Itihasa

Itihasa means 'thus it happened' — these are not mythology but civilizational memory. The Ramayana and Mahabharata are the two great epics that have shaped every aspect of Indian culture for millennia. They contain within them philosophy (Bhagavad Gita), law (Vidura Niti), devotion (Sundara Kanda), and the lived experience of dharma in action. The Mahabharata alone is the parent text of the Bhagavad Gita and dozens of other Gitas in the tradition.