The Pandavas decided to spend the thirteenth year in disguise at the palace of Virata, the King of Matsya. Yudhishthira would be Kanka, a learned courtier, playing dice with the king, and discussing politics, scriptures and ethics. Bhima would be Vallabha, a cook and once in a while have wrestling matches to entertain the king. […]
When the pleased Yaksha offered to give him a boon of the life of his dead brothers, he asked for Nakula’s life. The Yaksha wondered why he asked for the life of his step-brother. Yudhisthira said he was Kunti’s son, so it was only right that one of Madri’s sons should live. Impressed, the Yaksha
The Yaksha began by asking simple questions and then more difficult ones. Yaksha: Who makes the sun rise and who makes it set? Yudhishthira: Brahma makes it rise and Dharma makes it set. Yaksha: Who is a man’s real companion? Yudhishthira: His wife. Yaksha: Who is his true friend? Yudhishthira: Patience. Yaksha: How does one
Nakula didn’t return, so Sahadeva went to look for him. He met the same fate. One by one all the brothers went and never came back. Finally, Yudhishthira went looking and found them all lying dead beside the pool. He wondered if it contained poisoned water. A Yaksha, a person with magical powers, emerged from
One day, a Brahmana running through the forest, came to seek help from the Pandavas. He had a pair of sticks that, rubbed together, produced fire. He had hung them on a tree. A stag had rubbed himself against the tree and the sticks were caught in its antlers and it ran away. The Pandavas
Sage Durvasa went to meet the Pandavas who welcomed him and his disciples. The sage went to bathe in the river, saying he would like food to be served when they returned. When the Pandavas’ exile began, Surya the Sun-god, gave Yudhishthira a magical vessel, akshayapatra, so that they might never be hungry. It could
Duryodhana held a great sacrifice, but could not hold a Rajasuya Yajna while his father and Yudhishthira were still alive. People compared his sacrifice with other sacrifices and said that it was not so magnificent as the one held by Yudhishthira. This angered Duryodhana. He found himself having bad dreams and seeing the omens of
Jayadratha left the ashrama seething with anger and humiliation. He had lost his soldiers. His head was shaven leaving five tufts. How would he explain this to his wife and her family? He could not return to Hastinapura or to his own palace till his hair grew back. He forgot that he was himself responsible
Most of the soldiers were killed and many escaped. As Jayadratha saw Bhima and Arjuna approaching, he made a desperate attempt to save his own life by flinging Draupadi out of the chariot. Enraged, at seeing Draupadi’s plight, Bhima would have killed him but then he decided to capture Jayadratha and take him to Yudhishthira.
The Pandavas and Draupadi faced many problems in the forest, but faced them with courage and patience as advised by the sages. Priest Dhaumya was with them always. Jayadratha, King of Sindhu, was married to Dushala, the sister of the Kauravas. On his way to Hastinapura, he saw Draupadi in the Kamyaka forest. He was
Yudhishthira was a kind man. He thanked Chitrasena for not killing Duryodhana and his friends and requested him to release the captives. Chitrasena did as Yudhishthira asked, and having completed his mission, returned to Amaravati. Yudhishthira spoke very kindly to Duryodhana advising him like an elder brother. He should have stayed with the Pandavas, said
Many people carried the news of the Pandavas to Dhritarashtra. He was frightened as he heard Arjuna had returned with divine weapons. But his sons, along with Shakuni and Karna, wanted to see the Pandavas and mock at their misery. Reaching Dwaitavana, they found that Chitrasena, the Gandharva Chief, had already set up a camp
One day, the Pandava brothers and Draupadi were carrying on with their normal duties in the forest ashrama where they lived. They had been waiting for five years for Arjuna to return with the divine weapons. Suddenly, they saw Indra’s chariot descending from the sky and landing outside the ashrama. They were all delighted to
Once upon a time, there were two sages, Vibhavasu and Supratika, who were brothers. The elder brother had uncontrolled anger, while the younger one could not control his greed. The younger one wanted his share of property. One day, they quarrelled so violently that finally they cursed each other. The younger one cursed the elder
King Shibi of the Bharata dynasty was renowned for truth, justice, and for keeping his word, especially to those who sought shelter with him. One day, the gods decided to test him. Agni, the god of fire, took the form of a dove and Indra, the king of gods, that of an eagle. The dove