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Mahabharata 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.
A timeless creation of Sage Ved Vyasa
(who himself is one of the character of this epic) and contained in
more than 100,000 verses, this great poem 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. Ashram Vasik 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 Anushashana Parva. Other principal stories that are part of
Mahabharata includes the life and works of Lord Krishna (Krishnavatar)
woven throughtout various chapters of Mahabharata, the love story of
Nala and Damayanti as well as an abbreviated Ramayana in Aranyak Parva.
Mahabharata is full of morals and
principles, of role-models and icons and of positive inspiration and
righteous ways. In a way, Ramayana and Mahabharata form the very basis
of cultural consciousness that symbolize Hinduism. It has attracted
tremendous interest among literates and common man alike of India or
East Asia but pundits and philosophers all over the world.
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. This book in Gujarati language is treasure for all
Gujarati people. It makes an indispensable reading about one of the
greatest epic depciting Hindu culture. The principal stories from this
book can be read online on this site. To read
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here.
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