Book excerpt: The Mahabharata is one of the most important and influential epics of ancient India, and the Virata Parva is where the story begins to take shape. In this book, readers will find a thrilling tale of politics, loyalty, and war as the Pandavas hide in the kingdom of Virata. This translation by Kisari Mohan Ganguli captures the beauty and depth of the original text, making it accessible to modern readers. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.