the shores of the Salt Sea with the Eraka grass which (in their hands)
became (invested with the fatal attributes of the) thunder. In this, both
Balarama and Kesava (Krishna) after causing the extermination of their
race, their hour having come, themselves did not rise superior to the
sway of all-destroying Time. In this, Arjuna the foremost among men,
going to Dwaravati (Dwaraka) and seeing the city destitute of the
Vrishnis was much affected and became exceedingly sorry. Then after the
funeral of his maternal uncle Vasudeva the foremost among the Yadus
(Vrishnis), he saw the heroes of the Yadu race lying stretched in death
on the spot where they had been drinking. He then caused the cremation of
the bodies of the illustrious Krishna and Balarama and of the principal
members of the Vrishni race. Then as he was journeying from Dwaraka with
the women and children, the old and the decrepit--the remnants of the
Yadu race--he was met on the way by a heavy calamity. He witnessed also
the disgrace of his bow Gandiva and the unpropitiousness of his celestial
weapons. Seeing all this, Arjuna became despondent and, pursuant to
Vyasa's advice, went to Yudhishthira and solicited permission to adopt
the Sannyasa mode of life. This is the sixteenth Parva called Maushala
The number of sections is eight and the number of slokas composed by
Vyasa cognisant of truth is three hundred and twenty.

"The next is Mahaprasthanika, the seventeenth Parva.

"In this, those foremost among men the Pandavas abdicating their kingdom
went with Draupadi on their great journey called Mahaprasthana. In this,
they came across Agni, having arrived on the shore of the sea of red
waters. In this, asked by Agni himself, Arjuna worshipped him duly,
returned to him the excellent celestial bow called Gandiva. In this,
leaving his brothers who dropped one after another and Draupadi also,
Yudhishthira went on his journey without once looking back on them. This