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1. Adi Parva
The Book of the Beginning · 236 adhyayas
The line begins — Shantanu and Ganga, Devavrata's terrible vow, and the births of Dhritarashtra, Pandu and Vidura through Ved Vyasa. The Kauravas and Pandavas grow up together, but the resentment between them deepens. The Pandavas escape the house of lac, and Draupadi's swayamvar follows.
Key Episodes
- Shantanu and Ganga, and Devavrata's vow of lifelong celibacy that makes him Bhishma
- Kunti's boon, and the birth of Karna
- Dronacharya's teaching, and Eklavya's thumb
- The house of lac, and the Pandavas' escape
- Draupadi's swayamvar, and Arjuna's piercing of the fish
- The burning of the Khandava forest
Shlokas
Adi Parva
यदिहास्ति तदन्यत्र यन्नेहास्ति न तत्क्वचित्
yad ihāsti tad anyatra yan nehāsti na tat kvacit
Whatever is found here may be found elsewhere; what is not here exists nowhere. The Mahabharat's own claim about itself — that every human situation is contained within it.