The Mahabharata and Shri Krishna

Composed by Vedavyasa, the Mahabharata is an epic of 18 parvas and about 100,000 shlokas, with Shri Krishna's guidance at its heart.

The Mahabharata is one of the longest epics in the world. It was composed by the sage Krishna Dvaipayana Vedavyasa. According to tradition, Vyasa dictated it and Lord Ganesha wrote it down. Ganesha agreed on the condition that the dictation must never stop, and Vyasa in turn asked that Ganesha write only after understanding the meaning of each verse. So Vyasa would compose a difficult verse from time to time, giving himself a moment to think.

The Mahabharata is divided into 18 parvas (books) and contains about 100,000 shlokas, which is why it is also called the Shatasahasri Samhita, the collection of a hundred thousand verses. The Harivamsha is regarded as its appendix. It is called the "fifth Veda" because it explores all four aims of life: dharma, artha, kama and moksha. A well-known saying holds that what is found in it may be found elsewhere, but what is not in it is found nowhere.

Its main story is the conflict between the two branches of the Kuru family, the Kauravas and the Pandavas, which ends in the war of Kurukshetra. Shri Krishna stands at the centre of the epic. He is the friend, companion and guide of the Pandavas, the protector of Draupadi, the messenger of peace to Hastinapura, and, having vowed not to take up arms, the charioteer of Arjuna in the war. Before the battle he gave Arjuna the teaching of the Bhagavad Gita, which forms part of the Bhishma Parva.

The Mahabharata is not only a war story. It contains many side narratives, such as the stories of Nala and Damayanti, Savitri and Satyavan, and Shakuntala, and in the Shanti Parva Bhishma's long teaching on the duties of kings and on liberation. It is a mirror of the struggle between dharma and adharma within every human being.

Source

Mahabharata

Parvas

Adi Parva, Sabha Parva, Vana (Aranyaka) Parva, Virata Parva, Udyoga Parva, Bhishma Parva, Drona Parva, Karna Parva, Shalya Parva, Sauptika Parva, Stri Parva, Shanti Parva, Anushasana Parva, Ashvamedhika Parva, Ashramavasika Parva, Mausala Parva, Mahaprasthanika Parva, Svargarohana Parva