1. The Book of the Beginning: the origins of the Kuru dynasty and the birth of the Pandavas and Kauravas.
2. The Book of the Assembly Hall: the fateful game of dice and the exile of the Pandavas.
3. The Book of the Forest: the Pandavas’ twelve long years of exile in the wilderness.
4. The Book of Virata: the thirteenth year, spent living in disguise at King Virata’s court.
5. The Book of the Effort: the failed search for peace and the gathering of the two armies.
6. The Book of Bhishma: the war begins — and Krishna speaks the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna.
7. The Book of Drona: the great battle under the command of the warrior-guru Dronacharya.
8. The Book of Karna: Karna takes command of the Kaurava army.
9. The Book of Shalya: the final day of battle and the fall of Duryodhana.
10. The Book of the Sleeping Warriors: the devastating night raid on the Pandava camp.
11. The Book of the Women: the lament of the women over the countless fallen.
12. The Book of Peace: Bhishma’s vast teachings on duty, kingship and liberation.
13. The Book of Instructions: further teachings on dharma and the good life.
14. The Book of the Horse Sacrifice: Yudhishthira’s great sacrifice to restore order.
15. The Book of the Hermitage: the elders retire to the forest to prepare for death.
16. The Book of the Clubs: the tragic end of the Yadava dynasty.
17. The Book of the Great Journey: the Pandavas’ final pilgrimage toward the Himalayas.
18. The Book of the Ascent to Heaven: Yudhishthira’s arrival in the celestial realms.

From the rivalry of two royal houses to the cataclysm of the Kurukshetra war and the final ascent to heaven, the Mahabharata is, above all, a vast teaching on dharma — right action in a complex world. To explore its spiritual heart, read the Bhagavad Gita summary.