Veda Vyasa, Mahabharata

Sudeshna Kar Barua (Independent Scholar - Asia)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 10.3.1.01: Indian Writing and Culture: Ancient and Classical, -600-1750.
Vol. editors: Claire Gallien (Université Paul Valéry Montpellier 3), Pavan Kumar Malreddy (J W Goethe University of Frankfurt), Delphine Munos (Université de Liège), Mali Skotheim (Ashoka University)

Dates

First circulation or publication c. -500

Places

India (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Epic

Resources

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Textual History

Major Characters

The Story

History and Fiction

A Sacred Text

Influence on Literature

Other Cultural Influences

Conclusion

Textual History

The Mahabharata, “the story of the great battle of the Bharatas” (Winternitz 1981, 297) with its 100,000 slokas or couplets and long prose passages, is an Indian epic, venerated as a holy text by Hindus in particular. The longest poem ever written in any language, and termed “an entire literature” (Winternitz 1981, 296), the Mahabharata or the “Great Epic of the Bharata Dynasty” (Doniger) was probably composed/compiled by the revered seer or Maharshi Krsna Dvaipayana Vyasa or Veda Vyasa.

The

Mahabharata

,…

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13051 words

Citation: Kar Barua, Sudeshna. "Mahabharata". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 28 November 2017 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=23235, accessed 18 April 2024.]

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Veda Vyasa, Mahabharata

Dates

Places

Genres and Modes

Resources

Textual History

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