MAHABHARATA

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The Indian epic the Mahabharata has been said to be the greatest epic of all times. Through thousands of philosiphies and lessons added, the epic came to its present length. Maha means greatness and barata means triumph or victory. The Mahabarata is the longest epic poem in any language, constituting as it does of some 88,000 verses in its shortest recension (Narasomhan, vii). One purpose of the Mahabarata is to remind the average Indian of the glories of his country's classical heritage. Of the many important aspects of the Mahabarata, its sanskrit writing(an Indian systematic form of writing) is very important because of the ancestorial meaning. The framework of the details and lines of the finest poetic values in sanskrit. The main theme of the epic is the rivalry between cousins, the Pandavas and the Kareavas, which reahes its climatic point at the great battle of Kurulsetra.

Religion 
 Hinduism was shaped over thousands of years ago by the people and the culture of India. Hindus worship three all important deities: Brahma, the creator of all; Vishnu, the preserver of life; and Shiva, the destroyer. Hinduism has no single text, and its beliefs were passed on by word for hundreds of years and then written down in a number of holy books such as the Mahabharata.

Culture 
 The Indian culture as it relates to the Mahabharata is a culture of of diversity. The Mahabharata is a sacred masterpiece that has effected the Indian culture for many years. The theme of peace from the Mahabharata is very much vivid in the lives of the South Asian Indians. The ideas of respect intertwined with honor, demonstrated with integrity, and distributed through family values all correspond in order to create a magnificent cultural background.

Bhagavad-Gita  
 The most important segment of the poem Mahabharata is the Bhagavad-Gita, a dialogue between Krishna, the eighth incarnation of the god Vishnu, and the Pandava hero Arjuna on the meaning of life. It has influenced devout Hindu believers for centuries. Bhagavad-Gita ("Song of the Lord"), a Sanskrit poem, consisting of 700 verses divided into 18 chapters, that is regarded by most Hindus as their most important text-the essence of their belief. The Gita, which is set in Book VI of the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata, is in the form of a dialogue between the incarnate god Krishna and a human hero, Prince Arjuna, on the holy field of Kurukshetra, before the great Mahabharata battle. Arjuna expresses his unwillingness to engage in a war against friends and relatives. Krishna's reply is an exhortation for Arjuna to do his own duty, that is, as a warrior, to fight and kill. Krishna then explains the nature of the soul and the proper way to reach God. Incorporating many doctrines, such as the immortality of the individual soul and its identity with the supreme godhead, the process of reincarnation, and the need to renounce the fruits of one's actions, the Gita draws heavily on the teachings of the Upanishads and the philosophy of Sankhya. Spirit and matter or nature, which is divided into the triple strands of goodness, passion, and darkness, are complementary. Krishna reconciles the opposing claims of sacrifice and worldly duty, on the one hand, with meditation and renunciation, on the other hand, through devotion to God. This god appears briefly in his terrifying doomsday form before turning back into the compassionate human form of Krishna.
Hear is some links to other home pages on Mahabharata
  • Dating of the Mahabharata war?
  • The Mahabharata 
  • The Mahabharata @ Vedic Texts @ The Arya... 
  • Mahabharata 
  • Bhagvat Gita in Sanskrit 
    Bibliography

    The Mahabharata Van Nooten, Barend A 1932- attributed to Krsna Dvaipayana Vyasa, Twayne Publishers [c1971].

    "Ralph Russell." Encarta96 encyclopedia 96 16,May 1997.

    Hiltebeitel, Alf. "Dying before the Mahabharata war" The Journal of Asian Studies v. 54 (May '95) p. 447-73.

    Sullivan, Bruce M. "The religious authority of the Mahabharata" Journal of the American Academy of Religion v. 62(Summer '94) p. 377-401.

    Mohammed, Ovey N. "Ignatian spirituality and the Bhagavad gita"Thought v. 62 (Dec. '87) p. 423-34 .

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