At the heart of this sprawling saga stands Vyasa—often called Krishna Dvaipayana Vyasa—credited by tradition as the compiler and narrator of the Mahabharata. Far from springing into existence overnight, this epic grew like a living organism, its layers woven together over many centuries.

Scholars trace the oldest kernels of the story back to around the 8th or 9th century BCE, when wandering bards began reciting tales of the Bharata dynasty in forests and at riverbanks. Over time, these wandering performances picked up new episodes, philosophical discourses and moral debates—think of it as a patchwork quilt gradually stitched into its mighty 100,000-verse form. By roughly 400 BCE, core narratives about the Pandavas and Kauravas had solidified, and by about the 3rd or 4th century CE, the epic reached something close to its final shape.

Modern research often settles on a composition window stretching from 400 BCE to 400 CE, acknowledging that oral traditions continued to colour the text even after it was first committed to palm leaves. Today’s readers still uncover fresh insights, much as listeners of centuries past did around the firelight. The Bhagavad Gita—nestled in the Mahabharata’s Bhishma Parva—remains a touchstone for ethical and spiritual debates, whether in university seminars or corporate boardrooms wrestling with modern dilemmas.

That timeless resonance—ancient ethics meeting contemporary concerns—keeps the Mahabharata alive. It’s a reminder that this grand epic isn’t just an artifact of history but a living conversation, still unfolding in lecture halls, festivals and even blockbuster adaptations.