The Mahabharata

 

short episode of the Mahabharata

 

The Mahabharata (Hindi: महाभारत) is the most famous Indian epic. It is believed that it was first written between 400 BC to 400 AC, but based on older traditions. It covers about 100,000 lines. The Mahabharata is stories about heros and also an important religious and philosophical work. The legend says that Vyasa, who played a role in the story, composed it and have dictated the elephant-headed god Ganesh. Over the centuries, there were a number of changes and developments of the work, since the Mahabharata was passed on orally. The Focus of the Mahabharata is the political problems between the Pandavas and the Kauravas. Furthermore the book includes other historical tales.

Main story: A prince from the Indian dynasty of Bharata had three sons, Dhritarashtra, Pandu and Vidura. The oldest, the blind Dhritarashtra, couldn’t take the place of the king because of his blindness. The king Pandu transferred after a time the throne to his blind brother, and moved with his two wives Kunti and Madri in the woods. Before he died, five sons were born; the Pandavas: Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna and the twins and Nakula Sahadava. The reigning king blind Dhritarashtra had one hundred sons, the Kauravas. The main part of the story of the Mahabharata deals with the conflict between these two related families. The Kauravas tried to secure their own claim to the throne.