पात्रसूची the cast

भीष्म Bhīṣma

The grand-uncle of both warring parties; bound by an oath of celibacy that becomes the text's first and longest-running dharma problem.

also called Devavrata — the one of divine vows — his birth-name, before the great oath

व्यास Vyāsa

The composer of the Mahābhārata; sage, grandfather of the Kauravas and Pāṇḍavas, and a recurring character within his own work.

also called Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana — the dark one of the island — born to Satyavatī on an island in the Yamunā, dark-complexioned

उग्रश्रवस् Ugraśravas (Sauti)

The bard who narrates the Mahābhārata to the rishis at Naimiṣa forest — the outermost frame voice.

also called Sauti — the sūta — bardic by class; the matronymic form of his role