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80-702: Satyaki strongly and passionately favors the cause of the Pandavas over the Kauravas in the Kurukshetra War . Prior to the war, Satyaki accompanied Krishna to the Kuru capital, with Krishna as the Pandavas' emissary of peace. He is a witness to Duryodhana's attempt to arrest Krishna and Krishna's Vishwaroopa form, though he is not mentioned as one of the few persons not blinded by the apparation. After talks break down, Satyaki leads

160-415: A thunderbolt . Krishna , the counsellor of the Pandavas, had foiled Gandhari's plan to make her son invincible by asking Duryodhana to cover up his loins before meeting his mother. On their decisive encounter on the eighteenth day of the war, Bhima smashed Duryodhana's thighs, a move both literally and figuratively below the belt. Despite its popularity the story is not mentioned in the original version of

240-457: 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

320-483: 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

400-435: A devout worshipper of the god Shiva from a young age. Pleased by her unwavering devotion, Shiva grants her a boon, promising that she will bear one hundred sons. After becoming aware of the divine boon bestowed upon Gandhari, Bhishma , the patriarch of the Kuru dynasty , proposes her marriage to Dhritarashtra , his eldest nephew who is born blind. Subala initially hesitates due to Dhritarashtra's blindness but later agrees to

480-546: 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

560-517: A long and bloody battle, Satyaki, already exhausted from fighting Drona, begins to falter, and Bhurisravas pummels him and drags him across the battlefield. Raising his sword, Bhurisravas prepares to kill Satyaki, but he is rescued from death by Arjuna , who shoots an arrow severing Bhurisravas's arm. When criticized by Bhurisravas for interfering in the fight without warning. Bhurisravas lays out his weapons and sits down in meditation. Satyaki then emerges from his swoon and swiftly decapitates his enemy. He

640-598: 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

720-696: A single son Asanga with one mentioned grandson Yugandhara. Yugandhara later became the ruler of the territory near the Sarasvati River . There is also mention of two granddaughters Satyaki's hopes to marry into the Pandava's family. The latter day Yaudheyas claimed themselves as sons of Dharmaraja and nephews of Arjun and claimed descent either through son of Satyaki or through the son of Yudhishthira , Yaudheya (mentioned in Matsaya Purana). Pandavas The Pandavas ( Sanskrit : पाण्डव, IAST : Pāṇḍava)

800-501: 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

880-437: 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

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960-494: 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 ,

1040-469: Is a temple called Gāndhārī temple dedicated to her. This temple honours her devotion and loyalty as she epitomized the goodness of a mother and a loving wife. The foundation stone of the temple was laid on June 19, 2008. Rabindranath Tagore wrote a Bengali poetic play about her, named Gandharir Abedon (Bangla: গান্ধারীর আবেদন, Translation: Supplication of Gandhari). Gandhari, her husband Dhritarashtra and their son Duryodhana are central characters in

1120-446: Is condemned for this rash act, but Satyaki states that the moment Bhurisravas struck his semiconscious body, he had sworn that he would kill Bhurisravas. With the day's battle nearly over and Jayadratha still far away, the debate on the morality of Satyaki's actions is shelved. When the battle on the fourteenth day continued into the night killed Bhurisravas's father Somadatta, later assisting Bhima slay Somadatta's father, Bahlika . In

1200-699: Is denied the throne due to his blindness, despite being the eldest son. The throne is instead given to his younger brother, Pandu , but he later renounces the kingdom. As a result of these events, Dhritarashtra is crowned King of Kuru kingdom, and Gandhari becomes queen. Gandhari's children were born in a miraculous manner. According to the Adi Parva , once when the sage Vyasa visits Hastinapura, Gandhari serves him with great respect and care. Impressed by her hospitality, Vyasa blesses her, reaffirming Shiva’s boon. Shortly after, Gandhari conceives, but her pregnancy lasts two years without delivery. During this time, Kunti ,

1280-503: 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

1360-499: Is hinted that she felt deep sympathy for their wife Draupadi . Throughout the happenings of the epic, Gandhari is portrayed to be composed and calm; however after losing all her sons, she is distraught and furious and blames Krishna for not using his divine powers to stop the war from happening. Gandhari has been adapted as a major character in the Sanskrit play Urubhanga by Bhasa . In Hebbya village, Nanjangud , Mysore, India, there

1440-463: Is prepared to produce a daughter, resulting in 101 jars. In due time, the jars yield one hundred sons collectively referred to as the Kauravas , and a daughter named Dushala . During Gandhari's prolonged pregnancy, Dhritarashtra had fathered another son, Yuyutsu , through a maidservant of Gandhari in fear of not having a child. As queen in the Kuru court, Gandhari witnesses many pivotal events leading to

1520-511: Is remarkably consistent between the numerous manuscripts, the rest of the epic exists in many versions. The differences between the Northern and Southern recensions are particularly significant, with the Southern manuscripts more profuse and longer. Scholars have attempted to construct a critical edition , relying mostly on a study of the "Bombay" edition, the "Poona" edition, the "Calcutta" edition and

1600-467: Is rescued by a new attack from the Upapandavas . Ultimately, Satyaki manages to stall Drona long enough that Duryodhana , frustrated with Drona's lack of progress, withdraws Drona to focus on the conflict with Arjuna. Later in the day, Yudhishthira gets worried for Arjuna's safety. Despite his protests that protecting the king is more important, Satyaki is ordered to find and aid Arjuna. At the entrance to

1680-406: Is the daughter of King Subala , the ruler of Gandhara , and becomes the wife of Dhritarashtra , the blind king of Kuru Kingdom . In a remarkable act of solidarity, Gandhari blindfolds herself for life upon learning of her husband’s blindness, choosing to share his condition. Blessed by the god Shiva and the sage Vyasa , she bears one hundred sons through miraculous means , collectively known as

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1760-531: Is written in Classical Sanskrit and is a composite work of revisions, editing and interpolations over many centuries. The oldest parts in the surviving version of the text may date to near 400 BCE. The Mahabharata manuscripts exist in numerous versions, wherein the specifics and details of major characters and episodes vary, often significantly. Except for the sections containing the Bhagavad Gita which

1840-454: The Kauravas , with her eldest, Duryodhana , becoming a key antagonist in the epic. Besides the hundred sons, she also has a daughter, Dushala . Although Gandhari possesses many virtues, she is unable to steer her sons away from their wrongdoings. The rivalry between the Kauravas and their cousins, the Pandavas , culminates in the devastating Kurukshetra war , which results in the destruction of

1920-433: The Kuru dynasty . After the war, she becomes the voice of women who suffer due to the devastation caused by the conflict. While she refrains from cursing the Pandavas, recognising the righteousness of their victory, her grief leads her to curse Krishna —the avatara of the god Vishnu —holding him accountable for the war’s destruction and foretelling the downfall of his Yadava dynasty. In the aftermath, Gandhari retreats to

2000-685: The Kurukshetra War , the central plot of the epic. Although she remains largely silent, Gandhari exerts moral influence in critical moments. For instance, during the infamous dicing match narrated in the Sabha Parva , she intervenes after Draupadi 's attempted disrobing, compelling Dhritarashtra to grant Draupadi a boon that ultimately secures the freedom of the Pandavas. Despite her quiet demeanor, Gandhari does not shy away from speaking against injustice. She advises her son, Duryodhana, against his warmongering and criticizes Dhritarashtra for failing to curb their son’s reckless ambitions. Her attempts to avert

2080-562: 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. Gandhari (character) Gandhari ( Sanskrit : गान्धारी , lit.   'of Gandhara ', IAST : Gāndhārī ) is a prominent figure in the Hindu epic the Mahabharata . She

2160-562: The Mahabharata . As per the Shalya Parva of the Mahabharata , Duryodhana, while fighting against Bhima, displayed his superior mace skills, due to which Bhima could not defeat him and had to break rules to kill him. Gandhari assumes the central role in the Stri Parva (The Book of Women), the eleventh book of the epic, which portrays the aftermath of the Kurukshetra War. After winning

2240-460: The Pandavas , at Kurukshetra , specifically at the hands of the second Pandava, Bhima . It is believed that during this period, Gandhari makes a single purposeful exception to her blindfolded state, when she removes her blindfold to shield her eldest son Duryodhana. She poured all her yogic power accumulated by her sacrifice of sight and devotion into her son's body in one glance, rendering Duryodhana's entire body, except his loins , as strong as

2320-488: The "south Indian" editions of the manuscripts. The most accepted version is one prepared by scholars led by Vishnu Sukthankar at the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute , preserved at Kyoto University , Cambridge University and various Indian universities. The Mahabharata centres on the intense rivalry between the groups of brothers—five Pandavas and the hundred Kauravas , culminating in

2400-529: 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

2480-402: The Kuru dynasty is the result of the misdeeds of Duryodhana, Shakuni, Karna , and Dussasana . Calming herself, she refrains from cursing the Pandavas, but when Yudhishthira bows at Gandhari’s feet, her grief and wrath manifests physically. Tears fall from her eyes onto his toenails, causing them to burn black. Gandhari later accepts them. The Stri Parva further narrates that Gandhari visits

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2560-627: The Kurukshetra war, Gandhari curses Krishna that his clan will be destroyed 36 years later in a fratricidal massacre. During the 36th year, the Yadavas retire to Prabhāsa where they are allotted temporary residences and start reveling and drinking. Inebriated, Satyaki laughs at and taunts Kritavarma for his actions on the night of the 18th day of battle . As others agree with Satyaki, Kritavarma becomes enraged and lambasts Satyaki for slaying Bhurishravas in cold blood. Countering this, Satyaki narrates

2640-413: The Kurukshetra war, Gandhari would only say "may victory find the side of righteousness". Gandhari's major flaw was her love for her sons, especially her firstborn Duryodhana, which often blinded her to his menacing character. Gandhari fostered a sisterly relationship with Kunti, often sharing her joy, anguish and anger with her. There is little information about her relationship with the Pandavas but it

2720-682: The Kurukshetra war, Satyaki and Kritavarma were two important Yadava heroes who fought on the opposing sides. Satyaki fought on the side of the Pandavas, whereas Kritavarma joined the Kauravas. Satyaki is also noted as an Ayurvedic physician who was an expert in Shalya (surgery) and Shalakya (Eye/ENT). He is mentioned by Dalhana in Timir and Annantvat ( Sushruta Uttartantra) and by Chakrapani in Netraroga ( Charak ). Some Mahabharat text says that during Mausala Parva, Satyaki killed Kritavarma by beheading him. After

2800-540: The Padmavyuha, he meets Drona. Knowing that he cannot bypass the sage, he circumvents him, telling Drona that he must duplicate the actions of his guru (as Arjuna had declined to fight Drona at the start of the day). As Arjuna is being attacked from multiple sides, Satyaki appears to give aid. Satyaki fights an intense battle with archrival, Bhurisravas with whom he had a long-standing family feud, following from when Satyaki's grandfather defeated Bhurishrava's father . After

2880-417: 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

2960-443: 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 ,

3040-468: 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 )

3120-547: 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

3200-480: The Sivi and Vrishni army to the Pandava's camp. While Satyaki, along with others like Chekitana and Syenajita joins the Pandavas, Krishna promises his army to Duryodhana. Hence, Yadavas sworn directly to Dwarka like Kritvarma fight for the Kauravas, meaning Satyaki has to fight his kinsmen in the war. He provides 1 Akshauhini army to the Pandavas. According to Bhishma, he is capable of fighting 12 Atirathis alone. During

3280-483: The banks of the Ganga . The Pandavas, deeply affected by the separation, visit them after six years. At Gandhari and Kunti’s request, Vyasa uses his yogic powers to enable them to briefly see the spirits of their deceased relatives. Shortly afterward, a wildfire engulfs the forest, consuming Dhritarashtra, Gandhari, and Kunti. The Svargarohana Parva mentions that Yudhishthira performs the final rites for those who perish in

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3360-425: The battlefield of Kurukshetra, accompanied by Krishna and other family members. Gandhari emerges as a central voice among the bereaved women, expressing her sorrow and outrage over the destruction wrought by the war. Granted divine vision to see through her blindfold, Gandhari witnesses the mourning of the Kuru women on the battlefield, their cries and lamentations contrasting sharply with the earlier songs of praise for

3440-510: 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

3520-401: 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

3600-510: 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

3680-627: The daughter of King Subala , the ruler of the Gandhara kingdom and a descendant of Turvasu (son of Yayati ) of the Lunar Dynasty . This region spanned from the Sindhu River to Kabul in Afghanistan . Gandhari is regarded as an incarnation of a goddess named Mati ('intellect'). She had several brothers, but she shared a particularly close bond with Shakuni . The Adi Parva describes Gandhari as

3760-424: The destruction of his Yadava dynasty and die a lonely death, killed by trickery. This curse is pivotal in leading to the eventual downfall of Krishna’s lineage and his departure from the mortal world. The Ashramavasika Parva recounts that fifteen years after the war, Gandhari, along with Dhritarashtra, Kunti, her brother-in-law Vidura , and aid Sanjaya , retires to the forest near the ashram of Shatayupa, on

3840-430: 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

3920-400: 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

4000-469: 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

4080-399: The epic Kurukshetra War , which forms the narrative's core. A significant portion of the text is devoted to detailing the battles fought between the warriors of both sides during this conflict. The Mahabharata is structured into eighteen parvas or 'books', starting with the Adi Parva , in which Gandhari is introduced. Gandhari is introduced in the Adi Parva of the Mahabharata as

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4160-440: 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

4240-543: 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

4320-456: The fallen warriors. Seeing the vast destruction and the lifeless bodies of the Kaurava warriors including her sons, Gandhari, despite her earlier reverence for Krishna, holds him accountable for the destruction, accusing him of failing to prevent the war despite his divine powers. In a moment of profound emotional anguish, she curses Krishna, foretelling that thirty-six years from then, he will witness

4400-477: 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

4480-410: 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

4560-429: The forest fire. After their deaths, the souls of Dhritarashtra and Gandhari ascend to Kuberaloka , the celestial realm associated with wealth and contentment. The Mahabharata attributes high moral standards to Gandhari. Although her sons are portrayed as villains she repeatedly exhorted her sons to follow dharma and make peace with the Pandavas. Famously, when Duryodhana would ask for her blessing of victory during

4640-521: The forest with Dhritarashtra and Kunti , where she spends her final days in austerity. Her life ends in a forest fire, but her legacy endures as a symbol of maternal love, devotion, sacrifice, and the profound cost of war. In the Mahabharata , Gāndhārī is referred to by various names, including: Gandhari is a character of the Mahabharata , one of the Sanskrit epics from the Indian subcontinent . The work

4720-487: 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

4800-618: 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

4880-502: The marriage, prioritizing the prestige of an alliance with the Kuru dynasty. Gandhari’s brother, Shakuni, accompanies her to the capital of Kuru Kingdom, Hastinapura , where the marriage is solemnized. On marrying Dhritarashtra, she blindfolds herself with a silk shawl, choosing to live without sight for the rest of her life. Gandhari is welcomed by the Kuru elders. Shakuni returns to his kingdom, but frequently visits Gandhari to help her and her children. Gandhari's husband, Dhritarashtra,

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4960-435: 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

5040-512: 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

5120-455: 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

5200-399: 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

5280-417: The story of Kritavarma plotting to kill Devaki's father . Warriors start taking sides depending on who their clans had fought for during the war; wine flows and tempers flare. Enraged, Satyaki gets up from the ground, and to his shock he discovers that the grass he pulls up from his clenched hands has turned into weapons (thanks to a rishi's curse). Red-faced, Satyaki decapitates Kritavarma and begins assaulting

5360-510: 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

5440-463: 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

5520-423: The war, Satyaki is the commander of one akshauhini of the Pandava army. On the 2nd day of the war, Satyaki fought with Shakuni . Shakuni gave him a fierce battle. But Satyaki defeated him. The fourteenth day of the battle features Satyaki in a prominent role. With Arjuna attempting to pierce Drona's formation in order to fulfill his oath of killing Jayadratha , Satyaki defends Yudhishthira from Drona, who

5600-477: The war, however, prove futile. Gandhari attended the discussions and negotiations that preceded the war, hoping for peace, as mentioned in the Udyoga Parva . Gandhari remains a notable presence throughout Sanjaya ’s recounting of the war to Dhritrarashtra, as evidenced by several clear references to her and the other women of the Kuru court. All of Gandhari's sons were killed in the war against their cousins,

5680-411: The war, the Pandavas visit Gandhari to seek her blessings. By this time, Gandhari has lost all her sons, including Duryodhana, and is overwhelmed with grief and anger. As the Pandavas stand before her, she considers cursing them. However, Vyasa reminds her of her earlier declaration that righteousness would prevail in the war. Gandhari accepts this truth and acknowledges that the destruction of her sons and

5760-459: 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

5840-552: The warriors who are on Kritavarma's side. The Bhojas and the Andhakas, incensed and drunk, surround Satyaki as Krishna comes to his aid. However, knowing the character of the hour, Krishna stands aside. The Bhojas and Andhakas pull their own weapons from the ground and advance towards Satyaki. Satyaki's allies, like Pradyumna rush to his defense. In the end, Satyaki lies dead, as do all the Vrishini warriors. In other versions, Satyaki has

5920-460: The wife of Pandu, gives birth to her first son, Yudhishthira . Overwhelmed by frustration and envy upon hearing this, Gandhari strikes her womb, but instead of a child, a "hard mass of flesh" like an "iron ball" emerges from it. When the Kuru elders were about to discard the mass of flesh, Vyasa intervenes and instructs that the lump be divided into one hundred pieces and placed in jars of ghee for incubation. At Gandhari’s request, an additional piece

6000-483: 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

6080-577: 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

6160-453: Was attempting to capture the emperor in Arjuna's absence. Rescuing Dhristadyumna from Drona, Satyaki engages in a long fight with Drona, taking up the morning's fight. Drona gets so frustrated by Satyaki, that he even uses divine weapons , which Satyaki counters using his knowledge of divine weapons from his education under Arjuna. Eventually, Satyaki tires, and he is wounded by Drona's arrows. He

6240-413: 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

6320-409: 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 ,

6400-437: 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

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