This book challenges two prevalent assumptions about the
Mahābhārata that its narrative is inherently incapable of achieving a conclusion and that its ending, the
Svargārohaṇa parva, is an extraneous part of the text. While the exegetic traditions have largely tended to suppress, ignore, or overlook the importance of this final section, Shalom argues that the moment of the condemnation of
dharma that occurs in the
Svargārohaṇa parva, expressed by the epic protagonist, Yudhiṣṭhira, against his father, Dharma, is of crucial importance. It sheds light on the incessant preoccupation and intrinsic dismay towards the concept of
dharma (the cardinal theme around which the epic revolves) expressed by
Mahābhārata narrators throughout the epic, and is thus highly significant for understanding the
Mahābhārata narrative as a whole.