MAHABHARATA. — The M., "the great epic of the Bharatids," is not only the largest epic poem in world literature but also an encyclopedia of Hinduism (v.). Mythological, religious, moral, and juridical digressions; philosophical doctrines; recollections of historical events and popular tales are skillfully woven into the epic narrative, which, stripped of its accessory parts, could be reduced to a quarter of its present length. However, the hundred thousand stanzas attributed to the poem by tradition are an excessive number. Even the "textus ornator" represented by the southern recension does not reach such an extent; the editio princeps (Calcutta 1863) comprises 8,603 stanzas, and the critical edition of Poona, now at fascicle XVI, will contain about 8,200.
Two brothers, belonging to the dynasty of the Bharatids, Dhritarashtra and Pandu, have inherited the territory roughly between the Upper Ganges and the Sutudri (Sutlej), with Hastinapura as its capital. Dhritarashtra, born blind, cannot rule; hence the power remains entrusted to Pandu until his premature death, which forces Dhritarashtra to take up the reins of government. Pandu had left five sons, called, from their father's name, Pandavids; Dhrtarashtra had a hundred sons, called Kuravids, i.e., descendants of Kuru, a famous ancestor who had also given his name to the territory (Kurukshetra). Educated at court and trained in the use of weapons along with their cousins, the Pandavids soon surpass them in strength and valor, much to the chagrin of Duryodhana, the eldest of the Kuravids. It happens that Arjuna, the second of the Pandavids, participating in a tournament called by King Drupada to marry his daughter Draupadi to the most skilled archer, wins the contest. And since the Pandavids had agreed that every precious thing should be held in common by them, Draupadi becomes the wife of the five brothers. After the marriage, Dhritarashtra, desirous of living in peace with his nephews, assigns them half the kingdom, and the Pandavids move to Indraprastha (Indarpat) on the Yamuna, near modern Delhi. But Duryodhana, who sought a way to rid himself of his hated cousins and regain the lost territory, having wrested the consent of the weak Dhritarashtra, invites Yudhishthira to play dice with Shakuni, first and then a second time. Shakuni represents the Kuravids, Yudhishthira the Pandavids, and the stakes of the second game are the voluntary exile of the losing side for a period of thirteen years, and the temporary cession of the kingdom to the winner. Yudhishthira loses and takes refuge in the Kamyaka forest with his brothers and wife. After the thirteen-year exile, the Pandavids ask Dhritarashtra for the peaceful return of their share of the kingdom, but Duryodhana, once again imposing his will on his father, replies that they would not return even as much land as could be covered by the point of a needle. Both sides resort to arms, and the clash takes place on the plains of Kurukshetra, where the Pandavids and Kuravids fight, along with their allies, in a battle lasting eighteen days, in which the Kuravids are defeated. At the beginning of the battle, Krishna, cousin and ally of the Pandavids, who drives Arjuna's war chariot, seeing the hero's despondency—he would rather renounce fighting than kill his relatives—comforts him with the Bhagavadgita (v.). The victory, however, does not benefit the victors, who are treacherously attacked at night and nearly annihilated. Yudhishthira survives with his brothers and rules the kingdom wisely for thirty-six years before being taken to heaven, where his relatives have already preceded him.
Ferdinando Belloni Filippi