A Great Epic As I know – Mahabharata
Mahabharata is one of the greatest epics of the world. An epic is a long heroic story written in verse. Mahabharata was written by Vyas.
The theme of Mahabharata is a war between two branches of the tribe, the descendants of Kuru, to capture the government of Hastinapura, commonly supposed to be the same place as modern Delhi.
I he elder branch of the tribe is called by the general name of the whole tribe, the Kurus. The younger branch is called after Pandu, the father of the principal leaders. This war between the Kauravas and Pandavas covers about twenty-five thousands slokas. That is a quarter of the whole book which has a hundred thousand slokas. That is what is called an epic. Vyas wrote this marvellous work.
The battle was fought a Kurulcshetra, now in the State of Haryana in India. It is situated between Delhi and Ambala. The city of Ambala is named after two sisters in Mahabharata. The Amba and Amballka.
Dhritrashtra, the father of the Kurus was blind. Therefore, hi, eldest son Duryodhan directed the war on his behalf. Thu. Pandus were led by Yudhistra, the eldest of the brothers, but Arjuna was the real hero of the war.
When the battle was about to begin, Arjuna was not willing to fight against his kinsmen and asked the advice of which is embodied in the Bhagwad Gita, the great scripture of the Hindus.
“Although they kill me” said Arjuna, “I wish not to fight them : no, not even for the dominion of the three regions of the universe, much less for this little earth !”
“Lord Krishna said to him : “Those who are wise in spiritual things grieve neither for the dead nor for the living. Make pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat the same to thee, and then prepare for battle.’
The battle lasted for eighteen days in which the Kurus were defeated and Pandus were victorious under the generalship of Arjuna and patronage of Lord Krishna. It was a victory of virtue over vice, good over evil. Truth finally triumphed. Falsehood was defeated. The lesson of Mahabharata is :
Satyameva Jayate nan ri tam
(Truth always triumphs and falsehood never)
The Indians attach much importance and reverence to Mahabharta. The epic is enshrined in every Hindu heart especially for its outcome in the form of Baghwad Gita, the divine verse spoken by Shree krishna to Arjuna in the Battle field. Baghwad Gita is said to be the crux of all the four Vedas and Upnishadas and contains a sermon for an ideal life free of vice.
