Key questions
1. Is there a historical kernel to Mahabharata?
2. If yes, which epoch's events does it describe?
3. How old is the text itself as opposed to the events
4. Who are its authors?
We tend to mix up 2 and 3
Mahabharata's social milieu is definitely pre-Buddhist by a very long margin.
Possibly belonging to the middle-Vedic period (possibly contemporaneous with the composition of the Brahmana texts)
That would be a stretch. And even many traditionally rooted scholars have not taken that view, if one examines the historiography of the epic
What makes us think the Mahabharata has a historical core?
In part because several of its characters and its polities find mention in Vedic literature. Including its purported early author krSNa dvaipAyana vyAsa
Of course it may be argued that there is more than one vyAsa, but there is little doubt that a character bearing that title was around during middle Vedic period
The same brAhmaNa also refers to Janamejaya Parikshita - a descendant of pANDavas
Most notably kRSNa devakIputra in Chandogya Upanishad - who is described as a student of Ghora Angirasa, and also a musing on the descendants of Parikshita in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
So there is little doubt that a historical core underlies the epic
When do we date the events described in the epic (as opposed to the epic itself)?
In other words, when do we place the Kurukshetra war?
1. Circa 1000-900 BCE - Consensus in modern Indology
2. 3100 BCE - Traditional dating in brahmanic circles
3. 1400 BCE - based on a verse in Vishnu Purana
4. 2600 BCE - based on a reading of Varahamihira
The purAnika genealogies also suggest that Nichakshu is the 5th generation descendant of Parikshit, Udayana (contemporary of Buddha) is 24th generation descendant of the War princes
So the ~1000 BCE conjecture of modern academics can be aligned with some verses in pAurANika literature
Now let’s move to a few other dates (with more traditional backing)
Now what is the basis for this date? It stems from the understanding that the Kali Yuga begins in 3102 BCE, and the Kurukshetra war is supposed to coincide with the dawn of the Kali age
However 3102 BCE is not a new fangled date. Mr CV Vaidya in his work from early 1900s argues that even at the time of Chandragupta Maurya, traditional authorities backed that date!
Varahamihira
Vishnu Purana
viSNu purANa - which states that 1065 years separate the coronation of Mahapadma Nanda and King Parikshita
The traditional date of 3100 BCE appears to have had the backing for a v long time (maybe for 2000+ years)
But the viSNu purANa date of 1400 BCE is closer to the academic view that tends to a date around 1000 BCE
3. When did the text take shape?
4. Who are its authors?
But how did the epic attain its present bulk? Do we know who edited it further?
Sage VaisampAyana
Ugrasrava Sauti (possibly the final editor, and the narrator of the epic in its present form)
Caste - renowned for charioteering and storytelling.
The original Jaya epic was likely a work of history - outlining the Kuru fortunes
Vaidya attributes the composition of Gita to either Vyasa or Vaishampayana - the Gita probably took shape before Sauti got his hands on the Epic
It was possibly in Vaishampayana’s edition that kRSNa’s life - the Harivamsha was added to the Epic, and maybe the Vishnu Sahasranama too
What is clear though is that what was originally a work of history assumed the character of a religious text, with important tracts on Dharma, and Vaishnavism
That's undeniable
Possibly the religious character of the Epic became very important to counter heterodox creeds that were gaining popularity post 700 BCE
It is quite likely the earliest epic is much closer in time to 1000 BCE than 500 BCE
Clearly MB is a work of history in its original conception, which assumed a pronounced religious character as the centuries wore on
It describes events possibly set in the middle Vedic period (1300-900 BCE)
But there is little reason to doubt the fact that it had assumed its present form for the most part much before 300 BCE
So @AudreyTruschke 's categorical statement dating Mahabharata to 0CE is unfounded
“Mahabharata - A Criticism” (1904)