Mahabharata

The Mahabharata (pronounced Ma-haa-BHAAR-a-ta) is a sweeping epic of Hindu mythology, analogous in both size (over 100,000 verses) and religious significance to the Christian Bible. It tells the story of a war between the Pandavas, the sons of King Pandu, and the Kauravas, the sons of Pandu's older, blind brother, King Dhritarastra. The main event in the text is the appearance of Krishna, the 8th avatar (incarnation) of Vishnu.

The Mahabharatha walks thru all walks of life and is considered to be an encyclopedia of human relations.

The Mahabharata is written in eighteen parvas (chapters or books) which are:

1. Adiparvan
2. Sabhaparvan
3. Aranyakaparvan
4. Virataparvan
5. Udyogaparvan
6. Bhismaparvan
7. Dronaparvan
8. Karnaparvan
9. Sargarohanaparvan
10. Sauptikaparvan
11. Striparvan
12. Santiparvan
13. Anusasanaparvan
14. Asvamedhikaparvan
15. Asramavasikaparvan
16. Mausalaparvan
17. Mahaprasthanikaparvan
18. Svargarohanaparvan

Set in the sixth book of the Mahabharata is the Bhagavad Gita, a well known masterpiece of Hindu thought, wherein Arjuna is advised by Krishna that he must fulfill his duty by participating in a battle, at the risk of losing many friends and relatives in the fighting.

See also: Ramayana - Golden age - millennialism

External links

• Full etext in devangari and in transliterated Sanskrit:
  • http://www.hindunet.org/mahabharata/
  • http://bombay.oriental.cam.ac.uk/john/mahabharata/statement (requires free registration and license agreement)
• http://www.investindia.com/newsite/religion/mahabhar.htm Brief Summary of the Mahabharata in English
• http://home.earthlink.net/~shubhrasudha/lopa3 More detailed, book-by-book summary