Epic: Maha-bh rata
The Maha-bh rata tells the tale of the epic battle between the P ndavas and the K uravas for the throne. It begins with the famous game of dice between the P ndavas and the K uravas, which sets the scene for the war that will lie at the center of the Maha-bh rata epic. Even after the war is ostensibly over when the heroic but flawed king of the K uravas is dishonor-ably defeated in battle, the extended family is still wracked in conflict leaving survivors, victors and vanquished struggling to comprehend their loss. Perhaps the most enigmatic philosophical text from ancient India, the final book in the set, "The Book of Liberation" is presented as the teachings of Bhishma as he lies dying on the bat-tlefield in the aftermath of war.