All that befell her son was narrated here by the supreme sage Vyasa, and this became the eleventh book, the very source of sorrow and distress. Crafted to stir tears and move the hearts of the virtuous, this book is said to contain twenty-seven chapters. Within it are seven hundred and seventy-five verses, by which the wise Vyasa has recounted the tale known as the Bharata. Following this comes the twelfth book, the Shanti Parva, which increases wisdom. Here, King Yudhishthira, overwhelmed by deep dispassion after causing the death of fathers, brothers, sons, kinsmen, and uncles, learns the laws of righteousness as taught by Sharatalpika Bhishma. In this book, the laws that every king seeking true knowledge should know are set forth, as well as the duties appropriate in times of distress, explained according to time and circumstance. By understanding these teachings, a person may truly attain omniscience, for the book also expounds the diverse and profound laws of liberation. This twelfth book, beloved of the wise, is thus named; it contains three hundred chapters, along with twenty-nine additional chapters and nine more concerning asceticism, totaling fourteen thousand seven hundred verses. There are also seven verses, numbering twenty-five; beyond this, one should know the supreme Anushasana Parva. In the Anushasana, King Yudhishthira of the Kurus, having regained his natural composure after hearing the determination of righteousness from Bhishma, the son of Bhagirathi, receives the complete procedures of legal practice relating to righteousness and wealth. The results connected with various kinds of gifts are declared, the special recipients of gifts and the supreme rule regarding giving are set forth, as well as the proper conduct and discipline, and the highest course of truth. The great merit of cows and Brahmanas is explained here, together with the secret of righteousness as it relates to place and time. This section, filled with many narratives and excellent instructions, also recounts Bhishma’s attainment of heaven. This, the thirteenth book, establishes the determination of righteousness and contains exactly one hundred and forty-six chapters, with eight thousand verses. After this comes the fourteenth book, called the Ashvamedhika Parva. The Ashvamedhika Parva tells the story of Samvarta and Marutta, an excellent narrative, and recounts the acquisition of the golden treasury and the birth of Parikshit. It describes how Krishna revived one who had been burned by weapon-fire, the release of the horse for the sacrifice, and the journey of the Pandava in pursuit. In various places, battles with unyielding princes are narrated—Dhananjaya’s encounters with the son of Chitrangada and with his own son. In his battle with Babruvahana, Dhananjaya faces grave danger. The narrative also includes the story of Sudarshana, the Vaishnava tale, matters of righteousness, and the account of Nakula in the great Ashvamedha sacrifice. Thus is described this wondrous Ashvamedhika book, which is said to have one hundred and three chapters and three thousand three hundred and twenty verses, as counted by the wise. Next comes the fifteenth book, known as the Ashramavasika Parva. In this, the king, having renounced the kingdom, goes to the hermitage together with Gandhari. Dhritarashtra also departs for the hermitage, as does Vidura; seeing them leave, the virtuous Pritha, too, follows at that time. There, having renounced her son’s kingdom and devoted herself to serving her elders, the queen sees her sons, grandsons, and other kings who had been slain. She witnesses the heroic ones, who had departed to another world, returned through the grace of the sage Krishna, and beholds a most marvelous wonder. Having abandoned grief, together with her husband, she attains the highest perfection; and Vidura, relying on righteousness, attains a blessed state as well. Sanjaya, wise and accompanied by his ministers, and the self-controlled Gāvalgaṇa, see Nārada where King Yudhishthira, the upholder of dharma, is present. And from Nārada, they hear of the great slaughter among the Vṛṣṇis. Thus is recounted the wondrous and great event called the 'Dwelling in the Hermitage' section, which consists of forty-two chapters and one thousand five hundred verses, with six additional verses counted by the wise. After this, one must listen to the dreadful Mausala Parva. There, those tiger-like men, struck by weapons in battle and crushed by the rod of Brahma, fall near the salt sea. Intoxicated with drink in the assembly and driven by fate, they strike one another with reeds turned to thunderbolts. There, after destroying all, both Rāma and Keśava do not overstep the great time that brings all to an end. Arjuna, coming to Dvāravatī bereft of the Vṛṣṇis, beholds disaster and falls into deep anguish. He performs the funeral rites for his noble maternal uncle Śauri and sees the great massacre of the Yadu heroes in the assembly hall. He arranges the cremation of the bodies of Vāsudeva and the great-souled Rāma, and especially for the chief men among the Vṛṣṇis. Taking with him the old, the young, and the people of Dvāravatī, he witnesses, in that time of distress, the defeat of his Gandiva bow. He sees the loss of favor of all the divine weapons, the destruction of the Vṛṣṇi women, and the impermanence of all powers.