The Mahabharata

Start with the story in eighteen books, then read the books one by one.

The eighteen books

• Adi Parva: The book of beginnings
• Sabha Parva: The book of the assembly hall
• Vana Parva: The book of the forest
• Virata Parva: The book of Virata
• Udyoga Parva: The book of effort
• Bhishma Parva: The book of Bhishma
• Drona Parva: The book of Drona
• Karna Parva: The book of Karna
• Shalya Parva: The book of Shalya
• Sauptika Parva: The book of the night attack
• Stri Parva: The book of the women
• Shanti Parva: The book of peace
• Anushasana Parva: The book of instruction
• Ashvamedhika Parva: The book of the horse sacrifice
• Ashramavasika Parva: The book of the hermitage
• Mausala Parva: The book of the clubs
• Mahaprasthanika Parva: The book of the great journey
• Svargarohana Parva: The book of the ascent to heaven

Characters

• Characters of the Mahabharata
• Bhishma
• Yudhishthira
• Bhima
• Arjuna
• Nakula and Sahadeva
• Draupadi
• Krishna
• Kunti
• Karna
• Duryodhana
• Dhritarashtra and Gandhari
• Shakuni
• Drona
• Vidura
• Abhimanyu
• Ashwatthama

Guides

• The Mahabharata in eighteen books
• The Gita in the epic

A retelling in our own words of a story told in many ways across India and Asia. Tellers differ on many episodes. It is not a scholarly translation.