Mahabharata

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The Mahābhārata ( mə-HAH-BAR-ə-tə, MAH-hə-; Sanskrit: महाभारतम्, IAST: Mahābhāratam, pronounced [mɐɦaːˈbʱaːrɐt̪ɐm], 'Great Bharata') is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India revered in Hinduism, the other being the Ramayana. Both are considered smṛti and itihasa texts. The Mahābhārata narrates the events around the Kurukshetra War, while also discussing philosophical concepts, such as the four "goals of life" or puruṣārtha. A principal element of the Mahābhārata is the Bhagavad Gita, which is a prominent sacred text in Hindu traditions. The Mahābhārata recounts the events of the dynastic struggle for the throne of Hastinapura, that leads to the battle of Kurukshetra, a war of succession between princely cousins, the Kauravas and the Pāṇḍavas. The multiple stories in the Mahābhārata include the story of Damayanti, Shakuntala, Pururava and Urvashi, Savitri and Satyavan, Kacha and Devayani, Rishyasringa and an abbreviated version of the Rāmāyaṇa. The epic theorizes about dharmayuddha...

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