The original name of the Mahabharata, in its earliest form, is said to have been:

According to tradition, the Mahabharata was originally a shorter work called "Jaya" (meaning "victory").

Stages in the growth of the Mahabharata:

Scholars and the tradition itself describe the epic as having grown in three stages:

• "Jaya": the original story, said to have had about 8,800 verses, composed by Vyasa.
• "Bharata": an expanded version with about 24,000 verses, recited by Vaishampayana.
• "Mahabharata": the final, greatly expanded version with about 1,00,000 verses, recited by Ugrashravas (Sauti).

How the epic was narrated:

• Vyasa is said to have taught it to his disciple Vaishampayana.
• Vaishampayana recited it to King Janamejaya, the great-grandson of Arjuna, during a snake sacrifice.
• Later, Ugrashravas Sauti recited it to the sages in the Naimisha forest.
• According to legend, Ganesha wrote down the epic as Vyasa dictated it, on the condition that Vyasa would not pause.

NCERT on the Mahabharata:

• It was composed over about a thousand years, beginning around 500 BCE.
• The earliest parts may have been composed by charioteer-bards called "sutas", who accompanied Kshatriya warriors and composed poems about their victories.
• Later, Brahmanas took over the text and added much material on religion and conduct.

The "Critical Edition" of the Mahabharata was prepared by scholars of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune, under V. S. Sukthankar, between 1919 and 1966, by comparing thousands of manuscripts.

Why "Jaya"?

The name refers to the victory of good over evil, or of the Pandavas over the Kauravas.

Why not the other options?

• ✗"Itihasa" is the category to which the epic belongs.
• ✗"Harivamsha" is an appendix to the Mahabharata about Krishna's family.
• ✗"Bharata Samhita Purana" is not the original name.