Itihasa - Index

Itihasa is a Sanskrit word which itself is made from three separate words – Iti (meaning thus), ha (surely or certainly), and asa (it was so). Therefore, the word Itihasa actually means ‘Thus it actually happened’. So, fundamentally this is a reference to historical stories.

The Ramayana and the Mahabharata are classified as Itihasa.

Unlike texts that were composed much after them, both the Ramayana and the Mahabharata were composed by figures who were part of the events themselves:

• The Mahabharata was composed by Rishi Vyasa, who was a direct ancestor of the Pandavas and the Kauravas (being the father of Pandu and Dhritarashtra).
• The Ramayana was composed by Rishi Valmiki, who provided shelter to Sita at his ashram, where her sons Lava and Kusha were born and raised.

The Ramayana takes place during the Treta Yuga, and the Mahabharata takes place during the Dvapara Yuga, the Yuga after Treta. The Mahabharata contains references to the characters and events of the Ramayana, whereas the Ramayana contains no knowledge of the Kuru dynasty. In the Vana Parva of the Mahabharata, when Yudhisthira is feeling that all is lost during his exile, Rishi Markandeya narrates the entire story of Rama to comfort him, presenting it as a historical account. Hanuman appears in the Mahabharata. He meets Bhima in the forest and later sits upon the banner of Arjuna’s chariot during the Kurukshetra war. The lineages in the Puranas put the events of the Ramayana much before those of the Mahabharata.

Featured Posts & Discussions

Analytical essays and background contexts regarding the Ramayana and the Mahabharata:

S No	Topic	Link
1	Vernacularisation of Epics: Literary Transitions	View Post
2	Why Do Curses Work? The Connection Between Scriptures and Science	View Post

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Weekly Retelling Indexes

Links to the ongoing text retellings. Updates are published periodically (ideally every Sunday). Check the Posting Schedule for details.

Mahabharata posts go live every Tuesday; Ramayana posts go live every Thursday. Ad hoc entries appear under miscellaneous.

S No	Subject	Link
1	Mahabharata of Kashidas (Every Tuesday)	View Mahabharata Index
2	Ramayana of Krittibas (Every Thursday)	View Ramayana Index