Many were the kings who once walked this earth—Balabandhu, Niramarda, Ketushringa, Brihadbala, Dhrishtaketu, Brihatketu, Diptaketu, and Niramaya. Alongside them were Avikshi, Chapala, Dhurta, Kritabandhu, Dridhesudhi, Mahapurana-sambhavya, Pratyanga, Paraha, and Shruti. These names are but a few among the hundreds, thousands, and even millions of rulers whose stories echo through time. All these mighty monarchs, renowned for their wisdom and strength, ultimately abandoned the vast pleasures of the world and met their end—some of them even greater than your own sons, O King. Their deeds were wondrous, marked by valor, renunciation, greatness, faith, truth, purity, compassion, and straightforwardness. The learned and the greatest poets recount their virtues in ancient tales. Yet, despite their noble qualities, even these illustrious ones could not escape mortality. Therefore, you should not grieve for your sons, O King, for they were of wicked nature—consumed by anger and greed, given to evil conduct. You are wise and esteemed among the learned. Those who understand the scriptures do not allow themselves to be deluded by attachment. You know well the balance between restraint and favor; as a ruler, you must not show excessive indulgence in protecting your sons. What is destined to happen will surely come to pass; grieving cannot change fate. Who among men can turn back the course ordained by destiny? None can step beyond the path set by the Creator. All existence and non-existence, all pleasure and pain, have their root in Time. Time is the great creator and destroyer of beings. It brings forth all creatures and, in turn, withdraws them; and even Time itself, when it withdraws all, is again subdued by Time. All things in the world—good and ill—are transformed by Time. It contracts all beings, then releases them again. When all else rests, Time alone remains awake, insurmountable and impartial, moving among all beings, subject to none. Knowing that all things—past, present, and future—are shaped by Time, you must not lose your awareness. Thus, the wise charioteer Gāvalgaṇa consoled King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, who was stricken with grief for his sons, and helped restore his composure. Hearing these words, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, noble and wise, turned inward to self-control, understanding that all had come to pass by destiny. For the welfare of the worlds and out of compassion, the great sage Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana—Vyāsa—spoke this sacred Upaniṣad. It is said by the learned and the foremost poets in the Purāṇas that even one who studies a single section of the Mahābhārata with faith is wholly purified of all sins. Within this epic 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 extolled the blessed Vāsudeva, the eternal one, for he is truth, righteousness, purity, and merit itself. He is the eternal, supreme, unchanging Brahman, the everlasting light, whose divine deeds are sung by the wise. From him arise both what is and what is not—all existence and non-existence, succession, activity, birth, death, and rebirth flow from him. Where the teaching of the Self is heard, composed of the five elements, and that which is beyond the unmanifest, all are praised as his own. Those ever-liberated, empowered by meditation and yoga, continually contemplate him, perceiving him within themselves as one sees a reflection in a mirror. One who is ever faithful, disciplined, and devoted to righteousness, and recites this chapter, is freed from all sin. Whoever listens with faith to this opening section of the Mahābhārata’s Table of Contents remains steadfast even in adversity. By reciting even a small portion at both dawn and dusk, one is immediately freed from sin, as long as the recitation continues day and night. This is truly the essence and immortal substance of the Bharata—just as clarified butter is the essence of curds, and the Brahmin is 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 foremost among quadrupeds—so too, among all histories, the Bharata stands supreme. Whoever recites even a quarter of it to Brahmins during a śrāddha ceremony ensures inexhaustible food and drink for his ancestors. Indeed, Itihāsa and Purāṇa should always augment the Veda. The Veda fears a person of little learning, thinking, “He will cross me over.” But the wise one who recites this Kārṣṇa Veda—this Mahābhārata—attains its meaning. Whoever, pure in body and mind, studies and recites this during festivals is freed from even the gravest sins, such as the killing of a fetus. By such study, the entire Bharata is considered as mastered. Whoever listens to it daily with faith and reverence attains long life, fame, and the path to heaven. On one side are the four Vedas; on the other, this Bharata. Once, all the gods assembled and weighed them on a scale. When the Bharata, complete with all its secrets, outweighed the four Vedas, from that time onward in this world it was called the Mahābhārata—so great is its weight and significance. Whoever knows this etymology is freed from all sins. Austerity is never tainted, study is never tainted, and the natural ordinance of the Veda is never tainted; but the forcible seizure of wealth is tainted—indeed, only those acts corrupted by one’s disposition are truly tainted. Thus, the wisdom of the ages and the glory of the Mahābhārata are revealed for the welfare and upliftment of all beings.