It is essential to understand the meaning of the word 'Itihasa'. Today the subject of history that is being taught in the Indian educational institutions consists of only political events. If the English word 'history' has that limited meaning that cannot be the translation of Bharateeya word Itihasa. Itihasa includes narration of past events concerning all the facets of human life-material, moral and spiritual. On the basis of this approach towards animate and inanimate world, Itihasa has tried to ingrain moral values in every individual of the Hindu society as one constituent of the whole nature. The European approach has ever been material. Though Europeans and others, in recent years, are found increasing the scope of the meaning of the word history, and it is encompassing many other subjects than political history, it has remained limited to the material world only. Many such scholars are found nowadays to discover the history of the common man as against that of the kings. It may be called a reaction to the kingship which is now observed as outdated. But herein, man is taken as a material being. Indian approach, as the word Itihasa means, has all the time remained integrated, taking man as a spiritual as well as material constituent of nature. It is more broad and real than taking man as only a material being.

That is the approach in which Vyasa had compiled Indian history. About his epic Mahabharata, it is said that the author has tackled all subjects in the world. "Vyasotchishtam jagatsarvar". Hence the present compilation should include the matter regarding all subjects concerning human life. Apart from these subjects, history should cover all parts of India, moreover, it will be appreciated by the foreign scholars, if a continuous chronology could be decided at least for the last 5000 years i. e., from the date of Harappan culture or in other words from the beginning of the Kali Era which is commonly accepted throughout India.

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