Name: Exploring Social Divisions in Ancient India
Uploaded: 2019-07-19
Duration: 6 min 14 s
Description: Understanding Social Differences: Caste and Beyond in Ancient India

Question

Discuss whether the Mahabharata could have been the work of a single author?

Accepted Answer

i) Mahabharata was written over a period of more than $1000$ years. So it was not possible to be written by any single author though the Ved Vyas is regarded as the author of this great epic.

ii) The original story might have been composed by the sutas or charioteer-bards who accompanied warrior to the battlefield and used to celebrate their victories through such poems.

iii) In the fifth century BCE when Mahajanapadas were becoming powerful and Kuru and Panchal were emerging as important kingdoms, Brahmin had taken over the responsibility to compose it.

iv) Between $200$ BCE and $200$ CE, when Vishnu was becoming important God in Vedic religion, some part of Mahabharata were written. In those parts Krishna had been projected as the incarnation of Vishnu.

v) Between $200 - 400$ CE some parts of Mahabharata was composed under the influence of Manusmriti. During this time is text acquired its gigantic character of containing $100, 000$ verses.

Discuss whether the Mahabharata could have been the work of a single author?

Important Questions on Kinship, Caste and Class Early Societies (C. 600 CBE-600 CE)

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