Parva 18 of 18 · 5 adhyayas
स्वर्गारोहणपर्व
Book of the Ascent to Heaven
Svargārohaṇa-parva
Setting: Svarga and a brief vision of Naraka
Central figure: Yudhishthira choosing kin over comfort
Parva summary
In Svarga, Yudhishthira sees Duryodhana enthroned and not his brothers. Indra explains: Duryodhana paid for his evils on earth and earned a kshatriya's heaven for dying in battle. Yudhishthira is then shown Naraka where his brothers and Draupadi suffer. He chooses to stay with them. The illusion lifts; the brothers and Draupadi appear in their true forms in Svarga. Yudhishthira bathes in the Ganga, sheds the last of mortality, and is reunited. The Mahabharata closes with Janamejaya hearing the entire epic at the snake sacrifice from Vaishampayana, who heard it from Vyasa.
Key episodes
- ●Yudhishthira sees Duryodhana in Svarga
- ●The vision of Naraka
- ●Yudhishthira chooses Naraka with his brothers
- ●Illusion dissolves
- ●Reunion in Svarga
- ●Janamejaya's snake sacrifice and Vaishampayana's recital
Central teaching
Heaven and hell are tests of the same loyalty. Choose where your people are. The story, once told, becomes scripture.