The Mahābhārata is an account of the life and deeds of several generations of a ruling dynasty called the Kuru clan.

Acknowledging that later "generations looked upon it as marking an end of an epoch", he suggested that rather than being a civil war it might have been "a muddled recollection of the conquest of the Kurus by a tribe of Mongol type from the hills".

[25][26][note 2] Within the frame story of the Mahābhārata, the kings Parikshit and Janamejaya are featured significantly as scions of the Kuru clan,[28] and Michael Witzel concludes that the general setting of the epic has a historical precedent in the Vedic period, where the Kuru kingdom was the center of political power during roughly 1200 to 800 BCE.

[29] Indian historian Upinder Singh wrote: Whether a bitter war between the Pandavas and the Kauravas ever happened cannot be proved or disproved.

[14]According to Finnish Sindhologist Asko Parpola, the war may have taken place during the later phase of the Painted Grey Ware, c/ 750–350 BCE.

[38] Excavations in Sinauli unearthed burials with the remains of carts[a] belonging to the Ochre Coloured Pottery culture (OCP).

[39][note 3] In the beginning, Sanjaya gives a description of the various continents of the Earth, the other planets, and focuses on the Indian subcontinent, then gives an elaborate list of kingdoms, tribes, provinces, cities, towns, villages, rivers, mountains, and forests of the ancient Indian subcontinent (Bharata Varsha).

Duryodhana plots to arrest Krishna and insult, humiliate, and defame him in front of the entire royal court of Hastinapura as a challenge to the prestige of the Pandavas and declaration of an act of open war.

During his return, Krishna meets Karna, Kunti's firstborn (before Yudhishthira), and asks him to help his brothers and fight on the side of dharma.

Krishna tells Arjuna and Duryodhana that he would give the Narayani Sena consisting of gopas[44][45][46][47] to one side and himself as a non-combatant to the other.

Having little choice, Duryodhana agrees to Bhishma's conditions and makes him the Major General of the Kaurava Army, while Karna is debarred from fighting.

The safety of the supreme commander Bhishma was central to Duryodhana's strategy, as he had placed all his hope on the great warrior's abilities.

When the war is declared and the two armies face each other, Arjuna realises that he would have to kill his dear granduncle Bhishma and his respected teacher Drona.

Krishna reveals his divine form and explains that he is born on earth in each eon when evil raises its head.

[49] Before the battle begins, Yudhishthira drops his weapons, takes off his armor, and walks towards the Kaurava Army with folded hands in prayer.

Duryodhana sends a huge force of war elephants at Bhima, who leaves his chariot and attacks them singlehandedly with his iron mace.

At the end of the fourth day, Duryodhana goes to Bhisma and asks him how could the Pandavas, facing a superior force against them, have the upper hand.

Drupada and his son Shikhandi go to help Bhima, but they are stopped by Vikarna, one of Duryodhana's brothers, who attacks and injures them badly.

Krishna, overwhelmed by anger at the apparent inability of Arjuna to kill Bhishma, rushes towards the Kaurava commander.

Realising that the war could not be won as long as Bhishma was standing, Krishna suggests placing a transgender in the field to face him.

After the war ended, when Hastinapura had become safe from all sides and after giving lessons on politics and Vishnu Sahasranama to the Pandavas, Bhishma dies on the first day of Uttarayana.

The Pandavas, however, fought hard and delivered severe blows to the Kaurava Army, frustrating Drona's plans.

On the other side of the battlefield, the remaining four Pandavas and their allies find it impossible to break Drona's chakra formation.

As soon as Abhimanyu enters the formation, Jayadratha stops them with help from a boon obtained from Shiva, and defeats Bhima and Satyaki.

Following Drona's instructions, six warriors attacks Abhimanyu and deprived him of his chariot, bow, sword, and shield.

Abhimanyu picks up a mace; smashes Ashwatthma's chariot (upon which the latter fled); and slays one of Shakuni's brothers and numerous troops and elephants before being killed by the son of Dushasana in a mace-fight.

Which disheartens Dronacharya, and he lays his weapons down before being killed by Dhrishtadyumna to avenge his father's death and satisfy his vow.

Karna later defeats Satyaki, Shikhandi, the Pandava brothers Nakula, Sahadeva, Yudhishthira and Bhima in battle but spares their lives.

Bhima breaks the rules under instructions from Krishna and strikes Duryodhana below the waist, leaving him mortally wounded.

[51] Only eleven major warriors survive the war: the five Pandavas, Krishna, Satyaki, Ashwatthama, Kripa, Yuyutsu and Kritavarma.