Seeing the events that unfolded, a sense of disillusionment overtook him. Guided by the words of Vyāsa, he approached King Yudhishthira and agreed to the path of renunciation. Thus was declared the Mausala Parva, the sixteenth book, said to contain eight chapters and three hundred verses. Those who perceive the truth count twenty additional verses, and after this, the Mahāprasthānika Parva, the seventeenth, is remembered. In this Parva, the Pāṇḍavas, foremost among men, along with Queen Draupadī, relinquished their kingdom and set out upon the great journey. They traveled until they reached the ocean at the mouth of the Lauhitya, where they witnessed a sacred fire. There, Arjuna, prompted by Agni, respectfully offered the divine and supreme bow, Gāṇḍīva, to the great soul. Yudhishthira then beheld his brothers and Draupadī fallen along the path. Having seen and let go, he pressed onward, not looking back at anyone. This journey is known as the seventeenth book, the Mahāprasthānika, which contains three chapters and three hundred verses, with twenty more counted by those who see the truth. Following this, the Svargaparva is to be known—a divine book, beyond the scope of mortals. There, the king of righteousness ascended the heavenly chariot and entered heaven. To ascend, the supremely wise one, out of compassion and without the dog, recognizing the steadfastness of the great-souled one in righteousness, undertook the ascent. There, abandoning his mortal form, united with dharma, he attained heaven. He also witnessed the great and intense torments that exist there. By the device of a divine messenger, hell was revealed to him, and the righteous-souled one heard the pitiful cries of his brothers. In that place, where they remained under command and continued to dwell, the Pāṇḍava was shown the realms of righteousness and the king of the gods. After bathing in the celestial Gaṅgā and abandoning his human body, the king of righteousness attained the place in heaven won through his own duty. Honored by all, together with Indra and the hosts of gods, he rejoiced. This, the wise Vyāsa declares, is the eighteenth book. This book is counted as having five chapters by the great-souled Vyāsa, and two hundred verses, carefully enumerated by the ascetic. Nine other verses are likewise counted by the supreme seer. Thus, all eighteen books are enumerated without remainder. In the appendices, the Harivaṃśa and the future are described, containing ten thousand and twenty hundred verses. In the appendices and the Harivaṃśa, the numbers are counted by the great seer. All this has been recounted—the summary of the books in the Bhārata. Eighteen armies assembled, eager for battle, and that great and terrible war endured for eighteen days. A twice-born who knows the four Vedas with their branches and Upaniṣads, but does not know this narrative, is not truly wise. Vyāsa, of boundless intellect, has declared this as a treatise on wealth, a great treatise on righteousness, and a treatise on desire. Having heard this narrative, nothing else pleasing to the ear delights, just as, after hearing the sweet song of the man-cuckoo, the harsh speech of a crow is not pleasing. From this supreme history arise the insights of poets, just as from the five elements arise the three worlds. O twice-born, in the domain of this narrative, the ancient Purāṇa exists, and in the realm of the sky, the fourfold types of beings dwell. This narrative is the foundation for all actions and qualities, just as the mind's activities are diverse for all the senses. Without relying on this narrative, stories do not exist on earth, just as the body cannot be sustained without food and breath. All poets live by this narrative, as servants seeking advancement depend on a noble lord. Poets are not capable of distinguishing this epic, just as the three other āśramas cannot surpass the householder among the virtuous. May your minds always be devoted to dharma, for it alone is the true companion of one who has departed to the next world. Wealth and women, even when served skillfully, never attain completeness nor stability. The immeasurable, auspicious, pure, and sin-destroying Mahābhārata, which emerged from the lips of Dvaipāyana—whoever comprehends it as it is recited, what need has he for ablution with the waters of Puṣkara? Whatever sin a brāhmaṇa commits during the day through his senses, by reciting the Mahābhārata, he is freed from the evening twilight. Whatever sin he commits at night, by deed, mind, or speech, by reciting the Mahābhārata, he is freed from the morning twilight. He who gives a hundred cows with golden horns to a learned brāhmaṇa versed in the Vedas, and who listens daily to the sacred tale of the Bhārata, attains equal merit from both. This supreme, great narrative should be understood as vast, with its collection of parvas; hearing it at the outset brings happiness to people, just as a raft enables crossing the wide salty sea. The Purāṇika, having labored in the Purāṇa, with joined palms, spoke: “I have told the entire story of Uttanka, which was recounted at Janamejaya’s snake sacrifice as a secondary episode. What do you wish to hear? What shall I narrate?” The sages replied, “We shall speak to you, O Raumaharṣaṇa, and you will answer us. Let us, eager to listen, engage in the narration together.” There, the venerable family head, Śaunaka, sits near the fire sanctuary. He said, “Because this is a long sacrificial session, there is time to hear all the stories.” He knows those divine tales connected with gods and asuras, and he knows all the stories of humans, serpents, and gandharvas. And in this assembly, the learned family head, a twice-born, is wise, steadfast in vows, intelligent, and a teacher in both the scriptures and the forest tradition.