The Mahabharata is a national Indian epic set between the third and fourth age, roughly 400 BCE and 200 CE. It tells the story of two warring branches of a family: the five Pandava brothers and their cousins, the Kauravas. It also contains philosophical and devotional material (the Bhagavad Gita is contained within it). It is thought to represent and provide guidance in a historically turbulent time of transition. While authorship is commonly attributed to Vyasa, The Mahabharata was an oral epic whose many versions attest to its different interlocutors over the century.
Its major themes include: the concept of dharma or sacred duty, which refers to the moral order that structures an individual’s behavior in relationship to the cosmos; the limits of forgiveness and the role of revenge; and gender and women’s role in social and political life. Students focused on these themes, learning to build contemporary connections and develop comparative analyses with other mythic traditions.