# Mahabharata — WHE Definition Discussion (1-12122)
**URL:** https://community.worldhistory.org/t/mahabharata-whe-definition-discussion-1-12122/17330
**Category:** WHE Articles
**Created:** [August 25, 2016, 9:01am UTC](https://community.worldhistory.org/t/mahabharata-whe-definition-discussion-1-12122/17330 "2016-08-25T09:01:30Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@ab.techwriter](https://community.worldhistory.org/u/ab.techwriter)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2016, 9:01am UTC](https://community.worldhistory.org/t/mahabharata-whe-definition-discussion-1-12122/17330/1 "2016-08-25T09:01:30Z")
The _Mahabharata_ is an ancient Indian epic where the main story revolves around two branches of a family - the Pandavas and Kauravas - who, in the Kurukshetra War, battle for the throne of Hastinapura. Interwoven into this narrative are several smaller stories about people dead or living, and philosophical discourses. Krishna-Dwaipayan Vyasa, himself a character in the epic, composed it; as, according to tradition, he dictated the verses and Ganesha wrote them down. At 100,000 verses, it is the longest epic poem ever written, generally thought to have been composed in the 4th century BCE or earlier. The events in the epic play out in the Indian subcontinent and surrounding areas. It was first narrated by a student of Vyasa at a snake-sacrifice of the great-grandson of one of the major characters of the story. Including within it the _Bhagavad Gita_, the _Mahabharata_ is one of the most important texts of ancient Indian, indeed world, literature.
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_This is a companion discussion topic for the original definition at [https://www.worldhistory.org/Mahabharata/](https://www.worldhistory.org/Mahabharata/)._
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### Author:  [@system](https://community.worldhistory.org/u/system)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2026, 7:20pm UTC](https://community.worldhistory.org/t/mahabharata-whe-definition-discussion-1-12122/17330/2 "2026-07-31T19:20:15Z")