Contents
Introduction
Dedication
Chapter 1
The Book of the Beginning
1.1 Vyasa (the Composer) and Ganesha (the Scribe)
1.3 Janamejaya’s Snake Sacrifice (Sarpasastra)
1.4 The Prajapathis
1.7 The Lunar and Solar races
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1.6 The Churning of the Ocean of Milk
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1.5 Kadru, Vinatha and Garuda
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1.2 Vyasa and his mother Sathyavathi
1.8 Yayathi and his wives Devayani and Sharmishta
1.9 Dushyanta and Shakuntala
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1.10 Parashurama and the Kshatriya Genocide
1.11 Shanthanu, Ganga and their son Devavratha
1.12 Bhishma, Sathyavathi and Her Two Sons
1.13 Vyasa’s Sons: Dhritharashtra, Pandu and Vidura
1.14 Kunthi and her Son Karna
1.15 Birth of the Kauravas and the Pandavas
1.16 The Strife Starts
1.17 The Preceptors Kripa and Drona
1.18 The Autodidact Ekalavya and his Sacrifice
1.19 Royal Tournament where Karna became a King
1.20 Drona’s Revenge on Drupada and its Counterblow
1.21 Lord Krishna’s Envoy to Hasthinapura
1.22 The Story of Kamsa
1.23 The Wax Palace Inferno
1.24 Hidimba, Hidimbi and Ghatotkacha
1.25 The Ogre that was Baka
1.26 Dhaumya, the Priest of the Pandavas
1.27 The Feud between Vasishta and Vishwamithra
1.28 More on the Quality of Mercy
1.29 Draupadi, her Five Husbands and Five Sons
1.31 Draupadi’s Previous Life
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1.30 The Story of Sunda and Upasunda
1.32 The Pandavas as the Incarnation of the Five Indras
1.34 Arjuna’s Liaisons while on Pilgrimage
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1.35 Arjuna and Subhadra
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1.33 Khandavaprastha and its capital Indraprastha
1.36 The Khandava Conflagaration
1.37 The Strange Story of the Sarngaka Birds
Chapter 2
The Book of the Assembly Hall
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2.1 The Hall that Maya Built
2.2 The Rajasuya
2.3 The Story of Jarasandha
2.4 The Story of Shishupala
2.5 Machinations of Shakuni
2.6 The Nefarious Dice Game
Chapter 3
The Book of the Forest
3.1 The Akshayapathra: Draupadi’s Cornucopia
3.2 Dhritharashtra in Distress
3.3 The Story of Kirmira
3.4 Lord Krishna’s Visit to the Pandavas
3.5 Markandeya and Vyasa Visit the Pandavas
3.6 Arjuna and the Pashupatha Weapon
3.7 Urvashi and Arjuna
3.8 The Story of Nala and Damayanthi
3.9 The Pandava Pilgrimage and Sage Agasthya
3.10 Sage Agasthya and King Bhagiratha
3.11 The Seduction of sage Rishyashringa
3.12 The Story of Chyavana and Sukanya
3.14 The Dove and the Hawk
3.15 Ashtavakra, the Prodygy
3.16 The story of Yavakrida, Aravasu and Paravasu
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3.17 Hanuman and Bhima: The Sons of the Wind God
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3.13 The Strange Story of Kings Mandhata and Somaka
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3.18 Jatasura, Narakasura and the Bear Incarnation
3.19 Arjuna’s Return and Bhima’s Boa Encounter
3.20 Sage Markandeya’s Visit
3.21 The Avatharas (incarnations) of Vishnu
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3.22 The Frog Princess and Brahmana Superiority
3.23 Shibi, the Virtuous King
3.24 Dhundhumara and Indradyumna
3.25 Lord Shanmugha, the God with Six Faces
3.26 The Four Yugas
3.27 The Perfect Wife according to Draupadi
3.28 The Ghoshayathra: Duryodhana’s Misadventure
3.29 Sage Mudgala and Sage Durvasas
3.30 The Abduction of Draupadi
3.31 The Epic Ramayana (1): Ravana’s Lineage
3.32 The Epic Ramayana (2): Rama and Sita
3.33 Savithri and Sathyavan
3.34Karna’s Divine Armor
3.35 The Yaksha Episode
Chapter 4
The Book of Virata
4.1 The Final Year of Pandavas’ Exile
4.2 Bhima and Keechaka
4.3 Another Misadventure of Duryodhana
Chapter 5
The Book of War Preparations
5.1 Discussions About Peace Negotiations in the Virata Court
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5.2 Seeking Lord Krishna as an Ally
5.3 King Shalya as an Ally
5.5 The Sanjaya Mission to the Pandavas
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5.4 The Story of Indra, Vrithra and Nahusha
5.7 Krishna’s Peace Mission
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5.6 On the Teachings of Vidura and Sanathsujatha
5.8 Krishna’s Divine Form (Vishwaroopam)
5.9 Stories of Dandodbhava, Garuda and Galava
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5.10 Stories of Muchukunda and Vidula
5.11 Attempts to Influence Karna by Krishna and Kunthi
5.12 Rukmi, the Bravado and Uluka, the Warmonger
5.13 Preparations of the War by Pandavas and Kauravas
5.14 The Story of Amba, Shikhandini and Shikhandin
Chapter 6
The Book of Bhishma
6.1 Vyasa’s Visit to Dhritharashtra
6.2 Terms of the War and Disposition of the Two Armies
6.3 The Bhagavad Gita
6.4 Yudhishtira’s Surprise Visit to the Enemy Camp
6.5 First Nine Days of the Battle under Bhishma’s Command
6.6 The Tenth Day of the Battle and Bhishma’s Fall
Chapter 7
The Book of Drona
7.1 The Eleventh Day of the Battle: Drona as the
Supreme Commander
7.2 The Twelfth Day of the Battle
7.3 The Thirteenth Day of the Battle: Death of Abhimanyu
7.4 The Fourteenth Day of the Battle: End of Jayadratha
7.5 The Nocturnal Fight on the Fourteenth Day: End of Ghatotkacha
7.6 The Fifteenth Day of the Battle: Drona’s Fall
Chapter 8
The Book of Karna
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8.1 The Sixteenth Day of the Battle: Karna as the Commander
8.2 Seventeenth Day of the Battle: Shalya as Karna’s Charioteer
8.4 The Slaughter of Dushasana by Bhima
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8.5 The End of Karna
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8.3 The Stories of Balaka and Kaushika
Chapter 9 The Book of Shalya
9.1 The Eighteenth (last) Day of the Battle
9.2 The Gruesome Slaying of Duryodhana by Bhima
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Chapter 10 The Book of the Nocturnal Raid
10.1 The Midnight Massacre: Ashwathama’s Vengeance
10.2 Ashwathama’s Surrender
10.3 The Story of Daksha’s Sacrifice (Dakshayagam)
10.4The Narration Back to Vaishampayana from Sanjaya
Chapter 11 The Book of the Women
11.1 Dhritharashtra Comforted
11.2 Gandhari’s Grief and the Funeral Rites
11.3 Karna’s Identity Revealed by Kunthi
Chapter 12 The Book of Harmony
12.1 Yudhishtira’s Remorse and the Story of King Sudyumna
12.2 The Coronation of Yudhishtira
12.3 The Story of Charvaka
12.4 Bhishma on the Bed of Arrows
12.5 The Origin of the Universe
12.6 A Selected List of Bhishma’s Teachings from Shanthi Parva
Chapter 13 The Book of Guidance
13.1 The Story of King Shibi
13.2 The Story of Vishwamithra and Jamadagni
13.3 Selected Teachings of Bhishma in Anushasana Parva
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13.4 The 1000 Names of Vishnu (Vishnusahasranamam)
13.5 The Cremation of Bhishma
Chapter 14 The Book of the Horse Sacrifice
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14.1 Preparations for the Horse Sacrifice: The Story of Marutta’s Gold
14.3 The Story of Udanka
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14.2 The Anugita: The Bhagavad Gita Revisited
14.4 The Birth of Parikshit, Father of Janamejaya
14.5 The Roaming of the Royal Horse
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14.6 The Story of Vabruvahana
14.7 The Horse Sacrifice
14.8 A Strange Visitor at the Sacrifice: The Mongoose with Gold Skin
Chapter 15 The Book of Residence in the Hermitage
15.1 Dhritharashtra Moves to a Hermitage
15.2 Yudhishtira’s Visit to Dhritharashtra
15.3 Dhritharashtra’s Last Day
Chapter 16 The Book of the Iron Clubs
16.1 The Recalcitrant Son of Lord Krishna
16.2 The Decline and Fall of the Yadavas
16.3 Balarama and Lord Krishna Leave the Earth
16.4 Fall of Dwaraka
Chapter 17 The Book of the Great Departure
17.1 The Pandavas and Draupadi leave Hasthinapura
17.2 The Journey and the Fall of all except Yudhishtira and his Dog
17.3 Yudhishtira and Lord Indra
Chapter 18 The Book of Ascent to Heaven
18.1 The Gods show Yudhishtira an Illusion of Hell Naraka
18.2 Yudhishtira in Heaven (Swarga)
Appendix: The Lunar Race (Chandravamsha)
Glossary
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Select Bibliography
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18.3 The Conclusion
INTRODUCTION
The Mahabharata, composed nearly twenty-five hundred years ago, is the longest epic poem known to mankind.
With nearly one hundred thousand verses and two million words in Sanskrit, it is roughly ten times as large as
the Iliad and the Odyssey combined and it is considered as the mightiest single endeavor of literary creation
of any culture in human history. The reputed author is Vyasa who was also the source from whom most of the
important characters in the book sprang. The opus was divided into eighteen books (parvas) and was narrated
in the complex style of story within a story, with repetitions containing several parables, anecdotes and legends.
But they were all linked to the central theme of the book.
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A faithful translation of the whole Mahabharata was published towards the end of the nineteenth century
by K. M. Ganguli. Another translation by P. Lal is a verse-by-verse rendering of the whole book, which was
published by the Writers’ Workshop in Calcutta during the last century. The Critical Edition by the Bhandarkar
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Research Institute in Poona also came out in the last century in twenty-nine volumes. The most authoritative
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version, it is believed, is the Chicago Edition produced by the University of Chicago. This publication started
under the editorial supervision of late Prof. J. A. B. van Butienen continues under the editorship of Professors
D. Gitomer, J. L. Fitzgerald and W. Doniger.
Most of the popular books on Mahabharata cover only the story of the dynastic struggle between the Pandavas
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and Kauravas, ignoring the famous legends and fables that are not directly connected to this internecine conflict.
In this book, I have tried to cover most of these stories spread throughout the book in an extremely condensed
form in a single volume covering all the eighteen parvas. In other words, I have tried to present this famous
classic from ancient India as a pocket guide. An added feature of this book is the introduction of a detailed table
of contents listing the events sequentially at the beginning of each chapter and an elaborate glossary at the end.
V. K. Balakrishnan, Ph.D.
Cedar Park, Texas, USA
February 18, 2011