The epic Mahabharata is with 100,000 verses one of the largest poems in the world and is divided into eighteen sections, parvas. The main story revolves around two branches of a family – the Pandavas and Kauravas – who, in the Kurukshetra War, battle for the throne of Hastinapura.

The Mahabharata is looked upon as the fifth Veda as it contains all that is said in the Veda. While the life of Rama in the Ramayana exemplifies dharma-sastra, the Mahabharata unfolds both dharma-sastra and moksa-sastra, as it contains Bhagavad Gita.