Misplaced Pages

#855144

95-573: Draupadi, the wife of the Pandavas when she was disguised as a Sairandhri (female servant) in King Virata's palace for one year. Kichaka once saw Malini and madly desired to enjoy her beauty, but she refused. Kichaka mentioned his lust for Malini to Queen Sudeshna and requested to send her to serve wine for him. While Sairandhri was serving the wine, Kichaka meets Sairandhri and tried to embrace her. Sairandhri cried and pushed him down. Draupadi, alias Malini,

190-508: A 13th year to be spent incognito, and if the cover is blown during the 13th year, another cycle of 13 years would ensue. Obeying their uncle's orders, the Pandavas played the round and again lost to Shakuni's cheating. However, this time, their patience had been nearly pushed to its edge. During the 12 years of exile in the forest, they prepared for war. Arjuna performed penance and won the entire gamut of celestial weapons (Divyastras) as boons from

285-483: A bet and lost again. Duryodhana now played another trick and told Yudhishthira that he still had his wife Draupadi to place as a bet and if Yudhishthira won, he would return everything to the Pandavas. Yudhishthira fell for the ruse and bet Draupadi, losing her too. At this point, Duryodhana ordered that Draupadi, who was now a slave to him, be brought to the court. None of the Pandavas fought for their wife's honour. Duryodhana's younger brother Dushasana dragged Draupadi to

380-408: A fierce duel where Yudhishthira was ultimately defeated by Drona. Yudhishthira would later assist his nephew Ghatotkacha in slaying the asura Alambusha. Yudhishthira would later defeat Duryodhana twice and the latter had to be rescued by Drona. Drona and Yudhishthira would engage in an archery duel which would end up as a stalemate. Yudhishthira would later be defeated by Kritavarma . On

475-546: A grave turn when Dhritarashtra had to relent to the will of the masses and rightfully appointed his nephew Yudhishthira as crown prince. This went against the personal ambitions of both father and son (Dhritarashtra and Duryodhana) and drove Duryodhana into such a rage that he enthusiastically agreed to an evil ploy by Shakuni to murder Yudhishthira. Shakuni commissioned the construction of a palace in Varnavart, secretly built by incorporating flammable materials like oil, ghee etc. into

570-498: A horse was released to wander for a year, and Yudhishthira's brother Arjuna led the Pandava army, following the horse. The kings of all the countries where the horse wandered were asked to submit to Yudhishthira's rule or face war. All paid tribute, once again establishing Yudhishthira as the undisputed Emperor of Bharatavarsha. During his reign, Yudhisthira duly consulted with and reported to Dhritarashtra on governances. After 15 years,

665-431: A palace made of wax called Lakshagriha . One night, Shakuni's man, Purochana , set it on fire. However, the princes and their mother survived. They were heartbroken and decided to hide from Hastinapura. Later, Arjuna attended Draupadi's swayamvar and won her hand in marriage. But due to Kunti's misunderstanding, Draupadi became the common wife of all the Pandavas. Later at Indraprastha , Draupadi bore Yudhishthira

760-639: A physical form. Upon his arrival, Yudhishthira finds Duryodhana and his Kaurava cousins in heaven but not his brothers and Draupadi. Furious, Yudhishthira demands that Narada take him to where he might find his family. Narada brings Yudhishthira to Hell where he encounters Karna, his brothers, Draupadi, Dhrishtadyumna, and the Upapandavas. Yudhishthira, enraged, decides that he would rather live in Hell with his family than in Heaven with his cousins. Indra then appears and lifts

855-598: A raised chair near Krishna's head and Arjuna sat near Krishna's feet closing his hands. When Krishna woke up, he saw Arjuna first and asked him about the purpose of his visit. Then he found Duryodhana sitting next to him, and asked him the same question. Krishna was then told that war was going to be held and Arjuna and Duryodhana had come to him seeking his military help. To this Krishna replied that he had seen Arjuna first and so he would give him priority, and asked what he needed. He gave Arjuna two options – either his army of 100,000 soldiers or Krishna himself who shall not fight in

950-435: A report that his nemesis went into hiding in a nearby swamp. The Pandavas brothers and Krishna thus went to the swamp, and taunted Duryodhana off his refuge. Yudhishthira proposed a final challenge to Duryodhana, to a battle against any of the Pandavas under any weapon of Duryodhana's desire. Yudhishthira also promised Duryodhana that should he win, he would reign as the next King of Hastinapura. With Duryodhana choosing Bhima,

1045-501: A slave girl has no rights. The elders and warriors in the audience were shocked but did not intervene. As Dushasana began to disrobe her, she prayed to Krishna to protect her honour. Krishna, using his divine powers, protected her by providing her garments with an unending length. Dushasana, shocked and tired, gave up on disrobing Draupadi. Finally, as the blind king Dhritarashtra realized that this humiliation could prompt Draupadi to curse his sons, he intervened, apologizing to Draupadi for

SECTION 10

#1732868945856

1140-459: A snake due to the curse of the sages, Bhrigu and Agastya . Nahusha used his own story to warn Yudhishthira about the consequences of being arrogant. Agastya and Bhrigu had prophesized that Yudhishthira would rescue Nahusha from his curse. After conversing with Yudhishthira, Nahusha regained his original form and returned to Svarga. The ever-youthful sage, Markandeya , once visited Yudhishthira. He narrated many stories to Yudhishthira, including

1235-433: A son, Prativindhya and a daughter, Suthanu. Suthanu was later married to Asvabhanu, Krishna and Satyabhama's eldest son. Although Yudhishthira had another wife named Devika , Draupadi was his chief consort as well as the empress. Yudhishthira was married to Devika in a self-choice marriage ceremony, arranged by her father Govasena, who was the king of Sivi Kingdom . They had a son, Yaudheya. According to Puranas, Yaudheya

1330-437: A son: When Dhritarashtra heard that the five brothers were alive, he invited them back to the kingdom. However, in their absence, Duryodhana had succeeded in being made the crown prince. Upon the return of the Pandavas, the issue of returning Yudhishthira's crown to him was raised. Dhritarashtra led the subsequent discussions into ambiguity and agreed to a partition of the kingdom "to do justice to both crown princes". He retained

1425-453: A truthful, knowledgeable and justice knowing son who can rule Hastinapur. On the full moon of May (Sanskrit: Jyeshth masa) first and the eldest of the Pandavas, Yudhishthira was born. Yudhishthira's four younger brothers were Bhima (born by invoking Vayu ); Arjuna (born by invoking Indra ); and the twins Nakula and Sahadeva (born by invoking Aśvins ). Yudhishthira was trained in religion, science, administration and military arts by

1520-494: Is a group name referring to the five legendary brothers, Yudhishtira , Bhima , Arjuna , Nakula and Sahadeva , who are central figures of the Hindu epic Mahabharata . They are acknowledged as the sons of Pandu , the King of Kuru , but were fathered by different Devas (gods) due to Pandu's cursed inability to naturally conceive children. In the epic, the Pandavas married Draupadi ,

1615-503: Is derived from Pandu ( Sanskrit : पाण्डु , IAST : Pāṇḍu ) and means "descendants of Pandu". Other epithets given to the Pandavas are: The Pandava brothers had a group marriage to Draupadi . In the Section 268 of Vana Parva of the epic, Draupadi describes the Pandavas to Jayadratha after he abducted her forcefully and the Pandavas pursuit them. According to the Adi Parva of

1710-430: Is often cited as an example of Yudhishthira's upright principles. The Yaksha later identified himself as Yudhishthira's father, Dharma, and pointed them to the kingdom of Matsya to spend their last year of exile in anoymity. Along with his brothers, Yudhishthira spent his last year of exile in the kingdom of Matsya. He disguised himself as a Brahmin named Kanka (among themselves Pandavas codenamed him Jaya) and advised

1805-461: The Mahabharata through singing, dancing and recitation. In the performance, the actors spontaneously break into a dance when, it is believed, they become "possessed" by the spirits of their characters. Yudhishtira Traditional Yudhishthira ( Sanskrit : युधिष्ठिर, IAST : Yudhiṣṭhira ) also known as Dharmaraja , was the king of Indraprastha and later the King of Kuru Kingdom in

1900-479: The Rajasuya yagna. Arjuna , Bhima , Nakula , and Sahadeva led armies across the four corners of the world to obtain tributes from all kingdoms for Yudhishthira's sacrifice. The non-compliant Magadha king, Jarasandha was defeated by Bhima and Krishna. At his sacrifice, Yudhishthira chose Krishna as his honored guest. At the yajna, many kings were present there, including Duryodhana and Shishupala . Shishupala

1995-409: The 15th day, Yudhishthira was approached by Drona , in the latter' inquiry on the death of his son Ashwatthama whom he heard to have died at Bhima's hand. Torn between his duty to cripple Drona and upholding his morals, Yudhishthira opted to half truth where he confirmed the death of Ashwatthama the elephant, but omitted the contextual part that it was an elephant and not his son. This was effective in

SECTION 20

#1732868945856

2090-529: The Gods. They spent the 13th year in Agyaata Vaasa masquerading as peasants in the service of the royal family of Virata , the king of Matsya . Upon completion of the terms of the last bet, the Pandavas returned and demanded that their kingdom be rightfully returned to them. Duryodhana refused to yield Indraprastha. For the sake of peace and to avert a disastrous war, Krishna proposed that if Hastinapura agrees to give

2185-611: The Kuru Kingdom for 36 years until announcing his retirement. At the end of the epic, he was the only one among his brothers to ascend to heaven while retaining his mortal body. The word Yudhiṣṭhira is an aluk compound (meaning it preserves the case ending of its first part). It means "one who is steady in battle". It is composed of the words, yudhi (masculine locative singular) meaning "in battle"—from yudh (युध्) meaning 'battle, fighting'—and sthira (स्थिर) meaning 'steady'. His other names are: According to Buddhist sources, by

2280-557: The Kuru preceptors, Kripa and Drona . Specifically, he became a master in using the spear and war chariot. It is said that his spear was so strong that it could penetrate a stone wall as though it were a piece of paper. His chariot always flew at a 4 finger distance above the ground due to his piety. After Yudhishthira and his brothers completed their studies, they returned to Hastinapur . Duryodhana along with Shakuni planned to kill them and sent Yudhishthira, his siblings, and his mother to

2375-417: The Pandavas only five villages named Indraprastha ( Delhi ), Swarnprastha ( Sonipat ), Panprastha ( Panipat ), Vyaghrprastha ( Baghpat ) and Tilprastha ( Tilpat ) if these five villages given they would be satisfied and would make no more demands. Duryodhana vehemently refused, commenting that he would not part even with land as much as the point of a needle. Thus the stage was set for the great war, for which

2470-493: The Pandavas were: A few years later after the birth of the Pandavas, Pandu died after trying to have a union with Madri and the latter immolated herself out of remorse. Kunti brought the Pandavas back to Hastinapura , the capital of Kuru, and they were raised together with their cousins, the Kauravas , who were the hundred sons of Dhritrashtra. The Pandavas were guided and taught by Bheeshma , Vidura and Kripa . Duryodhana ,

2565-576: The Pandavas would hand the kingdom to the Kauravas and go into exile for 13 years. After this time the Kauravas refused to return the kingdom. As a result, the Pandavas waged a civil war against their extended family, and this conflict was known as the Kurukshetra War . With the help of the god Krishna , the Pandavas eventually won the war with the death of the Kauravas, albeit at great cost. The word Pandava ( Sanskrit : पाण्डवा , IAST : Pāṇḍavā )

2660-547: The Pandavas' success and prosperity. Eventually Shakuni sired yet another plot and got Duryodhana to invite the Pandavas over to his court for a game of dice (gambling). Shakuni was a master at gambling and owned a pair of dice which magically did his bidding. Owing to this, bet after bet, Yudhishthira lost all of his wealth, and eventually his kingdom, in the game. He was then enticed by Duryodhana and Shakuni to place his brothers as bets. Yudhishthira fell for it and put his brothers at stake, losing them too. He then placed himself as

2755-454: The Pandavas, accompanied by a dog, made their final journey of pilgrimage to the Himalayas . During their pilgrimage, each one starting with Draupadi, fell down dead upon the mountains. Yudhishthira cites Draupadi's partiality for Arjuna, Sahadeva's pride in his wisdom, Nakula's vanity in his beauty, Arjuna's boastfulness of his archery, and Bhima's negligence of the needs of others while eating as

2850-512: The battlefield to search for him, only to find him taking refuge in camp. Furious at Arjuna for not killing Karna yet, Yudhishthira insults him by suggesting Arjuna should hand over the Gandiva to another warrior if he does not think he is able to slay Karna. Arjuna, enraged from Yudhishthira's insult, attempted to kill him with his sword but was stopped from doing so due to Krishna's intervention. Filled with regret, Arjuna attempted to commit suicide but

2945-445: The battlefield, the brothers proved valiance, defending King Virata before finally defeating King Susharma. While Yudhishthira and King Virata were away battling Susharma, the city was marched upon by the host from Hastinapur. Prince Uttar and Brihannala ( Arjuna ), who were left in defense of the city, rallied to defend the kingdom, where Arjuna revealed his identity and fended off the invasion. When King Virata returned from his battle,

Kichaka - Misplaced Pages Continue

3040-510: The battlefield. This earned them so much merit and credit that it wiped out all their debts. Yudhisthira demanded to know where his brothers and his wife were. He was then taken to hell. Yama explained that they were experiencing the reactions of their actions but it was temporary. Once the debt had been repaid, they would join them in Swarga. Yudhisthira loyally met his brothers, but the sight and sound of gore and blood horrified him. Though initially he

3135-401: The behaviour of his sons, and turned the winnings of the dice game back over to the Pandava brothers, releasing them from the bondage of slavery. Incensed at the loss of all that he had won, Duryodhana threatened suicide and coerced his father into inviting the Pandavas for one last round of gambling, the terms of which were that the loser would be condemned to 12 years of exile into forests and

3230-473: The characteristics of the Yugas, the story of King Shibi , and the story of Savitri and Satyavan . He also narrated the story of Rama to Yudhishthira, and discoursed on spiritual philosophy. During their exile, the four other Pandavas happened upon a lake, which was haunted by a Yaksha . The Yaksha challenged the brothers to answer his moral questions before drinking the water; the four Pandavas laughed and drank

3325-510: The condition was violated, the brother, who entered the room, had to go on a pilgrimage for 12 years. Arjuna was the only one to violate this condition. Each Pandava had a son with Draupadi and they were collectively referred to as Upapandavas ; their names were Prativindhya (fathered by Yudhishthira), Sutasoma (fathered by Bhima), Shrutakarma (fathered by Arjuna), Shatanika (fathered by Nakula), and Shrutasena (fathered by Sahadeva). Besides Draupadi, each Pandava had their own wife with whom they

3420-400: The dark he couldn't recognize him. As Kichaka advanced forward, however, the person who he thought to be Malini revealed himself as Bhima and a fight occurs in which he brutally kills Kichaka with his bare hands, leaving the corpse almost unrecognizable. Malini then alarmed the keepers to behold lifeless Kichaka, slain by her husband's Gandharva. Kichakas relatives addressed the King, 'Since it

3515-515: The deep waterfall, had washed his blood filled hands in the water flowing through the creek. And because of this, the place had derived its name as 'Kichakdhara' and with the passing of time, it became as present days 'Chikhaldara'. Also, some proof was also found of the same in a location near Virata Nagar near Alwar in Rajasthan State where Pandavas lived during Agyatwas. Pandava The Pandavas ( Sanskrit : पाण्डव, IAST : Pāṇḍava)

3610-430: The developed Hastinapura for himself and Duryodhana and gave the barren, arid and hostile lands of Khandavaprastha to the Pandavas. The Pandavas successfully developed their land and built a great and lavish city, which was considered comparable to the heavens, and thus came to be known as Indraprastha . Reeling under the loss of half the lands of his future kingdom, Duryodhana's jealousy and rage were further fuelled by

3705-642: The east of Matsya-proper. Also in the Amravati District situated in the State of Maharashtra , there is a place named Chikhaldara. It is somewhat like a Hill Station to the nearby region because of its exotic scenery and significant altitude. There one finds a waterfall and adjacent to it aboard is installed (probably by the Maharashtra Tourism Development Board) which says that Bhima had killed Kichaka at that spot and upon throwing his body in

3800-400: The eldest Pandava, Yudhisthira , reached the door of Svarga Loka (heaven), carried on Indra's chariot. On reaching Heaven, he did not find either his virtuous brothers or his wife Draupadi. Instead, he finds Karna sitting on a divine throne. He wanted an explanation from Yama, the lord of death. Yama explained that the Kauravas had been allowed into heaven because they died as warriors on

3895-469: The eldest of the Kauravas, refused to accept the Pandavas as his cousins. This usually led to much tension between the cousins. Insecure and jealous, Duryodhana harbored an intense hatred for the five brothers throughout his childhood and youth and following the advice of his maternal uncle Shakuni , often plotted to get rid of them to clear his path to the lordship of the Kuru Dynasty . This plotting took

Kichaka - Misplaced Pages Continue

3990-569: The empress of the Indraprastha. After Yudhishthira performed the Rajasuya Yagna , he was invited to play a game of dice by his jealous cousin, Duryodhana and his uncle, Shakuni . Shakuni, a master at the game, represented Duryodhana against Yudhishthira and manipulated him into gambling his kingdom, wealth, the freedom of his brothers, Draupadi, and even himself. After the game, the Pandavas and Draupadi were sent into exile for thirteen years, with

4085-469: The epic Mahabharata . He is the eldest among the five Pandavas , and is also one of the central characters of the epic. Yudhishthira was the son of Kunti , the first wife of King Pandu , fathered by the god Yama due to Pandu's inability to have children. Yudhishthira held a belief in dharma (morals and virtues) and was chosen to be the crown prince of Kuru. But after the Lakshagriha incident, he

4180-494: The epic of Mahabharata is known most of all. Krishna, being a well-wisher of the Pandavas, helped them in various ways during the time of their ordeals. When the Kurukshetra war was going to be held, both Arjuna on behalf of the Pandavas, and Duryodhana on behalf of the Kauravas, went to Krishna to seek help. Duryodhana reached first and Arjuna was just behind him. They entered Krishna's room and found him sleeping. Duryodhana sat on

4275-543: The epic, Pandu was crowned as the king of the Kuru Kingdom despite being younger than his elder brother Dhritrashtra , who was denied the throne for being blind. He married Kunti , a princess of the Yadu clan, and Madri , the princess of Madra Kingdom. Once he was hunting in a forest when he shot a copulating pair of deer. However, they turn out to be a sage named Kindama and his wife, who had used their divine powers to take

4370-455: The event of Lakshagriha, people thought that he was dead, and Duryodhana was made the new crown prince of Hastinapura. On Bhishma 's advice, Dhritarashtra gave half of the kingdom to Pandavas to rule. However the land was under the control of Takshaka . Pandavas defeated Takshaka and with the help of Mayasura , they built a magnificent city named Indraprastha . Some years after his coronation at Indraprastha, Yudhishthira set out to perform

4465-527: The five brothers survived. After having won the war, Yudhishthira was crowned the king. At the end of the war, only 10 survived the war on both sides, namely Ashwatthama, Kripacharya and Kritverma on the Kaurava side and the five Pandavas, Krishna and Saatyakee on the Pandava side. The Pandavas ruled Hastinapura for 36 years and established a righteous kingdom. Shortly after Krishna left the Earth, they all decided that

4560-410: The five of them. Even when uttered erroneously, their mother's word was supreme for the Pandavas, and they agreed to share the princess, who was subsequently married to all five brothers. To prevent jealousy among the brothers and identify the paternity of Draupadi's children, the Pandavas followed a condition in which one brother was given a year with her and others were forbidden to enter her chamber. If

4655-487: The form of the animals. Enraged, Kindama berated the king for having killed him before he had finished the act of mating and before dying, he cursed Pandu that he would die the moment he touched his wife intending to make love. After the event Pandu voluntarily renounced royal life as penance, leaving the Kingdom under Dhritarashtra. Kunti and Madri accompanied Pandu and together they lived in a forest. Before her marriage, Kunti

4750-536: The former king, his consort Gandhari , Queen Mother Kunti , and Prime Minister Vidura decided to retire to the forest, where they pass away years later. These events greatly saddened Yudhishthira and the Pandavas brothers. Upon the onset of the Kali Yuga and the departure of Krishna, Yudhishthira and his brothers retired, leaving the throne to their only descendant to survive the war of Kurukshetra, Arjuna's grandson, Parikshit . Giving up all their belongings and ties,

4845-553: The former purpose of crippling Drona, but also caused his own chariot to finally fall down to the ground, instead of slightly levitating as it had been before this incident. Yudhishthira was one of 5 individuals who witnessed Drona's spirit leaving his body. On the 17th day, he injured Duryodhana badly and was about to kill him but decided to spare him on Bhima's advice who reminded him of his vow to kill Duryodhana. Yudhishthira would be defeated by both Karna and Ashwatthama . Worried for Yudhishthira's safety, Arjuna retreats from

SECTION 50

#1732868945856

4940-487: The game of dice to the king. Following the death of Kichaka by Bhima, Matsya was invaded by King Susharma of Trigarta , in retaliation to the raidings his kingdom had suffered by Kichaka, and in cooperation with Duryodhana of Hastinapur. When Susharma's army closed the kingdom, Kanka volunteered to follow King Virata to face the invader, and took along his three brothers, Vallabha ( Bhima ), Granthika ( Nakula ), and Tantripala ( Sahadeva ), with him and while disguised. On

5035-442: The identities of all Pandavas were revealed, and Yudhishthira congratulated the marriage between Princess Uttarā and Abhimanyu , as Arjuna has suggested. When the period of exile was completed, Duryodhana refused to return Yudhishthira's kingdom. Yudhishthira made numerous diplomatic efforts to retrieve his kingdom peacefully but in vain. Left with no other option, Yudhishthira wages war. The flag of Yudhishthira's chariot bore

5130-514: The illusion, informing Yudhishthira of his deception. Indra reveals that Yudhishthira has been shown a glimpse of Hell due to deceiving Drona with his white lie. Yama congratulates his son on passing his third and final test, the first being the Yaksha Prashna, and the second being his refusal to abandon the dog. Yudhishthira would then bathe in the Heavenly Ganga, casting off his mortal form and

5225-496: The image of a golden moon with planets around it. Two large and beautiful kettle-drums, called Nanda and Upananda, were tied to it. Before the war started, Yudhishthira stepped down from his chariot to take blessings from his grandsire Bhishma , teachers Drona and Kripa and uncle Shalya , who all were in his opposite side in the war showing his respect towards his elders. He also asked the willing Kauravas to join his side. On his request one of Dhritarashtra sons, Yuyutsu joined

5320-618: The incarnation of previous Indra 's. After the Duration, the lifespan of Indra, is completed Krishna assures Pandavas of offering them Moksha for their Devotion and purity. Harivamsa Purana (8th century CE) narrates the Jain version of their story. In the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand , there has been a long tradition of villagers performing the Pandav Lila , a ritual re-enactment of episodes from

5415-458: The last year requiring them to go incognito. During his exile, Yudhisthira was tested by his divine father Yama. For the last year of the exile known as Agyaata Vaasa , Yudhishthira disguised himself as Kanka and served the King of Matsya Kingdom . Yudhishthira was the leader of the successful Pandava faction in the Kurukshetra War and defeated many venerable warriors such as Shalya . He then ruled

5510-510: The late and post-Vedic periods, Kuru had become a minor state ruled by a chieftain called Koravya and belonging to the Yuddhiṭṭhila ( Yudhiṣṭhira ) gotta . Once a Brahmin rishi, Kindama and his wife were enjoying nature in the forest when Yudhishthira's father Pandu accidentally shot at them, mistaking them for deer. Before dying, Kindama cursed the king to die when he engages in intercourse with any woman. Due to this curse, Pandu

5605-562: The latter would regain his kingdom fourteen years later. Sage Vyasa imparts the Pratismriti to Yudhishthira and tells him to pass it down to Arjuna. On Vyasa's advice, Yudhishthira permits Arjuna to perform penance in the Himalayas and obtain celestial weapons from the gods. During Arjuna's absence, Sage Brihadashva consoles Yudhishthira by narrating the story of Nala and Damayanti . Brihadashva advises Yudhishthira not give in to misery despite

5700-483: The number he wanted and Yudhisthira was allowed to bet whatever he had he was proud of and had right over. After losing his brothers and his empire, he bet himself and also his wife which lead to the Vastraharan. Later, he lost his kingdom in the game again and was forced into exile for 13 years, which included one year in anonymity. Some time after going to the forests, Yudhishthira became troubled upon realising that he

5795-446: The other Pandavas brothers, Krishna and Balarama witnessed the mace duel between the mace fighters. When Bhima finally defeated Duryodhana and started insulting his nemesis, Yudhishthira became sufficiently displeased with his brother's disrespect and ordered Bhima off the battleground. Ultimately, Yudhishthira heard out Duryodhana's final conversation and lamentation, before leaving the fallen Kauravas' overlord on his deathbed. After he

SECTION 60

#1732868945856

5890-477: The palace in the fastest way possible (through a wrong egress, as he knew a shortcut), scaling a wall via a tree. Bhima reaching the funeral pyre, uprooted a large tree and rushed towards those Sutas. And beholding him approaching them, they set Draupadi free and ran towards the city. Meanwhile, he despatched, by means of that tree, hundred and five of them unto the abode of Yama. The citizens of that city inform King Virata. Virata filled with fear, welcomes Draupadi. At

5985-435: The princess of Panchala Kingdom who was prophesied to bring the end of the Kauravas. The Adi Parva narrates that after their flight from the palace, the five brothers lived in the forests for some time disguised as Brahmins. They heard from a group of travelling sages about a contest ( Svayamvara ) being held in the Kingdom of Panchala that offered Draupadi's hand in marriage to the winner. The Svayamvara turned out to rely on

6080-457: The princess of Panchala , and founded the city of Indraprastha after the Kuru Kingdom was split to avoid succession disputes. After the split, the other part of the kingdom was ruled by their cousins, the Kauravas. However, the Pandavas lost their kingdom to Duryodhana (eldest and king of the Kauravas) when Yudhishtira gambled it away during a game of dice. The bet Yudhishtira agreed to was that

6175-467: The public insult, Draupadi consulted Yudhishthira's brother, Bhima, at night, who was disguised as the palace cook. Together, they hatched a plan wherein Draupadi, who would again be disguised as Malini, would pretend to seduce Kichaka in order to arrange a rendezvous in the dance hall after dark. When Kichaka arrived in the dance hall, he saw, much to his pleasure, whom he thought to be a sleeping Malini, as in

6270-465: The reasons for their fall. Finally, it was Yudhishthira who was able to reach the top, with the dog accompanying him. On reaching the top, Indra congratulates him and promises Yudhishthira immortality and godhood upon his ascent to Heaven. However, Indra asks him to abandon the dog before entering Heaven. But Yudhishthira refused to do so, citing the dog's unflinching devotion as a reason. Indra retorts that he has abandoned his brothers and wife to reach

6365-455: The royal court, pulling her by her hair, insulting her dignity and asserting that she, like the Pandava brothers, was now their servant. This caused immense anguish to all the great warriors seated in the court, but each of them, namely, Bheeshma (grandsire of the clan), Dronacharya (teacher/ guru of Kauravas and Pandavas) and Kripacharya except Vidura remained silent. Duryodhana then ordered Dushasana to disrobe Draupadi before everyone, as

6460-502: The royal families visited Bhishma , who had been lying on the bed of arrows since his defeat. Bhishma bestowed the new king with Anushasana , teaching the new king in series of dharma and royal conducts, before the elder guardian surrendered his life by his own will. Yudhishthira then cremated the former protector of Hastinapur in a great ceremony. Later, he performed the Ashvamedha on Krishna and Vyasa 's insistence. In this sacrifice,

6555-399: The skills of archery , and Arjuna, who was a peerless archer, entered the competition and won. When the brothers took Draupadi to introduce her to their mother, they jokingly announced to Kunti that they had arrived with excellent alms. Kunti was busy with some work and replied without turning to look at Draupadi (who the alms referred to) ordering the brothers to share the alms equally amongst

6650-462: The snake introduces itself to be the ancient King Nahusha , the father of Yayati , and the legendary ancestor of the Pandavas. Nahusha posed questions on spirituality to Yudhishthira and was satisfied with his answers. In turn, he also clarified Yudhishthira's doubts on some spiritual topics. Nahusha then narrated his story to Yudhishthira, on how he used to rule Svarga in the days of yore, how he became intoxicated with hubris, and how he turned into

6745-510: The structure, most notably the lacquer known as lac . This palace was known as Lakshagraha . Duryodhana then successfully lobbied Dhritarashtra to send Yudhishthira to represent the royal household in Varnavarta during the celebrations of Shiva Mahotsava. The plan was to set the palace on fire during the night while Yudhishthira would likely be asleep. Yudhishthira left for Varnavrata, accompanied by his four brothers and their mother Kunti. The plan

6840-413: The terrible feat of the slaughter of Kichaka, King Duryodhana spies after searching informed him about Virata's kingdom. Some believe that the village named Ekachakra , or Kaiwara where the Pandavas finally settled after the escape from the murder-attempt, belonged to the kingdom of Kichaka. It is mentioned that the city named Vetrakiya (a city on the banks of river Vetravati, the modern-day river Betwa )

6935-463: The time had come for them to renounce the world, as the age of Kali Yuga had started. So the five Pandavas and Draupadi left to the path of liberation. For this purpose, they all climbed Mount Kailash , which leads to the Swarga Loka . On their way, all except Yudhisthira slipped and died one by one. Yudhisthira was accompanied by a dog who was none other than God Yama himself. The first to die

7030-409: The top of the Himalayas, but Yudhishthira said he could not prevent their deaths, but to abandon a poor creature was a great sin. It turns out that the dog was his father Yama in disguise. Yama congratulates his son and commends him on his unwavering principles. Yudhishthira proceeds to Heaven upon a celestial vehicle with Narada as his guide, who informs him that he is the first mortal to enter Heaven in

7125-487: The war on the side of Pandavas. Yudhishthira was described to be an excellent car-warrior and a master at spear-fighting. Yudhishthira defeated many warriors in the war, like Duryodhana. Yudhishthira’s spear originally belonged to Ishana which he would use to kill Shalya during the war. On the 14th day of the war, while Arjuna was busy searching for Jayadratha , Drona attempted to capture Yudhishthira but Arjuna would foil Drona's plans. Yudhishthira and Drona engaged in

7220-459: The war. To this Arjuna immediately opted for Krishna for his help and thus Duryodhana was given Krishna's army. Duryodhana was very satisfied to have received a huge army. The war was intense and lasted 18 days, over the course of which both parties worked around, bent and even broke rules of warfare. In the end, all 100 Kaurava brothers and their entire army was slain, with only three surviving on their side. The Pandavas too lost several allies but

7315-539: The water anyway. As a result, they choked on the water and died. Yudhishthira went in last, answered many questions put forth to him by the Yaksha. After the Yaksha was satisfied with the answers, he offered Yudhishthira the choice to bring back one of his brother, and Yudhishthira chose Nakula. When the Yaksha questioned him on his reasoning, Yudhishthira replied that he is still alive as Kunti's lineage, but there are no one alive as Madri 's lineage, so he chose Nakula. The Yaksha

7410-399: The wretched conditions he lives in. At the end of the story, Yudhishthira received a mantra from the sage, which makes him a master of gambling. One day, while Bhima was roaming the forests, he was captured by a giant serpent, who suppressed the Pandava's might with his gaze. Meanwhile, a worried Yudhishthira searched for Bhima and found him at the mercy of the snake. To Yudhishthira's shock,

7505-483: Was Draupadi ; she was imperfect because she loved Arjuna more than her other husbands. Then it was Sahadeva , imperfect because he was overconfident about his knowledge in science. He was followed by Nakula , imperfect because he was over-enthusiastic about his good looks. Then fell Arjuna , imperfect because he was proud of his skills—he challenged Hanuman and Shiva . Next was Bheema , imperfect because he killed his enemies brutally—thus enjoyed their sufferings. Only

7600-577: Was all illusion created by Yama himself. It was a punishment to Yudhishtira to feel sad and soak tears on seeing his beloved ones being punished. It was because Drona felt sad on hearing fake news that his son was dead. Yudhishtira told the message incompletely due to which Drona felt sad and cried in grief. Because of this, Yudhishtira had to feel sad in a similar manner. Hence Yama created this illusion. In reality, Pandavas and Draupadi reached heaven just after their deaths. Yama explained everything and Yudhishtira reached heaven with his mortal body. Pandavas were

7695-436: Was also the name of the son of Prativindhya. The Bhagavata Purana , as well as Vishnu Purana , also mention Pauravi as one of the wives of Yudhishthira. A son named Devaka was born to this couple. When the Pandavas returned to Hastinapura after hiding, there was conflict between Yudhishthira and Duryodhana regarding as the crown prince of Hastinapura. Yudhishthira was originally made the crown prince of Hastinapura, but after

7790-511: Was beheaded by Krishna for his evil deeds. An annoyed and jealous Duryodhana returned to Hastinapura. Yudhishthira was challenged to play a game of dice in Hastinapura by his cousin, Duryodhana. Duryodhana invited him because he was jealous of Yudhishthira's wealth and power that he witnessed at the Rajasuya. Shakuni used the dice made from the bones of his father, which always ensured that he got

7885-413: Was blessed with a boon by the sage Durvasa , that she could have a son by any god whom she respects without having any marital affair. After Pandu learned of this, he asked her to perform Niyoga and bear him sons using the boon. The first three of the Pandavas were the sons of Kunti, while the younger two were born to Madri after Kunti shared her mantra with her at Pandu's request. The divine fathers of

7980-409: Was discovered by their paternal uncle Vidura , who was very loyal to them and an extraordinarily wise man. In addition, Yudhishthira had been forewarned about this plot by a hermit who came to him and spoke of an imminent disaster. Vidura arranged for a tunnel to be secretly built for the Pandavas to safely escape the palace as it was set afire. The Pandavas had polyandrous marriage with Draupadi ,

8075-443: Was dissuaded from doing so by Krishna . The brothers would reconcile their differences and embrace each other. On the last day of the war, Yudhishthira was highly energetic for the day, and engaged in a fierce duel against the Kauravas' final supreme commander, Shalya . With Bhima's assistance, Yudhishthira managed to slay his uncle. With the battlefield cleared of the Kauravas but no sight of Duryodhana, Yudhishthira received

8170-418: Was for her sake that Kichaka lost his life, let her be cremated alongside him'. Then Kichakas people turned upon her, seizing Malini violently, binding and placing her upon the bier, as they set out towards the cemetery. Malini, while being carried, cried out for protection from her husband, Yudhishthira. Bhima, upon hearing these sorrowful words, without losing a moment, quickly changed his attire, hurried out of

8265-687: Was impressed again, and revived all of the Pandavas siblings. The Yaksha asked for any other wish as he was impressed and told him he could ask for wealth, strength, power, anything he wished. Yudhishthira said he already got the strength, wealth and power when all his four brothers were revived and said he could not ask for any other wish. Yudhishthira replied, "It is enough that I have beheld thee with my senses, eternal God of gods as thou art! O father, whatever boon thou wilt confer on me I shall surely accept gladly! May I, O lord, always conquer covetousness and folly and anger, and may my mind be ever devoted to charity, truth, and ascetic austerities!" This story

8360-454: Was made aware that Karna was his elder brother, Yudhishthira cursed all women with not being able to hide any secrets. Had Yudhishthira's mother Kunti not kept that fact a secret, the war might have been averted, with millions spared. After getting victory in the war, Yudhishthira was crowned as the Emperor of Hastinapura and reigned for 36 years. Fifty days after the war, Yudhishthira and

8455-458: Was presumed to be dead and his cousin Duryodhana was appointed as the new heir. The kingdom was split in half due to a succession dispute between Yudhishthira and Duryodhana. Yudhishthira received the barren half, which he later transformed into the magnificent city of Indraprastha . Yudhishthira and his brothers had a polyandrous marriage with Draupadi , the princess of Panchala , who became

8550-589: Was reunited with his family in Svarga . Yudhishthira was master in spear-fighting and chariot racing. Yudhishthira was a polyglot, knowing unusual languages. After being exiled by Duryodhana, Yudhishthira became adept at controlling the dice after learning a mantra from Sage Brihadashwa. He was a hero known for his honesty, justice, sagacity, tolerance, good behavior and discernment. Yudhishthira could burn down anyone into ashes when he sees someone with his wrath and anger. That's why he used to be calm and composed most of

8645-437: Was tempted to flee, he mastered himself and remained after hearing the voices of his beloved brothers and Draupadi calling out to him, asking him to stay with them in their misery. Yudhisthira decided to remain, ordering the divine charioteer to return. He preferred to live in hell with good people than in the heaven of his enemies. Eventually, this turned out to be another illusion to test him. Yama explained to Yudhishtira that it

8740-456: Was the capital of this kingdom. Vetravati is believed to be the same as the river Suktimati on the banks of which lay the Chedi capital Suktimati. It is a tributary of Yamuna to the east of Charmanvati , yet another tributary of Yamuna . The Kingdom of Kichaka is identified to be lying between Charmanwati and Vetravati rivers, i.e., to the south of southern- Panchala ; to the north of Chedi and to

8835-450: Was then pursued by Kichaka to the throne room, where she was seized by hair, brought down to the ground and kicked before a full assembly of courtiers, including her disguised husband Yudhishthira (who was Kanka at that time) and King Virata. Neither Yudhishthira nor King Virata could react because Kichaka wielded so much power within the kingdom. Bhima, gnashing his teeth in rage, was commanded to take revenge by Yudhishthira. Seething from

8930-401: Was unable to become a father. As an additional penance for the murder, Pandu abdicated the throne of Hastinapura , and his blind brother Dhritarashtra took over the reins of the kingdom. After knowing the curse of Pandu, Kunti told him that he could be the father of the child and told her boon of sage Durvasa. Then Pandu requested Kunti to apply her boon and suggested to call Dharma to get

9025-561: Was unable to feed the Brahmanas who followed him to the forests. On the advice of his priest, Sage Dhaumya, Yudhishthira stood in river and appeased Surya , the Sun god, by reciting his 108 names. The god gifted a copper plate, the Akshaya Patra , to Yudhishthira, saying that any food cooked in that vessel would be inexhaustible, until Draupadi finished her daily meal. He also blessed Yudhishthira that

#855144