Mahabharata: Vana Parva: English Translation (The Mahabharata)

Vana Parva, also known as the “Book of the Forest”, is the third of eighteen books of the Indian epic Mahabharata. Vana Parva has 21 sub-books and 324 chapters. It is one of the longest books in the Epic. It discusses the twelve-year sojourn of the Pandavas in the forest, the lessons they learn there and how it builds their character. It is one of the longest of the 18 books in the Mahabharata, and contains numerous discussions on virtues and ethics, along with myths of Arjuna, Yudhishthara, Bhima tales of “Nahusha the snake and Yudhisthira” as well as “Ushinara and the hawk”, love stories of “Nala and Damayanti”, as well as “Savitri and Satyavan”. The Vana Parva is a phase of learning and self-reflection for the Pandavas. They go into the Vana Parva quite dejected, but comes out at the end of it with renewed vigor and strength.