The Mahabharata

The Mahabharata has been described as an ancient encyclopedia of Indian knowledge. One of the world's oldest and longest epic poems, it is to me the most important work of Indian literature ever written. It played a central role in the development of Hindu culture and has been ranked alongside the Bible, the Koran, and the works of Homer and Shakespeare as one of

world civilization's most influential manuscripts.

A sixteenth-century Indian painting of a scene from the Mahabharata, the ancient poem about a royal family's power struggle. It shows Prince Arjuna (center), a leader of the Pandava family, racing towards the enemy Kaurava force in his chariot.

When a dramatized version of the Mahabharata was shown on Indian television in 1998, streets around the country emptied. Entire communities crowded around TV sets to watch the mesmerizing and very familiar tale of two branches of a royal family locked in a bloody struggle to control ancient India. It took 139 episodes to capture the poem's nearly two million words.

The Mahabharata originated as an oral poem sometime around the eighth century BC. It was recited and enhanced by priests, professional story-tellers, singers and dance troupes. The first reference to the poem as a written document was around the fouth century BC, but it was not until AD 350, more than 700 years later, that the Mahabharata became a unified text, written in Sanskrit, India's classical language. Some historians believe the work is based on a conflict that occurred during India's Vedic period (1500 to 500 BC). Its central tale is a bitter fight between two sets of cousins: the Pandavas and the Kauravas. Both are out to control the Bharata kingdom in northern India. Exactly who created the Mahabharata is not clear, but it is traditionally said to have been Vyasa, also known as Krishna, the great sage who Hindus believe is immortal. He plays a central role in the poem as grandfather to the warring cousins. A Hindu legend claims Cysa narrated the epic to Ganesha, the elephant-headed deity, who wrote it down with one of his tusks.

The poem is made up of around 100,000 couplets and prose passages encompassing a great range of subjects. History, philosophy and spirital ideas are woven through the saga of the Pandava and Kaurava rivals. It bristles with romance, intrigue, chivalry, ethical conundrums and has numerous subplots. No wonder it has been dubbed an ancient version of Game of Thrones.

A seventeenth-century painting of the Pandava prince Arjuna with his charioteer, the god Krishna, on horseback.

At the heart of the Mahabharata are 700 verses known as the Bhagavad Gita, or the Gita, one of the most revered texts of Hinduism. Most experts believe the Gita was composed later than the rest of the Mahabharata, probably after the third century BC - an unsettled period when the ethics of war were a preoccupation. It is a dialogue between Arjuna, a Pandava prince, and his charioteer Krishna, who gradually reveals himself to be a god. It takes place just before a momentous battle with the Kaurava family. Arjuna suddenly has doubts about killing his cousins and friends, and he asks Krishna what to do. Krishna advises Arjuna to fulfil his dharma: to be true to his duty as a warrior. For one of the first times in Indian literature, there is a discussion about what constitutes a "just war". Krishna tells Aruna that once a war breaks out, it should be fought if it is for a good cause. Krishna also offers insights about the purpose of life, reincarnation and many other philosophical and religious matters. Short and coherent, the Gita was easily understood by all social classes and it became a popular guide to Hindu duty, morality, and salvation.

Prince Arjuna decides that is it his duty to fight, and one quarter of the Mahabharata is dedicated to recounting the cataclysmic 18-day Battle of Kurukshetra. Nearly four million soldiers from all over India take part in the conflict. The Kaurava army has eleven divisions, Arjuna's Pandava force has seven. They fight with arrows, swords, lances, and maces. Nearly everyone on the battlefield dies. On one day alone, the poem describes how Prince Arjuna destroys a battle formation of huge numbers of chariots, elephants, cavalry, and infantry. Both sides resort to tricks and deceit in the attempt to emerge victorious. In the end, the Pandavas win the battle, but the appalling carnage makes it no cause for celebration. The poem's theme of the futility of war and violence has resonated with Indian leaders over the centuries. It was a major influence on Mahatma Gandhi, who led India's non-violent independence movement against British rule in the early to mid-twentieth century.

The Mahabharata has been a source of entertainment as well as a spiritual guide ever since it was composed. It is still widely read, recited and performed in theatres, movies and on television. Children are still named after characters in the poem, and its messages remain as familiar today as they were thousands of years ago.

Above: A seventeenth-century painting of a Pandava prince Arjuna with his charioteer, the god Krishna, on horseback. Below: A copy of the Mahabharata open at the Bhagavad Gita, one of the most revered texts of Hinduism. In its 700 verses, the god Krishna shares his philosophical beliefs with warrior Prince Arjuna