Summary
Summary of A Prose English Translation of Harivamsha
A Prose English Translation of Harivamsha at a glance
Summary: 7 min to read
- Reading time
- About 19 h 15 min15 h 15 min fast, 22 h 55 min slow
- Length
- 274,700 words
- Library level
- Challenging long sentences, a rich vocabulary
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
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Key ideas
Key idea 1
A family story begins with creation
King Janamejaya has heard the whole Mahabharata, but he still wants to know more. He asks the sage Vaishampayana for the story of the Vrishni and Andhaka families. The answer reaches far beyond a single royal household: it begins with creation and follows the ages and royal houses toward Krishna.
This is the starting point of the Harivamsha, the traditional sequel to the Mahabharata. Krishna's life belongs within a larger story of the world and the families that give it shape.
Key idea 2
Gods and demons share a family
Daksha wants to fill the world with living creatures, but his first attempts do not succeed.
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Key idea 3
Kingship begins with feeding the people
After Vena forbids sacrifice and declares himself the only god, the sages bring forth Prithu from his body.
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Key idea 4
Human history moves within cosmic cycles
Janamejaya asks about the world's ages, and Vaishampayana places human lives within a repeating order.
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Key idea 5
Desire grows when it is fed
The lunar family carries curses and bargains from one generation to the next.
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Key idea 6
Vishnu answers the earth's burden
Why should Vishnu leave heaven to enter the Yadu family?
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Key idea 7
Krishna protects the cowherd village
Born in secret under the threat of Kansa, Krishna grows up among cowherds with Balarama, raised by Nanda and Yashoda.
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Key idea 8
Protection can mean choosing to leave
Jarasandha repeatedly attacks Mathura with huge armies, and the Yadavas cannot put an end to him.
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Key idea 9
Divine power carries a protective duty
The question of Krishna's family draws together creation, royal ancestry, curses, and divine births.
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Go deeper: the whole of A Prose English Translation of Harivamsha
About 19 h 50 min to read.Start freeWho it’s for
Readers who love myth and sacred storytelling, chronicles of kings and sages, tales of gods and demons at war, and above all the life of Krishna.
What this book is
What does a king do when he has heard the whole Mahabharata and still wants more? King Janamejaya tells the sage Vaishampayana that he is not yet satisfied. He asks for the story of the Vrishni and Andhaka families.
The Harivamsha is the traditional sequel to the Mahabharata, and tradition gives it to the sage Vyasa. Manmatha Nath Dutt translates it into English prose. Vaishampayana answers in order, from creation through the ages of time and the royal houses to the life of Krishna. You get the cosmic setting, the family trees that matter, and the great episodes of Krishna's life.
In this summary
- 1A family story begins with creationFree
- 2Gods and demons share a family
- 3Kingship begins with feeding the people
- 4Human history moves within cosmic cycles
- 5Desire grows when it is fed
- 6Vishnu answers the earth's burden
- 7Krishna protects the cowherd village
- 8Protection can mean choosing to leave
- 9Divine power carries a protective duty
Creation begins with waters and a golden egg
Vaishampayana says the universe arose from an unseen first cause, which the text calls Pradhana Purusha. From it come mind, then the sense of self, then the elements. Creation turns steadily, like a wheel.
Then the scene becomes concrete. The self-born Brahma makes the waters and places a seed in them. Because the god rests upon the waters, called Nara, he is called Narayana. The seed becomes a golden egg, and Brahma comes forth from it. He splits the egg, and one half becomes heaven and the other earth. From his mind come seven sons, and from his anger comes Rudra. Then the age of the Manus begins.
The opening treats the making of the world as the first chapter of family history. Gods, sages, and kings all hang on one ordered tree.
In this telling, the story of a clan begins with the story of the world.
That’s 1 of 9 key points.
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Check yourself
What does Prithu's story show about a king's first duty?
Right. “A king's first duty is to make the earth give life to his people.”Not quite. “A king's first duty is to make the earth give life to his people.”
What does Yayati learn from his years of pleasure?
Right. “After years of pleasure, Yayati takes his old age back and sings that desire is never filled by feeding it.”Not quite. “After years of pleasure, Yayati takes his old age back and sings that desire is never filled by feeding it.”
Why does Vishnu enter the world in human form?
Right. “When virtue declines, God enters the world in human form.”Not quite. “When virtue declines, God enters the world in human form.”
Go deeper: the whole of A Prose English Translation of Harivamsha
About 19 h 50 min to read.Start freePaperback, hardcover and large print, printed for you at cost, are on their way.Email me when it is printed
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 274,700 words
- Reading timeAbout 19 h 15 min
Questions about A Prose English Translation of Harivamsha
What is the Harivamsha about?
It is the traditional sequel to the Mahabharata. It tells of creation, the ages of the world, the royal lines, and above all the life of Krishna and his Yadava family, from Vraja to Dwaraka.
Who is Vaishampayana in the Harivamsha?
Vaishampayana is the sage who tells the story, a disciple of Vyasa. King Janamejaya asks the questions, and Vaishampayana answers them in order, so the whole book is a long conversation.
What does Harivamsha mean?
The title means the lineage of Hari, a name of Vishnu and of Krishna. It points to the family of the Yadavas, in which Vishnu is born as Krishna.
Is the Harivamsha part of the Mahabharata?
Tradition treats it as a supplement, a khila, to the Mahabharata, and it ascribes it to the same author, Vyasa. It expands the history of Krishna's clan, whose heroes and deeds the epic already describes.
Is the Harivamsha easy to follow?
Chapters present episodes, teachings, and speeches within a larger framework of questions and answers. Famous scenes such as Govardhana, Kansa's death, and the Parijata tree stand out as vivid stories you can enjoy one at a time.
Cite this edition
Dutt, Manmatha Nath. A Prose English Translation of Harivamsha. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/a-prose-english-translation-of-harivamsha.
Dutt, M. N. (2026). A prose English translation of Harivamsha. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/a-prose-english-translation-of-harivamsha
Dutt, Manmatha Nath. A Prose English Translation of Harivamsha. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/a-prose-english-translation-of-harivamsha.
@book{dutt2026prose,
author = {Dutt, Manmatha Nath},
title = {A Prose English Translation of Harivamsha},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/a-prose-english-translation-of-harivamsha}
}
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