This volume has only part of the Bharat Mandala, namely the Mahabharata. It continues from the Sabha Parva to the Gada Parva, nine Parvas of the Mahabharata. The final eight are in the next volume. In the Sabha Parva, we see how Duryodhana through his evil machinations becomes the King of Hastinapur in the place of Yudhisthir. He receives his Queen Bhanumati through Karna, his friend. On the other hand, the Pandavas, who were considered to have perished in an accidental fire, escaped but had terrifying experiences in the forest as well as in their wanderings through sparsely populated areas and villages. Finally, they attended the Svayamavara ceremony of Draupadi as mendicant Brahmins. When all the Kings failed in the test, Arjun won it as a Brahmin and received the hand of Draupadi. This all happened in the midst of vociferous objections by the assembled Kshatriyas and the reigning Kings. Only, Lord Krishna, together with his brother Balarama, was able to recognise the Pandavas. He had earlier grieved that the Pandavas, together with their mother, Kunti, had died in the blaze of Varnavata.  A very interesting issue is dealt with in this Parva and that is the ideal relationship if a woman gets married to more men. Honouring the accidental words of Kunti, the mother of Pandavas, Draupadi weds all the five Pandavas. This is against the norms prevailing at all times and this excited a storm of controversy. How this controversial relationship was regulated by Rishi Vyasa is commendable. The Rishi tells the brothers that Draupadi would be in relationship with only one brother at a time and that too for a period of three years. At that time, the others should remain friendly towards her and not let allow any negative emotion like jealousy or possessiveness to control them.

The story of the Mahabharata continues through this and the following eight Parvas. The incidents thrill and excite our imagination in such a vivid manner that we seem to be living through those turbulent times. We experience at first hand how Truth and Righteousness suffer against the manipulations of the Kauravas time and again. The Pandavas received a barren tract of the Kingdom as their share after they revealed their presence to the world. We see how Indraprastha, the place where nothing would grow, became the magnet of the world at that time due to beauty of the construction, as well as the influence of Yudhisthir. So much so that it incited the inherent jealousy of Duryodhan and he, together with his Uncle Shakuni, managed to grab their entire wealth and power and send them into exile for a long time. Subsequently, when Yudhisthir demanded his Kingdom back, Duryodhan refused to give him any land without war. This led to the great war of Kurukshetra where brother faced brother. It was only when Arjun refused to take up arms against his near and dear ones that Lord Krishna told him that a man should only perform his duty.  The results he should leave to Him. This is the Bhagwata Gita that is known to one and all, all over the world. The war of Kurukshetra continued for eighteen days and resulted in the extinction of the hundred Kuru brothers and death for most of the Kings ruling in Bharata. This horrifying result left the land as a vast graveyard with widows and mothers of the slain warriors mourning their dead. At the end of the volume, we witness the epic battle between Duryodhan and Bhima, where Duryodhan was still offered a chance to defeat Bhima to regain his Kingdom and riches. But Bhima managed to fulfil his promise to Draupadi and defeated Duryodhan and smashed his thighs for the insult that he had inflicted on her. The last words leave him dying on the battlefield.