Bhagwat

Our ancient sages were very precise about naming things. Mahabhart and Ramayan are classified as Itihas - ie histories. They are not scriptures or mythologies or philosophical treaties - but itihas. We have elevated them to scriptural level - that's our issue - not theirs. Jaya is the core of this itihas. It deals with the warring families and is held up as a mirror to ALL families to remind them what can happens if a family dispute gets out of hand. It is up to the elders, leaders, thinkers, intellectuals to rein in the greedy members of society and make sure there is justice and fairness for all. If the guardians of society abdicate their responsibilities, if the people meekly submit to tyranny, Mahabharta is inevitable. Over time, other stories, mythologies, histories were interwoven with the original Jaya and the tale transformed into Bharata and than MahaBharata. You can tell where the insertions occur. Look out for change of tempo, language, "thoughts going off at a tangent" or any such deviation from the original and you can see where the additions happened. As such, we Hindus / Indians have not understood this transition / transformation and hence refused to learn from our own ancestors. I believe we continue to badly misunderstand its messages and as a result pay a heavy price for it.