List of characters in the Mahabharata

The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India composed by Vyasa. At its heart lies the epic struggle between the Pandavas and the Kauravas. The central characters include the five Pandava brothers—Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva—along with their common wife Draupadi. On the opposing side, the hundred Kaurava brothers are led by their eldest brother, Duryodhana. However, the Mahabharata is richly populated with other notable figures including Krishna, Bhishma, Drona, Karna, Kunti, Kritavarma, Kripa, Dhritarashtra, Gandhari, Shakuni, Satyaki, Ashvatthama, Balarama, Vyasa, Vidura, Abhimanyu, Pandu, Satyavati, Amba, etc.

The Mahabharata manuscripts exist in numerous versions, wherein the specifics and details of major characters and episodes vary, often significantly. Except for the sections containing the Bhagavad Gita which is remarkably consistent between the numerous manuscripts, the rest of the epic exists in many versions. The differences between the Northern and Southern recensions are particularly significant, with the Southern manuscripts being more profuse and long. The manuscripts found in the North and South have "great divergence" in details, though the thematic essence is similar. Scholars have attempted to construct a , relying mostly on a study of the Mumbai edition, the Pune edition, the Kolkata edition and the South Indian editions of the Mahabharata manuscripts. The most accepted version is the one prepared by scholars led by Vishnu Sukthankar at the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, preserved at the Kyoto University, the University of Cambridge and various Indian universities.

This list follows the Critical Edition of the Mahabharata, but may have characters exclusive to a particular recension.