The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India. It is of immense importance to the culture of the Indian subcontinent, and is a major text of Hinduism. Its discussion of human goals (artha or purpose , kama or pleasure , dharma or duty , and moksha or liberation ) takes place in a long-standing tradition, attempting to explain the relationship of the individual to society and the world (the nature of the Self ) and the workings of karma.
