Which of the following statements about the language of the text of t…

Which of the following statements about the language of the text of the Mahabharata are true:

(A) The Sanskrit used in the Mahabharata is far simpler than that of the Vedas.
(B) The sections in the Mahabharata that contain stories are designated as the narrative.
(C) The sections in the Mahabharata that contain prescriptions about social norms are designated as didactic.
(D) The Mahabharata was meant to be a dramatic, moving story, and the narrative portions were probably added later.

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 2

The correct answer is Option (2) → (A), (B) and (C) only

(A) The Sanskrit used in the Mahabharata is far simpler than that of the Vedas. Correct. Its Sanskrit is far simpler than that of the Vedas or of the prashastis, so it was probably widely understood.

(B) The sections in the Mahabharata that contain stories are designated as the narrative. Correct. Historians classify the sections that contain stories as the narrative.

(C) The sections in the Mahabharata that contain prescriptions about social norms are designated as didactic. Correct. The sections with prescriptions about social norms are called didactic.

(D) The Mahabharata was meant to be a dramatic, moving story, and the narrative portions were probably added later. Incorrect. Historians agree that the epic was meant to be a dramatic, moving story, but it is the didactic portions that were probably added later, not the narrative ones.

NCERT (2026-27): “6.1 Language and content … Let us look at the language of the text. The version of the Mahabharata we have been considering is in Sanskrit (although there are versions in other languages as well). However, the Sanskrit used in the Mahabharata is far simpler than that of the Vedas, or of the prashastis discussed in Chapter 2. As such, it was probably widely understood. Historians usually classify the contents of the present text under two broad heads – sections that contain stories, designated as the narrative, and sections that contain prescriptions about social norms, designated as didactic. This division is by no means watertight – the didactic sections include stories, and the narrative often contains a social message. However, generally historians agree that the Mahabharata was meant to be a dramatic, moving story, and that the didactic portions were probably added later.”