Mahabharata is the largest epic in the history of mankind and it was
called Jaisamhita originally. The epic is the story of the great
Bharata dynasty of Hastinapura. It also tells the tale
of the great war fought on the fields of Kurukshetra at the
junction between the end of the Bronze Age and the beginning of the Iron
or Kali Age. The Kali Yuga is said to have begun with
the death of Krishna on February 17, 3102 BC - thus
dating the war to 3138 BC (in the epic Krishna died 36 years
after the Great War). However, dating the epic is an ongoing debate. The
extant written versions can be traced to the period 400-100 BC when the
present form was settled on. The Mahabharata was authored by Rishi Vyasa and written by Lord Ganesha with one of his tusks. The Mahabharata has eighteen major chapters or parvas which are, in turn, subdivided into many smaller parvas or sections. There are hundreds of different versions, adjusted by various sects to include their own individual religious biases (for example there are 300 known versions of the Adi Parva).
Rishi Vyasa himself is a prominent figure in the Mahabharata. He was the father of Dhritarashtra, Paandu and Vidur. The central story concerns the rivalry for the throne of Hastinapura, first by Pandu and Dhritarashtra and then later on by sons of Dhritarashtra called Kauravas and the sons of Pandu called Pandavas. As jealousy goes unchecked the dynasty is finally destroyed.
Pandu, the second son of Vichitravirya (second son of Bhisma), becomes king because his elder brother, Dhritarashtra, was born blind and thus considered unfit to rule. However, when Pandu dies Dhritarashtra, already an able administrator of the country during Pandu's many absences, proceeds to reign. It is the line of succession that is the bone of contention.
Yudhishthira, virtuous son of Pandu and eldest of the Pandava brothers, is heir-apparent. But, Duryodhana, eldest of Dhritarashtra's and Gandhari's one hundred sons, wished to be king. Gandhari's gambler brother, Shakuni, living at court helped inflame Duryodhana's jealousy and envy of the five Pandava princes.
Known as the Kauravas, the family and supporters of Dhritarashtra were spearheaded by Duryodhana, his brother Dushasana, Shakuni, and Karna (a protege of Duryodhana who had a mysterious and was finally shown to be linked to the Pandavas). Kauravas tried many ways to eliminate the Pandavas. As Dhritarashtra and Gandhari failed to curb Duryodhana's hatred of the Pandavas, the peoples of Hastinapura were inexorably propelled into war.
Every episode of Mahabharata is filled with utmost drama and suspense that leaves readers spellbound. Whether it is the game of dice between brothers or be it the 13 years exile of Pandavas in the forest with a condition of anonymity for the last year, or be it a mysterious fire in the house of wax and Pandava's miraculous escape thereof or be it the laying down of arms by disheartened Arjuna in the battlefield, which resulted in delivery of the message of Bhagavad Gita (Song of the Supreme) by Lord Krishna or be it the deftness of Krishna in navigating Pandavas to victory and beyond - every single incident of Mahabahrata is full of twists and turns.