Udyoga Parva — Section 2 of 2 in this original, condensed prose retelling of the eighteen-parva Mahabharata.
The rival armies assemble on the plain of Kurukshetra. Krishna chooses to guide Arjuna’s chariot rather than fight as a warrior. Great teachers and relatives are found on opposing sides, and everyone knows that victory will bring terrible loss. The stage is set for the Bhagavad Gita and the eighteen-day battle.
Read this episode in sequence with the other parvas to understand the full storyline, including its moral ambiguity and tragic consequences.