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Well, as for the Maha-Bharata, I wouldn't take it seriously at all. There is a wonderful work on this subject — the "Black Balamut" trilogy by G. L. Aldi.

The Mahabharata was compiled by the sage Vyasadeva about five thousand years ago. For three years he labored over this historical work, recording the events of the past. The Mahabharata is one of the oldest historical chronicles to have survived to our day. For a modern person, undoubtedly, much new and interesting is revealed in this work and film.

It is interesting to learn about the lives of holy sages and listen to their instructions on the "eternal" and the "earthly." Kings of the past, known for their valor, generosity, and devotion to duty and honor, will share their inner strength with us. Women of heavenly beauty, full of chastity and renowned for their loyalty, will reveal to viewers the secrets by which they firmly won the hearts of noble princes and kings. At that time, people also communicated with inhabitants of higher planetary systems and knew mystical techniques of yoga and meditation; it is interesting for us to observe how these were used in their daily lives. The laws of karma, which we sometimes take an interest in as amateurs, were well known to the people of antiquity. For many of us, it will be a true discovery to see how they are guided by these laws to make all sorts of everyday decisions. The lessons taught by the "Mahabharata" were the basis of moral, cultural, and spiritual education for hundreds of generations of our distant ancestors. Events of the Mahabharata, translated into other languages and slightly altered, are found literally in all modern cultures; for example, the Russian Vedas familiar to many of us.

If you wish to learn more about the Mahabharata, I refer you to the primary source. Below is an address by the sage Vaishampayana, a student of the compiler of the Mahabharata, Vyasadeva. Listen to what he says in the assembly of sages:

Vaishampayana said:
I will tell you that which I heard from my spiritual teacher, the great rishi, renowned in all worlds, a great man endowed with boundless power — Vyasadeva. This gifted son of Satyavati recounted in 100,000 shlokas the holy deeds of the sons of Pandu. Learned people who teach this narrative, and those who listen to it, having been spiritually elevated, will find inner union with God. This ancient narrative is equal in significance to the Vedas, for it combines purity with divine essence. It is the best of narratives, deserving of attentive listening, and therefore highly exalted by sages. This most pious narrative points the way toward economic and moral development and teaches one to act fully guided by the firm will of reason.

A scholar who teaches this Krishnaveda to people with an open mind, those who are generous and sincere but not ingrained atheists, will certainly achieve his life's goal. Having heard this narrative, even a very cruel person can undoubtedly eliminate the consequences of all their sins, even if it is the sin of killing an embryo in the mother's womb. The true name of this narrative is Victory; therefore, it should be heard by anyone who strives for victory. For so great is the power of this literary creation that with its help a king can defeat his enemies and make a victorious march across the whole world. The "Mahabharata" should be listened to again and again by a young king and queen, as this great history, auspicious for listeners, is the best guarantee of obtaining a son.

The "Mahabharata" is the most sacred among worldly books of wisdom; it also stands in the first rank of sacred scriptures. The "Mahabharata" leads to spiritual liberation, for it was created by Shrile Vyasa himself, an incarnation of the Lord, a sage of truly boundless mind. Those who read this narrative aloud can expect, now and in the future, that their children will be obedient and their assistants will please them in every way. Anyone who constantly listens to this narrative will be freed from the consequences of all sins committed by soul, body, or word. Everyone who learns without envy about the great lives of the kings of the Bharata lineage may feel no fear of diseases and, of course, not fear for their life after death.

Krishna-dvaipayana Vyasa helped people achieve holiness in their lives; therefore, he created a narrative that promotes the attainment of wealth, fame, longevity, as well as ensures ascension to heaven, and in this existence — purification from impurity. In this narrative, he glorified throughout the world the high-spirited sons of Pandu and other warriors who possessed great wealth and power. The Himalayan range and the great ocean are famous as storehouses of precious stones; similarly, the "Mahabharata" is famous as a rich treasury. A learned man who reads this creation aloud to Brahmins on holy days is purified of all sins and will be elevated to the heavenly abode. Eventually, he will be able to reach the spiritual world. If anyone during a shraddha memorial ceremony reads even a quarter of a shloka of the "Mahabharata" aloud to Brahmins, their participation in the shraddha will bring eternal benefit to their ancestors. All sins unintentionally committed during the day will simply disappear if one listens to the "Mahabharata." It tells of the great (maha) lives of the kings of the Bharata lineage and is therefore known as the "Mahabharata"; it is enough just to understand the meaning of the words "Mahabharata" to be freed from all sins.

The great thinker Krishna-dvaipayana Vyasa worked continuously for three whole years on the creation of this absolutely extraordinary historical narrative. O ruler of the Bharata lineage, everything contained in various books regarding religion, economics, satisfaction of bodily needs, and liberation can also be found in the Mahabharata; but beyond that, it contains things that cannot be found in any other book.

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http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Черный_Баламут
"Black Balamut" is a novel-trilogy written in 1997 by Henry Lion Aldi. The novel is an artistic retelling of the ancient Indian epic "Mahabharata," as well as a number of other legends and traditions of Ancient India, and tells the backstory of the Great Battle on the field of Kurukshetra and the ascension of Krishna Janardana (whose name literally translates from Sanskrit as "Black Balamut" — this definition is given in accordance with the Brockhaus encyclopedic dictionary).

Vedic literature itself gives a different definition:
Janardana(Janardana) — one of the names of Vishnu, literally means: "He who destroys the chain of birth-death. He who helps break free from the endless cycle of births and deaths from the wheel of Samsara."

Plot
One of the features of the novel is the obvious divergence of its finale and the plot line of Krishna, an avatar of Vishnu, from the letter and spirit of the canonical epic. The Bhagavad-gita, recognized by many as a great text teaching love, peace, and virtue, becomes in the trilogy the mysterious and terrifying Song of the Lord (which is a literal translation of the title), Krishna's tool in enslaving the hordes gathered for the battle at Kurukshetra.

Bhagavad — divine, gita — song (guitar — song of the sun, or song bringing the light of the sun, the light of knowledge)

Furthermore, the Pandava brothers (recognized sons of King Pandu) — Yudhishthira, Bhimasena, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva — who were the main positive heroes in the epic, are also not the primary protagonists of the trilogy. Instead, the narrative is conducted alternately from the perspective of Indra-the-Thunderer and three students of Rama-with-the-axe — Gangeya-Bhishma, Mentor Drona, and Karna-Sekacha — who played antagonistic roles in the original epic.

The plot of the work unfolds in the so-called Indian "nomos" of Aldi's mythological multiverse.

A similar situation can be seen in Homer's poems "Iliad" and "Odyssey," which are based on such an ancient Indian work as Srimad Bhagavatam.
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So it turns out that the Maha-Bharata — which consists of historical chronicles — you don't take seriously at all, but a fantasy novel "Black Balamut" written based on it, distorting the historical facts described in the Maha-Bharata (the mere reading of which gives a person great benefit in various spheres of their life and activity), you do take seriously.

Very interesting logic.
Have you read even one of the 18 books that make up the Maha-Bharata?