The Iliad and the Mahābhārata: A Cross-Cultural Dialogue

Abstract

The Iliad and the Mahābhārata are both epic texts. Besides the war theme and the presence of a heroic ideal, a series of parallelisms can be traced between them, regarding both the main characters and the plot. The paper proposes, on the basis of Pannikar’s cross-cultural theory, that these texts present meaningful coincidences which, regardless of them being the result of an actual cultural encounter, allow a better understanding of each work within its own literary tradition.

Key Words: Iliad, Mahābhārata, epic literature, comparative literature, cross-cultural theory.