Mahabharata

Mahabharata ("The Great History op the Descendants of Bharata"), one of the two great Sanskrit epics, containing over 100,000 couplets. The story of the struggle between the Kauravas and the Pandavas, which forms the main theme, probably rests on a basis of historical fact. These two families were the sons of two brothers, Dhritarashtra and Pandu, descendants of Bharata. The Pandavas, supposed to be incarnations of certain deities, were ultimately victorious. In consequence of the numerous episodes dealing with mythology, cosmogony, religion, law, and philosophy, the book came to be regarded as a cyclopaedia of ancient Hindu learning. According to tradition, it was written by Vydsa; but, as this name means "arranger," the work is evidently a compilation.