30 Facts About Mahabharata That Make It Most Unique Sacred Text

Mahabharata, one of the two major Smriti texts, (the first is Ramayana) and Sanskrit spics of ancient India revered in Hinduism. The literal meaning of Mahabharata is the ‘Great epic of Bharat.’ It is the epitome of Hinduism and its development between 400 BCE and 200 CE. It is a perfect blend of both itihas or history and Dharma or Hindu moral law. Scroll through to learn the most amazing and unknown facts about Mahabharata. 

1. Draupadi, the wife of five Pandava brothers, was, in reality, the most beautiful dark-skinned woman of all time, she is referred to as a ‘Krishna Varna’ or ‘Like the lord Krishna.’

2. The original name of Mahabharata is Jaya. Ved Vyasa wrote the first full Mahabharata and later on, it was deciphered by two of his disciplines who have named it differently. Hat is how Jaya became Mahabharata. 
3. The ‘Ganesh Gufa’ is a small cave close to Badrinath in Mana, India’s last village. It is believed that Lord Ganesha wrote the epic Mahabharata in this cave 5000 years ago. 

Also Read- Goswami Tulsidas

4. One of the Panadava brothers Sahadev was well aware of the biggest war in history, but he chose to remain silent because of the curse that he was given. The curse was that he would die if he uttered the future. 
5. The wife of Duryodhan, Bhanumati was a devotee of Krishna. She became a devotee after an incident that happened at Duryodhan’s place when Krishna visited him and did not touch the princess. 

Also Read – Ghalib Shayari – Capturing Pain, Heartbreak And Life

6. Yudhistir had two wives the first one was Draupadi, and the other one was Devika, the daughter of Govasena, king of the Sivi Kingdom. 
7. The 100 sons of the blind King Dhristhrashtra were a result of cutting an embryo into 101 pieces which led to the birth of 100 boys and 1 girl. 
8. The famous tale of disrobing Draupadi is associated with the act of Durodhan, however, he kept quiet throughout the episode and only asked her to be present when her husbands lost her in the game. 
9. All the sons of Pandavas or Upapandavas died, when Ashwatthama attacked their camp, without being married to anyone in their whole life.

Also Read – 100+ Rumi Quotes on Love, Life, Nature & the Universe

10. Pandu, the father of Pandavas wished that every inch of his flesh must be eaten by his sons so that the knowledge he has gained throughout his life would be transferred to them. However, only Sahadev ate it and knew the future. 
11. Have you ever heard of the poison metabolism? It is a way through which your body can immune itself from taking small portions of poison every day. That was the logic behind Bheem coming back to life from being poisoned and drained. 
12. In the great war of Mahabharatha, the ages of Bhishma Pitamah, Arjun, Yudhistir, Karna, Bheema, and Shri Krishna were 130, 65, 67, 70, 65, and 65, respectively. 
13. How did Pandavas die before the beginning of the Great War? It is a great fact of Mahabharata in itself. In the last few years of their exile, Arjuna went to a pond to drink water where he saw the figure of a Yaksha who came there to ask him certain questions, in return for letting him drink water. This episode in Mahabharata is referred to as “Yaksha Prashna.” He fell dead along with his brothers, and only Yudhishtir agreed to answer the questions. 

14. “Ghatika Yantra” was one of the key instances where we can see that time measurement units existed since then. 
15. Karna was born with a shield in his body, it is not much of a fact about Mahabharata that people do not know. However, this is a similar type of body to a tortoise, and the science behind it is called artificial exoskeleton. 
16. Parshuram, the devotee of Shiva, and Bhishma, a key character of Mahabharat, were among the first people who fought on the land of Kurukshetra. However, their fight ended with a draw. 
17. At the end of the war, among the people who reminded Dronacharya of his dharma was Maharishi Atri. so it can be concluded that he played a crucial role in ending the Great War. 
18. The writer of Mahabharata is a Ved Vyas. Well! Here is an amazing fact about Mahabharat It is not a name, it is a position given to people who know the Vedas. 
19. Mahabharata is also an epic of advanced technologies whether in the medical or defense industry. The terms ‘Brahmastra,’ Nuclear Weapons,’ and  ‘Agniyastra’ are proof of it. 

Also Read- Pallava Dynasty: Origin, Achievements, and Legacy

20. The villain of the whole epic Duryodhan was originally named Suryodhan. It was after the defeated Balram in the match of the mace fight that he was named Duryodhan meaning a warrior who can’t be defeated. 
21. People with even the slightest knowledge of Mahabharata would know that Draupadi was married to five Pandavas. But one of the greatest facts about Mahabharata is that even all the 5 brothers had different wives. Arjun, among the five brothers, had 4 wives named Ulupi, Chitrangada, and Subhadra. 
22. Lakshamana, the sister of Lakshman, was married to the son of Lord Krishna, Samba. 
23. It is said that when Shakuni took revenge from Bhishma Pitamah through this war, which led to the death of 100 Kaurvas, the Gandhari cursed her brother Shakuni that there would be no peace in your Gandhar. The present-day Afghanistan is proof of it. 
24. Rajnour, a place in present-day Himachal Pradesh is where Pandavas spent a short time of their exile. The fact about Mahabharat here is that there is a Chakravyuh made by Abhimanyu. 

25. Eklavya was the brother of Krishna because his father was Dev Shiva, the brother of Vasudev, who was lost in the village. 
26. Ikaran and Yuyutsu, two Kaurav brothers were against the Draupadi Cheerharan. However, their love for their brother is what made them fight the Mahabharat War. 
27. The brother of Dhritrashtra, Vidur is known to be the incarnation of Yamraj, the ruler of the dead and god of hell. Mandavya Rishi’s curse made Yamraj born into the body of a human again. 
28. Yudhistir gave a curse to the whole community of women that they would not be able to hide any secrets. 
29. Shri Krishna cursed Ashvathama that he would be alive for thousands of years on the surface of the earth and that he would reek of puss and blood but would never be able to live with humans. 
30. The final fact about Mahabharat is that Lord Krishna had 16,000 wives who were incarnations of Apsaras. 

Relevant Blogs

Types of Vedas	Gurukul Education System in Ancient India
All the Names of India Throughout History	Aryan Invasion Theory
Ancient Indian Languages	Gautam Buddha

That’s all about the interesting facts about Mahabharata that make it unique! If you want to know more about topics like this, then visit our general knowledge page! Alternatively, you can read our blog on general knowledge for competitive exams!