Ebook: The Mahabharata

Volume 3 completes the Vana Parva, the account of the Pandavas' sojourn in the forest. It details the dharma obtained from, and descriptions of, places of pilgrimage. It recounts the stories of Agastya, Rishyashringa, Kartavirya, Sukanya and Chyavana, Mandhata, Jantu, Shibi, Ashtavakra, Yavakrita, Jatasura, and Markandeya. The narrative covers Arjuna's slaying of the Nivatakavacha demons; the Kouravas' defeat at the hands of the gandharvas and their subsequent release by the Pandavas; Droupadi's abduction by Jayadratha and rescue by the Pandavas; and Indra's visit to Karna to rob him of his earrings and armour.