The Mahabharata is undoubtedly one of the greatest works of the world, unique in many ways – unique for the deepest philosophic truths, for the wide range of human life covered by the ethics and for the high spiritual stimulus provided in this epic.
Mahabharata is an “itihas” which exclusively means, “Thus occurred”. The Mahabharata is not merely a historic work but it reflects the dynamic culture of India. The first verse is:
“nārāyaṇaṁ namaskṛtya naraṁ caiva narottamam
devīṁ sarasvatīṁ vyāsaṁ tato jayam udīrayet”
Meaning – I bow down to Lord Krishna who is Narayana himself, his friend Arjuna, the goddess Sarasvati, the Goddess of Knowledge and learning and Bhagavan Vyasa who is the author of Mahabharata. By destroying all the negativities, one should start the chanting of the epic of Mahabharata.
It is a whole literature in itself, containing a code of life; a philosophy of social and ethical relations, a speculative thought on human problems that is hard to rival; but above all – it has for its core the Bhagavad Gita, a perennial source of spiritual strength. It is a story of love, courage, truth, lies, deceit, selfishness, foolishness and every other human emotion. It displays human emotions so totally that you need not study anything other than Mahabharata to understand human nature. The Mahabharata dwells on the aspect of the important goals of a human being in his mortal life. The epic aims at making people realize the relationship between the individual and the society and how they are interdependent. This is a treasure house for those interested in building and developing inter-personal relationships. You can learn how to treat and interact with your wife, husband, brother, sister, father, mother, son, daughter, boss, subordinate, rich person, poor person, generals, soldiers, kings and common man, owners, servants, drivers, neighbours and more in this book. The great epic is besides a storehouse of ancient knowledge. Philosophy, religion, customs and rituals, polity, science, social life, geography, history, economics, code of conduct, etc., find place in it.
The Mahabharata, the most renowned epic of India, is the only book of its kind in the whole world. It contains countless stories besides the main episode—the Mahabharata—, which teach moral lessons or illustrate distinguishing characteristics of the ancients of India. It contains the history of ancient India and all the details of its political, social and religious life. The stories, songs, nursery tales, anecdotes, parables, the discourses and sayings contained in this epic are marvellous and highly instructive. It contains the brilliant records of mighty heroes, warriors of great prowess, deep thinkers, profound philosophers, sages and ascetics and devoted wives of chastity. The beauty and charm of the language is extremely striking and attractive.
Vyasa discusses the four objects of human pursuit as: dharma (duty), artha (wealth), Kama (pleasure), and moksha (salvation). Dharma is supreme in this world. Dharma brings material prosperity (artha), fulfilment of wishes (Kama) and final liberation (moksha). The story culminates in moksha, believed by Hindus to be the ultimate goal of human beings. It is surprising that people do not pay attention to the need for practice of dharma, when everything can be achieved through it. The essence of dharma is that no one should do to others what one would not like others to do to oneself.
The Mahabharata – Book 6: Bhishma Parva.
This book of the Mahabharata contains the Bhagavad Gita.
