The Mahabharata

Contents Volume 1 Foreword XI Acknowledgements XV Preface XVII Book One: Adi Parva 1 On the banks of the Ganga 3 A tale of two curses 7 The river's son 12 A scent of heaven 15 A solemn vow 18 Two princes 26 Three princesses of Kasi 29 Bheeshma and Amba 33 Amba 41 The solemn oath 48 Satyavati's other son 52 The blind night and the pale one 55 In the dark 60 The three princes of Hastinapura 62 Kuntibhoja's daughter 64 The blazing Deva 67 A curse in the forest 72 Pandu's yearning 76 Kunti's unworldly lovers 80 The sons of Pandu 84 The sinister night 90 Sweet, deadly spring 96 The Pandavas come home 101 The seeds of envy 108 At Pramanakoti 112 Under the river 117 A master for the Kuru princes 125 Drona's story 130 The brilliant pupil 136 At the river 143 Ekalavya 145 A young man's dreams 154 Kama finds a master 157 The exhibition 166 The golden warrior 177 Drona's revenge 183 A father and his son 190 To Varanasi 199 The palace of lac 205 Fire 209 The tragic news 216 Flight through the jungle 220 A change of heart 223 Ghatotkacha 230 A sleepy town 234 A strange story 245 Encounter in the night 251 The spinning fish 258 'Share the alms you've brought' 268 The unusual wedding 276 Anxiety in Hastinapura 281 The council at Hastinapura 286 Vidura in Kampilya 292 A desolate gift 295 Miracle in the wilderness 301 Narada visits Indraprastha 307 Ulupi and Chitrangadaa 313 The crocodiles 320 The Raivataka hill 325 The holy yati 329 The yati and the princess 335 Cure for an illness 340 Balarama's anger 345 Draupadi's anger 349 The Yadavas come to Indraprastha 354 The hungry brahmana 357 The burning of the Khandava vana 365 Book Two: Sabha Parva 373 Mayaa 375 Mayaa's sabha 380 Narada, the messenger 388 Yudhishtira's quandary 392 Krishna arrives in Indraprastha 398 Jarasandha 402 Girivraja 406 The blade of grass 411 The four quarters 418 The Rajasuya yagna 427 A cousin's anger 434 Dark omens 440 The green monster 445 Shakuni's plan 450 An anxious messenger 457 The game of dice 459 Shame 467 'Am I a free woman?' 472 The miracle and the oaths 476 Dhritarashtra's fickleness 485 The second game of dice 488 Book Three: Vana Parva 497 The Sun's gift 499 The king's brother 504 The rishis' warning 509 Krishna swears an oath 516 Dwaitavana 520 The trials of Yudhishtira 525 Vyasa's advice 534 Arjuna's quest 539 The vetala 543 The Lords of light 548 Amravati 555 The weapons of Indra 560 The apsara Urvashi 562 The curse 569 The Muni Brihadaswa 577 Tirtha yarra" 586 To Badarikasrama 594 An old monkey 603 Where the saugandhika grows 612 Arjuna returns 618 Arjuna's story 622 The wondrous city 627 Hiranyapuri 633 Bheema's adventure 641 The riddles of Nahusha 649 Markandeya's lore" 655 The four yugas 661 The foolish brahmana 670 Duryodhana's ghosha-yatra 676 The shaming of Duryodhana 683 Despair 687 The powers of darkness 691 The Rishi Durvasa 698 Javadratha 704 The lake of death 711 Yaksha prasna: the yaksha's riddles 716 Book Four: Virata Parva 723 The thirteenth year 725 Kunka, the gambler 730 Ajnatavasa 735 The cook and the wrestler 742 Kama's dream 746 The brahmana at noon 750 The queen's sairandhri 754 The besotted Keechaka 759 Ballava's night visitor 764 The long day 768 The angry gandharvas 770 Duryodhana's spies 776 Virata's battle 782 The prince and the eunuch 786 Uttara Kumara 790 Unearthly weapons 795 Dissension 799 The Kuru army 802 Arjuna 805 A gambler's blood 810 The Pandavas 816 A wedding in Upaplavya 819 Glossary 823 Appendix 837 Contents Volume 2 Book Five: Udyoga Parva 1 The council in Upaplavya 3 A choice for two kshatriyas 10 'Everyone seems to know me' 16 The two armies 20 The messengers 25 The Pandavas' reply 36 A blind king's terror 42 Sanjaya delivers a message 52 'Not land to cover the point of a needle' 59 A second council in Upaplavya 66 Krishna arrives in Hastinapura 74 In Vidura's house 79 In the court of Hastinapura 83 Duryodhana and Krishna 88 'I am not alone' 96 Krishna and Kama 102 The Pandava Senapati 110 The Kaurava Senapati 115 On the banks of Yamuna 118 'Come away to your brothers' 122 For love of his friend 124 Balarama and Rukmi 128 Uluka's embassy 132 Book Six"': Bheeshma Parva 137 Sanjaya's gift 139 Kurukshetra 144 A moment of crisis 149 The Bhagavad Gita 155 The: Song of God 161 The Bhagavad Gita 165 The Bhagavad Gita 170 The Song of God 174 The Bhaguvad Gita 178 The ghastly war 184 The second day: two kraunchas 189 The third day: the eagle and the crescent 196 The fourth day: Bheema and his son 202 The fifth and sixth days 209 The seventh day: many duels 216 The eighth day: the field of death 223 Duryodhana's despair 230 The ninth day: the terrible patriarch 234 The last night of an age 242 The tenth morning 251 The bed of arrows 256 'I never hated you' 263 Book Seven : Drona Parva 269 Drona, Senapati 271 The eleventh day 275 Susharma 279 Bhagadatta's elephant 282 An ancient and his beast 289 Drona's vow 293 The chakra vyuha 297 Jayadratha 's moment 300 Abhimanyu 304 Arjunas vow 309 Jayadhratha’s terror 317 Arjuna's dream 323 The three vyuhas 327 Arjuna the magnificent 331 At the rim of the red lotus 336 Deep into the enemy's army 341 The sound of Krishna's conch 347 T errible Satyaki 352 Yudhishtira's anxiety 355 Bheema arrives 360 Kama and Bheema 365 Satyaki and Bhoorisravas 370 The setting sun 374 The war at night 378 Kama, Kripa and Aswatthama 386 Awesome Kama 389 Ghatotkacha rules the night 397 Indra's Shakti 403 Drona 410 One white lie 416 Recriminations 427 Narayanastra 433 Book Eight: Kama Parva 439 Senapati Kama 441 Many duels 446 The lucid night 449 Shalya 453 The two brothers 457 In Yudhishtira's tent 463 The tastiest drink 467 Kama and Arjuna 471 The mired wheel 476 The sorrowing sun 483 Out under the moon 487 Book Nine: Shalya Parva 491 Kripa and his sishya 493 Tameless Shalya 497 The last men 502 The Dwaipayana lake 505 Magnificent Duryodhana 509 The two cousins 513 At Samantapanchaka 517 The clarity of Krishna 522 Book Ten: Sauptika Parva 529 In Hastinapura 531 The white owl’s lesson 536 The savage camp 542 Aswatthama’s jewel 549 Book Eleven: Stree Parva 555 With Dhritarashtra and Gandhari 557 Gandhari’s Curse 562 Tarpana for a Kshatriya 567 Book Twelve and Thirteen: Shanti Parva and Anusasana Parva 573 Yudhishitra’s Grief 575 A new king in Hastinapura 581 The dying Patriarch 585 Bheeshma wisdom 589 Dharma 599 The passing of a Patriarch 607 Book Fourteen: Aswamedha Parva 611 Krishna says farewell 613 The Aswamedhya yagna 616 Book Fifteen: Asramavasika Parva 629 The Passing of the elers 631 Book Sixteen: Mausala Parva 643 Ritual at Prabhasa 645 Krishna 653 Arjuna’s anguish 655 Book Seventeen: Mahaprastanika Parva 659 The final Journey 661 Book Eighteen: Swargarohanika Parva 667 The law of heaven 669 Phalasruti 674 Glossary 675 Appendix 689