The Mah? bh? rata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the other being the R? m? ya? a. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kurukshetra War and the fates of the Kaurava and the P? ? ? ava princes and their successors. It also contains philosophical and devotional material, such as a discussion of the four 'goals of life' or puru? ? rtha. Among the principal works and stories in the Mah? bh? rata are the Bhagavad Gita, the story of Damayanti, the story of Savitri and Satyavan, the story of Kacha and Devyani, the story of ? ? yasringa and an abbreviated version of the R? m? ya? a, often considered as works in their own right.
