Yudhishthira and Indra

While Yudhishthira and Bhimasena are locked in conversation, Vyasa appears — having perceived Yudhishthira's hidden fear about the Kuru warriors. He promises to show how Bhishma, Drona, and the others can be legitimately killed, then teaches Yudhishthira the secret knowledge called pratismriti and tells him that Arjuna must go to the gods for weapons.

Maharshi Lomasha travels to Indra's abode and sees Arjuna seated on half of Indra's throne. The sight puzzles him — how could a kshatriya, a mere warrior, attain such honor? Indra divines his thoughts and reveals the truth: Arjuna is Nara, the ancient rishi, and together with Narayana — Krishna — he has been born on earth to remove its burden and defeat the Nivatakavachas, asuras so powerful that even the gods cannot fight them.

As Yudhishthira journeys through the wilderness, the sage Lomasha begins describing the sacred sites that lie ahead — places where gods performed austerities, rivers served a rishi, and the Ganga herself splintered a mountain. Each spot carries its own history, and together they form a path that might lead the anxious king to peace.

Yudhishthira asks the sage Lomasha about his travels. Lomasha is pleased to reply — he has been sent by Indra himself with news of Arjuna. He tells Yudhishthira that he saw Arjuna seated on half of Indra's throne, that Arjuna has obtained the Brahmashira weapon from Rudra and other divine weapons from the guardians of the world, and that he has mastered the gandharva veda. Then Lomasha delivers Indra's message: Arjuna will return after accomplishing a great task for the gods, Yudhishthira should devote himself to austerities, his fear of Karna will be dispelled, and he should accept Lomasha's guidance on tirthas.

Lomasha arrives with a message from Indra himself — the king of the gods remembers Yudhishthira and invites him to visit the sacred tirthas. Overcome with delight, Yudhishthira declares that his mind was already made up: he will go.

After crossing the ocean shore, Yudhishthira arrives at a sacred forest where the altar of Richika's son stands. He visits the holy sites of gods and ancestors, observes fasts, and gives away gems. Then, at the great tirtha of Prabhasa, he performs a twelve-day austerity — living on water and air, surrounded by flames — that draws the attention of the Vrishnis.

Lomasha points out the place of Sharyati's sacrifice, where the Ashvins once drank soma, and mentions that the sage Chyavana was so angered by Indra that he paralysed the king of the gods — and also won Sukanya as his wife. Yudhishthira, hearing this, asks for the full story: how did Chyavana paralyse Indra, why was he angered, and why were the Ashvins made drinkers of soma?

Lomasha recites the Kuru genealogy and then tells Yudhishthira a cryptic saying from a pishacha woman about bathing at Bhutilaya. He reveals that the place where they stand is Kurukshetra's gate — a tirtha so sacred that bathing there cleanses all evil deeds and lets a man see all the worlds.

As Ushinara ascends the scales, the hawk reveals itself as Indra and the dove as Agni. They came to test his dharma. Indra proclaims that Ushinara's deed will be celebrated as long as men speak in this world. Lomasha then shows Yudhishthira the sacred site where it happened.

Tormented by envy that his ascetic father receives no honour while a rival sage and his sons are celebrated, Yavakrita resolves to obtain the Vedas through sheer austerity rather than study. He burns his body in a great fire, disturbing Indra himself — who tries twice to dissuade him, first with advice, then with a parable of a sand bridge across the Ganga.

While the Pandavas are thinking of Arjuna, Indra's chariot driven by Matali suddenly appears in the sky, carrying Arjuna. He descends, pays respects to Dhoumya, Yudhishthira, Bhima, and Draupadi, is worshipped by Nakula and Sahadeva, and the Pandavas honor Matali before he departs. Arjuna presents the gifts from Indra, recounts his acquisition of weapons from Indra, Vayu, and Shiva, and his entry into heaven, then happily goes to sleep with his brothers.

A celestial sound fills the sky as Indra, king of the gods, descends in a golden chariot before the Pandavas in the forest. Arjuna bows humbly before him, and Indra, delighted, inhales the fragrance of his matted head — cleansed through austerities. He blesses Yudhishthira, declares Arjuna invincible, and returns to heaven.

Arjuna, recovered from his wounds, tells Yudhishthira how Indra declared him invincible and gave him divine armor, a golden garland, the conch Devadatta, and a celestial diadem. After five years in heaven, he returned to find his brothers on Mount Gandhamadana. Yudhishthira rejoices and asks to see the weapons Arjuna used against the Nivatakavachas.

The gandharvas have captured Duryodhana and his brothers in battle. When Yudhishthira hears the gandharva Chitrasena's account, he does not gloat — he orders their release, and gives Duryodhana a piece of advice that cuts deeper than any insult.

Yudhishthira sits in the forest, weighed down by exile and loss, when the ancient sage Markandeya finds him. Instead of empty comfort, Markandeya offers a series of comparisons — Rama’s endurance in the wilderness, Indra’s victories won through allies, and the Pandavas’ own recent rescue of Draupadi from Jayadratha — to argue that Yudhishthira has no reason to despair.

Yudhishthira is weighed down by the calamity that has befallen him. Dhoumya, his priest, speaks to him — not with empty consolation, but with a catalogue of gods who once hid in the most unlikely places: Indra in a hermitage, Vishnu in a womb, Agni in water. If the great-souled ones concealed themselves to conquer their enemies, Dhoumya asks, why should a king not do the same?

Dhritarashtra asks Vidura to speak words about dharma and supreme welfare. Vidura delivers an extensive discourse on the marks of the learned and the stupid, enumerating vices and virtues, and recounts an ancient history about the asura Indra instructing Sudhanva for his son's welfare. He concludes by reminding Dhritarashtra that the Pandavas are waiting for his instructions and that returning their kingdom will bring him happiness and divine approval.

Tormented and sleepless, King Dhritarashtra asks Vidura for counsel on the right course for Yudhishthira and the Kurus. Vidura responds with a sweeping discourse on dharma, self-control, and the dangers of greed — warning that Dhritarashtra's sons are blinded by enmity while Yudhishthira, bearing all marks of virtue, is fit to rule.