Vana-parva, the third book of the Mahabharata—traditionally ascribed to Vyasa and compiled over centuries in the early first millennium BCE—chronicles the Pandavas’ years of exile in the forest. A rich tapestry of adventure, dialogue and embedded tales (notably Nala–Damayanti, Savitri, Markandeya’s discourses and the Yaksha questions), it blends narrative with moral and spiritual instruction. Key themes are dharma under trial, renunciation versus duty, endurance, love and divine justice, framed by vivid forest life. Today Vana-parva remains resonant: it offers timeless counsel on ethical leadership, resilience in hardship, the balance between worldly duty and inner renunciation, and a poetic reverence for nature.