Mahabharata (city article म ह ा भ ा र त, IAST Mah ā bh ā rata), a translation of "mahath para la", is one of two famous ancient Indian Sanskrit epics, the other one is the ramayana.

Mahabharata 74000 praise (" lose los of Canaan ", the ancient Indian common verse units, each of two lines of 32 syllable), there are also some prose, a total of 1.8 million words, is one of the world's longest epic, is four times the size of the ramayana.Quite the Iliad and the Odyssey combined 10 times.The world's only Tibetan epic "king gesar" and "manas" epic of kyrgyz can match, if continue to chant, have two weeks to read.

Mahabharata for India's philosophy and religion has a very important role, in the sixth chapter has become the bhagavad gitaThe HinduThe classic.

"Mahabharata" means "the descendants of the great king of Borneo," Maha (Maha) is of great meaning, is said to have been founded about India's kingdom suoluo more descendants of the story, the king in ancient India, in the form of oral chanting the writing, then spread to Asian countries such as Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, myanmar, Sri Lanka and other countries, is one of the ancient source of Asian culture.

Mahabharata was written between the 3 to 5 century.Conventional wisdom says the author of the epic for broad immortal, but the person was likely to be only of the legendary characters, does not exist.Transcribing for elephant god, original story has been popular in the folk, to the earliest around the 5th century BC.

Impact - the mahabharata about Indian culture and the Hindu influence is very big, as the first sentence said in the book, "some things here, and in all places;There is not a thing, you won't find anywhere else."German linguist Humboldt once enthused: "" mahabharata" is the most beautiful, the cut in in all the literature may be the best of our knowledge, the only true philosophy poem"

Mahabharata is not only tells a story, extensive fairy said in the book, this book is to clarify the purpose of the four goals in life: love, money, and liberation, many indians believe that life's ultimate goal is to achieve liberation, industry and the method in the mahabharata has a major position.

Mahabharata included a large number of Hindu mythology and philosophy, there are many gods and philosophical fable.

The earliest copies may date back to 200 AD, so may be in 3 to 4 century already into 18 volumes, the existing 18 volumes.

Story synopsis - mainly speak Lu Jiazu's two brothers, a kingdom and a degree of generations, the battle for the throne, eventually causing a Lu Zhiye of war.Story to the death of the dark, the dynasty burial, family brothers get to heaven, to the end.Means India the beginning of the fourth stage in the history of black iron age, when people lose their noble values, loss of morality, brave and justice.In the mahabharata, and many people with noble moral for the sake of their own values and hold the family together fighting, Vishnu king of moab, for example, swear to always protect the king is, no matter how to change his status, though he knew a family will eventually win.

The author, according to the description in the book, author of the book is one of the main character of the dynasty broad narrative, immortal by Siva and snow mountain god goddess is the son of his elephant head group manager to write it down.Elephant conditions is put forward by the god can't stop, extensive conditions is put forward by the fairy like god must understand his narrative content, under the condition of the said a write to complete the work, but because of a lot of writing quickly, as god's magic with the bad, ivory elephant god off their right to continue writing.(so in Indian mythology, like god, there is no right tooth, or defect).

Written history - "mahabharata" is gradually accumulated into a book after a long time, the early creation, in the form of oral chanting the earliest evidence shows that in 533 A.D. the codex has collected on 100000 sentences, there are 20 volumes.

At the beginning of article 1-19 preface, the birth of princes and growth.

2 conference article 20 to 28 in the palace life and games, a family was banished.

Article 29-44 3 forest exile 12 years life in the forest.

4 which the radha article 45-48 exile during a year in which the radha palace.

5 model turning article 49-59 ready to fight.

6 Vishnu the article 60-64The warThe first phase of Vishnu rubbing to commander lu clan.

DE Barcelona, article 7, 65-72, the second phase of the war, DE Barcelona battle command.

8, article 73 the third stage of war, caleb, direct combat.

Sally and article 9, 74-77 the last stage of the war, Sally battle command.

Night article 10, 78-80 neigh, etc all the lu clan remaining generals at night raids a person, have almost completely killed them.

GanTuo 11 women's 81-85 and other women to mourn war dead.

12 peace crown nut, 86-88 war, which the wet rubbing for guidance.

13 counsel article 89-90 Vishnu the final guidance.

Article 14 the horse offering strong battle royal celebrations. 91-92.

15 in 93-95 with the article, Lin GanTuo and gong to the forest in search of fairy, died in the forest.

16 pestle article 96 degrees people killing each other, and eventually perish;Black death.

17 travel article 97 established and his brothers the first stage of the ways of death.

18 to 98 killed everyone back to the heaven, was the goddess of heaven.

Attached great article, lineage dark life. 99-100.

"Mahabharata" : "encyclopedic" Indian epic

It (that is, the "mahabharata") may be the world to one of the most profound and the most noble thing.- William Humboldt

The mahabharata and the ramayana and called India two epic.China in the early 5th century had already know them.Dove moro shi (344-413), the translation theory of "the great stately sutra volume five yue:" when the settlement of the brahman, have close to settlement and the Lord said rama delay book, suoluo his book again and said array war dead, life for life."But the two great epics belongs to the Indian brahmans culture system, there would be no into the translation of buddhist classics of Chinese past dynasties, the translation work has been delayed for over one thousand years.

In the 1980 s, translated by Mr Ji, seven of eight copies all the ramayana, Chinese translation.In early 2006, scholars in the last 17 years, finally together to complete the "mahabharata" of translation work.The Chinese versions were probably as many as four million words, as one of only three kinds of text in the world, most engineering.

In India that has a traditional ancient civilization nation, appear some culture create miracle in the history of, is a very natural thing.Archaeological data tells us that at the time of around 25 centuries BC, the Indus valley has entered the Bronze Age, and have words appear, today called "seal characters", it's a pity that the interpretation of the academic circle has not been made successfully.About from the 15th century BC to the 6th century BC one thousand years, ever said "vedic age", is to form a key period of Indian culture system.Following the vedic age an important cultural event, is the Sanskrit epic "mahabharata", and the emergence of the ramayana."Mahabharata" made a free translation of the title of "the great suoluo multi-race story", roughly formed in the 4th century BC to the 4th century after 800, it confirms a common cultural phenomenon: a great narrative tradition of yan, often accompany with an ancient civilization.Ancient Babylon civilization and "gilgamesh", the ancient Greek civilization with the Iliad and the Odyssey, Anglo - Saxon civilization and Beowulf, etc., etc.All the evidence that epic "mahabharata" initiative, is a generation with outstanding oral narrative art talent bard and court singer su, they open creation myths from chaos to the spectrum of complex imperial lineage, from the ups and downs of the nations disputes to manipulated in narrative, from the famous hero legend to the specific historical events, recalled from religious connotations to the philosophy of life, from the law ethics to folk life, absorbed the nutrients of variety of traditional Indian culture and narrative, assembly into this unparalleled large verse hero narrative.

Narrative structure: as a set of large buildings

For a long time, the western academic circles have long argued that the mahabharata is the longest in the world's epic.Compare the authority of the "new Princeton encyclopedia poetry and poetics" 1993 version of this statement: "the mahabharata is the longest in the world of poetry.Its fine school-based has about 100000, is the Iliad and the Odyssey together nearly seven times."With western scholars statistics says, only singing the core part of the grand narrative (dialogue part of the two main characters), in accordance with the per minute sing a "blessing" (a set of words for a praise) calculation, are continuous uninterrupted singing 25 day and night!Its narrative structure, like a group of large buildings, halls, piled up compound, the cloisters, path."Get in a word," that's hard to count both independently, and associated with each other, but also tend to have their own narrator, dialogue and even their audience;Inside the story teller alone more than 300 to 400.As a result, not only the story had been a story, and medium a dialogue, dialogue between the handing down and make the story lines intertwined, fascinating story., of course, the so-called space "longest", today is no longer accurate.In our country, the Tibetan people medium to spread the epic "gesar", the scale is much more than "mahabharata", and to have been published in the famous Tibetan singer ear singing this, for example: an average of 400 pages of a volume of Tibetan just wait, all out to 45 volumes, and that's just all his singing about two-thirds of the inventory.These memory and folk singer singing this kind of super ability of the story, is awesome, and amazing.

A book process: a flow of "traditional"

The spread of "mahabharata" and circulation process is very complex.India's banda used Carl essence of school-based collating the reached 700, visible in the history of people to record the words of has been stopped.However, in the epic formation and prosperity of that era, its study, sing and play, when all by word of mouth.So, although later after many Sanskrit poet singer and revision, it is in essence a "verbal" poetry, with a strong oral poetry of color.These colour performance in many ways, the reader may be able to be read in the feeling.First of all, can be seen everywhere in the poetry of stylized phrase, sentence and scenes, which is a large "spoil" in verse.Such as about the characters' features modifier "(or" title "), the use of such as listed on the "details" of things, all with Homer and other oral epic of the same or similar characteristics.For example, in the mahabharata "Vishnu mo article about rivers in detail table, in the 147 rivers and hundreds of" famous "names!No literati poet will write poetry (in addition to write "leaves of grass" of "nuts" American poet walt Whitman account of how many adopted this detail table type).Second, oral poetry creating, spreading and acceptance was done at the same time, it is doomed, it is the singer and the audience interaction associations of meaning generation and implementation and vulgarness through manifold in field work.As a result, can infer, the story is highly dependent on context and is highly dependent on the traditional narrative.Interpretation of it, there will be no away from the big background of Indian culture.Moreover, in different places on the earth today live form found similar case in large singing tradition, we can be roughly infer that this heritage ancient tribe or clan narrative performance events, often occurs in some sacred cultural space and combined with ritual activities, thus become an organic part of some traditional ceremony.Therefore, rather than to the epic is a static "work", as it is a flow of "traditional".This tradition from generation to generation not only created countless level sophisticated and exquisite acting singer, but also cultivate the cultural spirit of the whole ethnic group, let people know how to see the universe, the universe life, in the world how to think and act, what is right and wrong, what is justice and evil, and so on."Mahabharata" singing the people of The Times, must be in their lifetime, on different occasions, numerous and the land listened to this magnificent narrative, were struck by its famed hero feat, were wrapped in deep thoughts and cultivate high level, says it is teaching people encyclopedia, is a master of folk knowledge and wisdom is not false.

Other significant features of oral poetry readers not to be able to relate, for example involving some of the characteristics of sound, rhythm and beat, translation cannot pass, readers naturally difficult to appreciate.According to my personal working experience in the field of oral poetry rhyme beauty, accompanied by Musical Instruments in the wonderful melody, accompanied by the singer's eye contact, facial expression and body language, along with the singers and the audience together out of the atmosphere, the narrative vivid and artistic appeal, it passed the at the same time than resorting to auditory and visual aesthetic feeling, the heart feeling and it stimulated chord in life, is far more than we can from the lines of print reading experience and cognition.The people who live in the great tradition, have it the gurgling of helping and TaoYang a clean also the well-being of life.

Fine alignment and translation: the epic "expeditionary"

The mahabharata (total 6 volumes), bao-sheng huang, metal restricting wood et al, China social sciences publishing house published in January 2006, 680 yuan

Homer in the singing activities in ancient Greece, has reached its zenith.We know that in history there have been hundreds of different kinds of book, had a "generic Athens games" epic race sing activities held on a regular basis.Can say, now can see Homer, but are of the most recent of a text.Today collected six volumes published "mahabharata" should also see it that way.Codex reverberated in its history, illustrates the singing activities once active and extensive.It tells us that at the same time, an old, flow, has the life vitality of the narrative tradition, into the era of printing literature circulation rules, establish a "science of school-based", in order to let the community and society can be widely used, is an extremely difficult and ambitious project.Indian scholars engaged in the work of pure school-based assembly, to restore the epic "as" old "original form" for the purpose of it is itself a epic "expeditionary".Chinese experts and scholars of Sanskrit literature collection of more than 10 years of effort, with great concentration, translation and when to win.Whether as text research of academic the wrist, or in terms of social meaning of cultural transmission, without their exceptional vision and dedication, so that the massive painstaking care crystallization, is never introduced.

In the narrative of "mahabharata", dominate the world of constant, the god of justice and order, zebidah turns into a river of pure to drink waterThe childPut forward the question: "what is faster than the wind?"The answer is "thinking"."Mahabharata" is India's public poetry, is a popular poetic wisdom crystallization.So the Indian scholar said this epic of India has had a profound moral strength, integrated power, and teaching force.Today, the influence of the mahabharata have already beyond the borders, become the precious cultural heritage of all mankind.Through hard work of the Chinese translation and enjoy this great Indian civilization directly narrative tradition, and to think about sharing of human well-being, is also our lucky - because, around the world of pure state is also a handful of school-based translations.

（Author: ChaoGeJin, deputy director of the institute of Chinese academy of social sciences, national literature）