Lord Krishna is well known for His epic association with the Pandavas. They were five brothers born to King Pandu of Hastinapur and his two queens, Kunti and Madri. Yudhishthir, Bheem and Arjun were Kunti’s sons. Nakul and Sahadev were Madri’s sons. Krishna’s father, Vasudev, was Kunti’s brother. So, the Pandavas were His first cousins. Before her wedding to King Pandu, Kunti had a boon from Sage Durvasa that she could chant a mantra and she would be blessed with a son. Out of curiosity, Kunti chanted the mantra, remembering the Sun-god. He blessed her with a son, Karna. Frightened to have a child before her marriage, Kunti put Karna in a basket and left it in River Ganges. Adirath, a charioteer, raised Karna. King Pandu’s elder brother was Dhritrashtra. He was wise but blind. Gandhari was his loyal wife who had blindfolded her eyes intentionally. She chose not to see the world which her husband could not see.
Lord Krishna’s First Cousins
