The Harivamsha is the Mahabharata’s khila parva, its appendix, yet a complete epic in its own right. Here the story rises from creation itself, the rivers of the lineages flow, and then the current comes to rest on Krishna: his birth, Gokula, Mathura, Dwarka, and everything that stands behind the hero of the Gita. Below, each episode is given in full, in story form, on its own page.

All twenty chapters below are now in English, the whole arc of Krishna’s story from the first stirring of creation to the ages still to come.

Harivamsha Parva

• 1. The beginning of creation
• 2. Vena and Prithu
• 3. Surya, Sanjna, and Chhaya
• 4. The Syamantaka jewel

Vishnu Parva · the life of Krishna

• 5. The earth’s cry
• 6. The birth of Krishna
• 7. The slaying of Putana
• 8. Trinavarta, and the cart
• 9. The Yamalarjuna trees (the mortar and the two trees)
• 10. The subduing of Kaliya
• 11. Dhenuka and Pralamba
• 12. The lifting of Govardhana
• 13. Akrura, and the road to Mathura
• 14. The slaying of Kamsa
• 15. Jarasandha, and Dwarka
• 16. The carrying away of Rukmini
• 17. The slaying of Narakasura
• 18. The parijata tree
• 19. The battle with Bana

Epilogue

• 20. Epilogue: the ages to come

Based on the reading order of the complete critical edition of the Harivamsha (P. L. Vaidya, Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune), in story form.