Maharshi Vyasa- Mahabharat The Great War of The Bharata Clan

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Maha= great, Brata- the descendents of Bharat, a mythical king of timeless origin. Mahabharata may be loosely translated as The Great Epic of the Bharatas, or, as we have graphically translated it and as is interpreted by the book as well-The Great War of the Bharat Clan.

The Mahabharata is the great epic (itihasa) of India. It shares this honour with the Ramayana (The Wanderings of Rama), which takes place in an earlier epoch. The latter, of which there are many Different versions in addition to the Sanskrit original, narrates the adventures of the ideal Prince Rama, ending with his victory over the evil Ravana and his return to the throne.

The Mahabharata, a much longer work (some 200,000 verses-seven times the size of the Iliad and Odyssey combined) narrates, in addition to the central theme, a little of everything: stories, tales and parallel fables, religious, moral, mythological, philosophical and metaphysical discourses; sociological, legal, ethical and political treatises, and much more. It even includes an abbreviated version of the Ramayana the Ramapaklyana, which narrates the adventures of Rama in condensed form. The Mahabharata is a kind of encyclopaedia encompassing all the knowledge of its time. The central story also brings together all kinds of actions, passions and human feelings, incorporating nearly every situation, the history of a country during a specific period thus takes on an evidently universal character. It has also been said that it is the epic of the pilgrimage of man on earth. The Mahabharata itself says "What is contained herein may be found elsewhere, but what is not contained herein will not be found anywhere else."

Obviously, the comic we are presenting here is-of necessity-extremely condensed. Even if we limit ourselves to the main story, there are a huge number of situations, characters, and events that, with great regret, the author and editors have had to leave out. Even so, we hope the reader will be able to appreciate the richness of the plot and its elaboration, as well as the subtlety and nuances of its characters and situations. Whereas in the Ramayana the characters are "of a piece" (the "good" are very good and the "bad" are very bad), in the Mahabharata things are not so clear-cut. Yudhisthira, the eldest brother of the Pandavas (sons of Pandu) and one of the main protagonists, is a model of virtue, yet he also has weaknesses that will prove very costly to his brothers. Duryodhana, the "villain" whose envy and wickedness will eventually be the cause of the great fratricide, nevertheless possesses traits of greatness he is a good king, and is courageous and generous with his friends This extensive story is narrated in its entirety by Vyasa. Vyasa is a sage, historical or mythical, who reordered and compiled the hymns of the Veda (Vyasa means "the compiler"), wrote the Puranas (books that contain the most "religious" part of Hinduism, as well as mythology and many other things), and, still not content with this, be composed the Mahabharata in simple Sanskrit verse. He himself a participant in the story told and thus a first-hand witness to the course of events, Vyasa dictated the epic to the god Ganesh (kindly god with the head of an elephant, son of Shiva and Parvati, "he who removes all obstacles").

**Contents and Sample Pages**