The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India. It is of immense importance to the culture of the Indian subcontinent, and is a major text of Hinduism. Its discussion of human goals (artha or ''purpose'', kama or ''pleasure'', dharma or ''duty'', and moksha or ''liberation'') takes place in a long-standing tradition, attempting to explain the relationship of the individual to society and the world (the nature of the ''Self'') and the workings of karma.