Mahabharata

Mahabharata — 18 parvas, 172 questions. Mahabharata (ascribed by tradition to Vyasa).

Where it matters, the difference between the critical edition and later textual traditions is stated separately.

Adi Parva — A river, a fisherman's daughter, and a line that almost ended before it began
Sabha Parva — One laugh in a hall of tricks, and a game of dice that could not be refused
Vana Parva — Twelve years in the forest, and the stories told to fill them
Virata Parva — A year in hiding, five new names, and the one that nearly gave them away
Udyoga Parva — Every attempt to stop the war, and the one man who would not be moved
Bhishma Parva — Ten days when no one could get past Bhishma — and the night he told them how
Drona Parva — The book in which both sides broke the rules they had sworn to keep
Karna Parva — Two days as commander, and a charioteer who would not stop talking
Shalya Parva — The last day of the war, and a duel that ended it against the rules
Sauptika Parva — The war was won. That night, three men walked back toward the camp
Stri Parva — No fighting in this book — only the women walking the field afterward
Shanti Parva — The war was won, and the man who had won it did not want it
Anushasana Parva — Bhishma, still on the arrows, finishes what he has to say
Ashvamedhika Parva — The greatest sacrifice anyone had seen, and the mongoose who was unimpressed
Ashramavasika Parva — The old people leave Hastinapura, and one night the dead come back
Mausala Parva — Thirty-six years on, Gandhari's curse comes due
Mahaprasthanika Parva — The six of them set out north on foot, and a dog followed
Svargarohana Parva — Heaven was not what Yudhishthira expected, and one test was left