How many parvas in the Mahabharata book?

Category: Miscellaneous Indian Gk

Hint: Recall the number of major sections in the epic.

Correct Answer: D) 18

Exam Relevance: UPSC, SSC, Bank PO, CLAT

Difficulty: Easy

Explanations:

Adi Parva (The Book of the Beginning)

Sambhava Parva (The Book of Birth)

Vana Parva (The Book of the Forest)

Virata Parva (The Book of Virata)

Udyoga Parva (The Book of Effort)

Bhishma Parva (The Book of Bhishma)

Drona Parva (The Book of Drona)

Karna Parva (The Book of Karna)

Shalya Parva (The Book of Shalya)

Sauptika Parva (The Book of the Sleeping Warriors)

Stri Parva (The Book of the Women)

Shanti Parva (The Book of Peace)

Anushasana Parva (The Book of the Instructions)

Asvamedhika Parva (The Book of the Horse Sacrifice)

Ashramavasika Parva (The Book of the Hermitage)

Mausala Parva (The Book of the Clubs)

Mahaprasthanika Parva (The Book of the Great Journey)

Svargarohana Parva (The Book of the Ascent to Heaven)

Option Analysis:

Option A: This option is incorrect. The Mahabharata is divided into 18 parvas, not 20. The number 20 might be a common misconception due to the vastness of the epic and the numerous sub-parvas and chapters within it.
Option B: This option is incorrect. The Mahabharata is divided into 18 parvas, not 32. The number 32 might be a confusion with other numerical aspects of the epic, such as the number of warriors involved in the Kurukshetra war.
Option C: This option is incorrect. The Mahabharata is divided into 18 parvas, not 16. The number 16 might be a misremembered figure due to the complexity of the epic's structure.
Option D: This option is correct. The Mahabharata is divided into 18 parvas, each of which contains numerous sub-parvas and chapters. This division helps in organizing the vast narrative into manageable sections.

Mnemonic: Remember "18" as the number of chapters in a typical high school textbook.