Chanura and Mushtika, the fierce wrestlers, along with the wicked Kamsa, were all struck down from their lofty platform by the might of Hari, Lord Krishna. Hari was graced with eight supreme wives—Rukmini, Satyabhama, and others—who were foremost among women. Besides them, the great-souled Krishna was united with sixteen thousand other noble women, and from these unions, hundreds and thousands of sons, grandsons, and descendants were born. From Rukmini was born Pradyumna, who, in his valor, slew the demon Shambara. Pradyumna’s own son was Aniruddha, who became the beloved lord of Usha, the daughter of Bana. In a great conflict, Hari—Krishna—fought the moon-crested Lord Shiva himself, and in that battle, Bana’s thousand arms were severed, leaving him with only two. Krishna also vanquished Naraka, from whom he retrieved the celestial Parijata tree. Other mighty ones—Balarama, Shishupala, and the monkey Dvivida—were also slain by Krishna. Aniruddha’s son was Vajra, who, after Krishna departed from this world, became king. Vajra made Sandipani his guru, along with Sandipani’s son, and in the city of Mathura, Ugrasena was established as the protector of the gods. At this point, Brahma spoke: “I shall now declare the tale of the Bharata, the great removal of Earth’s burden, which Krishna accomplished through his battles for the Pandavas and others. From Vishnu’s navel arose Brahma; Brahma’s son was Atri, and from Soma came Budha, from whom Pururavas was born of Ila. In that lineage came Ayus, then Yayati, then Bharata, and then Kuru. In Kuru’s line was Shantanu, whose son by the river goddess Ganga was born. This son was Bhishma, adorned with all virtues and accomplished in the knowledge of the Brahma Vaivarta. To Shantanu and Satyavati were born two sons: Chitrangada and Vichitravirya. The Gandharva slew Chitrangada, and Vichitravirya, lord of the princess of Kashi, died childless. Through the ancient custom of niyoga, the sage Vyasa begot sons on Vichitravirya’s widows: Ambika bore Dhritarashtra, Ambalika bore Pandu, and a maidservant bore Vidura. From Gandhari, Dhritarashtra had a hundred mighty sons, led by Duryodhana. From Pandu, through his wives Kunti and Madri, five heroic sons were born: Yudhishthira, Bhimasena, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva. These five, strong and valorous, became the Pandavas. By the decree of fate, enmity arose between the Kauravas and Pandavas, and Duryodhana, reckless and jealous, harassed the Pandavas. When their house of lac was set ablaze, the Pandavas, pure of heart, escaped unharmed. They then found shelter in the house of a Brahmin at Ekachakra, where they slew the demon Baka. Later, in the land of Panchala, the Pandavas attended the self-choice ceremony of Draupadi. There, by their valor, they won Draupadi as their wife. With the approval of Drona and Bhishma, King Dhritarashtra reconciled with the Pandavas, granting them half the kingdom with Indraprastha as their capital. The Pandavas established a grand assembly hall and performed the Rajasuya sacrifice, adhering to strict vows. During this time, Arjuna journeyed to Dvaraka, where, with Krishna’s blessing, he won Subhadra, Krishna’s own sister, as his beloved. Arjuna received from the gods the divine chariot Nandighosha, the famed bow Gandiva, a supreme inexhaustible quiver, and impenetrable armor. With these, Arjuna, together with Krishna, offered a mighty tribute to the fire-god Agni. Arjuna then conquered kings in all directions, gathered their jewels, and joyfully presented them to his wise brother Yudhishthira. Yet, even Yudhishthira, righteous and surrounded by his brothers, was deceived by Duryodhana in a rigged game of dice, counseled by Karna, Duhshasana, and Shakuni. The Pandavas, along with Draupadi and the sage Dhaumya, spent twelve years in the forest, enduring great austerities and accompanied by ascetics. Afterward, they lived in disguise for one year in the city of Virata, serving in the cattle-stalls. When their exile ended, they returned and humbly requested from Duryodhana just five villages in place of their lost kingdom. But Duryodhana refused, and so the great war of Kurukshetra was joined. The Pandavas, with seven divisions of divine troops, faced Duryodhana’s army of eleven divisions, a clash as tumultuous as that between gods and demons. At first, Bhishma commanded Duryodhana’s forces, while Shikhandi led the Pandavas. For ten days, a terrible battle raged, weapons clashing and arrows flying. At last, Bhishma, pierced by countless arrows from Shikhandi and Arjuna, saw the sun turning northward and meditated upon the Lord with the mace. Having spoken of many kinds of dharma and satisfied the ancestors, Bhishma attained a blissful, pure, and sinless state. Then the mighty Drona took the field, fighting Dhrishtadyumna in a fierce five-day battle. There, many kings were slain by Arjuna, and Drona, overwhelmed by grief, ascended to heaven. Next, the valiant Karna fought Arjuna in a two-day duel; submerged in the ocean of Arjuna’s weapons, Karna attained the world of the sun. After this, Shalya fought Yudhishthira, the wise Dharmaraja, but was slain in just half a day by arrows blazing like fire. Duryodhana, filled with fury, seized his mace and charged like Death itself. Then Bhima, the heroic Pandava, struck him down with his own mace. In the dark of night, Ashvatthama, son of Drona, remembering his father’s death, entered the sleeping camp and, with mighty arms, slew Dhrishtadyumna and the sons of Draupadi. Thus, the great burden of the earth was lifted, and the lineage of the Bharatas, with all its glories and sorrows, was fulfilled.