mahabharata

Everyday

1. The Mahabharata is a very long ancient poem from India, written in Sanskrit, telling the story of a great war between two families of cousins, the Pandavas and the Kauravas. tree →
2. It is one of the holy books of Hinduism and contains many stories and teachings, including the Bhagavad Gita. tree →

In the lessons

In religious education lessons the Mahabharata is taught as a sacred Hindu text, full of lessons about duty, honesty, family and right and wrong; Hindus believe it teaches how to live a good life. In literature it is called an epic, like the Iliad, and is one of the longest poems ever written. Phrases: "the epic Mahabharata", "stories from the Mahabharata".

Examples

• In RE we read a story from the Mahabharata about five brothers. tree →
• The Mahabharata is one of the longest poems in the world. tree →
• Priya's grandmother tells her stories from the Mahabharata at bedtime. tree →
• The Bhagavad Gita is a part of the Mahabharata. tree →
• The Mahabharata tells of a great battle between cousins. tree →
• Hindus believe the Mahabharata teaches about duty and doing what is right. tree →

Note

It is a proper name, so it takes a capital letter and usually "the": the Mahabharata. Spelled in English in a few ways (Mahabharata, Mahābhārata). Do not confuse it with the Ramayana, the other great Hindu epic, which tells the story of Rama and Sita.