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. The struggle culminates leading to the Great battle of Kurukshetra, and the Pandavas are ultimately victorious. The Mahabharata itself ends with the death of Krishna, and the subsequent end of his dynasty, and ascent of the Pandava brothers to Heaven. ...

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Mahabharata, Mahabharata - Primary purport, Mahabharata - Background and history, Mahabharata - The Mahabharata, the epic story, Mahabharata - Stories, Mahabharata - Structure, Mahabharata - Modern Mahabharata, Mahabharata - Another Viewpoint, Mahabharata - The Significance of Mahabharata, Mahabharata - Symbolism of Mahabharata

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Mahabharata, Mahabharata - Primary purport, Mahabharata - Background and history, Mahabharata - The Mahabharata the epic story, Mahabharata - Stories, Mahabharata - Structure, Mahabharata - Modern Mahabharata, Mahabharata - Another Viewpoint, Mahabharata - The Significance of Mahabharata, Mahabharata - Symbolism of Mahabharata

Read more here: » Mahabharata: Encyclopedia II - Mahabharata - The Mahabharata the epic story

The epic is told by Vyasa, who is one of the major dynastic characters within the epic. The first section of the Mahabharata states that it was Lord Ganesh (the elephant-headed god of the Hindus) who, at the behest of Vyasa, wrote the epic down on manuscript. Lord Ganesh is said to have agreed, but only on condition that Vyasa never pause in his recitation. Vyasa then put a counter-condition that Ganesh understand whatever he recited, before writing it down. In this way Vyasa could get some respite from continuously speaking by saying a vers ...

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Mahabharata, Mahabharata - Primary purport, Mahabharata - Background and history, Mahabharata - The Mahabharata the epic story, Mahabharata - Stories, Mahabharata - Structure, Mahabharata - Modern Mahabharata, Mahabharata - Another Viewpoint, Mahabharata - The Significance of Mahabharata, Mahabharata - Symbolism of Mahabharata

Read more here: » Mahabharata: Encyclopedia II - Mahabharata - Background and history

Shruti Vedas Rig Veda Sama Veda Yajur Veda Atharva Veda Brahmanas Aranyakas Upanishads Smriti Itihāsas Mahābhārata Bhagavad Gītā Ramayana Puranas (List) Tantras Sutras (List) Stotras Ashtavakra Gita

In the Hindu epic Mahabharata, Nakula was the son of king Pandu and queen Madri. He and his twin brother Sahadeva are in the image of the Ashwini Gods. He was one of the five Pandavas whose story is told in the Mahabharata - the youngest two. According to the legend, the twins have ability to speak with animals. Nakula is described as extremely fair and attractive. ...

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Sanjaya is a character from the Hindu epic Mahabharata. In this story of warring families, the father of the Kaurava side is the blind king Dhritarashtra. His charioteer Sanjaya (who has the gift of seeing events at a distance) narrates to Dhritarashtra the action in the climactic battle of Kurukshetra, which includes the Bhagavad Gita. In the Bhagavad Gita, passages often start with the Sansk ...

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Subhadra is the sister of Krishna. She is considered an incarnation of Maya who appears as per the instructions of Krishna. Subhadra was married to her first cousin Arjuna, the Pandava, who was the third son of Kunti. Subhadra and Arjuna were the parents of Abhimanyu, whose posthumous son Parikshita, born to the widowed Uttara, was the sole surviving dynasty of the entire Kuru family. The epic Mahabharata is a story based on the Kuru family as well as the Pandavas. S ...

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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 a Critical Edition of the Mahabharata. This is the text that is usually used in current Mahabharata studies for reference. In the late 1980s, the Mahabharata (IMDb entry) was televised and shown on India's national TV (Doordarshan). Directed by B. R. Chopra, it was immensely popular, so much so that streets were deserted when it was telecast and even Cabinet meetings w ...

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Mahabharata, Mahabharata - Scope, Mahabharata - Background and history, Mahabharata - The central story, Mahabharata - The books, Mahabharata - Jaimini's version, Mahabharata - In modern times, Mahabharata - Another Viewpoint

Read more here: » Mahabharata: Encyclopedia II - Mahabharata - In modern times

Vyasa appears for the first time as the author and an important character in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. The epic, whilst having its roots in historical events centuries before the common era, is an extraordinarily long compendium of legend, myth, philosophy and semi-historical material about ancient India.It is impossible to point out when the 'Historical' Vyasa lived or disentagle a factual story from the legendary material contained in the epic. According to the Mahabharata, he was the son of Satyavati, a ferryman's daughter, and the wand ...

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Vyasa, Vyasa - The legend of Vyasa, Vyasa - 'Veda' Vyasa, Vyasa - Author of Mahabharata, Vyasa - Author of Puranas, Vyasa - Vyasa in Buddhism, Vyasa - In the Arthashastra, Vyasa - Author of Brahma Sutra, Vyasa - Author of Yoga Bhashya

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The most important of these are a voluminous group of works known as the Puranas, of which there are eighteen main. The two great Hindu Epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, are other major works of Hindu mythology. Recent evidences are conclusively proving that both are accounts of real events, not merely beliefs. The epics Mahabharata and Ramayana are very much religious scriptures. Their stories are deeply embedded in Hindu philosophy and serve as parables and sources of devotion for Hindus into t ...

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Hindu mythology, Hindu mythology - Definition and Misconception, Hindu mythology - Vedic mythology, Hindu mythology - Sources, Hindu mythology - Epics, Hindu mythology - Cosmology, Hindu mythology - The wars, Hindu mythology - The weapons, Hindu mythology - The Deluge, Hindu mythology - The Peoples of the Epics, Hindu mythology - Sapta Rishis, Hindu mythology - Swarga, Hindu mythology - Naraka, Hindu mythology - House of Ikshvaku, Hindu mythology - Bharatavarsha

Read more here: » Hindu mythology: Encyclopedia II - Hindu mythology - Epics

The famous Javanese wayang puppetry culture was influenced by Hinduism and Buddhism. The Wayang repertoire stories, lakon, are mostly (loosely) based on the great epics from India; Ramayana and Mahabharata. There are also influences from Islam and the Western world. Gamelan musical ensembles are found in both Java and Bali. ...

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Javanese, Javanese - Language, Javanese - Family, Javanese - Religion, Javanese - Profession, Javanese - Social stratification, Javanese - Art, Javanese - Notable Javanese people

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The first elaborate account of Kartikeya's origin occurs in the Mahabharata. In a complicated story, he is said to heve been born from Agni and his wife after the latter impersonated the six of the seven wives of the 'Seven Sages'.The actual wives then become the Pleiades. Kartikeya is said to have been born to destroy the Asura Mahisha.(In latter mythology, Mahisha became the adversary of Durga.)Indra attacks Kartikeya as he see the latter as a threat, until Shiva intervenes and makes Kartikeya the commander-in-chief of the army of the Deva ...

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Kartikeya, Kartikeya - Origins, Kartikeya - In the Hindu epics, Kartikeya - In the Hindu Puranas, Kartikeya - In Sanskrit Kavya/Poetry, Kartikeya - The adoration of Kartikeya, Kartikeya - In the Tamil land, Kartikeya - Differences in Northern and Southern traditions, Kartikeya - Related Links, Kartikeya - Related Links

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Conch - Hindu tradition. The conch is a major Hindu article of prayer, used as a trumpeting announcement of all sorts. The God of Preservation, Vishnu, is said to hold a special conch, Panchajanya, that represents life as it has come out of life-giving waters. In the story of Dhruva the divine conch plays a special part. The warriors of ancient India would blow conch shells to announce battle, such as is famously represented in the beginning of the war of Kurukshetra in the Mahabharata, the famous Hindu epic. The ...

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Conch, Conch - Anatomy, Conch - Human use, Conch - Playing the conch shell, Conch - Religious symbolism, Conch - Hindu tradition, Conch - Buddhist tradition, Conch - Literature

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Some important works from the 11th century include the Katha-Saritsagara and Geeta Govinda. The Katha-Saritsagara (An Ocean of Stories) by Somadeva was a poetic adaptation in Sanskrit of Brihat-katha, written in the 5th cent BC in the Paishachi dialect. The Paishachi manuscript of the Brihat-katha has not been found. The thousands of short stories embedded in this book inspired numerous later stories, most notably several stories of the Arabian Nights (note that the Arabian Nights was f ...

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Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit literature - The Vedic Period, Sanskrit literature - The Epics, Sanskrit literature - The Ramayana, Sanskrit literature - The Mahabharata, Sanskrit literature - Panini and Ashtadhyayi, Sanskrit literature - Sanskrit Plays, Sanskrit literature - Mricchakatika The Little Clay Cart, Sanskrit literature - Bhasa's plays, Sanskrit literature - Kalidasa, Sanskrit literature - Bharata's Natyasastra, Sanskrit literature - Classical Poetry, Sanskrit literature - Later Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit literature - Reference

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Wayang kulit, the shadow puppets prevalent in Java and Bali, is without a doubt the best known of the Indonesian wayangs. The stories are usually drawn from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata or the Serat Menak. The island of Lombok has developed its own style of Serat Menak, so that the term Serat Menak Lombok is also common. Another form is the Punakawan with the figures of Semar, Bagong, Petruk and Gareng. Semar is the father of Gareng (oldest son), Petruk, and Bagong (youngest son). Instead of being based in the great epics, it is more of a political cabaret, ...

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Wayang, Wayang - History of Wayang, Wayang - Wayang kulit, Wayang - Wayang topeng or wayang gedog or wayang wong, Wayang - Wayang golek or stick puppets, Wayang - Wayang karucil or wayang klitik, Wayang - Wayang beber, Wayang - Wayang Sadat, Wayang - Wayang Wahyu, Wayang - Notes

Read more here: » Wayang: Encyclopedia II - Wayang - Wayang kulit

The earliest text that records the deeds of Krishna is the Mahabharata. He is described as the incarnation of Vishnu and is one of the most important characters of the epic. The 18 chapters of the 6th book (Bhishma Parva) that constitute the Bhagavad Gita contain the advice of Krishna to the Pandava, Arjuna, on the battlefield. These chapters are the most well known of the Hindu texts and its importance in Hindu religious thought cannot be overestimated. Every religious school of Hinduism was expected to produce a commentary on it if it had ...

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Krishna, Krishna - The name, Krishna - Literary sources, Krishna - The story of Krishna, Krishna - The incarnation, Krishna - Birth and childhood, Krishna - Boyhood and youth, Krishna - Krishna the prince, Krishna - The Kurukshetra war, Krishna - Later life, Krishna - The worship of Krishna, Krishna - Early references, Krishna - The Bhakti tradition, Krishna - Spread of Krishna-Bhakti movement, Krishna - Recent Krishna Bhakti movements, Krishna - Krishna in Jainism, Krishna - Krishna in Buddhism, Krishna - Krishna in the performing arts, Krishna - Chronology

Read more here: » Krishna: Encyclopedia II - Krishna - Literary sources

Mahabharata: epic story of Krishna

(See also: Mahabharata, Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Mahabharata: (Sanskrit) "Great Epic of India."

The world's longest epic poem. It revolves around the conflict between two royal families, the Pandavas and Kauravas, and their great battle of Kurukshetra near modern Delhi in approximately 1424 bce. Woven through the plot are countless discourses on philosophy, religion, astronomy, cosmology, polity, economics and many stories illustrative of simple truths and ethical principles. The Bhagavad Gita is one section of the work. The Mahabharata is revered as scripture by Vaishnavites and Smartas.

See: Bhagavad Gita, Itihasa.

(See also: Mahabharata, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Itihasas

Epic histories, including the Mahabharata and Ramayana. In contrast to the more encyclopedic Puranas, each Itihasa usually tells one heroic story.

(See also: Itihasas, Bhakti, Bhakti Yoga, Bhakti Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Ramayana:

Ramayana ("Rama's life"): one of India's two great national epics telling the story of Rama; cf. Mahabharata

(See also: Ramayana, Yoga, Yoga Dictionary)