Light on the Mahabharata

In this accessible text, Dr. Nicholas Sutton, a course facilitator at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, explores the meaning and significance of the Mahabharata. An ancient Sanskrit epic, the Mahabharata reflects on a wide range of issues which have concerned people throughout different epochs. The Mahabharata raises and seeks to answer universal questions about the human condition, human interactions, and the great conundrums of our existence in this world. Introducing a myriad of figures central to Hindu mythology, the Mahabharata has played a major role in the formation of Hinduism as we know it today, as well as contributed to the formation of cultural and social life in India. The longest known epic poem ever written, the Mahabharata presents an amazing story with many different characters and subplots, as well as extensive passages of religious, philosophical, moral, and practical instruction.