Arjuna meeting with Krishna. Web Source: Wikimedia Commons
- Bhishma's body is pierced by Arjuna's arrows. He ends up dying, but not until after all of the madness between the Kauravas and Pandavas take place. Drona ends up taking charge of Duryodhana's armies, and attempts to make Yudhishthira his slave. But Arjuna will not allow it and protects his brother. Bhima plays a large part in the war and Duryodhana ends up fleeing the battle injured. The battle continues and many on both sides are slain. But, Arjuna comes to turn with the own devastating loss of his son. Arjuna vows to find his son's killer and destroy him. So he set out to search every corner and finally found Jayadratha and cut off his head. Bhima's rakshasa son Ghatotkacha is also slain. But this time Karna is behind the death, and the Pandavas brothers weep in sorrow while the Kauravas gleam in victory.
- The Pandavas seek to put Drona in his place, by formulating a plan to undermine his intelligence. Bhima lead the plan to slay an elephant and name it Ashwatthaman after Drona's son. He pronounced Drona's son was dead, and this completely turned Drona's plan upside down. He was in disbelief and distraught over his beloved son's death, which was actually false. This gave the Pandavas the perfect opportunity to turn his vulnerability into their own strength. Dhrishtadyumna slaughtered Drona in an instant. This leaves Karna in charge of the Kauravas armies.
- Bhima finally gets his revenge for the suffering and shame Draupadi had to endure by the Kauravas before being exiled. He slays Dushana and drinks his blood. All the Kauravas flee at the sight of his insanity. Shortly thereafter, Arjuna and Karna finally engage in a personale battle. Arjuna defeats him with a single arrow to the head. He has slain his own flesh and blood, as his angered thoughts regarding his son's death emerge. However, the battle does not end. Drona's son seeks revenge for his father's death and gets permission from the dying Duryodhana to slay the Pandavas while they sleep. Everyone mourns their great losses and offer up sacrifices in honor of the bravery shown. Yudhishthira performs a horse sacrifice to atone for his sins. Arjuna gets involved in the mix, and is slain by a rajah in battle. Thankfully a magic jewel was obtained to restore him back to life. After the horse sacrifice is made official, Yudhishthira is made sovereign king.
- The Pandavas came to know of a bad calamity drawing near, suggesting that the city of Dwarka was doomed. Krishna commanded the people to perform devotions by the seashore, but chaos and defiance erupted. Krishna perished in the woods. His death encouraged the Pandavas and Draupadi to make their final depart from the world and leave Arjuna's grandson the kingdom.
Mahabharata Online: Public Domain Edition
Authors: Arnold, Besant, Devee, Dutt, Ganguli, Kincaid, Macfie, Mackenzie, Nivedita, Seeger, and Tagore.
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