7 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (AND THEIR ANSWERS) ABOUT MAHABHARATA

Here are some of the common questions asked about Mahabharata and their answer. Read till the end to know more about the great epic.

1. WHAT IS MAHABHARATA? 

Mahabharata is an epic in Sanskrit written thousands of years ago that narrates the battle between the Kauravas and the Pandavas. It symbolises the victory of righteousness over evil. It is believed to have happened around 5000 years ago in the kingdom of Hastinapur. Though it was fought between the Kauravas and the Pandavas, most of the kings of India and some of them from other countries participated in the war as well, fighting on the behalf of either of the sides. Although the epic focuses on the war, it also describes the events that led to it in detail, giving an idea about the society and culture existent during that era.

2. WHO WROTE MAHABHARATA?

Mahabharata was composed by Krishna Dvaipayana Ved Vyas and written by Lord Ganesha. According to the story, Ved Vyas required a scribe to write the great epic. He was suggested to ask Lord Ganesha to be his scribe. Ved Vyas put forth a condition that Lord Ganesha would have to write as fast as he (Ved Vyas) composed the shlokas of the epic. Undeterred, Lord Ganesha challenged Ved Vyas to compose the shlokas as fast as he wrote them. Ved Vyas accepted but put forth another condition saying that Lord Ganesha would not write any shloka without understanding it. Thus began the rigorous process of writing the Mahabharata.

 According to his promise Lord Ganesha wrote as fast as Ved Vyas composed the shlokas. Whenever Ved Vyas felt that Lord Ganesha was writing too fast, he would compose some shlokas that were difficult to comprehend and while Lord Ganesha  their meaning, he would compose more shlokas. During the process, Lord Ganesha's quill broke but instead of stopping, he broke one of his tusks and used it as quill, thus acquiring the name 'Ekadanta'. Finally, after years of perseverance, the great epic of Mahabharata was created. 

3. HOW LONG IS THE MAHABHARATA?

With over 1,00,000 shlokas set in 18 Parvas, Mahabharata is the longest epic in the world in all languages. It contains over 2,00,000 lines and more than 1.8 million words!!! Yes, you read it right. there are over one hundred thousand verses in Mahabharata that are divided into 18 Parvas, the names of which are as follows-

1. Adi Parva
2. Sabha Parva
3. Vana Parva
4. Virata Parva
5. Udyoga Parva
6. Bhishma Parva
7. Drona Parva
8. Karna Parva
9. Shalya Parva
10. Sauptika Parva
11. Stri Parva
12. Shanti Parva
13. Anushaasana Parva
14. Ashvamedhika Parva
15. Ashramavasika Parva
16. Mausala Parva
17. Mahaprasthanika Parva
18. Svargarohana Parva

4. WHO ARE THE MAIN CHARACTERS OF MAHABHARATA? 

Though the story of Mahabharata revolves around the Kauravas and Pandavas, Lord Krishna and Karna play a significant role as well, not to forget the characters of  Dhritarashtra, Bhishma, and Drona.

There are countless characters in Mahabharata, ranging from poor peasants to the wealthiest emperors and the humble saints; but the story revolves around the Pandavas, the son of king Pandu, namely Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva and their wife Draupadi and the Kauravas- the 100 sons of King Dhritarashtra, the names of whom you can read by clicking on the following link.  https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/topic/3837419

Shakuni, the king of Gandhar and the maternal uncle of the Kauravas, also plays an important role in the epic.

5. WHAT HAPPENS AT THE END OF MAHABHARATA?

At the end of the great war of Mahabharata, all the Kauravas and the rulers fighting on their side are slain and Yudhishthira ascends the throne of Hastinapur. He performs the Ashwamedha Yagya, the hore sacrifice and becomes the undisputed emperor of the entire Aryavart. He establishes a powerful empire and rules Aryavart for 36 years. However after the destruction of Dwarka and observing the symptoms of the advent of Kali Yuga, he decides to renounce his empire and moves to the Himalayas with his brothers and Draupadi. He hands over the empire to Parikshita, the son of Abhimanyu and the grandson of Arjuna. 

After renunciation, the Pandavas reach heaven and King Parikshita rules the entire Aryavart. Soon after he dies due to the curse of a hermit and his son, Janmejaya takes charge of the empire. Janmejaya performs a yagya (sacrifice) to destroy all the snakes and during the yagya, Vaishampayana, a disciple of Ved Vyas recites the story of Mahabharata to inform Janmejaya about his ancestors.

6. WHAT WAS THE CURSE GIVEN TO LORD KRISHNA BY GANDHARI?

After the war of Mahabharata, in which all hundred Kauravas were slain, the aggrieved Gandhari, the mother of the Kauravas, cursed Lord Krishna that his kingdom, one of the most flourishing kingdoms in Aryavart, would be destroyed by the sea. The princes and peasants would fight amongst themselves and slay each other.  Just as Gandhari had helplessly witnessed the death of her so sons, Lord Krishna too, would witness the destruction of the Yadavas, but would not be able to stop it. 

Lord Krishna, being the Supreme Personality of Godhead, was not obliged to accept the curse; yet, knowing that the destruction of the Yadavas, who were becoming incessantly arrogant and irreligious, was essential and to please Gandhari, a devotee who was devoted to her husband and was an unflinching devotee of Lord Shiva, he accepted the curse with a smile. This curse came true after 36 years, when Dwarka was destroyed due to floods and the citizens slaid each other, being intoxicated. Thus, the beautiful island kingdom of Dwarka came to an end and Lord Krishna, who had retired to the forest, was shot by a hunter named Jara.

7. IS MAHABHARATA A MYTH OR TRUE?

The answer to this question may vary from person to person, but personally, I believe that Mahabharata is true. This is because of several reasons, such as the existence of all places mentioned in Mahabharata (such as Hastinapur, Indraprastha, Kurukshetra, Dwarka, etc.), archaeological evidences discovered in cities such as Hastinapur and Indraprastha and the underwater remains of the historic city of Dwarka. Also ancient texts such as the Bhagavata Purana (Srimad Bhagavatam) mention several incidents about Mahabharata, proving that it was a true historical event and not just a story.

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