एकश्लोकी महाभारत
आदौ पाण्डवधार्तराष्ट्रजनन्ं
लाक्षागृहे दाहनं
द्यूतं श्रीहरणं वने विचरणं
मत्स्यालये वर्तनम् ।
लीलागोग्रहणं रणे विहरणं
सन्धिक्रिया-जृम्भणं
पश्चाद्भीष्म-सुयोधनादि-निधनम्
एतन्महाभारतम् ॥
ekaślokī mahābhārata
ādau pāṇḍavadhārtarāṣṭrajananaṃ
lākṣāgṛhe dāhanaṃ
dyūtaṃ śrīharaṇaṃ vane vicaraṇaṃ
matsyālaye vartanam ।
līlāgograhaṇaṃ raṇe viharaṇaṃ
sandhikriyā-jṛmbhaṇaṃ
paścādbhīṣma-suyodhanādi-nidhanam
etanmahābhāratam ॥
*Hint: If you remember ākāśavāṇi (All India Radio – AIR) saṃskṛta pāṭhaṃ signature tune [keyūrāṇi na bhūṣayanti puruṣaṃ], then it is easy to learn this śloka. Look here.
आदौ (ādau) = Long long ago
पाण्डव-धार्तराष्ट्र-जनन्ं (pāṇḍava-dhārtarāṣṭra-jananṃ) = birth of sons of Pānḍu Dṛtarāṣṭra
लाक्षागृहे दाहनं (lākṣāgṛhe dāhanaṃ) = burning of the wax palace
द्यूतं (dyūtaṃ) = game of dice
श्रीहरणं (śrīharaṇaṃ) = losing the wealth
वने विचरणं (vane vicaraṇaṃ) = roaming in the forest
मत्स्यालये वर्तनम् (matsyālaye vartanam) = staying in the Matsya Rājya
लीला-गोग्रहणं (līlā-gograhaṇaṃ) = killing of Kīcaka and taking away cows
रणे विहरणं (raṇe viharaṇaṃ) = taking away (upper cloth) in the battle
सन्धिक्रिया-जृम्भणं (sandhikriyā-jṛmbhaṇaṃ) = unsuccessful attempt at negotiation
पश्चात् (pascāt) = thereafter
भीष्म-सुयोधनादि-निधनम् (bhīṣma-suyodhanādi-nidhanam) = death of Bhīṣma and Suyodhana (Duryodhana)
एतत् महाभारतम् (etat mahābhāratam) = this is Mahābhārata
Meaning: Long long ago sons of Pānḍu Dṛtarāṣṭra were born; the wax palace was burnt; game of dice played losing the wealth; roamed in the forest; stayed in the Matsya Rājya; killed of Kīcaka; brought back the cows that were taken away; taken away (upper cloth) in the battle; unsuccessfully attempted at negotiation; thereafter Bhīṣma and Suyodhana (Duryodhana) died. This is Mahābhārata in single śloka.
Credits: Courtesy Brahmachari Ved Chaitanya of Chinmaya International Foundation (CIF)
Image courtesy: Gita Press, Gorakhpur
P.S.: All errors / mistakes are my own