The Ramayana and the Mahabharata are the two great epics of the Hindus. It is very difficult to say when these epics were written. The view commonly held is that the epics cover the period intervening between the later Vedic age and the Buddhist age.
1. Ramayana:
The Ramayana, the story of Ram, is the oldest and in most popular epic. It comprises 24,000 verses. The popular belief is that it was written by sage Valmiki. The Ramayana has inspired parallel classics in the Hindi version of Tulsi Das, in Bengali of Krittivasa, Tamil of Kamban, and almost every language of note in and outside India.
Sri Ram was the favourite deity of many saints, from Kabir and Tulsi Das to Mahatma Gandhi. Ram is the ideal son, brother, and king, Sita is the ideal woman and wife, while “Ramrajya” is the model of a state based on righteousness is the faith of millions of Hindus.
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2. Mahabharata:
The problem of good and evil is as old as the discriminating mind of man. This crucial question is tackled in a thousand different ways, by Vyasa in the 100,000 verses of the Mahabharata, the longest poem in the world. It is the story of the Great War between rival branches of Bharata tribe, the Kauravas and the Pandavas.
The immortal Bhagavad Gita or Song Celestial, one of the most profound and beautiful philosophical poems in the world, was excogitated in this context, as a dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna (the most distinguished of the five sons of Pandu).
Though containing a good deal of mythology and legend, the two epics throw a flood of light on the post-Vedic society. The chief importance lies in the vast and accurate knowledge one gets from them about the social, political and religious conditions prevailing during the epic age.