Question

Historians find it, particularly a difficult task, to understand a text as complex as the Mahabharata because:

Options

• Historians classified the contents of the Mahabharata under two broads.

• Historians consider several dements when they analyse text to examine the language of the text.

• The historians have to find out about the authors, whose perspectives and ideas have shaped the text, as well as the intended audience, as very often, authors keep in mind the interests of their audience while composing their work.

• All the above

Answer 1

All the above

Explanation:

Historians find it particularly difficult to comprehend a text as complex as the Mahabharata because:

1. Historians divided Mahabharata's contents into two sections: narrative and didactic. The narrative section contains stories, while the didactic section contains prescriptions about social norms. The Mahabharata, according to historians, had a dramatic tale and the didactic elements were likely inserted afterwards.
2. When historians evaluate the language of a text, they take into account a number of factors.
3. Historians must learn about the authors, whose viewpoints and ideas affected the text, as well as the intended audience, because authors frequently consider their audience's interests when writing their work.
4. They must also determine the likely date of production or compilation of the texts, as well as the location of composition.