Dharma is extraordinary. It is so extraordinary that Bhagwan (God) himself takes an Avatara (incarnation) to protect it. Bhagwan is both Dharma itself and the protector of Dharma.

When Dharma is explained through stories, it becomes easy to hear, remember, and practice. The Mahabharata is the narration of the entire Dharmashastra (science of righteous conduct) in the form of stories. It is aptly called Dharma Sara Mahabharatam (The Essence of Dharma).

Dharma as the Human Differentiator
Birds have wings and can fly; that is their nature. A cow is one that walks on its legs. These are the specific characteristics of creatures. All creatures also share common characteristics: they eat, sleep, are aware of threats, and reproduce.

However, Dharma is a special characteristic unique to humans. It is the most important trait that differentiates humans from other creatures. Humans are required to live a Dharmic life. The Neeti Shatakam of Bhartrihari states that if humans abandon Dharma, they become like cattle.

The Neeti Shatakam is a collection of 100 Sanskrit verses on human behavior, dated to the 5th or 7th Century CE.

The Subtlety of Dharma
Dharma is not a rigid, black-and-white formula. It depends on the situation and the person involved. The same person may have to act differently in various situations, and Dharma changes accordingly.

Dharma is Sukshamam (subtle or profound). Many life situations involve a Dharma Sankatam (a moral dilemma or conflicting actions). The Mahabharata explains this subtlety. Upon a casual reading, the stories and conduct of people in the Mahabharata may appear contradictory.

The Mahabharata explains Dharma and its profound nature through complex situations. It shows us what constitutes good conduct and teaches us the intelligence required to apply the right values in the correct situation.

The Four Goals of Life (Purusharthas)
The Mahabharata explains all four Purusharthas (goals of human life): Dharma, Artha, Kama, and Moksha. This is known as Chatur Vargha Sangraham (Collection of the Four Classes). The epic teaches that earning wealth (Artha) and enjoyment (Kama) must be pursued in accordance with Dharma. It also shows us the route to Moksha (liberation).

Moksha is not just a benefit after death. It is how to live a complete and content life right now. Moksha is the way of living the present life with equanimity. The Purusha Suktam and Upanishads also teach the same about Moksha.

The Fifth Veda
The Vedas provide the four Purusharthas, and the Mahabharata does the same. In fact, the Mahabharata contains all that is contained in the Vedas, which is why it is called the Panchamaveda (Fifth Veda). It is Veda Sara Mahabharatam (The Essence of the Vedas).

Historical Mentions
In the 3rd century BCE, Megasthenes, the Greek ambassador to India, visited the court of Chandragupta Maurya. Megasthenes mentions the stories of Krishna (and Shiva) in his chronicle, Indica. The book is now lost but is quoted in several other literary works.

Additional Fact: Interestingly, the Heliodorus Pillar at Vidisha near Bhopal is named after another 2nd century Greek ambassador. The inscription on the pillar describes him as a devotee of Vasudeva Krishna. The site contains remnants of the earliest discovered Hindu temple in India.

References in Ancient Literature
Old Tamil literature has several references to the Mahabharata. NalaVenba is an Upakatha (sub-story) of the Mahabharata (Nala-Damayanti). Alli Arasanai Malai is also a retelling of a Mahabharata Upakatha. Texts like Silappadhikaram, Padhitruppattu, Sirubanatruppadai, and Kallithogai also contain references to Mahabharata stories.

Parasurama and Kurukshetra
Between the Treta and Dwapara Yugas, Parasurama, the son of Jamadagni, killed all the Kshatriyas who were unrighteous (adharmic). The killing of the Kshatriyas took place at Kurukshetra. He built five lakes with the blood of the slain kings and offered it to his ancestors (Pitrus).

When the Pitrus asked Parasurama what boon he wanted, he sought liberation from the sin of killing all the Kings. He also requested that the five lakes should become Punya Kshetra (holy grounds). These lakes are still there as Brahma Sarovar, Sannihit Sarovar, Sthaneshwar Temple, Jyoti Sarovar, and Bhadra Kali lake.

The Scale of the War
Akshohini is a unit of measure for a battle formation consisting of chariots, horses, elephants, and infantry. The smallest measure is one patti, which has 1 chariot, 1 elephant, 3 horses, and 5 infantry. 21,870 pattis make one Akshohini. Assuming 2 persons per chariot, one horse-rider, and one elephant-rider, each Akshohini has 240,570 men. The war was fought by approximately 43 lakh men.

The Size of the Epic
The 18 Parvas (books) of the Mahabharata have 84,639 slokas (verses). The Harivamsa Purana is considered a branch of the Mahabharata, and its 12,000 slokas are often added to the count. Neelakanta Chaturdhara wrote a commentary on the Mahabharata a few centuries ago. Between 1883 and 1896, Kisari Mohan Ganguly from undivided Bengal translated the Mahabharata into English from Neelakanta Chaturdhara’s commentary.

K.M. Ganguly mentions that many slokas have three lines each. If these were originally two-line slokas, the total count may approach 100,000 slokas. Krishna Premi Anna mentions that the questions and answers between Saunaka Rishi and the listeners, as well as the introductory chapters, can also be included in the Mahabharata sloka count.

The Merit of the Epic
Ugrashravas extols the merit of the Mahabharata.

The merit of the Grihastha (householder) Ashrama is considered higher than the merit of all other ashramas combined (Brahmacharya, Vanaprastha, and Sannyasa). Likewise, the merit of the Mahabharata is considered greater than all other literary works combined.

Just as light is the source of life for four categories of life, the Mahabharata is the source for all stories in the world. The Mahabharata is the essence out of which the Puranas, Upapuranas, and all other works arose. The seed of all modern stories can be found within the Mahabharata.

Parikshita is the son of Parikshit and was called Janamejaya. He had three brothers, Shrutasena, Ugrasena and Bhimasena. All four of them were doing Dheerga Satram (elaborate sacrifice) in Kurukshetra. Sarama is a female dog. Sarameya is the son of Sarama. It came towards the site of Dheergasatra. The three brothers thrashed Sarameya. It went crying to his mother. When Sarama learnt that Sarameya was hurt for no fault of his she went to Kurukshetra and asked for justice. None could answer her. She thereafter cursed Janamejaya. She cursed unknown to him, something bad will happen to him. This made Parikshit seek out Shrutashravas and ask for ways to get parihara from the curse.

Stories of Guru Bhakti
Janamejaya is the son of Parikshit. He had three brothers: Shrutasena, Ugrasena, and Bhimasena. All four were performing a Dheerga Satram (elaborate sacrifice) in Kurukshetra. Sarama is a female dog, and Sarameya is her son. When Sarameya came near the Dheergasatra site, the three brothers thrashed him. He went crying to his mother. When Sarama learned that Sarameya was hurt for no fault of his own, she went to Kurukshetra and demanded justice. As none could answer her, she cursed Janamejaya, saying that something bad would happen to him without his knowing. This led Janamejaya to seek out Shrutashravas for ways to find parihara (atonement) from the curse.

Janamejaya later went to conquer Takshashila. Ayodha Daumya was the Rishi (sage) there. His name may mean “with Iron Teeth” or “one who drinks water.” He had three chief disciples: Aruni, Upamanyu, and Vedaha (or Veda Parashar). Each disciple demonstrated the importance of Guru Bhakti (devotion to the teacher).

Aruni lay across a canal to stop the flow of water, as his Guru had asked him to stop the leak and he could find no other way.

Upamanyu promised to give all the food he received to his Guru. At the height of starvation, he ate erukkai elai (leaves of the Calotropis plant), which made him blind. He fell into a well and performed Tapas (penance) to the Ashwini Kumaras for relief. The Ashwini Kumaras offered him an appam (sweet), but Upamanyu insisted he would offer it to his Guru first.

Vedaha (or Veda Parashar) stayed at his Guru’s house and diligently did everything that was asked of him.

All the disciples received various kinds of benefits as recognition of their Guru Bhakti.

Parashar had his own disciple named Uttanka. As a teacher (Upadhyaya), Parashar had to travel with Janamejaya. He asked Uttanka to take his place in the house and take care of all the work. The villagers hinted that Uttanka should also become a husband to his Guru’s wife, as the Guru himself had given Uttanka permission to take his place. Uttanka refused. As a Gurudakshina (a fee for the Guru), Parashar’s wife asked Uttanka to fetch the earrings of Pushya’s queen. With great difficulty, facing shame and danger, Uttanka obtained the earrings after fighting with the serpent Takshaka.

These stories are told with gripping detail and powerfully reinforce the importance of Guru Bhakti.