Mahabharat, which literally means ‘the great story of Bharat dynasty’
is part of the Hindu Itihās, i.e. ‘that which happened’.
It is an
extraordinary story of sibling rivalry, diplomatic maneuvering and
shifting of human values culminating in a direct confrontation on the
battlefield of Kurukshetra between five sons of King Pandu (Pandavas)
and hundred sons of King Dhritarastra (Kauravas). It's a tale of
tragic war which pitted brothers against brothers, sons against
fathers and students against teachers. Exceptional characters,
in-depth and complex set of interwoven relationships and dramatization
on a grand scale makes this epic a memorable one. It's also a saga
which marks the end of an era (dvapar Yuga) wherein characters lived
up to morals, values and principles to the beginning of an era (Kali
Yuga), wherein selfishness, deceit and immorality rules the reins.
Besides
compelling drama and riveting plot, Mahabharata is unique in many
ways. Larger than life characters including that of Lord Krishna,
considered as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu; Bhisma - great
grandfather of principle warriors, who pledged to serve the kingdom of
Hastinapur and ended up being a silent witness of its fall; Arjuna -
unparalleled archer of that time, who laid down his arms at the
beginning of the war; Karna - son of Kunti who ended up on the enemy
camp due to misfortune; Yudhisthir - an icon of truth who was
compelled to lie to win over the battle; Duryodhan - son of blind king
whose unending ambitions became the root cause of trouble; Dronacharya
- accomplished teacher of that time, who was forced to fight against
his favorite student Arjuna...all make this epic spectacular and
fascinating.
Every single
incident of Mahabharata is full of twists and turns - whether be it
the game of dice between brothers or be it the 13 years exile of
Pandavas in the forest with a condition of anonymity for the last
year, or be it a mysterious fire in the house of wax and Pandava's
miraculous escape thereof or be it the laying down of arms by
dishearten Arjuna in the battlefield, which resulted in delivery of
the message of Bhagavad-Gita (song of the supreme) by Lord Krishna or
be it the deftness of Krishna in navigating Pandavas to victory and
beyond. In a way,
Ramayana
and Mahabharata form the very basis of cultural consciousness that
symbolize Hinduism. It's not a surprise that Mahabharata has attracted
tremendous interest among literates and common man alike of India or
East Asia but pundits and philosophers all over the world.
A timeless
creation of Sage Ved Vyasa (who himself is one of the character
of this epic) and one of the longest poem of all times, Mahabharata is
divided into eighteen books or chapters (called Parvas) namely
01. Adi Parva (आदि पर्व)
02. Sabha Parva (सभा पर्व)
03. Aranyak Parva or Van Parva (आरण्यक
पर्व)
04. Virat Parva (विराट पर्व)
05. Udyog Parva (उद्योग पर्व)
06. Bhishma Parva (भीष्म पर्व)
07. Drona Parva (द्रोण पर्व)
08. Karna Parva (कर्ण पर्व)
09. Shalya Parva (शल्य पर्व)
10. Sauptika Parva (सौप्तिक पर्व)
11. Stri Parva (स्त्री पर्व)
12. Shanti Parva (शान्ति पर्व)
13. Anushashana Parva (अनुशासन
पर्व)
14. Ashvameghadik Parva (आश्वमेधिक
पर्व)
15. Ashramvasik Parva (आश्रमवासिक
पर्व)
16. Musala Parva (मौसल पर्व)
17. Mahaprasthanika Parva (महाप्रस्थानिक पर्व)
18. Swargarohan Parva (स्वर्गारोहण पर्व)
It is
interesting to note that Bhagavad-Gita, most sacred text of Hindus
having great philosophical impact, is part of Mahabharata (Bhishma
Parva). Similarly, Vishnu Sahasranama, the most famous hymn of Lord
Vishnu containing thousand names of the Supreme is part of Anusashana
Parva. Other principal stories that are part of Mahabharata includes
the life and works of Lord Krishna (Krishnavatar) woven throughout
various chapters of Mahabharata, the love story of Nala and Damayanti
as well as an abbreviated Ramayana in Aranyak Parva.
Shri Yogeshwarji, extraordinary Gujarati poet
and literate of modern times, wrote a voluminous treatise on
Mahabharata entitled 'Mahabharat Na Moti' (pearls of Mahabharata) in
which he elaborated on principal stories of Mahabharata in simplified Gujarati language. Through the medium of this web site, it
is our
humble endeavor to make this grand epic available to ubiquitous
Gujarati people. We earnestly wish that it will help pass on the
great message of Mahabharata to our coming generations. Your responses
on this offering are most welcome.
Mahabharata :