For the film by Peter Brook, see The Mahabharata (1989 film).

Manuscript illustration of the Battle of Kurukshetra

The Mahābhārata (Devanagari: महाभारत) is one of the three major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the others being the Rāmāyaṇa and Sivarahasya. Peter Stephen Paul Brook CH CBE (born 21 March 1925) is a highly influential British theatrical producer and director. ... The Mahabharata is a 1989 film version of the Hindu epic, directed by Peter Brook. ... Image File history File links Kurukshetra. ... Image File history File links Kurukshetra. ... Rigveda manuscript in Devanagari (early 19th century) DevanāgarÄ« (देवनागरी — in English pronounced ) (ISCII – IS13194:1991) [1] is an abugida alphabet used to write several Indian languages, including Sanskrit, Hindi, Marathi, Kashmiri, Sindhi, Bihari, Bhili, Konkani, Bhojpuri and Nepali from Nepal. ... The Sanskrit language ( , for short ) is an old Indo-Aryan language from the Indian Subcontinent, the classical literary language of the Hindus of India[1], a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, and one of the 23 official languages of India. ... The ancient Sanskrit epics, the Ramayana and Mahabharata, laid the cornerstone for much of Hindu religion. ... The archaeological record in India (encompassing the territory of the modern nations of the Republic of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh) shows first traces of Homo sapiens from ca. ... For the television series by Ramanand Sagar, see Ramayan (TV series). ...

With more than 74,000 verses, long prose passages, and some 1.8 million words in total, it is arguably the longest epic poem in the world.^[1] Taken together with the Harivamsa, the Mahabharata has a total length of more than 90,000 verses. The epic is a broadly defined genre of poetry, and one of the major forms of narrative literature. ... The Harivamsa (Skt. ...

It is of immense religious and philosophical importance in India and Nepal, a major text of Hinduism. Its discussion of human goals (artha or wealth, kama or pleasure, dharma or duty/harmony, and moksha or liberation) takes place within a long-standing mythological tradition, attempting to explain the relationship of the individual to society and the world (the nature of the 'Self') and the workings of karma. Hinduism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Artha is a Sanskrit term referring to the idea of material prosperity. ... Kama may refer to several things Kama, a Hindu god The term Kama also refers to one of the 4 goals of life according to Hindu traditions (Purusharthas) - these include Dharma, artha, kama, and moksha The Kama River, a tributary of the Volga river, in Russia Kama, sickle-like weapons... Dharma (Sanskrit: धर्म) or Dhamma (Pāli: धमा) (Natural Law) refers to the underlying order in Nature and human behaviour considered to be in accord with that order. ... Moksha - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Karma (Sanskrit act, action, performance[1]; Pāli kamma) ( ) is the concept of action or deed in Dharmic religions understood as denoting the entire cycle of cause and effect described in Hindu and Buddhist philosophies. ...

The title may be translated as "the great tale of the Bharata Dynasty", according to the Mahābhārata's own testimony extended from a shorter version simply called Bhārata of 24,000 verses^[2] The epic is part of the Hindu itihāsas, literally "that which happened", along with the Ramayana and the Purāṇas. Bharat may refer to Bharat Ramesh aka Sajid Mahmood, tho it is impossible to be two people at once, he stil is sajid mahmood Bharata भरत (Sanskrit to be or being maintained) may refer to a name of Agni a name of Rudra one of the Adityas Emperor Bharata, son of... Itihasa (Sanskrit: इतिहास - itihāsa in IAST notation, literally meaning that which happened) is the word for History. ... Purana (Sanskrit: पुराण , meaning ancient or old) is the name of a genre (or a group of related genres) of Hinduism literature (as distinct from oral literature). ...

Traditionally, the Mahabharata is ascribed to Vyasa. Due to its immense length, its philological study has a long history of attempts to unravel its historical growth and composition layers. In its final form, it was completed by the first century, with its central core Bhārata (consisting of 24,000 verses) dating back to the 6th century BCE. Veda Vyasa(Contemporary painting) Vyāsa (DevanāgarÄ«: व्यास) is a central and much revered figure in the majority of Hindu traditions. ... The 1st century was that century which lasted from 1 to 100 according the Gregorian calendar. ... (7th century BC - 6th century BCE - 5th century BCE - other centuries) (600s BCE - 590s BCE - 580s BCE - 570s BCE - 560s BCE - 550s BCE - 540s BCE - 530s BCE - 520s BCE - 510s BCE - 500s BCE - other decades) (2nd millennium BCE - 1st millennium BCE - 1st millennium) The 5th and 6th centuries BCE were...

Influence

Part of a series on Hindu scriptures
Vedas
Rigveda · Yajurveda
Samaveda · Atharvaveda
Vedic divisions
Samhita · Brahmana
Aranyaka  · Upanishad
Upanishads
Aitareya · Brihadaranyaka
Isha · Taittiriya · Chandogya
Kena · Mundaka
Mandukya · Prashna
Shvetashvatara
Vedanga
Shiksha · Chandas
Vyakarana · Nirukta
Jyotisha · Kalpa
Itihasa
Mahabharata · Ramayana
Other scriptures
Smriti · Śruti
Bhagavad Gita · Purana
Pancharatra · Tantra
Sutra · Stotra
Ramacharitamanas
Shikshapatri · Vachanamrut
Bibliography This box: view • talk • edit

With its philosophical depth and sheer magnitude, the Mahabharata's scope and grandeur is best summarized by one quotation from the beginning of its first parva (section): "What is found here, may be found elsewhere. What is not found here, will not be found elsewhere." This quotation rightly sums up Mahabharata, within which one finds myriad relationships, stories and events. Hindu scripture is overwhelmingly written in Sanskrit. ... Image File history File links Aum. ... Veda redirects here. ... The Rigveda (Sanskrit: , a tatpurusha compound of praise, verse and knowledge) is a collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns dedicated to the gods. ... The Yajurveda (Sanskrit , a tatpurusha compound of sacrifice + veda knowledge) is one of the four Hindu Vedas. ... The Samaveda (Sanskrit: सामवेद, sāmaveda, a tatpurusha compound of ritual chant + knowledge ), is third in the usual order of enumeration of the four Vedas, the ancient core Hindu scriptures. ... The Atharvaveda (Sanskrit: अथर्ववेद, , a tatpurusha compound of , a type of priest, and meaning knowledge) is a sacred text of Hinduism, and one of the four Vedas, often called the fourth Veda. According to tradition, the Atharvaveda was mainly composed by two groups of rishis known as the Bhrigus and the... The Samhita (Sanskrit: joined or collected) is the basic text of each of the Vedas, comprising collections of hymns and ritual texts. ... The Brahmana (Sanskrit ब्राह्मण) are part of the Hindu Shruti; They are composed in Vedic Sanskrit, and the period of their composition is sometimes referred to as the Brahmanic period or age (approximately between 900 BC and 500 BC). ... The Aranyakas (Sanskrit आरण्यक, Forest Books, Forest Treatises) are part of the Hindu Shruti; these religious scriptures are sometimes argued to be part of either the Brahmanas or Upanishads. ... The Upanishads (Devanagari: उपनिषद्, IAST: upaniá¹£ad) are part of the Vedas and form the Hindu scriptures which primarily discuss philosophy, meditation, and the nature of God; they form the core spiritual thought of Vedantic Hinduism. ... The Aitareya Upanishad is one of the older, primary Upanishads commented upon by Shankara. ... The Upanishad is believed to be one of the older, primary (mukhya) Upanishads. ... The Isha Upanishad () or Ishopanishad (), also known as the Ishavasya Upanishad (), is a Sanskrit poem (or sequence of mantras) from the Upanishads and is considered Åšruti by followers of a number of diverse traditions within Hinduism. ... The Taittiriya Upanishad is one of the Upanishads associated to the taittiriya samhita of the Black Yajurveda. ... The Chandogya Upanishad is one of the main ten Upanishads of Hinduism. ... The Kena Upanishad (), is one of the older, primary Upanishads commented upon by Shankara. ... Mundaka Upanishad is an Upanishad of the Atharva Veda. ... MāndÅ«kya Upanishad is one of the shortest Upanishads, that form the speculative metaphysical parts of the Hindu texts, the Vedas. ... Prashna Upanishad (IAST ) is one of the older, primary Upanishads commented upon by Shankara. ... The Shvetashvatara Upanishad is one of the 33 Upanishads of Krishna Yajurveda or Black Yajurveda . ... The Vedanga (IAST , member of the Veda) are six auxiliary disciplines for the understanding and tradition of the Vedas. ... Shiksha is an NGO devoted to improving the standards of education in New Delhi and its neighbouring regions. ... The verses of the Vedas have a variety of different meters. ... The Sanskrit grammatical tradition of , is one of the six Vedanga disciplines. ... Nirukta is Vedic glossary of difficult words. ... Jyotisha (, in Hindi and English usage Jyotish; sometimes called Hindu astrology, Indian astrology, and/or Vedic astrology) is the Hindu system of astrology, one of the six disciplines of Vedanga, and regarded as one of the oldest schools of ancient astrology to have had an independent origin, affecting all other... Kalpa is one of the six disciplines of Vedanga, treating ritual. ... Indian epic poetry is the epic poetry written in the Indian subcontinent. ... For the television series by Ramanand Sagar, see Ramayan (TV series). ... Bibliography of Hindu scriptures - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Smriti (Sanskrit स्मॄति, that which is remembered) refers to a specific canon of Hindu religious scripture. ... The Å›ruti (Sanskrit thing heard, sound) is the smallest interval of the tuning system of Indian classical music. ... Bhagavad Gīta भगवद्गीता, composed ca the fifth - second centuries BC, is part of the epic poem Mahabharata, located in the Bhisma-Parva chapters 23–40. ... Purana (Sanskrit: पुराण , meaning ancient or old) is the name of a genre (or a group of related genres) of Hinduism literature (as distinct from oral literature). ... Pañcaratra is an pre-Puranic form of Hinduism, which equated Narayana with Vishnu. ... The Tantra (Looms or Weavings), refer to numerous and varied scriptures pertaining to any of several esoteric traditions rooted in Hindu and Buddhist philosophy. ... SÅ«tra (sex) (Sanskrit) or Sutta (Pāli) literally means a rope or thread that holds things together, and more metaphorically refers to an aphorism (or line, rule, formula), or a collection of such aphorisms in the form of a manual. ... Stotras are Hindu prayers that praise aspects of God, such as Devi, Siva, or Vishnu. ... ÅšrÄ« Rāmcaritmānas (Hindi: रामचरितमानस) is an epic poem composed by the great 16th-century Indian poet, Goswami Tulsidas (c. ... The Shikshapatri is a text of two hundred and twelve verses, and was written by Shree Swaminarayan, a reforming Hindu from the Vaishnava tradition, who lived in Gujarat from 1781-1830 and who was recognised by his followers as a deity during his lifetime. ... The Vachanamrut The Vachanamrut or the nectarine discourses of Bhagwan Swaminarayan is the most sacred and foundational scripture of the Swaminarayan Sampraday. ... Bibliography of Hindu scriptures - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...

In its scope, the Mahabharata is more than simply a story of kings and princes, sages and wise men, demons and gods. Its author, Vyasa, says that one of its aims is elucidating the four goals of life: kama (pleasure), artha (wealth), dharma (duty) and moksha (liberation). The narrative culminates in moksha, believed by Hindus to be the ultimate goal of human beings. Karma and dharma play an integral role in the Mahabharata. Veda Vyasa(Contemporary painting) Vyāsa (DevanāgarÄ«: व्यास) is a central and much revered figure in the majority of Hindu traditions. ... Best understood as aesthetics, the definition of Kama involves sensual gratification, sexual fulfillment, pleasure of the senses, love, and the ordinary enjoyments of life regarded as one of the four ends of man (purusharthas). ... Artha is a Sanskrit term referring to the idea of material prosperity. ... Dharma (Sanskrit: धर्म) or Dhamma (Pāli: धमा) (Natural Law) refers to the underlying order in Nature and human behaviour considered to be in accord with that order. ... Moksha - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Moksha - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Karma (Sanskrit act, action, performance[1]; Pāli kamma) ( ) is the concept of action or deed in Dharmic religions understood as denoting the entire cycle of cause and effect described in Hindu and Buddhist philosophies. ... Dharma (Sanskrit: धर्म) or Dhamma (Pāli: धमा) (Natural Law) refers to the underlying order in Nature and human behaviour considered to be in accord with that order. ...

The Mahabharata includes large amounts of Hindu mythology, cosmological stories of the gods and goddesses, and philosophical parables aimed at students of Hindu philosophy. Among the principal works and stories that are a part of the Mahabharata are the following (often considered isolated as works in their own right): Hindu philosophy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...

• Bhagavad Gita (Krishna coveys the purpose of being and the Prapanja Rahasya literaly the Earthly secret to grief ridden Arjuna. Anusasanaparva.)
• Damayanti (or Nala and Damayanti, a love story. Aranyakaparva.)
• Krishnavatara (the story of Krishna, the Krishna Lila, which is woven through many chapters of the story)
• An abbreviated version of the Ramayana. Aranyakaparva.
• Rishyasringa (also written as Rshyashrnga, the horned boy and rishi. Aranyakaparva.)
• Vishnu sahasranama (the most famous hymn to Vishnu, which describes His 1000 names; Anushasanaparva.)

Bhagavad Gīta भगवद्गीता, composed ca the fifth - second centuries BC, is part of the epic poem Mahabharata, located in the Bhisma-Parva chapters 23–40. ... Krishna to Arjuna: Behold My mystic opulence! Arjuna (Sanskrit: अर्जुन, arjuna) is one of the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. ... Damayanti is a character in Hindu mythology. ... Krishna with Radharani, 18th C Rajasthani painting Krishna (कृष्ण in Devanagari, in IAST ) is a deity famously worshipped throughout the traditions of Hinduism. ... For the television series by Ramanand Sagar, see Ramayan (TV series). ... In Indian and Hindu mythology, Rishyasringa (horned rishi in Sanskrit) was a boy born with the horns of a deer. ... Vishnu The Vishnu sahasranāma (literally: thousand names of Vishnu) is a list of 1,000 names for Vishnu, one of the main forms of God in Hinduism and the only Ultimate Reality for Vaishnavites (followers of Vishnu). ... Vishnu (IAST , Devanagari ), (honorific: Sri Vishnu) also known as Narayana is the Supreme Being or Ultimate Reality for Vaishnavas and a manifestation of Brahman in the Advaita or Smarta traditions. ...

Textual history and organization

It is undisputed that the full length of the Mahabharata has accreted over a long period. 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. According to the Adi-parva of the Mahabharata (shlokas 81, 101-102), the text was originally 8,800 verses when it was composed by Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa and was known as the Jaya (Victory), which later became 24,000 verses in the Bharata recited by Vaisampayana, and finally over 90,000 verses in the Mahabharata recited by Ugrasravas.^[3] The Grhya Sutras domestic sutras are a category of Sanskrit texts in the tradition of the Brahmanas, commenting on Vedic ritual. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa was the great sage who authored the great Hindu epic Mahabharata. ... Vaisampayana or Vaiśampayana was a celebrated sage who was the original teacher of the Black Yajur-Veda. ...

Not unlike the field of Homeric studies, research on the Mahabharata has put an enormous effort into recognizing and dating various layers within the text. Oldenberg (1922) stipulated that the supposed original poem once carried an immense "tragic force", but dismissed the full text as a "horrible chaos."^[4] Homeric scholarship is the study of Homeric epic, especially the two large surviving epics the Iliad and Odyssey. ... Year 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar). ... In general usage a tragedy is a play, movie or sometimes a real world event with a sad outcome. ...

The earliest known references to the Mahabharata and its core Bharata date back to the 6th-5th century BCE, in the Ashtadhyayi (sutra 6.2.38) of Pāṇini (c. 520-460 BCE), and in the Ashvalayana Grhyasutra (3.4.4), while various characters from the epic are also mentioned in earlier Vedic literature.^[3] This indicates 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 BCE, with parts of Jaya's original 8,800 verses possibly dating back as far as the 9th-8th century BCE.^[5] However, the earliest testimony of the existence of the full text of the Mahabharata is by the Greek Sophist Dion Chrysostom (c. 40-105), who mentions that "the Indians possess an Iliad of 100,000 verses".^[3] The later copper-plate inscription of the Maharaja Sharvanatha (533-534) from Khoh (Satna District, Madhya Pradesh) also describes the Mahabharata as a "collection of 100,000 verses" (shatasahasri samhita). The redaction of this large body of text was carried out after formal principles, emphasizing the numbers 18^[6] and 12. The addition of the latest parts may be dated by the absence of the Anushasana-parva from MS Spitzer, the oldest surviving Sanskrit philosophical manuscript dated to the first century, that contains among other things a list of the books in the Mahabharata. From this evidence, it is likely that the redaction into 18 books took place in the first century. An alternative division into 20 parvas appears to have co-existed for some time. The division into 100 sub-parvas (mentioned in Mbh. 1.2.70) is older, and most parvas are named after one of their constituent sub-parvas. The Harivamsa consists of the final two of the 100 sub-parvas, and was considered an appendix (khila) to the Mahabharata proper by the redactors of the 18 parvas. (7th century BC - 6th century BCE - 5th century BCE - other centuries) (600s BCE - 590s BCE - 580s BCE - 570s BCE - 560s BCE - 550s BCE - 540s BCE - 530s BCE - 520s BCE - 510s BCE - 500s BCE - other decades) (2nd millennium BCE - 1st millennium BCE - 1st millennium) The 5th and 6th centuries BCE were... (6th century BC - 5th century BC - 4th century BC - other centuries) (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium AD) Events Demotic becomes the dominant script of ancient Egypt Persians invade Greece twice (Persian Wars) Battle of Marathon (490) Battle of Salamis (480) Athenian empire formed and falls Peloponnesian War... The Ashtadhyayi (Ạṣtādhyāyī, meaning eight chapters) is the earliest known grammar of Sanskrit, and one of the first works on descriptive linguistics, generative linguistics, or linguistics altogether. ... SÅ«tra (sex) (Sanskrit) or Sutta (Pāli) literally means a rope or thread that holds things together, and more metaphorically refers to an aphorism (or line, rule, formula), or a collection of such aphorisms in the form of a manual. ... Indian postage stamp depicting (2004), with the implication that he used (पाणिनि; IPA ) was an ancient Indian grammarian from Gandhara (traditionally 520–460 BC, but estimates range from the 7th to 4th centuries BC). ... The Grhya Sutras domestic sutras are a category of Sanskrit texts in the tradition of the Brahmanas, commenting on Vedic ritual. ... Veda redirects here. ... Sophism (gr. ... Dio Chrysostom, Dion of Prusa or Dio Cocceianus ( 40 AD– 120 AD) was a Greek orator, writer, philosopher and historian of the Roman Empire in the first century. ... It has been suggested that Deception of Zeus be merged into this article or section. ... The word Maharaja (also spelled maharajah) is Hindi as well as ancient Sanskrit for high king (a karmadharaya from maha great and rajan king). Its use is primarily for Hindu potentates (ruler or sovereign). ... Busy street Satna is a city in central India, in northeastern Madhya Pradesh, adjacent to the Tons River. ... Madhya PradeÅ›   (HindÄ«: मध्य प्रदेश, English: , IPA: ), often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. ... Redaction generally refers to the editing of text to turn it into a form suitable for publication, or to the result of such an effort. ... The Harivamsa (Skt. ...

The division into 18 parvas is as follows:

The Adi-parva is dedicated to 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 particularly close connection to Vedic (Brahmana literature), in particular the Panchavimsha Brahmana which describes the Sarpasattra as originally performed by snakes, among which are snakes named Dhrtarashtra and Janamejaya, two main characters of the Mahabharata's sarpasattra, and Takshaka, the name of a snake also in the Mahabharata. The Shatapatha Brahmana gives an account of an Ashvamedha performed by Janamejaya Parikshita. The first city of Delhi is believed to be founded by the legendary Pandavas of the Mahabharata around 1400 BC. It was called Indraprastha. ... In Hindu mythology, Virata is the king in whose court the Pandavas spent a year in concealment during their exile. ... In the epic Mahabharata, Drona (Sanskrit: द्रोण, droNa) or Dronacharya (द्रोणाचार्य, droNāchārya) is the royal guru to the Kauravas and the Pandavas. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... King Shalya was the brother of Madri, the mother of Nakula and Sahadeva. ... The word Gāndhārī can mean more than one thing: Gāndhārī is a character in the Indian epic, the Mahabharata. ... In the great Hindu epic Mahabharata, Yudhisthira (Sanskrit: युधिष्ठिर, yudhiṣṭhira) was the eldest son of King Pandu and Queen Kunti, king of Hastinapura and Indraprastha, and World Emperor. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Ashvamedha ( horse sacrifice) is one of the most important royal rituals of Vedic religion, described in detail in the Yajurveda (TS 7. ... In Hinduism, Princess Kunti is the mother of the Pandavas. ... The Yadava Dynasty ruled a kingdom in what is now Maharashtra, India from the 12th century to the 14th century. ... In Hinduism, (Sanskrit: स्वर्ग) Svarga (or Swarga) is set of nether worlds located on Mt. ... The Harivamsa (Skt. ... Krishna with Radharani, 18th C Rajasthani painting Krishna (कृष्ण in Devanagari, in IAST ) is a deity famously worshipped throughout the traditions of Hinduism. ... Vedic Sanskrit is the language of the Vedas, which are the earliest sacred texts of India,. The Vedas were first passed down orally and therefore have no known date. ... The Brahmana (Sanskrit ब्राह्मण) are part of the Hindu Shruti; They are composed in Vedic Sanskrit, and the period of their composition is sometimes referred to as the Brahmanic period or age (approximately between 900 BC and 500 BC). ... The Tandhya-maha- (or Praudha-) brahmana, or great Brahmana — usually called Panchavimsha-brahmana from its consisting of twenty-five adhyayas is a Brahmana of the Samaveda, treating of the duties of the udgatars generally, and especially of the various kinds of chants. ... Shatapatha Brahmana (Brahmana of one-hundred paths) is one of the prose texts describing the Vedic ritual. ... The Ashvamedha ( horse sacrifice) is one of the most important royal rituals of Vedic religion, described in detail in the Yajurveda (TS 7. ...

According to 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 probably correspond to the addition of one and then another 'frame' settings of dialogues. The Vasu version corresponds to the oldest, without frame settings, beginning with the account of the birth of Vyasa. The Astika version adds the Sarpasattra and Ashvamedha material from Brahmanical literature, and introduces the name Mahabharata and identifies Vyasa as the work's author. The redactors of these additions were probably Pancharatrin scholars who according to Oberlies (1998) likely retained control over the text until its final redaction. Mention of the Hunas in the Bhishma-parva however appears to imply that this parva may have been edited around the 4th century. Pañcaratra is an pre-Puranic form of Hinduism, which equated Narayana with Vishnu. ... Billon drachm of the Hephthalite King Napki Malka (Afghanistan/ Gandhara, c. ...

Historicity

For historical context of the tale, see Kingdoms of Ancient India

The historicity of the Mahabharata war is unclear. The epic's setting certainly has a historical precedent in Vedic India, where the Kuru kingdom was the center of political power in the late 2nd and early 1st millennia BCE. This article tries to compile and classify all the kingdoms of ancient India mentioned in the Sanskrit/Vedic literature. ... The Vedic civilization is the Indo-Aryan culture associated with the Vedas, the earliest known records of Indian history. ... The position of the Kuru kingdom in Iron Age Vedic India. ... The 2nd millennium BC marks the transition from the Middle to the Late Bronze Age. ... (2nd millennium BC – 1st millennium BC – 1st millennium – other millennia) // Events The Iron Age spread to Western Europe Egypt declined as a major power The Tanakh was written Buddhism was founded by Siddharta Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha (6th century BC) Jainism was founded by Mahavira (6th century BC...

Ancient Indian scholars have calculated chronologies for the Mahabharata war, the 5th century mathematician Aryabhatta arriving at an approximate date for the Kurukshetra battle of 3137 BCE.^[8] The Aihole inscription of Pulakesin II (7th century CE) dates the Kurukshetra War to 3102 BCE.^[9] Vriddha-Garga, Varahamihira and Kalhana dated the War to 653 years after 3102 BCE.^[10] Aryabhata (आर्यभट) (Āryabhaṭa) is the first of the great astronomers of the classical age of India. ... Varahamihira (505 – 587) was an Indian astronomer, mathematician, and astrologer born in Ujjain. ... Kalhana (c. ...

Contentious and disputable attempts to date the events of the Mahabharata with the help of archaeoastronomy have claimed dates in the 6th millennium BCE.^[11]. According to Varahamihira, Yudhisthira lived 2526 years before the beginning of the Saka era (Brhatsamhita 13.3).^[12] The sun rising over Stonehenge at the 2005 Summer Solstice. ... During the 6th millennium BC, agriculture spreads from the Balkans to Italy and Eastern Europe and from Mesopotamia to Egypt. ...

According to the Puranas^[13], there is a time gap of 1015 or 1500 years between Parikshit's birth during the Mahabharata war and the coronation of king Mahapadma Nanda (ca. 364-382 BCE).^[14] Between Mahapadma Nanda and the last Andhra king Pulomavi, the Puranas count 836 or 829 years.^[15] Vayu Purana has the Saptarsi in Magha when Yudhisthira lived, in Purvasadha when Nanda lived and in Satabhisaj at the end of Andhra rule. This could correspond to a difference of 1000 (or more) years between Pariksit (seven generations after Pratipa) and Nanda, and 400 (or more) years between Nanda and the end of Andhra rule.^[16] The Brhadaranyaka Upanisad has eight generations between Pariksit and Yaska.^[17] Pargiter remarked that the Great Bear (the rksas or the Saptarsi) "was situated equally with regard to the lunar constellation Pusya while Pratipa was king."^[18] The Puranas list a number of kings between the Mahabharata War and Mahapadma Nanda which indicates that 1451 or 1503 years could have passed between them.^[19] Pargiter has argued that there were 26 kings between Adhisimakrishna and Mahapadma Nanda.^[20] Parikshita is in the Mahabharata epic the successor of Yudhisthira to the throne of Hastinapura. ... Mahapadma Nanda (450 B.C - 362 B.C) the first king of the nanda dynasty. ... Andhra Pradesh (ఆంధర దేశం), a state in South India, lies between 12°41 and 22°N latitude and 77° and 84°40E longitude . ... Vasisthiputra Sri Pulamavi (r. ... Parikshita (Sanskrit: परीक्षित, IAST: ParÄ«kÅ›ita) is in the Mahabharata epic the successor of Yudhisthira to the throne of Hastinapura. ...

Synopsis

Main article: Kurukshetra war

Map of "Bharatvarsha" (Kingdom of India) during the time of Mahabharata and Ramayana. (Title and location names are in English.)

The epic employs the story within a story structure, otherwise known as frametales, popular in many Indian religious and secular works. It is recited to the King Janamejaya by Vaisampayana, a disciple of Vyasa. Combatants Pandavas led by Dhristadyumna Kauravas led by Bhishma Commanders Arjuna Bhima Yudhishthira Nakula Sahadeva Bhishma Drona Karna Duryodhana Ashwatthama Strength 7 Akshauhinis 1,530,900 soldiers 11 Akshauhinis 2,405,700 soldiers Casualties Almost Total Only 7 survivors - the five Pandavas, Krishna, and Satyaki Almost Total Only 3 survivors... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1002x1176, 273 KB) Summary Author: JIJITH NR This image shows the locations of Kingdoms mentioned in the Indian epics. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1002x1176, 273 KB) Summary Author: JIJITH NR This image shows the locations of Kingdoms mentioned in the Indian epics. ... For the television series by Ramanand Sagar, see Ramayan (TV series). ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... A story within a story is a literary device or conceit in which one story is told during the action of another story. ... Janamejaya, was the son of Arjunas (Mahabharata)grandson Parikishit. ... Vaisampayana or Vaiśampayana was a celebrated sage who was the original teacher of the Black Yajur-Veda. ... Veda Vyasa(Contemporary painting) Vyāsa (Devanāgarī: व्यास) is a central and much revered figure in the majority of Hindu traditions. ...

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 Kauravas, the elder branch of the family, and the Pandavas, the younger branch. In the Hindu epic Mahabharata, Hastinapura is the capital and the kingdom of the Kauravas, the descendants of Kuru, which include the Pandavas. ... The position of the Kuru kingdom in Iron Age Vedic India. ... The term Kaurava (Sanskrit:कौरव) is a Sanskrit term, that means a descendant of Kuru, a legendary king who is the ancestor of many of the characters of the Mahabharata. ... In the Mahabharata, the Pandava are the five acknowledged sons of Pandu, by his two wives Kunti and Madri. ...

The struggle culminates in the Great battle of Kurukshetra, in which the Pandavas are ultimately victorious. The Mahabharata itself ends with the disappearance 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 speedily heading toward the complete dissolution of right action, morality and virtue. Some of the most noble and revered figures in the Mahabharata end up fighting on the side of the Kauravas, due to conflicts of their dharma, or duty. For example, Bhishma had vowed to always protect the king of Hastinapura, whoever he may be. Thus, he was required to fight on the side of evil knowing that his Pandavas would end up victorious only with his death. Combatants Pandavas led by Dhristadyumna Kauravas led by Bhishma Commanders Arjuna Bhima Yudhishthira Nakula Sahadeva Bhishma Drona Karna Duryodhana Ashwatthama Strength 7 Akshauhinis 1,530,900 soldiers 11 Akshauhinis 2,405,700 soldiers Casualties Almost Total Only 7 survivors - the five Pandavas, Krishna, and Satyaki Almost Total Only 3 survivors... The Pandavas were the five sons of the king Pandu. ... Krishna with Radharani, 18th C Rajasthani painting Krishna (कृष्ण in Devanagari, in IAST ) is a deity famously worshipped throughout the traditions of Hinduism. ... In Hinduism, Kali (Devnāgari: ; Gujarati: ; IAST: ; IPA:) is the reigning lord of Kali Yuga and nemesis of Sri Kalki, the 10th and final avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu. ... Kali Yuga is also the title of a book by Roland Charles Wagner. ...

Authorship

The epic is traditionally ascribed to Maha Rishi Veda Vyasa, who is one of the major dynastic characters within the epic. The first section of the Mahabharata states that it was Ganesha who, at the behest of Vyasa, fixed the text in manuscript form. Lord Ganesha is said to have agreed, but only on condition that Vyasa never pause in his recitation. Vyasa then put a counter-condition that Ganesha understand whatever he recited, before writing it down. In this way Vyasa could get some respite from continuously speaking by saying a verse which was difficult to understand. This situation also serves as a popular variation on the stories of how Ganesha's right tusk was broken (a traditional part of Ganesha imagery). This version attributes it to the fact that, in the rush of writing, the great elephant-headed divinity's pen failed, and he snapped off his tusk as a replacement in order that the transcription not be interrupted. Rishi Veda Vyasa is a Hindu figure of yore, a divine guru, a luminary of spirituality whose status in Hinduism is equal to that of the gods and goddesses. ... In Hinduism, Ganesha is one of the most well-known and beloved representations of God. ...

Bhishma

Janamejaya's ancestor Shantanu, the king of Hastinapura has a short-lived marriage with the goddess Ganga and has a heroic son, Devavrata (later to be called Bhishma).He was trained by Parashurama. Devavrata, a young man already with a reputation as a fearsome warrior, is the heir apparent to the throne. Shantanu is a king of Hastinapura in the great epic of the Mahabharata. ... In the Hindu epic Mahabharata, Hastinapura is the capital and the kingdom of the Kauravas, the descendants of Kuru, which include the Pandavas. ... In Hinduism, the Ganges River (called locally as the Ganga) is personified as a goddess, who holds an important place in the Hindu pantheon. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Bhargava Rama (Discuss) Parashurama Bhargava (Sanskrit: परशुराम भार्गव) or Parasurama (Axe-wielding Rama) is the Sixth avatar of Vishnu, belongs to the Treta yuga, and is the son of Jamadagni & Renuka. ...

Many years later, when the king goes hunting, he spots Satyavati, the daughter of a fisherman, and wants to marry her. Eager to secure his daughter's and her children's future happiness, the fisherman refuses to consent to the marriage unless Shantanu promises to make the future son of Satyavati the king upon his death, instead of Devavrata. To solve the king's dilemma, Devavrata agrees to that. Finding that the fisherman, though convinced of Devavrata's commitment, is not sure about the prince's children honouring the promise, Devavrata makes a severe vow of lifelong celibacy to guarantee his father's promise. Hearing such a vow, unheard of amongst warriors, the heavens bestow Devavrata with the name Bhishma, 'the person of the terrible oath'. Satyavati is the great-grandmother of the Pandava and Kaurava princes, principal characters of the Mahabharata, one of the principal texts in Hindu mythology. ...

Shantanu has two sons by Satyavati, Chitrangad and Vichitravirya(Vichitraveer). Upon Shantanu's death, the young Chitrangad becomes king with his elder brother Bhishma at his side, serving as a guardian and regent of sorts to the young king. After his death Vichitravirya rules Hastinapura, again with Bhishma his elder brother at his side. To have his younger brother married, Bhishma goes to Kashi for Swayamwara to get the three beautiful daughters of Kashiraj. Their names are Amba, Ambika and Ambalika. Amba is in love with Salvaraj. Bhishma, on the way to Hastinapur; with the girls, had a combat with Salvaraj and other princes. He wins and goes to Hastinapura. Amba, tells about her love to Satyavati, Bhishma's step-mother. She allows her to go back to Salvaraj, who does not accept her; as it was against Kshatriya Dharma. Insulted Amba comes back to Hastinapura and asks Bhishma to marry her. Being vouched for celibacy, Bhishma rejects her, on which she curses him that she would be the cause of his Death. In the Hindu epic Mahabharata, Hastinapura is the capital and the kingdom of the Kauravas, the descendants of Kuru, which include the Pandavas. ... In the Hindu epic Mahabharata, Hastinapura is the capital and the kingdom of the Kauravas, the descendants of Kuru, which include the Pandavas. ... In the Hindu epic Mahabharata, Hastinapura is the capital and the kingdom of the Kauravas, the descendants of Kuru, which include the Pandavas. ...

When King Shantanu is on his deathbed, his concern for his children and the stability of the kingdom delays his death. To ease the king's pains Bhishma promises to stay alive until the kingdom is safe and secure. Again, an awesome promise as all kingdoms are under constant threat. This promise was to cost him dearly, giving him a long life with constant tribulations and battles. Later, though seriously wounded, Bhishma could not give up his soul until the final battle resulted in the rule of the righteous Pandavas.

The Pandavas

Unfortunately Satyavati's sons die young without any heirs. Satyavati then called her son Vyasa and through Niyoga her daughter-in-laws gave birth to Dhritrashtra and Pandu. A maid was also gifted by Vyasa with a son named Vidur. Later her grandson Pandu ascends the throne as his elder brother Dhritarashtra is blind. Pandu whilst out hunting deer, is however cursed by a sage (whom he accidentally kills while he is having sex with his wife, mistaking their moans of pleasure to be the sounds of a deer) that he can never engage in sexual act with any woman. He retires to the forest along with his two wives. His elder queen Kunti summons the gods Dharma, Vayu, and Indra by using a boon granted by another sage, Durvasa (a very short tempered sage), whom Kunti tended and cared for with great diligence), and gives birth to three sons Yudhishthira, Bhima, and Arjuna through their respective "fathers". The sons of course inherit the primary character of their respective father. Kunti shares her boon with her "sister" queen Madri, who bears the twins Nakula and Sahadeva through the Ashwini twins. However Pandu and Madri, unable to resist temptation, indulge in sex and die in the forest, and Kunti returns to Hastinapura with her sons, Pandavas. In the Mahabharata epic, Pandu is the son of Vichitravirya and his second wife, Ambalika from Vyasa. ... In Mahabharata Dhritarashtra was the son bore by Vichitraviryas first wife Ambika from Vyasa. ... In Hinduism, Princess Kunti is the mother of the Pandavas. ... Dharma (Sanskrit: धर्म) or Dhamma (Pāli: धमा) (Natural Law) refers to the underlying order in Nature and human behaviour considered to be in accord with that order. ... Chinese Wood (木) | Fire (火) Earth (土) | Metal (金) | Water (水) Japanese Earth (地) | Water (水) | Fire (火) | Air / Wind (風) | Void / Sky / Heaven (空) Hinduism and Buddhism Vayu / Pavan — Air / Wind Agni / Tejas — Fire Akasha — Aether Prithvi / Bhumi — Earth Ap / Jala — Water In Hinduism, Vayu (Sanskrit वायु (properly transliterated as Vāyu), also known as Vāta वात, Pavana पवन, or Pr... Indra (Sanskrit: इन्द्र or इंद्र, indra) is the god of weather and war, and lord of Svargaloka in Hinduism. ... Yudhisthira was the son of King Pandu and Queen Kunti. ... A motif depicting Bheema in the battle ready posture. ... Krishna to Arjuna: Behold My mystic opulence! Arjuna (Sanskrit: अर्जुन, arjuna) is one of the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. ... In the Mahabharata epic, Madri was a princess of the Madra kingdom and the second wife of Pandu. ... In the Hindu epic Mahabharata, Nakula (Sanskrit: नकुल, naküla) was the son of king Pandu and queen Madri. ... Sahadeva (Sanskrit: सहदेव, sahadéva) is a character in the Mahabharata. ... The Ashvins ( possessor of horses, horse tamer, cavalier, dual ) are divine twin horsemen in the Rigveda, sons of Saranya, a goddess of the clouds and wife of either Surya in his form as Vivasvat. ... The Pandavas were the five sons of the king Pandu. ...

The rivalry between the Pandavas and the Kauravas starts from childhood itself. Dhritarashtra’s sons, the Kauravas, led by the eldest Duryodhana, detest their cousins the Pandavas. However, they were the favorite of their teacher Drona and the Pandavas grow up to be exceptional. Each one of the Pandavas is said to have one exceptional strength or virtue - Yudhishthira is the most virtuous, Arjuna the bravest warrior, Bhima the strongest, Nakula the most handsome and Sahadeva wise and able to predict the future. The term Kaurava (Sanskrit:कौरव) is a Sanskrit term, that means a descendant of Kuru, a legendary king who is the ancestor of many of the characters of the Mahabharata. ... In the Mahabharata, Duryodhana (or Dhuryodhana) is the eldest son of the blind king Dhritarashtra by Queen Gandhari, and the eldest of the one hundred Kaurava brothers, and the chief antagonist of the Pandavas. ... In the epic Mahabharata, Drona (Sanskrit: द्रोण, droNa) or Dronacharya (द्रोणाचार्य, droNāchārya) is the royal guru to the Kauravas and the Pandavas. ...

When the princes of Hastinapur come of age, a tournament is held to display their strength and skill. When Arjuna was hailed as a master of archery, a young man challenges him for a duel. He declares his name is Karna, and is the son of a charioteer. In reality, he was the eldest son of Kunti, to whom she gave birth before she married Pandu. Kunti had doubted the boon she received from Durvasa, and wanting to try it out, summoned the Sun God; Surya. Surya appeared before her and blessed her with a child, Karna, whom she left floating in a basket in the river Ganga in fear of him becoming an outcast for being born outside of marriage. When asked to prove that he is of royal birth, which is the criterion for joining the tournament, Duryodhana, spotting a potential ally, jumps over to his side and gives his kingdom of Anga. Karna is forever grateful for this act. Because of this, he becomes Duryodhana's closest friend and plays a crucial role in the war. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... In Hinduism, Surya (Devanagari: सूर्य, sūrya) is the chief solar deity,one of the Adityas, son of Kasyapa and one of his wife Aditi[1] ,in Nordics Tyr he is said to be the son of Dyaus Pitar. ... Ganga may refer to: Ganges River, a river in India Ganga, the Hindu goddess that personifies the Ganges River The Gangas, an ancient southern Indian dynasty Ganga (music), a type of rural folk singing from Croatia and Herzegovina Daren Ganga, a West Indian cricketer Ganga, an alternate spelling of ganja...

Laakshagriha (The House of Wax)

Meanwhile Duryodhana plots to get rid of the Pandavas and tries to kill the Pandavas secretly by burning their palace which is made of lac. However, the Pandavas are warned by their uncle, Vidura, who sends them a miner to dig a tunnel. Therefore, when Duryodhana's servants set the house on flames, they will be able to escape in safety. After escaping from the tragedy, the Pandavas arrive in a forest and rest. Bhima and Arjuna want to confront the Kauravas, but Kunti and Yudhishthira decide against it. Bhishma goes to the river Ganga to perform the last rites of the people found dead in the burned palace, misunderstood to be Pandavas. Vidura then informs him that the Pandavas are alive and to keep the secret to himself. Lac is the scarlet resinous secretion of the insect Laccifer lacca. ...

There are two places in India which claim to have been the site of Laakshagriha (The House of Wax). One is in Uttar Pradesh and is known as Lakshagriha. It is situated 45 Kms from Allahabad. Presently, there is a big mound, which is believed to be originally made of wax and housed the palace intended to burn the Pandava brothers.

The second is situated in Uttarkhand, and is known as Lakhamandal. It has various temples and a cave shrine dedicated to various gods, along with the Pandava Brothers.

Ekachakra

The Pandavas stay in the village of Ekachakra in the guise of Brahmins. Kunti and Bhima then learn of a cruel and terrible rakshasa named Bakasura who has made a deal with the villagers that if he receives one villager a month to eat, he will not harm the villagers. Bhima sets out to eliminate this rakshasa. A great fight arises and Bhima with his might kills him. In order to avoid being caught by the villagers, the Pandavas leave Ekachakra and move on. Ekachakra is a small village, located in West Bengal. ... A Brahmin (anglicised from the Sanskrit word IAST ; Devanagari ), also known as Vipra, Dvija, Dvijottama (best of the Dvijas), (god on Earth) is the highest caste in Indian caste system within Hindu society. ... A rakshasa (Sanskrit: रा॑क्षसः, ; alternately, raksasa or rakshas) is a demon or unrighteous spirit in Hinduism. ... Bakasura (also called Bakāsura, Baka, Vaka) (बकासुर) a great Asura who lived near the city of Ekachakra, and forced the Raja of the place to send him daily a large quantity of provisions, which he devoured, and not only the provisions, but the men who carried them. ...

Draupadi

In course of this exile the Pandavas are informed of a "competition" called a swayamvar taking place with the prize being the hand of the Panchal princess and the daughter of King Drupad, Draupadi. The Pandavas enter the competition in disguise as Brahmans, the task being to string a mighty steel bow and shoot with a steel arrow the eye of a rotating fish on the ceiling while concentrating on the reflection underneath. No king manages to come close to do so, being unable to lift the heavy bow! Karna, the only one who is able to lift the bow, is about to try when he is halted by Draupadi with the excuse that he is the son of a charioteer and should not participate. Arjuna, however, succeeds. When he returns with his bride, Arjuna goes to his mother to show her his prize, exclaiming, "Mother, I have brought you a present!". Kunti, not noticing the princess, tells Arjuna that whatever he has won must be shared with his brothers. To ensure that their mother never utters a falsehood, even by mistake, the brothers take her as a common wife. In some interpretations, Draupadi alternates months or years with each brother. At this juncture they also meet Krishna, who would become their lifelong ally and guide. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Panchala Kingdom. ... Draupadi. ... Krishna with Radharani, 18th C Rajasthani painting Krishna (कृष्ण in Devanagari, in IAST ) is a deity famously worshipped throughout the traditions of Hinduism. ...

Indraprasth

Shakuni (Dhritarashtra's brother-in-law) and Duryodhan are furious when they learn that the Pandava brothers are alive and that King Dhritrashtra has agreed to send Vidur to call them back to Hastinapur. Karna, as usual, is ready to fight them, but Shakuni realizes that with King Drupad and Krishna on the Pandava's side it would be difficult to defeat them. Dhritrashtra consoles Duryodhan and assures him that his rights as the Heir Apparent to the throne of Hastinapur will be fully protected. In Kampilya, King Drupad and Krishna advise Yudhishthir to fight for his right to the throne of Hastinapur. Vidur arrives and tells the Pandava brothers that they have been invited back to Hastinapur along with their bride. The Pandavs and Draupadi return to Hastinapur. Dhritrashtra conceals his disappointment and orders an illustrious welcome. Determined to establish peace between the Kauravas and the Pandavas, Bheeshma suggests giving half the kingdom to Yudhishthir. Dhritrashtra agrees to this suggestion. Krishna and Balram, also give their consent and it is decided that Yudhisthira's coronation as King of Indraprasth (the new land) be held in Hastinapur.

The land given to them however becomes another injustice committed against the Pandavas as it is neither popular nor agriculturally productive. Krishna consoles the Pandavas saying that Indraprasth is not a waste but instead an opportunity to create a Land of Action. Taking the advice of Krishna, the Pandavas make Indraprasth a beautiful and just kingdom.

The Rajsuya Yagna

Shortly after this, Arjuna and Subhadra (Krishna's sister) get married and return to Indraprastha to be welcomed by Draupadi. Here, Yudhishthira seeks Sri Krishna's advice on performing the Rajsuya Yagna (ceremony) which will make him the emperor of India. Krishna advises him that a certain King Jarasandha, who himself has imprisoned 86 kings, must be killed to prevent his interference in the ceremony. Yuddhisthira decides to send Krishna, Bheema and Arjuna to challenge Jarasandh in single combat. Jarasandha chooses to fight with Bheema. Bheema and Jarasandha - matched so equally in strength - fight for nearly fourteen days without rest. When Jarasandha finally showed signs of exhaustion, Krishna prompts, by tearing a blade of grass at the stalk, Bheema to make an end of him. After Jarasandha is destroyed, his son is crowned King of Magadh. The Rajsuya Yagna is successfully celebrated and Yudhishthira is recognized as an Emperor.

Purusha Mruga

Another legend talks about Bhima's enounter with the great Purusha Mruga. Purusha Mruga was renowned as one of the biggest devotees of Lord Shiva. As the name suggests, he was half man and half animal. Yudhishthira suggested that his presence in the Rajasuya Yagna would be most auspicious and assigned Bhima to invite the revered guest. Bhima on his way, is said to have met an old monkey who is Hanuman in disguise. After inquiring about the purpose of Bhima's journey, Hanuman plucks three strands of hair from his tail and hands it to him, saying it would be of help later. Taking blessings of Hanuman, Bhima continues on the journey. On meeting Purusha Mruga, Bhima introduces himself and requests the kind devotee's presence in the Rajasuya Yagna. Purusha Mruga calmly states that he would attend the ceremony only on one condition. Bhima has to run towards Hastinapur and he would try to catch him. In an event that Bhima is caught outside the boundary of Hastinapur, Purusha Mruga would eat him. Since Yudhishthira was very keen on Purusha Mruga's attendance, Bhima accepts the challenge. A motif depicting Bheema in the battle ready posture. ... Purusha Mruga was renowned as one of the biggest devotees of Lord Shiva. ... “Nilakantha” redirects here. ... Yudhisthira was the son of King Pandu and Queen Kunti. ... For the Tamil movie by same name see Anjaneya, Movie This article is about a Divine Entity in Hinduism. ... In the epic Mahabharata, Hastinapura is the capital of the Kauravas, the desendents of Kuru, which include the Pandavas In the present world Hastinapura is a small town called Hastinapur, 37km from Meerut and 120km from Delhi. ...

Bhima runs very fast and is confident that he cannot be caught. He turns back, though, only to find Purusha Mruga gaining on him and almost about to catch him. Bhima remembers about the three hair strands which Hanuman gave him. He drops one of them and finds that it is replaced by millions of Shiva Lingam. Purusha Mruga, being a Shiva Bhakta, stops to pay his respects to each of these. Bhima, pleased by the boon, continues running, nevertheless. But soon he finds Purusha Mruga trailing him closely, after worshipping all the Shiva Lingams. He drops the second hair. The same process ensues. Similarly, Bhima drops the third hair too. Finally, when nearing the door of Hastinapur and almost crossing it, Purusha Mruga gets hold of Bhima's leg. Purusha Mruga tells Bhima that he would eat him now. Bhima, though, claims to have entered Hastinapur. At that moment, Yushishthira and Krishna arrive at the scene. After narrating the entire incident to Yudhishthira, Purusha Mruga demands justice. Yudhishthira, after considering the situation carefully, points out that Bhima's leg is the only part outside the boundary of Hastinapur and thereby, legally Purusha Mruga could eat only his leg. Pleased by the impartial and thoughtful justice imparted by Yushishthira (Dharmaraja), Purusha Mruga showers lavish praise on him and lets Bhima go. He blesses the Rajasuya Yagna and the Pandavas by attending the ceremony. A Linga. ... Bhakta is a Hindu term for a person who practices bhakti, that is loving devotion for God. ... Krishna with Radharani, 18th C Rajasthani painting Krishna (कृष्ण in Devanagari, in IAST ) is a deity famously worshipped throughout the traditions of Hinduism. ... Dharmaraja College,Kandy, established June 30, 1888 by the Theosophical Society, is one of Sri Lankas oldest Buddhist schools. ...

"The House of Illusion"

Duryodhan is unhappy about the prosperity of the Pandavs, Shakuni consoles him and later loses in a game of dice to Yudishthir. Duryodhan walks around Yudhishthir's 'Maya Mahal" ("The House of Illusion" built by Mayasura on Krishna's instructions) and falls into one of the pools. Draupadi laughs and says that the son of a blind man can only be blind. Duryodhan, Karna and Shakuni plan to avenge Draupadi for her taunting remarks. In Hindu mythology, Maya, or Mayasura was a great ancient king of the Asura, Daitya and Rakshasa races upon earth. ...

Duryodhana's game

Duryodhana, who now has a friend in the peerless warrior Karna, is informed of Yudhisthira's becoming the emperor. This proves too much for Duryodhana who feels death would be better than watching one's foes prosper. His maternal uncle Shakuni, convinced that however brave his nephew may be, he is no match for his cousins, decides to use a ruse to destroy the Pandavas. He forces Dhritarashtra to invite the Pandavas for a game of dice in which he wins everything from Yudhishthira, including himself, his brothers and Draupadi through the use of a loaded die. The jubilant Kauravas insult the Pandavas in their helpless state and even try to disrobe Draupadi in front of the entire court. Her honour is saved by the grace of Krishna who through divine intervention has granted her a sari that does not end. Hence, the Kauravas are unable to disrobe her. Dhritarashtra is forced to restore everything to the Pandavas, when draupadi is about to curse the kingdom and Duryodhan's mother Gandhari intervenes and reminds Dhritarashtra that Draupadi's curse can destroy the kingdom and all his sons immediately. Shakuni forces another game of dice which he again wins. As a condition of his victory, the Pandavas are required to go into exile for 13 years, and on the 13th year must return to the kingdom but remain hidden. If discovered by the Kauravas, they will be forced into exile for another 12 years. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A character in the Mahabharata, Shakuni was the brother of Gandhari. ... A traditional north Indian style sari. ...

The Years in Exile

The Pandavas having lost the game of dice go on exile for 12 years and a year of hiding. During the period of exile, they visit many religious places and are often visited by Krishna. Draupadi who has been insulted by Dushasana (Duryodhan's brother), takes a vow never to tie up her hair until she had blood from Dushasana's chest to wash her hair with. This constantly reminds her husbands of how war was inevitable. Krishna advises Arjuna that since war was inevitable, he should enter heaven to seek the divine weapons held by Gods and that he who is favored by Lord Indra would be able to do so. Through the prayer of Lord Indra, Arjuna gains access to heaven from where he obtains the divine weapons and also learns how to use them. Finally, Lord Indra advises Arjuna to learn the art of dance as it would come to his aid in the 13th year of hiding.

The battle at Kurukshetra

When the Pandavas return from their exile after many hardships, they request for a peace treaty with the Kauravas to gain Indraprastha back. However, Duryodhan disagrees and argues that since the Pandavas were "caught" in their year of hiding, they must go into another 13 years of exile before they can have Indraprastha. The Pandavas on Krishna's advice again ask for a peace treaty asking for at least five villages for the five brothers, from the Kauravas' vast kingdom. Duryodhana refuses to give in. Krishna intervenes to mediate peace but is unsuccessful. War becomes inevitable.

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, Pandya and the Yadus of Mathura and some other clans like the Parama Kambojas from Transoxiana were allied with the Pandavas; the allies of the Kauravas comprised the kings of Pragjyotisha, Anga, Kekaya (Kekaya brothers who were enemies of the Kekeya brothers on the Pandava side), Sindhudesa (including Sindhus, Sauviras and Sivis), Mahishmati, Avanti in Madhyadesa, Madras, Gandharas, Bahlikas, Kambojas (with Yavanas, Sakas, Tusharas etc) and many others. Prior to war being declared, Krishna's brother, Balarama, had left to go on pilgrimage, thus he does not take part in the battle itself. Kurukshetra may refer to: The Kurukshetra war described in the Mahabharata, an Indian epic The town and district of Kurukshetra in the Indian state of Haryana This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Panchala Kingdom. ... Dwarka is a city in Gujarat, India. ... Benares (also known as Banaras, Kashi, Kasi and Varanasi (वाराणसी)) is a Hindu holy city on the banks of the river Ganga or Ganges in the modern north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. ... Kekaya, the land of the Pauravas (people of the Puru tribe), was one of the janapadas of ancient India. ... Magadha was an ancient kingdom of India, mentioned in both the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. ... Incarnation of Vishnu as a Fish, from a devotional text. ... A stupa A stupa (from the Sanskrit) is a type of Buddhist structure found across the Indian subcontinent and Asia. ... The Pandyan kingdom was an ancient state at the tip of South India, founded around the 6th century BCE. It was part of the Dravidian cultural area, which also comprised other kingdoms such as that of the Pallava, the Chera, the Chola, the Chalukya and the Vijayanagara. ... Yadu is the name of one of the five Aryan clans mentioned in the Rig Veda. ... Mathura (मथुरा) is a city in India, located approximately 50 km north of Agra, and south of Delhi. ... Ancient Sanskrit literature reveals that like the Madras/Uttara Madras and the Kurus/Uttara Kurus, the ancient Kambojas also had, at least two settlements. ... Map showing modern Transoxiana. ... In the Mahabharata, the Pandava are the five acknowledged sons of Pandu, by his two wives Kunti and Madri. ... The term Kaurava (Sanskrit:कौरव) is a Sanskrit term, that means a descendant of Kuru, a legendary king who is the ancestor of many of the characters of the Mahabharata. ... Earliest reference to Angas occurs in Atharava Veda (V.22. ... Kekaya, the land of the Pauravas (people of the Puru tribe), was one of the janapadas of ancient India. ... The Indus (सिन्‍धु नदी) (known as Sindhu in ancient times) is the principal river of Pakistan. ... Sovira or Souveera was the territory which is now known as the Sindh Province in Pakistan . ... The name may refer to one of the following. ... Madra or Madraka is the name of an ancient region and its inhabitants, located in the north-west division of ancient Indian sub-continent. ... Gandhāra (Sanskrit: गन्धार, Persian; Gandara, Waihind) (Urdu: گندھارا) is the name of an ancient Indian Mahajanapada, currently in northern Pakistan (the North-West Frontier Province and parts of northern Punjab and Kashmir) and eastern Afghanistan. ... Bactria (Bactriana, also Bhalika in Indian languages) was the ancient Greek name of the country between the range of the Hindu Kush (Caucasus Indicus) and the Amu Darya (Oxus); its capital, Bactra (now Balkh), was located in what is now northern Afghanistan, southern Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. ... Kambojas are a very ancient people of north-western parts of ancient Indian subcontinent and what is now Afghanistan, frequently mentioned in ancient texts, although not in the Rig Veda. ... ... Saka is also the name of a town in Hiroshima, Japan; for information on this town, see Saka, Hiroshima. ... The Tocharians were the easternmost speakers of an Indo-European language in antiquity, inhabiting the Tarim basin in what is now Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, northwestern Peoples Republic of China. ... Balarama, next to the river Yamuna. ... For other uses, see Pilgrimage (disambiguation). ...

Arjuna, seeing himself facing grandsire Bhishma and his teacher Drona on Duryodhana's side due to their vow to serve the state of Hastinapur is heartbroken and at the idea of killing them he fails to lift his Gandiva bow. Krishna who has chosen to drive Arjuna's chariot 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, the Kauravas and Pandavas soon descended into dishonourable warfare. At the end of the 18-day slaughter only the Pandavas, Satyaki and Krishna survive. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... In the epic Mahabharata, Drona (Sanskrit: द्रोण, droNa) or Dronacharya (द्रोणाचार्य, droNāchārya) is the royal guru to the Kauravas and the Pandavas. ... Bhagavad Gīta भगवद्गीता, composed ca the fifth - second centuries BC, is part of the epic poem Mahabharata, located in the Bhisma-Parva chapters 23–40. ...

The end of the Pandavas

Beholding the carnage, the noble mother of the Kauravas, 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 who had incarnated precisely to destroy the wicked kings accepts the curse, which bears fruit 36 years later. He then departs from the world and the Pandavas who had ruled righteously all along, now tired, decide to renounce everything. Clad in skins and rags they retire to the Himalayas and ascend the peaks towards heaven in their bodily form. Legend reveals that a mangy, stray dog travels along with them. One by one the Pandavas and Draupadi fall on their way. As each one stumbles, Yudhishtra 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 Yudhisthra who had tried everything to prevent the carnage and the dog remain. The dog reveals himself to be the god Dharma, who reveals the nature of the test and assures Yudhishtra that his fallen siblings and wife are in heaven. Yudhistra alone transcends to heaven in his bodily form for being just and humble. The word Gāndhārī can mean more than one thing: Gāndhārī is a character in the Indian epic, the Mahabharata. ...

Arjuna's grandson Parikshita 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. Parikshita is in the Mahabharata epic the successor of Yudhisthira to the throne of Hastinapura. ...

Modern Interpretations

The acclaimed Kannada novelist S.L. Bhyrappa, wrote a novel in Kannada [Translated to most of the Indian languages and English] titled Parva, giving new interpretation to the story of Mahabharata. He carried years of research where Mahabharata happened, in the plains of North India,Uttarakhand , and Garwal region in particular. He tried to understand social and ethical practices in these regions and correlating with the story of Mahabharata. He gave a realistic, rational explation of the characters and events of Mahabharata. Santeshivara Lingannaiah Bhyrappa (born July 26, 1934), is a Kannada novelist, whose works are immensely popular both within India and abroad. ... Dark green region marks the approximate extent of northern India while the regions marked as light green lies within the sphere of north Indian influence. ... Uttarakhand (Hindi: उत्तराखंड), known as Uttaranchal from 2000 to 2006, became the 27th state of the Republic of India on November 9, 2000. ...

In the late 1980s, the Mahabharata TV series ^[21] was televised and shown on India's national television (Doordarshan). The series was written by Dr. Rahi Masoom Reza and directed by B. R. Chopra and his son Ravi Chopra. The concept was by Pt. Narendra Sharma - a well-known poet and lyricist. It became the most popular Indian TV series series in history. It entered the Guinness Book of World Records as having been watched by a majority of Indians around the world at the time.^[22] It was also shown in the UK by the BBC, where it achieved audience figures of 5 million, unheard of for a subtitled series being aired in the afternoon.^[23] Mahabharat is a successful Indian television series based on the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata. ... nikatdarshan () is a Public broadcast Terrestrial television channel run by Prasar Bharati, a board nominated by the Government of India. ... Dr. Rahi Masoom Reza was a famous urdu shayar of his times born in Ghazipur in western Uttar Pradesh. ... Baldev Raj Chopra born April 14, 1914) is a director and Producer of Bollywood movies and Indian television sitcoms. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... Guinness World Records 2007 edition front cover. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, usually known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GB£4 billion...

In the West, the most acclaimed and well known presentation of the epic is Peter Brook’s nine hour play premiered in Avignon in 1985 and its five hour movie version The Mahabharata (1989) ^[24], which was shown on other TV networks, including PBS (through the "Great Performances" show) and Danmarks Radio (credited in the movie's credits). The term Western World or the West (also on rare occasions called the Occident) can have multiple meanings depending on its context (i. ... Peter Stephen Paul Brook CH CBE (born 21 March 1925) is a highly influential British theatrical producer and director. ... City flag City coat of arms Location Coordinates Time Zone CET (GMT +1) Administration Country France Région Provence-Alpes-Côte dAzur Département Vaucluse (préfecture) Arrondissement Avignon Canton Chief town of 4 cantons Intercommunality Communauté dagglomération du Grand Avignon Mayor Marie-Josée Roig... The Mahabharata is a 1989 film version of the Hindu epic, directed by Peter Brook. ... Not to be confused with Public Broadcasting Services in Malta. ... Great Performances was a television series devoted to the performing arts which ran on the US television station PBS from 1972. ... Danmarks Radio (normally referred to as just DR) is Denmarks national broadcasting corporation. ...

However, there have been film versions of the Mahabharata long before these two versions, the earliest of which was shown in 1920.^[25]. Another upcoming Indian film version The Mahabharata is currently in production. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Among literary reinterpretations of the Mahabharata the most famous is arguably Sashi Tharoor's major work entitled "The Great Indian Novel", an involved literary, philosophical, and political novel which superimposes the major moments of post-Independence India in the 20th century onto the driving events of the Mahabharata epic. An acclaimed book, "The Great Indian Novel" also contemporized well-known characters of the epic into equally well-known politicians of the modern era (e.g. Indira Gandhi as the villainous Duryodhana). Young Shashi Tharoor Shashi Tharoor (Born 9 March 1956 in London) is the United Nations Under-Secretary General for Communications and Public Information. ... The Great Indian Novel is a satirical novel by Shashi Tharoor. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... In the Mahabharata, Duryodhana (or Dhuryodhana) is the eldest son of the blind king Dhritarashtra by Queen Gandhari, and the eldest of the one hundred Kaurava brothers, and the chief antagonist of the Pandavas. ...

Mahabharata was also reinterpreted by Shyam Benegal in Kalyug. Kalyug is a modern-day replaying of the Mahabharat, with the Pandava industrial family being locked in a titanic battle with their Kaurav rivals. But the times are different from the original Mahabharat's, and external forces impinge on feudal values causing disconcerting results.^[26] Shyam Benegal is a prolific Indian director, born 14 December 1934 in Alwal, Hyderabad, British India Andhra Pradesh. ... Kalyug movie poster Kalyug (released 2005) is an Indian Hindi movie about the Blue Film industry. ...

Western interpretations of the Mahabharata include William Buck's Mahabharata and Elizabeth Seeger's Five Sons of King Pandu.

Critical Edition

Between 1919 and 1966, the scholars at the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune, compared the various manuscripts of the epic from India and abroad and produced the Critical Edition of the Mahabharata, on 13,000 pages in 19 volumes, followed by the Harivamsha in another 2 volumes and 6 index volumes. This is the text that is usually used in current Mahabharata studies for reference.^[27] The Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, abbreviated BORI, is located in Pune at the junction of Law College Road and Bhandarkar Road. ... Pune (Marathi: पुणे), is a city located in the western Indian state of Maharashtra. ...

English Translations

A poetic translation of the full epic into English, done by the poet P. Lal is complete, and in 2005 began being published by Writers Workshop, Calcutta. The P. Lal translation is a non-rhyming verse-by-verse rendering, and is the only edition in any language to include all slokas in all recensions of the work (not just those in the Critical Edition). It is both poetic and swift to read, and is oriented to the oral/musical tradition in which the work was originally created. The completion of the publishing project is scheduled for 2008. Six of the eighteen volumes are now available: Purusottama Lal, born 1929 in the state of Punjab in India, is a poet, essayist, translator, professor and publisher. ... Writers Workshop is a Calcutta-based literary publisher, founded by the poet P. Lal in the early 1950s. ...

Vol 1: Adi Parva, 1232 pages, 2005, ISBN 81-8157-370-6

Vol 2: Sabha Parva, 520 pages, 2005, ISBN 81-8157-382-X

Vol 3: Vana Parva, 1580 pages, 2005, ISBN 81-8157-448-6

Vol 4: Virata Parva, 400 pages, 2006

Vol 5: Udyoga Parva, 970 pages, 2006, ISBN 81-8157-530-X

Vol 17: Mahaprasthana Parva, 30 pages, 2006 ISBN 81-8157-552-0

A project to translate the full epic into English prose, translated by various hands, began to appear in 2005 from the Clay Sanskrit Library, published by New York University Press. Currently available are portions of Parvas two, three, four, seven, eight, and nine. New York University (NYU) is a major research university in New York City. ...

Another English prose translation of the full epic is also in progress, published by University Of Chicago Press, initiated by Chicago Indologist J. A. B. van Buitenen (Parvas 1-5) and, following a 20-year hiatus caused by the death of van Buitenen, is being continued by D. Gitomer of DePaul University (Parvas 6-10), J. L. Fitzgerald of Tennessee University (Parvas 11-13) and W. Doniger of Chicago University (Parvas 14-18): The University of Chicago is a private university located principally in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. ...

Vol. 1: Parva 1, 545 pages, 1980, ISBN 0-226-84663-6

Vol. 2: Parvas 2-3, 871 pages, 1981, ISBN 0-226-84664-4

Vol. 3: Parvas 4-5, 582 pages, 1983, ISBN 0-226-84665-2

Vol. 4: Parva 6 (forthcoming)

Vol. 7: Parva 11, first half of parva 12, 848 pages, 2003, ISBN 0-226-25250-7

Vol. 8: Second half of Parva 12 (forthcoming)

Until these three projects are available in full, the only available complete English translations remain the Victorian prose versions by Kisari Mohan Ganguli, published between 1883 and 1896 (Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers) and by M.N Dutt(Motilal Banarasidoss Publishers).Most critics consider the translation by Ganguli to be faithful to the original text. Charles Dickens is still one of the best known English writers of any era. ... Kisari Mohan Ganguli was the person who translated the Great Epic- Mahabharata into English between 1883 to 1896. ...

 The complete text of Ganguli's translation is available online (see External Links). 

Several editions of the Kisari Mohan Ganguli translation of the Mahabharata incorrectly cite Pratap Chandra Roy as translator and this error has been perpetuated into secondary citations. See the publishers preface to the current Munshiram Manoharlal edition for an explanation. Kisari Mohan Ganguli was the person who translated the Great Epic- Mahabharata into English between 1883 to 1896. ...

See also

• Bhagavad Gita
• Kakawin Bhāratayuddha
• Kingdoms of Ancient India
• Kurukshetra war
• Ramayana

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

The Mahabharata

Bhagavad Gīta भगवद्गीता, composed ca the fifth - second centuries BC, is part of the epic poem Mahabharata, located in the Bhisma-Parva chapters 23–40. ... First page of Gunnings kakawin Bhāratayuddha (1903) in Javanese characters. ... This article tries to compile and classify all the kingdoms of ancient India mentioned in the Sanskrit/Vedic literature. ... Combatants Pandavas led by Dhristadyumna Kauravas led by Bhishma Commanders Arjuna Bhima Yudhishthira Nakula Sahadeva Bhishma Drona Karna Duryodhana Ashwatthama Strength 7 Akshauhinis 1,530,900 soldiers 11 Akshauhinis 2,405,700 soldiers Casualties Almost Total Only 7 survivors - the five Pandavas, Krishna, and Satyaki Almost Total Only 3 survivors... For the television series by Ramanand Sagar, see Ramayan (TV series). ... Image File history File links Wikisource-logo. ... The original Wikisource logo. ...

Notes

It has been suggested that Deception of Zeus be merged into this article or section. ... Odysseus and Nausicaä - by Charles Gleyre The Odyssey (Greek Οδύσσεια (Odússeia) ) is one of the two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to the poet Homer. ... Tibet (older spelling Thibet; Tibetan: བོད་; Wylie: Bod; Lhasa dialect IPA: [; Simplified and Traditional Chinese: 西藏, Hanyu Pinyin: XÄ«zàng; also referred to as 藏区 (Simplified Chinese), 藏區 (Traditional Chinese), ZàngqÅ« (Hanyu Pinyin), having the two names different connotations; see Name section below) is a plateau region in Central Asia and the... The Epic of King Gesar is the premier epic poem of Tibet and much of Central Asia. ... Kirghiz (also Kyrgyz and Kirgiz) are a Turkic-Mongoloid ethnic group found primarily in Kyrgyzstan. ... Manas is a traditional epic poem of the Kyrgyz people and the name of the epics eponymous hero. ... Bharat may refer to Bharat Ramesh aka Sajid Mahmood, tho it is impossible to be two people at once, he stil is sajid mahmood Bharata भरत (Sanskrit to be or being maintained) may refer to a name of Agni a name of Rudra one of the Adityas Emperor Bharata, son of... India, as a country and nation, has three principal names, in both official and popular usage, each of which is historically and culturally significant. ... Subhash Kak (सुभाष काक) (born March 26, 1947, Srinagar, Kashmir) is Delaune Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering and Professor in the Asian Studies and Cognitive Science Programs at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge. ... Maharshi Jaimini is a student on Vyasa Maharishi. ... Kannada - aptly described as sirigannada (known to few as Kanarese) is one of the oldest Dravidian languages and is spoken in its various dialects by roughly 45 million people. ... Kali Yuga is also the title of a book by Roland Charles Wagner. ... R.C. Majumdar (1888-1980) was an Indian historian and Vice-Chancellor of Dacca University. ... R.C. Majumdar (1888-1980) was an Indian historian and Vice-Chancellor of Dacca University. ... K.D. Sethna is an Indian author. ... R.C. Majumdar (1888-1980) was an Indian historian and Vice-Chancellor of Dacca University. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about motion pictures, actors, movie stars, TV shows, TV stars, production crew personnel, movie pictures, cast, crew as well as video games. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) [1] is an online database of information about actors, movies, television shows, television stars and video games. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about motion pictures, actors, movie stars, TV shows, TV stars, production crew personnel, movie pictures, cast, crew as well as video games. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about motion pictures, actors, movie stars, TV shows, TV stars, production crew personnel, movie pictures, cast, crew as well as video games. ...

References

• Chaturvedi Badrinath, The Mahabharata : An Inquiry in the Human Condition, New Delhi, Orient Longman (2006)
• J. Brockington, The Sanskrit Epics, Leiden (1998).
• Alf Hildebeitel, The Ritual of Battle, Krishna in the Mahabharata, SUNY Press, New York 1990.
• E. W. Hopkins, The Great Epic of India, New York (1901).
• H. Oldenberg, Zur Geschichte der Altindischen Prosa, Berlin (1917)
• Jyotirmayananda Swami, Mysticism of the Mahabharata, Yoga Research Foundation, Miami 1993.
• Paule Lerner, Astrological Key in Mahabharata, David White (trans.) Motilal Banarsidass, New Delhi 1988.
• Ruth Cecily Katz, Arjuna in the Mahabharata, University of South Carolina Press, Columbia 1989.
• Krishna Chaitanya (K.K. Nair), The Mahabharata, A Literary Study, Clarion Books, New Delhi 1985.
• Th. Oberlies, 'Ritual an und unter der Oberfläche des Mahabharata', in: Neue Methoden der Epenforschung (ed. H. L. C. Tristram), Freiburg (1998).
• H. Oldenberg, Das Mahabharata, Göttingen (1922).
• M. Mehta, The problem of the double introduction to the Mahabharata, JAOS 93 (1973), 547-550.
• C. Z. Minkowski, Janamehayas Sattra and Ritual Structure, JAOS 109 (1989), 410-420.
• C. Z. Minkowski, 'Snakes, Sattras and the Mahabharata', in: Essays on the Mahabharata, ed. A. Sharma, Leiden (1991), 384-400.
• Bruce M. Sullivan, Seer of the Fifth Veda, Krsna Dvaipayana Vyasa in the Mahabharata, Motilal Banarsidass, New Delhi 1999.
• Nicholas Sutton, Religious Doctrines in the Mahabharata, Motilal Banarsidass, New Delhi 2000.
• N. B. Utgikar, The mention of the Mahabharata in the Ashvalayana Grhya Sutra, Proceedings and Transactions of the All-India Oriental Conference, Poona (1919), vol. 2, Poona (1922), 46-61.
• M. Witzel, Epics, Khilas and Puranas: Continuities and Ruptures, Proceedings of the Third Dubrovnik International Conference on the Sanskrit Epics and Puranas, ed. P. Koskiallio, Zagreb (2005), 21-80.
• Mahabharat Yuddhakal (14th sept 3009BC Greg): Prafulla Mendki

Hermann Oldenberg (1854-1920) was a German scholar of Indology, and Professor at Kiel (1898) and Göttingen (1908). ... Michael E. J. Witzel (born 1943) is Wales Professor of Sanskrit and Chair of the Committee on South Asian Studies at Harvard University. ...

External links

Original text online (Sanskrit)

• MahabharataOnline.com - Mahabharata Translations, Simple narrations, Stories and Scriptures
• Mahabharata major ancient Sanskrit epics of India
• [1] (transliterated) at Goettingen State and University Library
• [2] (parallel in Devanāgarī and transliterated) at The Internet Sacred Text Archive

Kisari Mohan Ganguli translation (English)

• at sacred-texts.com
• at bharatadesam.com

Articles on the Mahabharata

• Mahabharata and Sindhu- Sarasvathi tradition, a paper by Subhash kak (pdf)
• The Date Of The Mahabharata War
• Vivekananda on the Mahabharata
• WMBlake on the Mahabharata

Audio Narration

• Mahabaratham Pesukiradhu - Narration of the great epic Mahabarath in Tamil

Other resources

• [3]Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India R.V. Bhasin, Author of Mahabharata ;2006 (national publications), Essence of Hinduism (jaico publications).
• Reading Suggestions J. F. Fitzgerald, University of Tennessee
• Clay Sanskrit Library publishes classical Indian literature, including the Mahabharata and Ramayana, with facing-page text and translation. Also offers searchable corpus and downloadable materials.
• Mahabharata Resources Page at its new home Resources on Mahabharata
• Mahabharata at the Open Directory Project (suggest site)

Movies

• The Mahabharata at the Internet Movie Database 1989 movie directed by Peter Brook
• Kalyug at the Internet Movie Database 1980 movie directed by Shyam Benegal. The movie is loosely based on the story of the Mahabharata and reinterprets the struggle for the kingdom in an industrial age, with two family factions fighting for the control of an industrial conglomerate.

() is an abugida script used to write, either along with other scripts, or exclusively, several Indian languages, including Sanskrit, Hindi, Marathi, Sindhi, Bihari, Bhili, Marwari, Konkani, Bhojpuri, Nepali, Nepal Bhasa from Nepal and sometimes Kashmiri and Romani. ... The Open Directory Project (ODP), also known as dmoz (from directory. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about motion pictures, actors, movie stars, TV shows, TV stars, production crew personnel, movie pictures, cast, crew as well as video games. ... Peter Stephen Paul Brook CH CBE (born 21 March 1925) is a highly influential British theatrical producer and director. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about motion pictures, actors, movie stars, TV shows, TV stars, production crew personnel, movie pictures, cast, crew as well as video games. ... Shyam Benegal is a prolific Indian director, born 14 December 1934 in Alwal, Hyderabad, British India Andhra Pradesh. ... Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa was the great sage who authored the great Hindu epic Mahabharata. ... The Kuru kingdom was ruled by the Kuru clan of kings. ... Shantanu is a king of Hastinapura in the great epic of the Mahabharata. ... In Hinduism, the Ganges River (called locally as the Ganga) is personified as a goddess, who holds an important place in the Hindu pantheon. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Satyavati is the great-grandmother of the Pandava and Kaurava princes, principal characters of the Mahabharata, one of the principal texts in Hindu mythology. ... Chitrāngada was the elder son of Shantanu and Satyavati. ... In Hindu mythology, Queen Satyavati bore King Santanu two sons, Chitrangada and Vichitravirya. ... Ambika was the daughter of King of Kashi and wife of Vichitravirya, King of Hastinapur. ... Ambalika was the daughter of King of Kashi and the wife of Vichitravirya, King of Hastinapur. ... Vidura (Sanskrit: विदुर, vidÅ«ra) was a son of a maid-servant who served the Queens of Hastinapura, Queen Ambika and Ambalika. ... In Mahabharata Dhritarashtra was the son bore by Vichitraviryas first wife Ambika from Vyasa. ... GāndhārÄ« is a character in the India epic, the Mahabharata. ... A character in the Mahabharata, Shakuni was the brother of Gandhari. ... Jagannath(far right) with his brother Balarama(far left) and sister Subadra (center) in Radhadesh, Belgium Subhadra is the sister of Krishna. ... In the Mahabharata epic, Pandu is the son of Vichitravirya and his second wife, Ambalika from Vyasa. ... In Hinduism, Princess Kunti is the mother of the Pandavas. ... In the Mahabharata epic, Madri was a princess of the Madra kingdom and the second wife of Pandu. ... In the great Hindu epic Mahabharata, Yudhisthira (Sanskrit: युधिष्ठिर, yudhiṣṭhira) was the eldest son of King Pandu and Queen Kunti, king of Hastinapura and Indraprastha, and World Emperor. ... A motif depicting Bheema in the battle ready posture. ... Krishna to Arjuna: Behold My mystic opulence! Arjuna (Sanskrit: अर्जुन, arjuna) is one of the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. ... In the Hindu epic Mahabharata, Nakula (Sanskrit: नकुल, naküla) was the son of king Pandu and queen Madri. ... Sahadeva (Sanskrit: सहदेव, sahadéva) is a character in the Mahabharata. ... In the Mahabharata, Duryodhana (or Dhuryodhana) is the eldest son of the blind king Dhritarashtra by Queen Gandhari, and the eldest of the one hundred Kaurava brothers, and the chief antagonist of the Pandavas. ... Dushasana (Duśśāsana in IAST transliteration, and sometimes written Duhshasana and Dushyasana) was the second son of the blind king Dhritarashtra and Gandhari in the epic Mahabharata, and the younger brother of Duryodhana. ... Yuyutsu (also known as Vikarna), in the Hindu epic Mahabharata, was the son of King Dhritarashtra and one of the palace maidservants. ... In the Mahabharata, Dushala is a Kaurava, the only daughter of Dhritarashtra and Gandhari. ... Draupadi. ... Hidimbi is a Rakshasi, in the Mahabharata. ... In the Mahabharata, Ghatotkacha is the son of Bhima and Hidimbi. ... Ahilawati was at the time of Mahabharat. ... Uttara is the name of two siblings in the Hindu epic Mahabharata, the son and daughter of King Virata, whose court the Pandavas spent a year in concealment during their exile. ... UlÅ«pÄ«, in the Hindu epic Mahabharata, was one of Arjunas wives. ... Chitrāngadā, in the Hindu epic Mahabharata, is one of Arjunas wives. ... Amba was the eldest daughter of King of Kashi. ... In the Mahabharata, Barbarika (IAST BarbarÄ«ka) was the son of Ghatotkacha and Maurvi, daughter of Muru, a Yadava king. ... Babruvahana is one of the sons of Arjuna, begotten through Chitrangada, the princess of Manipur, during the period of his exile at Manipur. ... Iravan: In Hindu mythology Son of Uloopi, and Arjun Can be considered King of the Nagas Fell on the 7th day of the Mahabharat ... Abhimanyu (Sanskrit: अभिमन्यु, abhimanyu) is a tragic hero in the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata. ... Parikshita is in the Mahabharata epic the successor of Yudhisthira to the throne of Hastinapura. ... In Hindu mythology, Virata is the king in whose court the Pandavas spent a year in concealment during their exile. ... Kichak, in the Hindu epic Mahabharata, was the brother of queen Sudeshna of King Virata, the king of Matsya. ... Kripa, also often called Kripacharya, was the chief priest at the court of Hastinapura, in the Mahabharata. ... In the epic Mahabharata, Drona (Sanskrit: द्रोण, droNa) or Dronacharya (द्रोणाचार्य, droNāchārya) is the royal guru to the Kauravas and the Pandavas. ... In the Hindu epic Mahabharata, Ashwatthama (Sanskrit: अश्वत्थाम, ashvatthāma) or Ashwatthaman (Sanskrit: अश्वत्थमन, ashvatthamana) was the son of guru Dronacharya. ... In Mahabharata epic, Ekalavya is a young prince of the Nishadha tribes, who achieves a skill level parallel to the great Arjuna, despite Dronas rejection of him. ... This article or section is missing needed references or citation of sources. ... Jarasandha , the king of Magadha, is a character of the epic Mahabharata. ... In the Mahabharata epic, Satyaki, also called Yuyudhana, a powerful warrior belong to the Yadava-Vrishni dynasty of Lord Krishna. ... In Hindu mythology, Maya, or Mayasura was a great ancient king of the Asura, Daitya and Rakshasa races upon earth. ... In Hinduism, Durvasa is an ancient sage, who was known for his short temper. ... Sanjaya is a character from the Hindu epic Mahabharata. ... Janamejaya, was the son of Arjunas (Mahabharata)grandson Parikishit. ... Veda Vyasa(Contemporary painting) Vyāsa (DevanāgarÄ«: व्यास) is a central and much revered figure in the majority of Hindu traditions. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... In the epic Mahabharata, Jayadratha (Sanskrit: जयद्रथ) is the king of Sindhu. ... Krishna with Radharani, 18th C Rajasthani painting Krishna (कृष्ण in Devanagari, in IAST ) is a deity famously worshipped throughout the traditions of Hinduism. ... Balarama, next to the river Yamuna. ... Drupada, also known as Yajnasena, is a character in the Mahabharata. ... In the Mahabharata, Hidimba (sometimes called Hidimbasura and Hdimba) was a rakshasa, the brother of Hidimbi and a forest dweller. ... Dhristadyumna was the son of Drupada and brother of Draupadi and Shikhandi in the classic epic Mahabharata. ... King Shalya was the brother of Madri, the mother of Nakula and Sahadeva. ... According to the Mahabharata, Adhiratha was a charioteer, and was the foster father of Karna. ... Shikandi (born Shikhandini) is a character in the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata. ... In the Mahabharata, the Pandava are the five acknowledged sons of Pandu, by his two wives Kunti and Madri. ... The term Kaurava (Sanskrit:कौरव) is a Sanskrit term, that means a descendant of Kuru, a legendary king who is the ancestor of many of the characters of the Mahabharata. ... In the Hindu epic Mahabharata, Hastinapura is the capital and the kingdom of the Kauravas, the descendants of Kuru, which include the Pandavas. ... The first city of Delhi is believed to be founded by the legendary Pandavas of the Mahabharata around 1400 BC. It was called Indraprastha. ... This article tries to compile and classify all the kingdoms of ancient India mentioned in the Sanskrit/Vedic literature. ... Combatants Pandavas led by Dhristadyumna Kauravas led by Bhishma Commanders Arjuna Bhima Yudhishthira Nakula Sahadeva Bhishma Drona Karna Duryodhana Ashwatthama Strength 7 Akshauhinis 1,530,900 soldiers 11 Akshauhinis 2,405,700 soldiers Casualties Almost Total Only 7 survivors - the five Pandavas, Krishna, and Satyaki Almost Total Only 3 survivors... Bhagavad Gīta भगवद्गीता, composed ca the fifth - second centuries BC, is part of the epic poem Mahabharata, located in the Bhisma-Parva chapters 23–40. ...

Hinduism | Hindu mythology | Indian epic poetry
Female Deities: Saraswati | Mariamman | Lakshmi | Dakshayani | Gayatri | Parvati | Durga | Shakti | Kali | Sita | Devi | Radha | Mahavidya | more...
Male Deities: Brahma | Vishnu | Shiva | Rama | Krishna | Ganesha | Murugan | Hanuman | Ayyanar | Indra | Surya | more...
Texts: Vedas | Upanishads | Puranas | Ramayana | Mahabharata | Rigveda
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Hinduism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Hindu mythology is a term used by modern scholarship for a large body of Indian literature that details the lives and times of legendary personalities, deities and divine incarnations on earth interspersed with often large sections of philosophical and ethical discourse. ... The ancient Sanskrit epics, the Ramayana and Mahabharata, laid the cornerstone for much of Hindu religion. ... Image File history File links Hindu_swastika. ... Within Smarta Hinduism, a variety of forms of God are seen as aspects of the one impersonal divine ground, (Brahma) or Aum. ... For the Vedic river, see Saraswati River. ... Mariamman This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... For South Indian actress, see Laxmi (actress). ... This 14th century statue depicts Shiva (on the left) and Uma (on the right}. It is housed in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. In Hinduism, Gowri or Dakshayani is the Goddess of marital felicity and longevity, who is worshipped particularly by ladies to seek the long life of... Gayatri (Sanskrit: , IAST: ) is the feminine form of gāyatra, a Sanskrit word for a song or a hymn. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... In Hinduism, Durga (Sanskrit: , Bengali: ) is a form of Devi, the supreme goddess. ... Lakshmi is a common aspect of Shakti Shakti meaning force, power or energy is the Hindu concept or personification of Gods female aspect, sometimes referred to as The Divine Mother. Shakti represents the active, dynamic principles of feminine power. ... This article is about the Hindu goddess Kali. ... This article is about Sita Devi, the wife of Rama. ... Commonly known as Devi (goddess), Vaishnodevi (देवी, DevÄ« in Hindi and Sanskrit) is the Divine Mother of Hinduism. ... A Rajastani style painting of Sri Radha Radha (Devanagari: राधा) is a famous female personality from Hindu, (Vedic) tradition, also known as Radharani, prefixed with the respectful term Srimati by devout followers. ... In Hinduism, the ten mahavidyas (Great Wisdoms) are aspects of Devi. ... Within Smarta Hinduism, a variety of forms of God are seen as aspects of the one impersonal divine ground, (Brahma) or Aum. ... Brahma (IAST: Brahmā) (Devanagari ब्रह्मा, pronounced as ) is the Hindu god (deva) of creation, and one of the Hindu Trinity - Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. ... Vishnu (IAST , Devanagari ), (honorific: Sri Vishnu) also known as Narayana is the Supreme Being or Ultimate Reality for Vaishnavas and a manifestation of Brahman in the Advaita or Smarta traditions. ... “Nilakantha” redirects here. ... RAMA is a first-person adventure game developed and published by Sierra Entertainment in 1996. ... Krishna with Radharani, 18th C Rajasthani painting Krishna (कृष्ण in Devanagari, in IAST ) is a deity famously worshipped throughout the traditions of Hinduism. ... In Hinduism, Ganesha is one of the most well-known and beloved representations of God. ... Muruga (also Murugan) (Tamil: ) is perhaps the most popular Hindu deity amongst Tamils of Tamil Nadu state in India, Sri Lanka and in the Tamil diaspora. ... For the Tamil movie by same name see Anjaneya, Movie This article is about a Divine Entity in Hinduism. ... Ayyanar a regional Tamil male deity who is popular amongst the rural social groups of South India specifically Tamil nadu. ... Indra (Sanskrit: इन्द्र or इंद्र, indra) is the god of weather and war, and lord of Svargaloka in Hinduism. ... In Hinduism, Surya (Devanagari: सूर्य, sÅ«rya) is the chief solar deity,one of the Adityas, son of Kasyapa and one of his wife Aditi[1] ,in Nordics Tyr he is said to be the son of Dyaus Pitar. ... Veda redirects here. ... The Upanishads (उपनिषद्, Upanişad) are part of the Hindu Shruti scriptures which primarily discuss meditation and philosophy and are seen as religious instructions by most schools of Hinduism. ... Purana (Sanskrit: पुराण , meaning ancient or old) is the name of a genre (or a group of related genres) of Hinduism literature (as distinct from oral literature). ... For the television series by Ramanand Sagar, see Ramayan (TV series). ... The Rigveda (Sanskrit: , a tatpurusha compound of praise, verse and knowledge) is a collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns dedicated to the gods. ...