Mahabharata

The Mahabharata (IPA: /məhɑːˈbɑrətə/; Sanskrit: महाभारतम् Mahābhāratam), also called Jaya, is one of the two major Sanskrit poetic works of ancient India, the other being the Ramayana. It is the world's longest known epic poem, consisting of over 100,000 shlokas (couplets)—about seven times the length of the Iliad and the Odyssey combined and four times the length of the Ramayana—and 1.8 billion words. The Mahabharata is an important source of the development of Hinduism between 400 BCE and 200 CE, appearing in its present form somewhere around 500 CE.

The Mahabharata consists of a mass of mythological and didactic material arranged around a central epic narrative detailing the Kurukshetra War, the struggle for the throne at Hastinapura, and the rivalry between the Kaurava and Pandava princes. Apart from the main narrative, the Mahabharata also contains philosophical and devotional content and several independent works like the Bhagavad Gita, the Rishyashringa and an abridged version of the Ramayana.

Traditionally, the epic has been attributed to the poet and sage Vyasa, though modern scholarship deems it unlikely that a single person wrote the epic. The origins of the epic fall around the 8th century BCE, but the oldest preserved parts are thought to have been composed around the 4th century BCE. The text reached its final form in the early Gupta period (c. 500 CE).

Division
The Mahabharata is divided into eighteen parvas or books, listed in the table below.

The birth of the Pandavas and Kauravas
King Janamejaya's ancestor, Shantanu, has a short-lived marriage with the goddess Ganga, on the condition that he never ask her her name or to provide any justification for her actions. They have eight sons, seven of which are killed by Ganga, and an eighth son named Devavrata (later to be called Bhishma). Devavrata becomes the heir apparent. Years later, when Shantanu goes hunting, he meets Satyavati, the daughter of a fisherman, and asks her father for her hand. The father refuses unless Shantanu promises that Satyavati's son would be king upon his death.

To solve his father's dilemma, Devavrata relinquishes his right to the throne. As the fisherman is not sure whether the prince's children would honor the promise, Devavrata also takes a vow of celibacy to prevent the same. Devavrata thus earns the name Bhishma—"one who takes a difficult vow".

Shantanu has two sons by Satyavati—Chitrangada and Vichitravirya. Upon Shantanu's death, Chitrangada ascends the throne. He lives a very short life and is eventually killed by a gandharva of the same name on the banks of the Saraswati. Vichitravirya, still a child, ascends the throne with Bhishma as regent. Meanwhile, the king of Kashi arranges a swayamvara for his three daughters, forgetting to invite the royal family of Hastinapura. In order to arrange for Vichitravirya's marriage, Bhishma attends the swayamvara uninvited and abducts all three princesses. Though all the assembled nobles pursue him, Bhishma manages to escape to Hastinapura. The younger princesses, Ambika and Ambalika, agree to the marriage.

The eldest of the three princesses, Amba, informs Bhishma of her wish to marry the king of Salva. Bhishma respectfully escorts her to Salva, but the king refuses, stating that she was rightfully won by Bhishma. An infuriated Amba blames Bhishma for ruining her life, and turns to Parashurama for help. Upon Parashurama's failure, Amba turns to various men before finally turning to asceticism. She pleases Shiva, who grants her the boon that she would kill Bhishma in her next birth. Unable to wait, Amba kills herself immediately and is reborn as Shikhandi.

After Vichitravirya dies childless of tuberculosis, Satyavati asks her firstborn son Vyasa to father children with the two widows. Ambika shuts her eyes upon seeing the sage's uncouth appearance, and so their child Dhritarashtra is born blind. Ambalika turns pale and bloodless upon seeing him, so their child Pandu ("jaundiced") is born pale and unhealthy. Due to the physical defects of the two children, Satyavati asks Vyasa to try again. The princesses, frightened at the thought of siring children with Vyasa again, send their maid instead to Vyasa's room. Vyasa fathers a third son, Vidura, by the maid. Vidura grows up to become the Prime Minister of the Kuru kingdom.

After the princes grow up, Pandu is crowned king due to Dhritrashtra's blindness. Pandu marries twice, to Kunti and Madri, while Dhritarashtra marries Gandhari. Gandhari, sensitive to her husband's plight, blindfolds herself to share the pain. Her brother Shakuni is enraged by this and vows revenge on the Kuru kingdom.