Definitions for Mahabharata
məˈhɑˈbɑr ə təma·hab·hara·ta

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Mahabharata, Mahabharatam, Mahabharatumnoun

   (Hinduism) a sacred epic Sanskrit poem of India dealing in many episodes with the struggle between two rival families

WiktionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. Mahabharatanoun

   A Sanskrit epic concerning some text of Bhagavad Gita plus elaborations on theology and morality.

2. Etymology: From महाभारत.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Mahabharata

   The Mahābhārata ( mə-HAH-BAR-ə-tə, MAH-hə-; Sanskrit: महाभारतम्, Mahābhāratam, pronounced [mɐɦaːˈbʱaːrɐt̪ɐm]) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the Rāmāyaṇa. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kurukshetra War and the fates of the Kaurava and the Pāṇḍava princes and their successors. It also contains philosophical and devotional material, such as a discussion of the four "goals of life" or puruṣārtha (12.161). Among the principal works and stories in the Mahābhārata are the Bhagavad Gita, the story of Damayanti, the story of Shakuntala, the story of Pururava and Urvashi, the story of Savitri and Satyavan, the story of Kacha and Devayani, the story of Rishyasringa and an abbreviated version of the Rāmāyaṇa, often considered as works in their own right. Traditionally, the authorship of the Mahābhārata is attributed to Vyāsa. There have been many attempts to unravel its historical growth and compositional layers. The bulk of the Mahābhārata was probably compiled between the 3rd century BCE and the 3rd century CE, with the oldest preserved parts not much older than around 400 BCE. The original events related by the epic probably fall between the 9th and 8th centuries BCE. The text probably reached its final form by the early Gupta period (c. 4th century CE).The Mahābhārata is the longest epic poem known and has been described as "the longest poem ever written". Its longest version consists of over 100,000 śloka or over 200,000 individual verse lines (each shloka is a couplet), and long prose passages. At about 1.8 million words in total, the Mahābhārata is roughly ten times the length of the Iliad and the Odyssey combined, or about four times the length of the Rāmāyaṇa. W. J. Johnson has compared the importance of the Mahābhārata in the context of world civilization to that of the Bible, the Quran, the works of Homer, Greek drama, or the works of William Shakespeare. Within the Indian tradition it is sometimes called the fifth Veda.

FreebaseRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. Mahabharata

   The Mahabharata or Mahābhārata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the other being the Ramayana. Besides its epic narrative of the Kurukshetra War and the fates of the Kaurava and the Pandava princes, the Mahabharata contains much philosophical and devotional material, such as a discussion of the four "goals of life" or purusharthas. Among the principal works and stories that are a part of the Mahabharata are the Bhagavad Gita, the story of Damayanti, an abbreviated version of the Ramayana, and the Rishyasringa, often considered as works in their own right. Traditionally, the authorship of the Mahabharata is attributed to Vyasa. There have been many attempts to unravel its historical growth and compositional layers. The oldest preserved parts of the text are not thought to be much older than around 400 BCE, though the origins of the epic probably fall between the 8th and 9th centuries BCE. The text probably reached its final form by the early Gupta period. The title may be translated as "the great tale of the Bhārata dynasty". According to the Mahabharata itself, the tale is extended from a shorter version of 24,000 verses called simply Bhārata.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Mahabharata

   ma-hä-bä′ra-tä, n. the name of one of the two great epic poems of ancient India, the other being the Ramayana. [Sans.; prob. 'the great history of the descendants of Bharata.']

The Nuttall EncyclopediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Mahâbhârata

   one of the two great epic poems of ancient India, a work of slow growth, extending through ages, and of an essentially encyclopædic character; one of the main sources of our knowledge of the ancient Indian religions and their mythologies; it is said to consist of upwards of 100,000 verses.

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1. mahabharata

   Quotes by mahabharata -- Explore a large variety of famous quotes made by mahabharata on the Quotes.net website.

Matched Categories

1. • Hinduism
   • Sacred Text

How to pronounce Mahabharata?

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Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of Mahabharata in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of Mahabharata in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

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