language and content of Mahabharata

Q: Explain the language and content of Mahabharata. (All India 2017 Ans. The language and content of Mahabharata are discussed below:

Language: Mahabharata was written in sanskrit language (although there are versions in other languages as well) However, the Sanskrit used in the Mahabharata is far simpler than that of the vedas.

Content: Historians usually classify the contents of the Mahabharata under two broad heads

Narrative: This section contains stories

Didactic: This section contains instructions about social norms, but this sections too includes stories and the narrative often contains a social message. However, generally historians agree that theMahabharata was meant to be a dramatic, moving story, and that the didactic portions were probably added later.

Interestingly, the text is described as itihasa. The literal meaning of the term is “thus it was” which is why it is generally translated as “history”, Historians are in a doubt that the war really took place or not, which is deseribed in the epic. Some historians think that the memory of an actual conflict amongst kinfolk was preserved in the narrative while other point out that there is no other authentic evidence of the battle.