“After this, you know, comes the Maushala of painful incidents.  In this, those lion-hearted heroes (of the race of Vrishni) with the scars of many a field on their bodies, oppressed with the curse of a Brahmana, while deprived of reason from drink, impelled by the fates, slew each other on the shores of the Salt Sea with the Eraka grass which (in their hands) became (invested with the fatal attributes of the) thunder.  In this, both Balarama and Kesava (Krishna) after causing the extermination of their race, their hour having come, themselves did not rise superior to the sway of all-destroying Time.  In this, Arjuna the foremost among men, going to Dwaravati (Dwaraka) and seeing the city destitute of the Vrishnis was much affected and became exceedingly sorry.  Then after the funeral of his maternal uncle Vasudeva the foremost among the Yadus (Vrishnis), he saw the heroes of the Yadu race lying stretched in death on the spot where they had been drinking.  He then caused the cremation of the bodies of the illustrious Krishna and Balarama and of the principal members of the Vrishni race.  Then as he was journeying from Dwaraka with the women and children, the old and the decrepit—­the remnants of the Yadu race—­he was met on the way by a heavy calamity.  He witnessed also the disgrace of his bow Gandiva and the unpropitiousness of his celestial weapons.  Seeing all this, Arjuna became despondent and, pursuant to Vyasa’s advice, went to Yudhishthira and solicited permission to adopt the Sannyasa mode of life.  This is the sixteenth Parva called Maushala The number of sections is eight and the number of slokas composed by Vyasa cognisant of truth is three hundred and twenty.

“The next is Mahaprasthanika, the seventeenth Parva.

“In this, those foremost among men the Pandavas abdicating their kingdom went with Draupadi on their great journey called Mahaprasthana.  In this, they came across Agni, having arrived on the shore of the sea of red waters.  In this, asked by Agni himself, Arjuna worshipped him duly, returned to him the excellent celestial bow called Gandiva.  In this, leaving his brothers who dropped one after another and Draupadi also, Yudhishthira went on his journey without once looking back on them.  This the seventeenth Parva is called Mahaprasthanika.  The number of sections in this is three.  The number of slokas also composed by Vyasa cognisant of truth is three hundred and twenty.

“The Parva that comes after this, you must know, is the extraordinary one called Svarga of celestial incidents.  Then seeing the celestial car come to take him, Yudhishthira moved by kindness towards the dog that accompanied him, refused to ascend it without his companion.  Observing the illustrious Yudhishthira’s steady adherence to virtue, Dharma (the god of justice) abandoning his canine form showed himself to the king.  Then Yudhishthira ascending to heaven felt much pain.  The celestial messenger showed him hell by an act of deception.  Then Yudhishthira,