gandhari, a princess from Gandhara, who blindfolds herself so that she may feel the pain that her husband feels. Her
brotherShakuni is enraged by this and vows to take revenge on the Kuru family. One day, when Pandu is relaxing in the forest, he
hears the sound of a wild animal. He shoots an arrow in the direction of the sound. However the arrow hits the sage Kindama, who
curses him that if he engages in a sexual act, he will die. Pandu then retires to the forest along with his two wives, and his brother
Dhritarashtra rules thereafter, despite his blindness.
Pandu's older queen Kunti, however, had been given a boon by Sage Durvasa that she could invoke any god using a special
mantra. Kunti uses this boon to ask Dharma the god of justice, Vayu the god of the wind, and Indra the lord of the heavens for sons.
She gives birth to three sons, Yudhisthira, Bhima, and Arjuna, through these gods. Kunti shares her mantra with the younger
queen Madri, who bears the twins Nakula and Sahadeva through the Ashwini twins. However, Pandu and Madri indulge in sex, and
Pandu dies. Madri dies on his funeral pyre out of remorse. Kunti raises the five brothers, who are from then on usually referred to as
the Pandava brothers.
Dhritarashtra has a hundred sons through Gandhari, all born after the birth of Yudhishtira. These are the Kaurava brothers, the
eldest being Duryodhana, and the second Dushasana. Other Kaurava brothers were Vikarna and Sukarna. The rivalry and enmity
between them and the Pandava brothers, from their youth and into manhood, leads to the Kurukshetra war.
Lakshagraha (the house of lac)
After the deaths of their mother (Madri) and father (Pandu), the Pandavas and their mother Kunti return to the palace of Hastinapur.
Yudhisthira is made Crown Prince by Dhritarashtra, under considerable pressure from his kingdom. Dhritarashtra wanted his own
son Duryodhana to become king and lets his ambition get in the way of preserving justice.
Shakuni, Duryodhana and Dusasana plot to get rid of the Pandavas. Shakuni calls the architect Purochana to build a palace out of
flammable materials like lac and ghee. He then arranges for the Pandavas and the Queen Mother Kunti to stay there, with the
intention of setting it alight. However, the Pandavas are warned by their wise uncle, Vidura, who sends them a miner to dig a tunnel.
They are able to escape to safety and go into hiding. Back at Hastinapur, the Pandavas and Kunti are presumed dead.[38]
Marriage to Draupadi

Arjuna piercing the eye of the fish as depicted in Chennakesava Temple built by Hoysala Empire.

Whilst they were in hiding the Pandavas learn of a swayamvara which is taking place for the hand of the Pcla princess Draupad.
The Pandavas enter the competition in disguise as Brahmins. The task is to string a mighty steel bow and shoot a target on the
ceiling, which is the eye of a moving artificial fish, while looking at its reflection in oil below. Most of the princes fail, many being
unable to lift the bow. Arjuna succeeds however. The Pandavas return home and inform their mother that Arjuna has won a
competition and to look at what they have brought back. Without looking, Kunti asks them to share whatever it is Arjuna has won
among themselves. On explaining the previous life of Draupadi, she ends up being the wife of all five brothers.
Indraprastha
After the wedding, the Pandava brothers are invited back to Hastinapura. The Kuru family elders and relatives negotiate and broker
a split of the kingdom, with the Pandavas obtaining a new territory. Yudhishtira has a new capital built for this territory
at Indraprastha. Neither the Pandava nor Kaurava sides are happy with the arrangement however.
Shortly after this, Arjuna elopes with and then marries Krishna's sister, Subhadra. Yudhishtira wishes to establish his position as
king; he seeks Krishna's advice. Krishna advises him, and after due preparation and the elimination of some opposition,
Yudhishthira carries out the rjasya yagnaceremony; he is thus recognised as pre-eminent among kings.
The Pandavas have a new palace built for them, by Maya the Danava.[39] They invite their Kaurava cousins to Indraprastha.
Duryodhana walks round the palace, and mistakes a glossy floor for water, and will not step in. After being told of his error, he then
sees a pond, and assumes it is not water and falls in. Draupadi laughs at him and ridicules him by saying that this is because of his
blind father Dhritrashtra. He then decides to avenge his humiliation.
The dice game

Draupadi humiliated.
Shakuni, Duryodhana's uncle, now arranges a dice game, playing against Yudhishtira with loaded dice. Yudhishtira loses all his
wealth, then his kingdom. He then even gambles his brothers, himself, and finally his wife into servitude. The jubilant Kauravas
insult the Pandavas in their helpless state and even try to disrobe Draupadi in front of the entire court, but her honour is saved by
Krishna who miraculously creates lengths of cloth to replace the ones being removed.
Dhritarashtra, Bhishma, and the other elders are aghast at the situation, but Duryodhana is adamant that there is no place for two
crown princes in Hastinapura. Against his wishes Dhritarashtra orders for another dice game. The Pandavas are required to go into
exile for 12 years, and in the 13th year must remain hidden. If discovered by the Kauravas, they will be forced into exile for another
12 years.
Exile and return
The Pandavas spend thirteen years in exile; many adventures occur during this time. They also prepare alliances for a possible
future conflict. They spend their final year in disguise in the court of Virata, and are discovered just after the end of the year.
At the end of their exile, they try to negotiate a return to Indraprastha. However, this fails, as Duryodhana objects that they were
discovered while in hiding, and that no return of their kingdom was agreed. War becomes inevitable.
The battle at Kurukshetra
Main article: Kurukshetra War

A scene from the Mahabharata war, Angkor Wat: A black stone relief depicting a number of men wearing a crown and a dhoti,
fighting with spears, swords and bows. A chariot with half the horse out of the frame is seen in the middle.
The two sides summon vast armies to their help and line up at Kurukshetra for a war. The kingdoms of Panchala, Dwaraka,
Kasi, Kekaya, Magadha, Matsya, Chedi, Pandyas,Telinga, and the Yadus of Mathura and some other clans like the Parama
Kambojaswere allied with the Pandavas. The allies of the Kauravas included the kings of Pragjyotisha, Anga, Kekaya, Sindhudesa

(including Sindhus, Sauviras and Sivis), Mahishmati, Avanti in Madhyadesa, Madra, Gandhara, Bahlika people, Kambojas and
many others. Before war being declared, Balarama had expressed his unhappiness at the developing conflict and left to go
on pilgrimage; thus he does not take part in the battle itself. Krishna takes part in a non-combatant role, as charioteer for Arjuna.
Before the battle, Arjuna, seeing the opposing army includes many relatives and loved ones, including his great
grandfather Bhishma and his teacher Drona, has doubts about the battle and he fails to lift his Gndeeva bow. Krishna wakes him
up to his call of duty in the famous Bhagavad Gita section of the epic.
Though initially sticking to chivalrous notions of warfare, both sides soon adopt dishonourable tactics. At the end of the 18-day
battle, only the Pandavas, Satyaki,Kripa, Ashwatthama, Kritavarma, Yuyutsu and Krishna survive.

The end of the Pandavas

Gandhari, blindfolded, supporting Dhrtarashtra and following Kunti when Dhrtarashtra became old and infirm and
retired to the forest. A miniature painting from a 16th-century manuscript of part of the Razmnama, Persiantranslation
of the Mahabharata
After "seeing" the carnage, Gandhari who had lost all her sons, curses Krishna to be a witness to a similar annihilation of his family,
for though divine and capable of stopping the war, he had not done so. Krishna accepts the curse, which bears fruit 36 years later.
The Pandavas who had ruled their kingdom meanwhile, decide to renounce everything. Clad in skins and rags they retire to
the Himalaya and climb towards heaven in their bodily form. A stray dog travels with them. One by one the brothers and Draupadi
fall on their way. As each one stumbles, Yudhisthira gives the rest the reason for their fall (Draupadi was partial to Arjuna, Nakula
and Sahadeva were vain and proud of their looks, Bhima and Arjuna were proud of their strength and archery skills, respectively).
Only the virtuous Yudhisthira, who had tried everything to prevent the carnage, and the dog remain. The dog reveals himself to be
the god Yama (also known as Yama Dharmaraja), and then takes him to the underworld where he sees his siblings and wife. After
explaining the nature of the test, Yama takes Yudhishthira back to heaven and explains that it was necessary to expose him to the
underworld because (Rajyante narakam dhruvam) any ruler has to visit the underworld at least once. Yama then assures him that
his siblings and wife would join him in heaven after they had been exposed to the underworld for measures of time according to their
vices.
Arjuna's grandson Parikshit rules after them and dies bitten by a snake. His furious son, Janamejaya, decides to perform a snake
sacrifice (sarpasattra) in order to destroy the snakes. It is at this sacrifice that the tale of his ancestors is narrated to him.
The reunion
The Mahabharata mentions that Karna, the Pandavas, and Dhritarashtra's sons eventually ascended to svarga and "attained the
state of the gods" and banded together "serene and free from anger."[40]
Themes
Just war
The Mahabharata offers one of the first instances of theorizing about "just war", illustrating many of the standards that would be
debated later across the world. In the story, one of five brothers asks if the suffering caused by war can ever be justified. A long
discussion ensues between the siblings, establishing criteria like proportionality (chariots cannot attack cavalry, only other chariots,
no attacking people in distress), just means (no poisoned or barbed arrows), just cause (no attacking out of rage), and fair treatment
of captives and the wounded.[41]
Versions, translations, and derivative work