New Delhi, Oct. 5 -- Most people believe that the Mahabharata concludes with the defeat of the Kauravas in the Kurukshetra war and the coronation of Yudhishtira as the righteous Pandava ruler of Indraprastha and Hastinapura. The story, however, does not finish at that point.

It ends with the destruction of the Yadus, the submergence of Dwaraka, the death of Krishna, the end of the Pandavas and the beginning of the present Kali Yuga. The latter events take place a mere 36 years after the end of the great 18-day war, close enough to be seen as part of the same conflict.

The post-Kurukshetra portion has some surprising and counter-intuitive denouements. The Yadus, who had emerged as a great power after the Kurukshetra war, kill each other ...