धर्मे चार्थे च कामे च मोक्षे च भरतर्षभ ।
यदिहास्ति तदन्यत्र यन्नेहास्ति न तत्वचित् ।।
It is said that what is said about धर्मे, (piely), अर्थे (welth), काम (desire) and मोक्ष (salvation) here (i.e. Mahabharat) will be (found) elsewhere and whatever is not said here cannot be (found) elsewhere. This type of proud and famous announcement made for some book is the book Mahabharat. It is believed that Mahabharat is written by Maharshi Vyas. It is said to be the 'Pancham Ved' the fifth Veda because of its content. After Ramayana-Mahabharat महाभारतम् is the second national epic of our country.
It is believed that totally three editions have come out of Mahabharat. The origional bulk of Mahabharat was very small. It was, in that form, known as Jay जय there were eight thousand Shlokas in it. After that there was its second edition. It became famous as Bharat भारत. And therein the number of Shlokas were twenty four thousand. The edition that is available today is the third edition and therein, it is believed that the number of Shlokas is one lac. Mahabharat holds the first position in world literature for its bulk.
There are eighteen 'Parvas' i.e. chapters in Mahabharat. Chronologically they are as noted here Adiparva, Sabhaparva, Vanparva, Viratparva, Udyogparva, Bhishmaparva, Dronparva, Karnaparva, Shalyaparva, Sauptikparva, Streeparva, Shantiparva, Anushasanparva, Asvamedhikparva, Ashramparva, Mausalparva, Mahaprasthanikparva and Swargar-ohanparva. AH this Parvs i.e. chapters are devided between Upaparva and Ayodhya. The period of writing this epic is believed to be earlier than fifth century B.C. According to some scholars the writing of Mahabharat started from very ancient time to second. A.W. Thus the work famous as Mahabharat is not the work of some one period and of one writer.