Mahabharata: In terms of content, characters, and relevance to Indian Theatrical Practice

Introduction

The Pandavas and Kauravas, two branches of the same family, conflict over the control of Hastinapura during the Kurukshetra War, which is the focus of the epic Mahabharata. The Mahabharata is made up of several interconnected short tales rather than one large narrative.

It was written by Ganesha, with lyrical content given by Vyasa, who is also a character in the epic. The Mahabharata, which contains the Bhagavad Gita, is one of the most significant works of ancient Indian and even global literature.

Indian from Mewar, Rajasthan, Northern India, Ganesa writing the Mahabharat, marked as public domain, more details on Wikimedia Commons

Ganesh writes at a great speed that when vyas finishes a statement saying and raise his head,ganesh finished writing it.

Synopsis of the Story

The epic is a detailed version in which, Pandavas and Kauravas have a long-term dispute. However, the struggle starts when Dhtarra, the eldest son of the Kuru dynasty, had to abdicate his throne to his younger brother Pandu due to his blindness. As a result, the Kauravas' eldest son Duryodhana and his loyal brothers began to detest their alliances.

The Pandavas are compelled to leave the kingdom because of the animosity and jealousy that arise between the cousins. After some time, the Pandavas were forced to flee, and while they were away, the five of them married Draupadi together and met their cousin Krishna, who ended up being their comrade and companion.

They return and enjoy a few prosperous years in a split kingdom, but they are once more compelled to spend 12 years in the forest and one year of their lives hiding. When Dharmaraj, the eldest brother, loses everything, including Draupadi, in a dice game with the Kauravas' eldest son. Following the game, the Kauravas treated Draupadi disrespectfully in front of the Pandavas and other senior court members. Furious, Draupadi pledges she won't tie her hair up until it has been covered with Duryodhana and Dusana's blood as retaliation for this dishonour.

As a result, it changed completely and contributed significantly to the outbreak of war. After that, when the Pandavas arrive to regain their kingdom after living in the wilderness for 12 years and hiding for one year, Duryodhana won't grant them even a tiny bit of land.

Thus, the battle of Kurukshetra was fought, in which Krishna took part as a non-combatant hero of Arjuna and secured the victory of the Pandavas over the Kauravas. The Mahabharata devotes about half of its lines to describing the epic fight. Before the start of the war, Krishna reveals to Arjuna that he is the Ruler of the Entire universe and learns him, which is one's responsibility and the purpose of life. The whole exchange between Arjuna and Krishna is known as the Bhagavad Gita.

Krishna and Arjuna

Authorship and the historical development of the Sanskrit Mahabharata

The Mahabharata's oldest archaeological written Sanskrit passages date to approximately 400 BCE, and the epic continued to grow throughout the eighth and ninth centuries BCE. However, its almost complete form was designed in the early Gupta era in the fourth century CE. The Kuru and Panchal dynasties' power struggle was mostly depicted in the Mahabharata epic before 400 BCE. There are lots of changes we can observe in the form of Mahabharata as time pass from earlier to modern.

• Between the years of 350 BCE to 50 BCE, the oral legacy of a Pandava's Bharata epic that was popular in ancient North India was created from the old folk tales of the Bharata epic.

• From 50 BCE to 50 CE, the epic, which first appeared as a Pandava's rampage against the kingly sponsors of the previous Vedic period, also consolidated the new cosmic religion that was forming via the entry of the character of Krishna.

• From 50 CE to 250 CE, the early systematic Skhya philosophy and fresh ethical and religious issues were included in the Mahabharata book.

• The Mahabharata scriptures, which covered the period from 150 to 650 CE, took into account the yuga-Kalpa time periods, further bringing up the personalities and circumstances of the philosophical system.

• The written Sanskrit epic's texts continued to grow in the post-Gupta era, although mostly solely via the elaboration and expansion of already existent characteristics.

The Mahabharata as Itihāsapurāṇa and its Framing devices

The Mahabharata refers to itself as Itihāsapurāṇa, a compilation that includes both records of historical events (itihāsa) and stories of mythology relating to the gods (Purana). Not only are the episodes in the Mahabharata influenced by the Puranas, but the writing and presentation of the stories themselves are also deeply rooted in mythology.

The Mahabharata, recognized as the largest poetry ever composed, has lengthy prose passages and more than 100,000 slokas, or more than 200,000 individual lines. There are 18 main parvas in it.

• Adi Parva

• Sabha Parva

• Vana Parva

• Virata Parva

• Udyoga Parva

• Bhisma Parva

• Drona Parva

• Karna Parva

• Shalya Parva

• Sauptika Parva

• Stri Parva

• Shanti Parva

• Anushasana Parva

• AshvamedhikaParva

• Ashramavasika Parva

• Mausala Parva

• Mahaprasthanika Parva

• Svargarohana Parva

Along with 18 parvas, there is a separate part of Mahabharata that contains the events and life of Krishna.

Conclusion

The Mahabharata is an example of the greatest epic in the world due to its different styles of poetry. Moreover, the epic is also a combination of history, philosophy, and methodology. Furthermore, the moral of the story of the epic is that truth is always the winner. Also, the war of Kurukshetra is known as “Dharam-yudh” or the war of truth.

FAQs

Q1. Who translated Mahabharata into English?

Ans. Kisari Mohan Ganguli was the first translator who provide Sanskrit Epic Mahabharat in English.

Q2. What is the current name of the region, Hastinapura?

Ans. Meerut is the current name of Hastinapura.

Q3. What is the name of the grandfather of Pandavas and Kauravas?

Ans. Vichitravirya was the grandfather of Pandavas and Kauravas.