Mahabharatham: Malayalam / മഹാഭാരതം

Mahabharatham is an epic which tells about the war between the Pandavas and the Kauravas. It depicts the first battle of Kurukshetra and is one of the oldest writings in Sanskrit. The Mahabharata is the longest known poem ever written, containing over 100,000 shlokas.

The story of the Mahabharatham begins with how the Pandavas were born. Due to a curse by a sage, Pandu could no longer have children. The sage, feeling pity on his wives, shares a mantra with them which allowed them to have sons with the gods. This leads to the birth of the Pandavas. The curse afflicts Pandu and he dies. His sons, Arjun, Bheem, Yudhisthira, Nakula and Sahadeva, are now raised by their mother Kunti. The Pandavas return to Hastinapur, where Yudhisthira was supposed to be crowned king but Dhritarashtra wants his son Duryodhana to be king. So he plots to get rid of the Pandavas. However, their uncle Vidura warns them of the plot and helps them escape. The people of the kingdom think that the Pandavas are dead. While the Pandavas are hiding in the jungle, Arjuna hears of a competition to win princess Draupadi’s hand in marriage. The Pandavas disguise themselves as Brahmins and Arjuna completes the all the tasks and wins Draupadi’s hand. On arriving home, his mother asks him to share his prize with his brothers. So Draupadi marries all five of the Pandavas

As the epic continues, the Pandavas lose their kingdom in a game of dice against the Kauravas. The Pandavas are then exiled for twelve years. At the end of their exile, they return to their kingdom only to be thrown out again. This humiliation is the last straw and the Pandavas decide to go to war. Mahabharatham is an epic which every Indian has grown up hearing.