The Eighteen Parvas

The One Where All Events Are Summarised

IN THIS PART, WE will look at the eighteen parvas with short summaries for each. At this stage we will not go into every little incident that happens in each section; we will just try and trace the broad Mahabharata arc so that we understand where each parva begins and ends. This part has turned out much bigger than I expected because I can't make out what to leave or what to include. Please comment down your views and tell me what I can improve to make your experience wholesome.

The Adi Parva packs quite a punch in the amount of story it covers. It begins with the descent of Ganga from heaven and her marriage to Shantanu, the king of Hastinapur. It takes us through the passing of generations: the growth of Bhishma into a regent, the short reigns of Chitrangada and Vichitraveerya (sons of Satyavati), the crowning of Pandu as king over his blind brother Dhritarashtra, the birth and rearing of the Pandavas and Kauravas, the burning of the house of wax, the escape into the forest and the events in Chaitraratha, the wedding to Draupadi, the alliance with Dwaraka through Arjuna’s marriage to Subhadra, and to end, the burning of Khandava and the construction of Indraprastha.

The Sabha Parva sees the establishment of the Pandavas as the foremost rulers of Aryavarta. We hear of the Rajasuya yaga, the killing of Jarasandha, the crowning of Yudhisthir as the emperor of the land, and the killing of Sisupala at the hands of Krishna. Toward the end of this parva, the most pivotal incident of the Mahabharata occurs: the disrobing of Draupadi and the freezing of enmity between the Kauravas and the Pandavas. Stripped of their royal bearings, Yudhisthir and his brothers, accompanied by Draupadi, set out to honour the rules of the dice game.

Vana Parva describes the life of the Pandavas in the forest. The main theme of this section is the rise of Arjuna’s power; he obtains the Pasupatastra from Shiva, goes to heaven and meets with Indra, his father, and sets out on an extended exploration of Aryavarta, where he marries Ulupi and Chitrangada, thus securing strong allies in the far-eastern part of the kingdom.

In Virata Parva, we see the Pandavas enter the court of Virata in disguise, to spend their year of agnatavaasa (hiding). There are two main events that happen here: one is the killing of Kichaka, and the other is the battle between Arjuna and the Kaurava army to protect the cattle of Virata.

The Udyoga Parva documents efforts from the Pandavas to broker peace with the Kauravas, and their subsequent failures. Then the focus shifts toward war building, and ends with both armies facing each other on the battlefield. Krishna’s famous negotiation attempt with the Kauravas, and his pledge that he will not bear arms while his entire army fights for Suyodhana, happen in this section.

The Bhishma Parva tells the story of the first ten days of war, when Bhishma leads the Kaurava forces. These are often called the most peaceful war days, where both armies seem to fight almost reluctantly. It later becomes clear to Krishna that Bhishma is deliberately engineering a stalemate in the hope that the war will be called off. The parva ends with the fall of Bhishma onto a bed of arrows.

In Drona Parva, the war becomes a bloodbath. On the thirteenth day, Arjuna’s son, Abhimanyu, is killed by the great warriors on the Kaurava side, and all rules of just warfare are abandoned in this period. Ghatotkacha also dies during the night time battle on the fourteenth day. The volley of lies and deception comes to a head when on the fifteenth day, Yudhishthir utters the first lie of his life and forces Drona to give up arms, at which moment Dhrishtadyumna cuts off his head and obtains revenge for the wrongs done to his father Drupad.

Karna Parva narrates the events of the sixteenth and seventeenth days. The commander-in-chief defeats each of his four stepbrothers in battle during this time, but owing to his promise to Kunti, refuses to kill any of them. He is killed at the end of the section by Arjuna, at the behest of Krishna while he is unarmed and thrown off his chariot.

In the Shalya Parva, the war draws to a close, and Shalya becomes the fourth and last leader of the Kaurava camp to die on the battlefield. This is the section in which the Pandavas secure victory on the eighteenth day. A mace duel takes place between Suyodhana and Bhimasena, in which the former is mortally wounded. The parva ends with Ashwatthama, Kritavarma and Kripacharya plotting revenge on the Pandavas.

The Sauptika Parva describes the manner in which the three surviving members of the Kaurava army attack the sleeping soldiers in the Pandava camp and kill them all. The only survivors of this massacre are the five Pandava brothers, Satyaki and Krishna. Toward the end of this section, the Pandavas chase and apprehend Ashwatthama, who admits defeat and is cursed by Krishna to become an immortal.

The Stri Parva is better known as the book of grief, mostly by women but also by the surviving men. Dhritarashtra’s attempt to kill Bhimasena by embracing him occurs in this section. Gandhari also curses Krishna that his Yadava clan will meet its death like the Kurus, plagued by infighting. Vyasa and Vidura’s treatises on the nature of grief and death brings this section to an end.

In the Shanti Parva, the longest of the eighteen books, Yudishthir receives wisdom and knowledge from a group of sages and Bhishma on varied topics such as caste, religion, philosophy, cosmology, politics, governance and morality. While it is true that critics consider the Shanti Parva and its successor, the Anushasana Parva, later interpolations into the epic, they’re still considered integral parts of the Mahabharata.

Next comes the Anushasana Parva, which continues in the same vein as the Shanti Parva, where Yudishthir continues his studentship at the feet of Bhishma and other sages. The topics of conversation are centred around the conduct of a leader, and the behaviour and habits of those closely assisting a ruler. At the end of this section, Bhishma dies and his last rites are administered.

The Ashwamedha Parva contains the story of the horse sacrifice that Yudishthir conducts to celebrate his victory. At the end of the ritual, a mongoose with a golden head springs out of the ground and declares the entire ceremony meaningless. Also in this section appears a sub-parva called the Anugita Parva, which reiterates much of Krishna’s battlefield discourse with a few further additions. Scholars almost unanimously consider the Anugita a later addition.

The Mausala Parva, one of the shortest books of the Mahabharata, nevertheless recounts an important tale: that of the death of Krishna and the Yadavas. The section ends with the sinking of Dwaraka, and the fall of Arjuna as warrior. All his weapons and skills desert him when he tries to defend the children and women of Dwaraka from robbers.

In the Mahaprasthanika Parva, the shortest book of the epic, the Pandavas journey around Aryavarta and finally begin their ascent toward the Himalayas. One by one, the Pandavas and Draupadi drop to their deaths with the exception of Yudishthir, who reaches heaven in his mortal form because of his steadfast adherence to virtue.

The last section of the Mahabharata is called the Swargarohanika Parva, in which Yudishthir’s experiences in heaven are described. After one final test where Yudishthir is shown a hell filled with good people and a heaven filled with bad people, the epic ends with a happy reunion in the company of gods.

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