It had been predicted that Gandhari’s first husband would die. So in accordance with the customs of the time, she was married to a goat. Later, when the time came she was married to Dhritarashtra. When Dhritarashtra came to know of this, he was very angry. He threw King Subala, Gandhari’s father, and his sons […]
When the ceremony was over, Vyasa came to bid Yudhishthira goodbye and to bless him for the future. He told Yudhishthira that he should be prepared for trouble in the future. Yudhishthira decided that he would always be polite with all his relatives and not give them any cause to become his enemies. This decision
Duryodhana a stayed on with his uncle Shakuni after the ceremony was over. He went all over the palace and was admiring all its features and envying the prosperity of the Pandavas. One day, walking through the assembly hall built by Mayasura, he knocked into a wall, thinking it was a door. Seeing him, Draupadi
When Jarasandha had been killed, the great sacrifice was organized. Vyasa, Bhishma, Vidura, Kripacharya, Drona, Dhaumya, Duryodhana, Karna, Shishupala, the king of Chedi, were all invited. The kings who accepted Yudhishthira as their Emperor were also invited. It was decided by the Pandavas, after consulting Bhishma, that the highest honour of being seated first should
Krishna, Arjuna and Bhima went to the court of Magadha disguised as Brahmanas. They said they could talk only after midnight, as they were holding a vow of silence that day. When Jarasandha met them, they revealed themselves and challenged him to a combat. He accepted the challenge to wrestle with Bhima. A day and
King Brihadratha, Jarasandha’s father, had married the twin daughters of the King of Kasi. But he was unhappy as he had no children. Chandrakaushika rishi was happy with the respect paid to him by the King and his wives. He gave a mango to the king who gave each of his wives half of it.
Indraprastha’s assembly hall was really beautiful. When Yudhishthira’s court assembled, one day sage Narada brought a message from the late King Pandu, asking Yudhishthira to perform the Rajasuya Yajna. This great sacrifice was performed when a king became supreme in a land where other smaller kingdoms accepted him as the overlord. The news of the
While Arjuna was studying at Drona’s ashrama, he heard about the beautiful Subhadra, half-sister of Krishna. During exile, he went disguised as an ascetic to Dwaraka. Krishna recognized him even in disguise. When Arjuna told him he wished to marry Subhadra, Krishna said that his elder brother, Balarama, wouldn’t agree, so he would have to
When Arjuna was undergoing exile, he wandered into the kingdom of Manipura. He fell in love with the king’s daughter, Chitrangada, who also loved him. The kingdom of Manipura had a matriarchal system, meaning that daughters could inherit the kingdom. The king’s only child was Chitrangada, so he agreed to give her in marriage to
Arjuna travelled to many places during his period of exile. During his travels, he met Uloopi, and married her. A son, Iravan, was born to them, who later fought heroically in the war at Kurukshetra, till he died. Uloopi was a Naga princess, the daughter of Kauravya. She took him to her father’s kingdom under
As advised by Sage Narada, the Pandavas decided that each one would spend a month with Draupadi. None of the other brothers would intrude on the other during that period. If any of them did, he would willingly go into exile for twelve years. One day, a Brahmana came seeking King Yudhishthira’s help to get
Narada came to meet the Pandavas. He told them the story of Sunda and Upasunda to explain that they must not fight over Draupadi, but respect one another’s relationship with her. Sunda and Upasunda were the powerful and evil asuras. To get a boon of unconquerable power they went to the Vindhyas to perform penance.
When the Pandavas went to Khandava, they had to burn the forest to build the city of Indraprastha there. In the fire the wife of Takshaka, the serpent, was burnt to death. Takshaka and his son Aswasena escaped. Indra was Takshaka’s friend and was very angry. He came to battle but a voice from heaven
Long ago, King Swetaki liked to conduct long sacrifices that left the priests sick and tired. So when he wanted to conduct a hundred-year sacrifice, they all refused and sent him to Rudra. Rudra told him to offer ghee in a sacrificial fire himself non-stop for twelve years. He did that, pleased Rudra and finally
Khandavaprastha, given to the Pandavas, was a forest they had to burn down to make the city of Indraprastha. In the forest lived a saranga bird with its four fledglings. The male bird was actually a sage called Mandapala who had been told that only those with children went to heaven. So, he married Jarita,