Mausala Parva — Section 2 of 2 in this original, condensed prose retelling of the eighteen-parva Mahabharata.
Krishna’s earthly life ends in the forest in the traditional telling, and Arjuna confronts the limits of the strength he once possessed. He struggles to protect survivors from the fallen city. The passing of Krishna changes the world of the Pandavas, leading them toward renunciation.
Read this episode in sequence with the other parvas to understand the full storyline, including its moral ambiguity and tragic consequences.