The Mahābhārata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the other being the "Rāmāyaṇa". 

The "Mahābhārata" is an epic narrative of the Kurukṣetra War and the fates of the Kaurava and the Pāṇḍava princes. It also contains philosophical and devotional material, such as a discussion of the four "goals of life" or "puruṣārtha" (12.161). Among the principal works and stories in the "Mahābhārata" are the "Bhagavadgītā", the story of Damayantī, an abbreviated version of the "Rāmāyaṇa", and the story of Ṛṣyasringa, often considered as works in their own right. 

Traditionally, the authorship of the "Mahābhārata" is attributed to Vyāsa. There have been many attempts to unravel its historical growth and compositional layers. The oldest preserved parts of the text are thought to be not much older than around 400 BCE, though the origins of the epic probably fall between the 8th and 9th centuries BCE. The text probably reached its final form by the early Gupta period (c. 4th century CE). The title may be translated as "the great tale of the Bhārata dynasty". According to the "Mahābhārata" itself, the tale is extended from a shorter version of 24,000 verses called simply "Bhārata". 

The "Mahābhārata" is the longest epic poem known and has been described as "the longest poem ever written". Its longest version consists of over 100,000 "śloka" or over 200,000 individual verse lines (each shloka is a couplet), and long prose passages. About 1.8 million words in total, the "Mahābhārata" is roughly ten times the length of the "Iliad" and the "Odyssey" combined, or about four times the length of the "Rāmāyaṇa". W. J. Johnson has compared the importance of the "Mahābhārata" in the context of world civilization to that of the Bible, the works of Shakespeare, the works of Homer, Greek drama, or the Qur'an. QUESTIONS:

Q1:
1. What are the names of the two major Sanskrit epics of India?
2. The two major Sanskrit epics of India have what names?
3. 
Q2:
1. What is the name of the longest major epic of India?
2. The longest major epic of India goes by what name?
3. 
Q3:
1. What is the name of the person that has compared the importance of the Mahabharata to that of the Bible?
2. The Mahabharata has been compared to the Bible by what person?
3. 
Q4:
1. Has the Mahabharata been extended from a shorter version of verses?
2. Has a shorter version of tales been extended into the Mahabharata?
3. 
Q5:
1. What is Rsyasringa considered as being?
2. The Rsyasringa is considered as being what?
3. 
Q6:
1. Did the text translate the title of the Mahabharata?
2. Has the title of the Mahabharata been translated in the text?
3. 
Q7:
1. From when do the oldest parts of the Mahabharata date?
2. How long ago were the first parts of the Mahabharata written?
3. 
Q8:
1. Does the Mahabharata compare to Greek dramas?
2. Have Greek Dramas been compared to the Mahabharata?
3. 
Q9:
1. Does the Mahabharata compare to Shakespeare?
2. Has Shakespeare been compared to the Mahabharata?
3. 
Q10:
1. Does the Mahabharata compare to the Quran?
2. Has the Quran been compared to the Mahabharata?
3. 
