15/19 The vast epic poem, or collection of poems known as the Mahabharata, consists of over 100,000 Sanskrit verses. The main subject is the war between the five Pandavas, or sons of Pandu, and their cousins the Kauravas, sons of Dhritarashtra. Many poems of various origins and dates are interwoven with the main work. The best known of the episodes is that of _Nala and Damayanti,_ which was well translated by Dean Milman, See Macdonell, _A History of Sanskrit Literature_ (Heinemann, 1900). |