# महाभारत (mahābhārata)

Canonical page: https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/mahabharata

महाभारत (mahābhārata) is a Sanskrit word meaning the great war of the Bharatas, the great narrative of the war of the Bharatas, the epic poem composed by Vyasa, compiled by Vyasa Krishnadvaipayana, the moon of, arose from Vyasa. Its 7 recorded definitions are grouped into 3 contexts, among them Mahābhārata as the Epic Poem, Mahābhārata as the Great War, Mahābhārata: The War and The Epic.

- **SLP1:** `mahABArata`  **IAST:** mahābhārata  **Devanagari:** महाभारत
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahabharata
- **Declensions:** 48 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/mahabharata/declensions.md

## Meanings by context

### Mahābhārata as the Epic Poem (5 definitions)
- the great epic poem describing the acts and contests of the descendants of Bharata  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > [Printed book page 798,2] महा (mahā) — भारत (—bhārata) n. (with or scil. आख्यान (ākhyāna) ), ‘great narrative of the war of the Bh° s’, N. of the gr° epic poem in about 215, 000 lines describing the acts and contests of the sons of the two brothers Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Pāṇḍu, descendants of Bharata, who were of the lunar line of kings reigning in the neighbourhood of Hastinā-pura (the poem consists of 18 books with a supplement called Hari-vaṃśa, the whole being attributed to the sage Vyāsa), ĀśvGṛ.; MBh. &c. ( Indian Wisdom, by Sir M. Monier-Williams (Title) 370 &c.) [ ID=160244 ]
- name of the great epic detailing the history of the descendants of Dhritarashtra and Pandu, consisting of eighteen parvans and attributed to Vyasa  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > महाभारत (mahābhārata) [Printed book page 560-08 ] महा - भारत (mahā-bhārata) n. name of the great epic which details the history of the sons of Dhṛitarāshṭra and Pāṇḍu; it consists of eighteen parvans and is believed to be written by Vyāsa; the word is derived in three or four ways in the first parvan of the epic.) [ ID=29593 ]
- Name of the great epic detailing the history of the descendants of Dhritarashtra and Pandu.  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > महाभारत (mahābhārata) [Printed book page 558-a ] महाभारत (mahābhārata) n. ( - तं (-taṃ) ) Name of the great epic which details the history of the sons of DHRITARĀSTRA and PĀNDU. [ ID=30954 ]
- The epic poem composed by Vyasa.  
  *Index to the Names in the Mahabharata*
  > महाभारत (mahābhārata) [Printed book page 453-2 ] Mahābhārata, the poem of Vyāsa. § 1 (Anukram.): I, 1, 11 ( °saṃśritāḥ kathāḥ ). The M. had been composed by Vyāsa and was originally recited by Vaiśampāyana to Janamejaya, afterwards by Ugraśravas to Śaunaka).—§ 7 (do.): I, 1, 265, 266 (etymology).—§ 11 (Parvasaṅgr.): I, 2, 656 ( °m ākhyāya ), 657 (do.).—§ 70 (Ādivaṃśāvatāraṇap.): I, 59, 2203 ( ākhyānaṃ, recited at the sacrifice of Janamejaya); 2206 (recited by Sauti, i.e. Ugraśravas).—§ 72 (do.): I, 62, 2283 ( ākhyānaṃ ), 2319 ( °ākhyānaṃ ), 2320 (etymology), 2322, 2333 ( tribhir varṣair…Kṛṣṇa-Dvaipāyane… M°m ākhyānaṃ kṛtavān ).—§ 78 (Vyāsa): I, 63, 2418 (Vyāsa taught his disciples Vedān M°pañcamān ).—§ 717 b (Nārāyaṇīya): XII, 341, 13027 (do. do.); 347, 13438 ( °kṛt, i.e. Vyāsa).—§ 795 c (Svargārohaṇap.): Sauti said: “The race of the Bharatas is the topic [of the M.]. Therefore Page454-a+ 63 it is called Bhārata, and on account of this and of its greatness it is called M. (v. 192); this history is called Jaya, it should be heard by everyone who desires emancipation,” etc. Blessing to the reader. Vyāsa made an abstract of the Bhārata from love of righteousness; he made another compilation ( saṃhitāṃ ) of six millions of verses; three millions of these verses are placed in Devaloka, 1,500,000 among the Pitṛs, 1,400,000 among the Yakṣas, and 100,000 among men. Nārada recited it to the gods, Asita Devala to the Pitṛs, Śuka to the Rākṣasas and Yakṣas; Vaiśampāyana to men; it is equal to the Vedas; blessing to the reader; the Sāvitrī of the Bhārata (i.e. vv. 203 b —207) is quoted; “what need has that man of a sprinkling of the waters of Puṣkara who attentively listens to this Bhārata…?” (v. 211 + one verse in B.) (XVII, 5 )—Asked by Janamejaya according to what rites one should listen to the Bhārata, etc., Vaiśam- pāyana expounded what gods, etc., are found in the Mahā- bhārata (ξ); śrāddha offerings should be made after the hearing of it, likewise gifts to the brahmans (specification); one should appoint as reciter one who is pure, etc.; the reciter, seated at his ease, free from all bodily complaints, with rapt attention should recite the text without too much slowness, etc.; (ο) the merit won at the conclusion of each pāraṇa (π); the gifts that should be made at the conclusion of each parvan (ρ), its topic (σ) and fruits (τ) (XVIII, 6 ): XVIII, 5, 190, 191, 192 (etymology); 6, 299 ( °ākhyanaṃ ). Cf. Bhārata 18, Jaya 14. [ ID=6721 ]
- 1. Compiled by Vyasa Krishnadvaipayana. 2. The moon of, arose from Vyasa.  
  *The Purana Index*
  > महाभारत (mahābhārata) [Printed book page 2-659 ] Mahābhārata — compiled by Vyāsa Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana; 1 the moon of, arose from Vyāsa. 2 [ Footnote: 1) Vi. III. 4. 5.] [ Footnote: 2) Vā. 1. 18, 45.] [ ID=10403 ]

### Mahābhārata as the Great War (1 definition)
- the great war of the Bharatas  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H3) [Printed book page 798,1] महा (mahā) — भारत (—bhārata) m. or n. (with or scil. आहव (āhava), युद्ध (yuddha) or any word signifying ‘battle’) the gr° war of the Bharatas, MBh.; Hariv. [ ID=160243 ]

### Mahābhārata: The War and The Epic (1 definition)
- 1. The great war of the Bharatas. 2. The great narrative of the war of the Bharatas.  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > महाभारत (mahābhārata) [Printed book page 402 ] महाभारत (mahābhārata) s. ( ± आहव (±āhava) or युद्ध (yuddha) ) the great war of the Bharatas; n. ( ± आख्यान (±ākhyāna) ) the great narrative of the war of the Bh. [ ID=24275 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Index to the Names in the Mahabharata; Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899); Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary; The Purana Index; Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary.
Text from the Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon, University of Cologne.

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