The world, longing to see those who had departed, pleaded for their return. Yet the one addressed confessed his inability, turning to the Mother—the Divine Goddess—to swiftly reveal the dead to the people. Responding to this praise, the glorious Lady of the Worlds, the enchanting Goddess, summoned all from heaven and revealed the departed kings. When the Pandavas beheld Kunti, Gandhari, Subhadra, and the daughter of Virata among those returned, their hearts rejoiced at the sight of their beloved kin. Released by the brilliant sage Vyasa, they remembered the Goddess, marveling as if a wondrous illusion had unfolded before them. After their questions were answered, the Pandavas and the sages departed; the king journeyed to Nagapura, recounting Vyasa’s tale along the way. Three days later, Suta narrated, King Dhritarashtra was consumed by a forest wildfire, together with his wife and accompanied by Kunti. Sanjaya, having embarked on a pilgrimage, had abandoned the king; when King Yudhishthira heard this from Narada, he was overwhelmed with sorrow. Thirty-six years after the destruction of the Kauravas, all the Yadavas perished at Prabhasa, struck down by the curse of the Brahmins. Intoxicated from wine, they fought among themselves, and those noble souls met their end in the presence of Rama and Krishna. Rama relinquished his body, and Krishna, the lotus-eyed, fulfilled the curse—struck by a hunter’s arrow, he departed as the blessed Hari. Vasudeva, upon hearing of Hari’s departure, surrendered his own life after purifying himself and meditating on the glorious Lady of the Worlds. Arjuna, deeply distressed, went to Prabhasa and performed the proper funeral rites for all. Examining Hari’s body, he gathered wood, and the king, together with Krishna’s eight wives, set it alight. Arjuna then burned the body of Rama along with Revati in the fire, before traveling to Dvārakā and leading the people out of the city. The city of Vasudeva was then engulfed by the ocean, and Arjuna took all the people and departed. On their journey, Krishna’s wives were plundered by thieves and cowherds; all their wealth was seized, and Arjuna found himself powerless. Arriving at Indraprastha, Arjuna installed Vajra, Aniruddha’s son, as king, for his own power had waned. He told Vyasa of his sorrow, and the great sage assured him, “When Hari and you are born again, O wise one, your energy will be exceedingly great in the next age.” Hearing these words, Arjuna went to Nagapura. Still afflicted, Arjuna told King Yudhishthira all that had happened—the death of Hari and the destruction of the Yadavas. The king resolved to leave for the golden mountain, installing his son, the son of Uttarā, on the throne for thirty-six years. Then, with Draupadī and his brothers, he departed for the forest, having ruled Hastināpura for thirty-six years. They reached the Himalayas, where the six sons of Prithā surrendered their lives. Parīkṣit, the royal sage, righteously protected the people. Tireless, Parīkṣit ruled for sixty years, developing a fondness for hunting and one day entering the great forest. While searching for a wounded deer at midday, Parīkṣit, exhausted and thirsty, saw a sage nearby—absorbed in meditation. He asked the sage for water, but the sage remained silent. Tormented by thirst, Parīkṣit picked up a dead snake with his bow and placed it around the sage’s neck; yet the sage, deep in meditation, did not respond. The king returned home. The sage’s son, born of a cow and possessing great austerity, was playing near the forest when his friends told him, “Your father has a snake on his neck.” Hearing this, he became furious. Enraged, he took water in his hand and cursed the king: “The one who placed a dead snake on my father’s neck—Takshaka will bite that sinful man within seven nights.” The sage’s disciple soon approached the king and reported the curse. Realizing that the curse was unavoidable, Parīkṣit addressed his ministers: “I have been cursed by a brahmin, surely out of enmity. What should I do, O ministers? Consider some means, for death is inevitable according to the Vedic teachers. Yet, effort prescribed by scripture must always be made by the wise. Some thinkers say that means should be sought. With proper means, tasks are accomplished, not otherwise. The powers of jewels, mantras, and herbs are hard to know. If nothing can be done by those with well-prepared jewels, then why did a sage’s wife, once bitten by a snake and dead, return to life? That celestial nymph was revived by the sage, giving half his own life. Yet, when fate is strong, the wise should never trust it.” Thus, the story unfolds, revealing the inexorable workings of destiny, the sorrow of loss, and the enduring hope in the cycles of ages.