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 the family history surrounding the hero of the Gita. Below, twenty selected episodes are retold on individual pages, offering a route into the story.

Twenty selected retellings are available in English. Follow the sequence, or choose an episode that catches your attention.

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

Reference edition: P. L. Vaidya’s Harivamsha, Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune. This collection is a selection of episodes, and it is neither a complete translation nor a rendering of every chapter. Each episode’s source note describes its own scope.