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Question
Write a short essay (about 500 words) on the following:
Discuss whether the Mahabharata could have been the work of a single author.
Solution
There are so much views about the author of the Mahabharata. Following views have been put forward regarding the authorship of the Mahabharata.
- It is believed that the original story was written by the charioteer-bards known as sutas. They generally accompanied Kshatriya warriors to the battle field and composed poems celebrating their victories and other achievements.
- It is also believed that in the beginning the text of the Mahabharata was orally circulated. Scholars and priests carried it from one generation to another. From the fifth century BCE, the Brahmanas took over the story and started writing. This was the time when Kurus and Panchals were gradually becoming kingdoms.
- The story of the Mahabharata also revolved round them. Some parts of the story reflect that old social values were replaced by the new ones.
- C. 200 BCE and 200 CE is another phase in the composition of the Mahabharata.
- During this period worship of Vishnu was gaining ground Krishna came to be identified as Vishnu. Large didactic sections resembling the Manusmriti were added during the period between C 200 and 400 CE. These interpolations made the Mahabharata an epic consisting of 100,000 verses. This enormous composition is traditionally attributed to a sage named Vyas.
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Answer in 100-150 words
The following is an excerpt from the Mahabharata in which Yudhisthira, the eldest Jandava, speaks to Sanjaya, a messenger:
Sanjaya, convey my respectful greetings to all the Brahmanas and the chief priest of the house of Dhritarashtra. I bow respectfully to teacher Drona … I hold the feet of our preceptor Kripa … (and) the chief of the Kurus, the great Bhishma. I bow respectfully to the old king (Dhritarashtra). I greet and ask after the health of his son Duryodhana and his younger brother ... Also greet all the young Kuru warriors who are our brothers, sons and grandsons … Greet above all him, who is to us like father and mother, the wise Vidura (born of a slave woman) ... I bow to the elderly ladies who are known as our mothers. To those who are our wives you say this, “I hope they are well-protected”… Our daughters-inlaw born of good families and mothers of children greet on my behalf. Embrace for me those who are our daughters … The beautiful, fragrant, well-dressed courtesans of ours you should also greet. Greet the slave women and their children, greet the aged, the maimed (and) the helpless …
Try and identify the criteria used to make this list – in terms of age, gender, kinship ties. Are there any other criteria? For each category, explain why they are placed in a particular position in the list.
What was the object of the team of V.S. Sukthankar?
How many verses are there in Mahabharata?
Who won the battle of Mahabharata?
Which of these was the wife of Pandavas?
Duryodhana and his brothers were known as ____________.
The epic Mahabharata consists ______ verses.
The critical edition of the Mahabharata was completed in the year ______.
Arrange the location of the following cities of the Kuru-Panchala region and neighbouring areas in correct sequence from East to West:
- Ayodhya
- Hastinapura
- Indraprastha
- Kushinagara
Consider the following statements regarding the critical edition of Mahabharata:
I. A team comprising dozens of scholars initiated the task of preparing a critical edition of the Mahabharata.
II. Initially, it meant collecting Sanskrit manuscripts of the text, Written in a variety of scripts, from different parts of the country.
III. The team worked out a method of comparing verses from each manuscript.
Which of the following statement(s) is/are correct?
Which of the following statements is incorrect about the critical edition of Mahabharata?
Analyse the role of Indian Sanskritist V.S. Suthankar and his team in the preparation of critical edition of Mahabharata.
Identify the picture from the given options.
