The Mahābhārata
About this text
The great Sanskrit epic of India, in eighteen books, ascribed to the sage Vyāsa: the war between the Pāṇḍavas and their cousins the Kauravas, and around it a vast body of teaching on duty, kingship, death and liberation. It contains the Bhagavad Gītā, the Sanatsujātīya, the Mokṣadharma and the Anugītā.
How to cite
Vyāsa. The Mahābhārata.
Cite this entry
“The Mahābhārata.” Source. The Library, Unitive Knowledge Society. Last modified November 7, 2026. https://www.unitiveknowledge.org/library/sources/mahabharata.
“The Mahābhārata,” source, The Library, Unitive Knowledge Society, last modified November 7, 2026, https://www.unitiveknowledge.org/library/sources/mahabharata.
“The Mahābhārata.” The Library, Unitive Knowledge Society, 7 Nov. 2026, www.unitiveknowledge.org/library/sources/mahabharata.
@misc{sources-mahabharata, title = {{The Mahābhārata}}, howpublished = {The Library, Unitive Knowledge Society}, note = {Source. Last modified November 7, 2026}, year = {2026}, url = {https://www.unitiveknowledge.org/library/sources/mahabharata} }
Translations
Traditions
- VedāntaThe schools of Indian philosophy that interpret the Upaniṣads, the Brahma Sūtras and the Bhagavad Gītā.
- YogaThe classical Indian school of disciplined practice and meditation systematized in the Yoga Sūtras.
- SāṃkhyaThe Indian school that distinguishes pure consciousness from nature, and finds liberation in knowing the difference.
- The bhakti movementThe movements of loving devotion to God that spread across India from the sixth century, in the languages of the people.
Concepts
- DharmaThe order that upholds the world, and the right action by which a person takes part in it.
- Karma yogaThe way of action without attachment to its fruits, taught in the Bhagavad Gītā.
- MokṣaLiberation from the cycle of birth and death; the highest human goal.
- ĀtmanThe self, in the Upaniṣads and Vedānta.