Question

Consider the following statements regarding Mahabharata and mark the correct option.

1. It was composed by Maharishi Ved Vyas.

2. The Critical Edition of the Mahabharata under V.S. Sukthankar was completed in 47 years.

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer 1

Correct Answer - Option 3 : Both 1 and 2

The correct answer is Both 1 and 2.

Mahabharata:

• The Mahabharata is an important source of information on the development of Hinduism between 400 BCE and 200 CE.
• It is regarded by Hindus as both a text about dharma (Hindu moral law) and a history.
• Appearing in its present form about 400 CE, the Mahabharata consists of a mass of mythological and didactic material arranged around a central heroic narrative that tells of the struggle for sovereignty between two groups of cousins, the Kauravas (sons of Dhritarashtra, the descendant of Kuru) and the Pandavas (sons of Pandu).
• The poem is made up of almost 100,000 couplets divided into 18 parvans, or sections.
• Its authorship is traditionally ascribed to the sage Vyasa, who appears in the work as the grandfather of the Kauravas and the Pandavas. Hence, Statement 1 is correct.

Critical Edition of the Mahabharata

• One of the most ambitious projects of scholarship began in 1919, under the leadership of a noted Indian Sanskritist, V.S. Sukthankar. Hence, Statement 2 is correct.
• A team comprising dozens of scholars initiated the task of preparing a critical edition of the Mahabharata.
• Initially, it meant collecting Sanskrit manuscripts of the text, written in a variety of scripts, from different parts of the country.
• Ultimately, they selected the verses that appeared common to most versions and published these in several volumes, running into over 13,000 pages.
• The project took 47 years to complete. Hence, Statement 2 is correct.
• There were several common elements in the Sanskrit versions of the story, evident in manuscripts found all over the subcontinent, from Kashmir and Nepal in the north to Kerala and Tamil Nadu in the south.