Framing the Mahābhārata: How Do Ugraśravas and Vaiśampāyaṇa Characterise the Main Story?

It is well known that the Mahābhārata has two frame dialogues that introduce the main story. While some characteristics of the Mahābhārata, such as its Vedic status and authorship, are emphasised in both frame stories, other characteristics are developed in one frame story, but not the other. I will argue that the Ugraśravas narration establishes the text’s ontological status, while also presenting the story as having universal appeal. In contrast, Vaiśampāyaṇa’s narration presents the main story in historical terms, as a chronicle of the king’s own family, as well as in cosmological terms as the unfolding of a divine plan. Addressing the creative tensions between these hermeneutical lenses, I will argue that they work together to support the Mahābhārata’s claim to inclusivity and universality.