Vishvamitra, the destroyer of foes, was counted among the greatest of kings, as were the mighty Ambarisha, Marutta, Manu, Ikshvaku, Gaya, and Bharata. Alongside them stood Rama, son of Dasharatha, Shashabindu, Bhagiratha, the illustrious Kritavirya, and Janamejaya as well. Among these, Yayati, renowned for his virtuous deeds, was himself invited by the gods. The earth, marked by countless sacrificial posts, once belonged to him, for he performed many great Soma sacrifices. It was about these noble kings that the illustrious sage Narada once spoke to Shveta, who was tormented by grief for his sons. Narada reminded him that before these kings, there had been others, even more powerful—great chariot-warriors, noble in spirit and endowed with every virtue. Among them were Puru, Kuru, Yadu, Shura, the resplendent Vishvagashva, Anuha, Yuvanashva, Kakutstha, and the valiant Raghu. Vijaya, Vitihotra, Anga, Bhava, Shveta, Brihadguru, Ushinara, Shataratha, Kanka, Duliduha, and Druma were also counted among these illustrious rulers. The line continued with Dambhodbhava, Parovena, Sagara, Samkriti, Nimi, Ajeya, Parashu, Pundra, Shambhu, Devavriddha, and Anagha. There were also Devahvaya, Supratima, Supratika, Brihadratha, Mahotsaha, Vinita-atma, Sukratu, Naishadha, and Nala. Satyavrata, Shantabhaya, Sumitra, Subala the mighty, Janujangha, Anaranya, Arka, Priyabhrit, and Shucivrata followed in this long succession. Balabandhu, Niramarda, Ketushringa, Brihadbala, Dhrishtaketu, Brihatketu, Diptaketu, and Niramaya were among them, as were Avikshi, Chapala, Dhurta, Kritabandhu, Dridhesudhi, Mahapurana-sambhavya, Pratyanga, Paraha, and Shruti. Beyond these, there were hundreds and thousands of other kings, and even more—numbered by the hundreds of thousands and millions—whose names are heard only in ancient tales. All these wise and mighty kings, after enjoying vast pleasures, ultimately met their end—many even greater than your sons. Their deeds were divine: valor, renunciation, greatness, faith, truth, purity, compassion, and straightforwardness. The learned and the best of poets recount these virtues in the ancient stories. Yet, despite all their virtues, even these great souls met their end. But your sons, O king, were of wicked nature, scorched by anger, greedy, and given to evil conduct. You should not grieve for them. You are learned, intelligent, and esteemed by the wise. Those who follow the teachings of the scriptures, O Bharata, do not become deluded by grief. You know well both restraint and favor; you should not show excessive indulgence in protecting your sons. What must be, will be; you should not grieve for what has come to pass. Who can turn back destiny by human effort? No one can overstep the path ordained by the Creator. All existence and non-existence, pleasure and pain, have their root in Time. Time creates all beings, and Time withdraws them; even Time itself, when it withdraws beings, is again subdued by Time. Time transforms all things in the world, both auspicious and inauspicious; Time contracts all creatures and then releases them again. Time remains awake when all others sleep, for Time is truly insurmountable; it moves impartially among all beings, ungoverned. Knowing that all things—past, future, and those existing now—are fashioned by Time, you should not abandon your awareness. In this way, the charioteer Gāvalgaṇa comforted King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, who was afflicted by grief for his son, and restored his composure. Dhṛtarāṣṭra, having heard these words, took refuge in self-control, understanding that all had come to pass by destiny, for he was wise and noble. For the welfare of the worlds and out of compassion, the eminent sage Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana spoke here the sacred Upaniṣad. It is said by the learned and by the foremost poets in the Purāṇas that even one who studies a single section of the Mahābhārata with faith is purified entirely of all sins. Within this great work are praised the gods, the divine sages, the pure Brahmarṣis, as well as the Yakṣas and great serpents, all renowned for their noble deeds. Here, too, is praised the blessed Vāsudeva, the eternal one, for he is truth, the law, purity, and merit itself. He is the eternal, supreme, unchanging Brahman, the everlasting light, whose divine deeds are recounted by the wise. From him arise both the existent and the non-existent, and all that is and is not; succession, activity, birth, death, and rebirth all proceed from him. Here is taught the knowledge of the Self, composed of the qualities of the five elements, and that which is beyond the unmanifest is also praised as him. Those who are ever liberated, endowed with the power of meditation and yoga, always contemplate him, seeing him established within themselves as a reflection in a mirror. A person who is ever faithful, ever disciplined, and always devoted to righteousness, by reciting this chapter, is freed from sin. One who, with faith, constantly listens to this opening chapter of the Mahābhārata’s Table of Contents, does not falter even in hardship. By reciting even a little at both twilights, one is immediately freed from sin, as long as the recitation of the Table of Contents continues day and night. This is truly the essence and the immortal substance of the Bharata, just as clarified butter is the essence of curds, and the Brahmin is the foremost among men. As the Aranyaka is to the Vedas, as nectar is to herbs, as the ocean is the best among lakes, and the cow is the foremost among quadrupeds—so is this Mahābhārata among all stories and teachings.