Study Guides/History/Real Name of Mahabharata
Study Guide ┬╖ History

What is the Real Name of the Mahabharata?

The Mahabharata, written by Sage Ved Vyasa, is the longest epic poem ever written in the history of the world. However, 'Mahabharata' was not its original name. Let's look at its true historical title.

Question (Click to Flip)

What was the original real name of the Mahabharata?

Answer

The original, real name of the Mahabharata was 'Jaya' or 'Jaya Samhita', which means 'The Book of Victory'. It was later expanded and renamed to Bharata, and finally Mahabharata.

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Key Facts

Original Name: Jaya (or Jaya Samhita).

Author: Sage Ved Vyasa.

Size: The current Mahabharata has over 100,000 verses (Shlokas), making it the longest epic in the world.

The Original Name: Jaya Samhita

When Sage Vyasa first dictated the epic to Lord Ganesha, it was much shorter (about 8,800 verses).

  • The original name of the epic was 'Jaya' or 'Jaya Samhita' (The Book of Victory).
  • It specifically focused only on the core story of the victory of the Pandavas over the Kauravas and the establishment of Dharma.

Later, as Vyasa's disciples (like Vaishampayana) added more stories, moral lessons, and legends to it, it grew to 24,000 verses and was called 'Bharata'. Eventually, it expanded to 100,000 verses, covering the entire history of the Kuru dynasty and the geography of ancient India, and finally became known as the 'Mahabharata'.

Bonus Fact: Ravan ke kitne putra the?

In the other great epic, the Ramayana, the demon king Ravana had a massive family.

  • According to Valmiki Ramayana, Ravana had 7 sons from his three wives.
  • His most famous and powerful son was Meghnad (also known as Indrajit), born to his chief queen Mandodari.

Questions and Answers

What was the original real name of the Mahabharata?+

The original, real name of the Mahabharata was 'Jaya' or 'Jaya Samhita', which means 'The Book of Victory'. It was later expanded and renamed to Bharata, and finally Mahabharata.

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