Part II: The Pandavas & Kauravas
The Pandavas Are Born
The Pandavas were all sons of gods. The first three were born to Kunti,
Pandu's first wife. The other two were born to the second wife, Madri.
Pandu is concerned that this unusual way of getting sons may be misconstrued
as his wives being unfaithful to him. So, he asks Kunti to invoke Dharma,
the God of Ultimate Justice and Death, for their eldest son. So, Dharma
fathers the eldest Pandava Yuddhistira,
who is wise and truthful. Pandu wants a second son who should be the strongest
man in the world, so he asks Kunti to invoke Vayu, the God of the Wind.
Vayu obliges, fathering Bhima,
who is so powerful that, as an infant, he shatters a rock when he falls
on it. Then, the God of Thunder and Warfare--Indra--fathers Arjuna,
destined to be the greatest warrior ever to be born. Finally, Pandu's second
wife, Madri is desperate to have sons of her own, so Pandu convinces Kunti
to give her mantra to Madri as a one-time favor. Madri cleverly invokes
the Ashwins, the Twin Gods of the Stars. She gives birth to handsome twins--Nakula,
who can see into the future as well as understand the language of animals,
and Sahadeva, an expert horseman. All 5 sons are called the Pandavas
or "sons of Pandu."
The 100 Kauravas Are Born
For many years, Dhritarashtra
and his wife Gandhari,
were childless. Then, Gandhari conceived, and remained pregnant for two
years. Kunti had already given birth to Yuddhistira, when Gandhari painfully
gives birth to a spherical object. She is dismayed that Vyasa's
promise that she would have a hundred sons is unfulfilled. Vyasa consoles
her saying, "I have never spoken a lie, even in jest, so do not worry.
You shall have your hundred sons." He slices up the spherical object into
a hundred pieces and places each in a large jar. Sometime later, 100 sons
are born in these jars. The first son, Duryodhana
brays like a donkey, and wild demonic shrieks are heard in the distance
when he emerges. The sages see this as a portent of doom for the Kuru family.
Bhishma advises drowning the baby. But, Dhritarashtra, like any responsible
father, is horrified by the idea.
Drona Instructs the Young Princes in Arts of War
At a young age, the Kauravas and Pandavas are tutored by a venerated brahmin
named Drona.
Though Drona is a brahmin, a priest, he is a skilled teacher of the arts
of warfare. This is highly unusual in such a rigid caste-society. While
tutoring the young Kuru princes, he also instructs his son, Ashwatthama
(who has the misfortune to share his name with an
elephant). One day, Drona decides to test his pupils. First, he asks
Yuddhistira to come forward with his bow and arrow. "Aim at the clay bird
in the tree." Yuddhistira nods, "Yes sir." Drona speaks, "Tell me what
you see." Yuddhistira replies, "Well, I see my brothers, the tree, the
sky, and a clay bird." Drona frowns: "No, no, no! You are not ready. Put
down your weapons and sit down." He summons Bhima, Duryodhana, Dushasana,
Nakula, and Sahadeva. All of them give him the same reply. Then, he says,
"Arjuna, step forward." Arjuna takes up his position in front of the tree
and strings his bow. "What do you see, Arjuna?" "Sir, I can only see the
eye of a clay bird." Drona, delighted, exclaims, "Then shoot at the target,
my son!" Arjuna sends an arrow straight into the eye of the bird, knocking
it to the ground. Drona grants Arjuna a boon. Arjuna says, "Grant that
I may be your greatest pupil, an archer without equal in this world!" "Yes,
I
will do as you say."
Duryodhana and Bhima Exchange Words and Blows
From the beginning, there is an intense rivalry between the Pandavas and
Kauravas. Duryodhana often tries to confront the Pandavas. Bhima likes
to tease Duryodhana and his brothers, beating up anyone who talked back
to him. Finally, Duryodhana and Dushasana have had enough. Knowing that
Bhima is fond of his food, they slip some drugs into it. He falls unconscious.
They tie him up and toss him into the river, expecting him to drown. However,
he wakes up, tears off the ropes and climbs up the river-bank. He overhears
Duryodhana and Dushasana chuckling over their plan. Furious, he grabs them
both by the throats. Gasping for air, they call out for help. Drona and
Bhishma arrive, accompanied by the other Kauravas and Pandavas. Drona forces
Bhima to release his hold on the two brothers. Bhishma lectures the two
groups of cousins to stop fighting and behave like honorable kshatriyas.
The Martial Skills Exhibition
The Pandavas and Kauravas are young men now, so the elders decide to hold
a martial exhibition to display their prowess as warriors. Duryodhana and
Bhima show off their strength, wielding heavy maces. Yuddhistira's charioteering
is applauded by the elders, and Sahadeva's horsemanship is admired. Then
Arjuna impresses the crowds with his archery and his magical weapons. Suddenly
the crowd quiets, and a young man strides up toward the princes. The sun
seems to shine brightly on him and his golden earrings and armor are so
dazzling, many people avert their eyes. It is Karna, entering the assembly
uninvited. "I can do whatever you do!" He shows his skills by effortlessly
doing everything Arjuna had done. Karna then loudly challenges Arjuna to
a duel. Kunti recognizes her first-born son and faints at the thought of
the two brothers fighting. The elders ask Karna about his parentage; he
refuses to answer. Just then an old charioteer approaches and embraces
Karna, "my son, I did not expect to find you here!" Bhishma asks quietly,
"Is this your son, charioteer?" Karna nods, "This is my father indeed."
The elders reply, "Then you cannot fight Arjuna: you are a mixed-caste
charioteer's son, while he is a royal prince." Duryodhana, sensing a chance
to gain a new, powerful ally against the Pandavas, makes Karna ruler of
a small province under his control and befriends the warrior. However,
Karna is ridiculed by Bhima as a low-born charioteer's son and the elders
claim that Karna's caste is more important than any title he may be given.
The duel is not permitted. Duryodhana scoffs: "See how they are scared!
They have met their match in Karna, the mightiest warrior in the land."
The Arjuna-Karna rivalry continues throughout their lives. Years later,
Arjuna,
and then Karna,
obtain magical weapons in anticipation of a final confrontation.
Dhritarashtra Makes Yuddhistira His Heir
Dhritarashtra, seeing the high esteem in which his people and his advisors
hold Yuddhistira, declares his nephew as his heir. Duryodhana's jealousy
is intensified. He sulks in the palace, brooding and plotting revenge on
the Pandavas. Dhritarashtra senses this, and sends the Pandavas off to
have a vacation in a nearby city. Yuddhistira agrees to go for a while,
realizing that this is the best way of easing the rivalry between the two
groups of cousins. Duryodhana sees this as a chance to get rid of his rivals
through treachery, but Vidura
finds out. Before the Pandavas leave, Vidura speaks in coded language,
"Where the jackal lives, the fire cannot reach." While the others raise
their eyebrows in puzzlement, Yuddhistira answers, "Yes, I understand."
The Burning Palace
The Pandavas and their mother arrive at the palace where they are to stay.
They are greeted obsequieously by the architect, a man who has been hired
by Duryodhana. The man constantly hovers around, keeping an eye on the
Pandavas. One day, Yuddhistira tells his mother that Duryodhana plans to
set fire to the palace: the walls of the palace are made of hollow flammable
lacquer with straw inside. Each night, the 5 brothers secretly dig a tunnel
under the floor of their room, extending it further and further. In two
weeks, the tunnel is complete, with an entrance far away in a forest. On
the night that the palace is to be burned to the ground, a holiday feast
is held. After the feast, a woman and four of her servants stay on, too
drunk to leave. The Pandavas and their mother get inside the tunnel shortly
before midnight. Bhima goes back out. He sees the architect about to fling
a torch against a wall. Twisting the torch out of the man's hands, Bhima
strangles him to death, and tosses the body on the couch. Then just before
getting into the tunnel, he throws the torch into a pile of straw. The
Pandavas run off into the tunnel. The building burns to the ground, and
the charred bodies of a woman and five men are all that remains. The news
spreads that the five Pandavas and their mother have burned to death. Dhritarashtra
is remorseful: he believes his son is responsible, but he is too fond of
Duryodhana to chastise him. A funeral ceremony is held in Hastinapura.
The Pandavas decide to stay away from the Kuru kingdom for a year.
The Pandavas Disguise Themselves as Brahmins
After emerging from the tunnel, the Pandavas wander through the forest
dressed as mendicant brahmins. One day, they are tired, so four of them
and their mother go to sleep. Bhima stands watch. A female demon, Hidimba,
approaches. Her cowardly brother had sent her to kill the sleeping humans
and bring them back to eat. But when she sees Bhima, she falls helplessly
in love. She takes on the form of a beautiful young woman. She pleads with
him to make love to her for a day. "One cannot deny love to a woman who
asks for it, that is what the sages say," she tells him. He wakes his brothers,
informs them about what has happened, and lives with Hidimba for a day.
From this affair, Bhima has a son by Hidimba. The son, Ghatotkatcha, is
not seen or heard from for many years. Later, Bhima, on Yuddhistira's advice,
summons him during the battle: Ghatotkatcha then plays a critical
role.
A Bride for Five
The Pandavas arrive in the capital of the Panchala
king Drupada.
They find out that the king is holding a contest so that his daughter,
Draupadi
can choose a husband. Still disguised as brahmins, they decide that Arjuna
should take part in the contest. Drupada announces, "O warriors and kings,
the contest is simple: whoever can lift and string this mighty bow can
marry my daughter." One by one, the kings try to lift the bow. The assembly
of warriors laughs as each one returns to his seat in dismay. Duryodhana
is also there, laughing at his peers' misfortune. Finally one of them is
irritated and says, "Why don't you try it instead of smirking?" Duryodhana
smiles and swaggers toward the bow, grasping it firmly. His muscles strain
as he tries to lift it, but he only succeeds in tearing the armor he wears
on his back. Draupadi laughs loudly. Duryodhana glares all around him and
sits down as Karna gets up. Karna holds the bow and lifts it in both hands:
Draupadi immediately states that she will not marry him. Enraged, he sits
down, vowing to make
her regret this insult. All the kings and warriors fail to lift the
bow. Finally, Arjuna walks up. "Sit down, feeble brahmin!" the warriors
taunt him. Drupadda gestures impatiently, "I don't see why he should not
try. All of you have had your chance." The warriors relent.
Arjuna lifts up the bow in one hand. He strings the bow, and fires a
shot, hitting a target while looking into its reflection in a pool. Arjuna
has won the contest. The stunned princes and warriors try to prevent him
from leaving. Drupada's son Dhrishtadyumna shouts, "Take care! My father
has decreed that this brahmin has won. Whoever attempts to stop this marriage
will have to reckon with our army." So Arjuna and his brothers leave, accompanied
by Draupadi. At the threshold of their hut, he flippantly calls out to
his mother: "Look at the prize I have brought!" His mother is in the kitchen,
so she calls out to him to share it with his brothers. When she comes out
of the kitchen, she realizes her mistake. Bhima exclaims, "Mother, we cannot
share one common wife!" Yuddhistira agrees, "Arjuna, she is your wife:
you won her." Arjuna says, "But, a mother's instructions have to be obeyed.
I cannot go against our mother's word." The Pandavas go to King Drupada
and reveal their true identities. He permits Draupadi to marry all five
brothers. So, the Pandavas shared one wife among the five of them, contrary
to custom. Polygamy was common, but polyandry was unheard of. Shortly thereafter,
the
Pandavas discard their disguises and return to Hastinapura.
Arjuna & Krishna Destroy the Khandava Forest
After returning home, the Pandavas travel to the Yadava kingdom,
where they meet Krishna,
the Yadava leader, who is also a maternal relative. He greets their mother
with respect and invites them to stay for a while. The Pandavas relax with
Krishna and his retinue by a lake. Krishna and Arjuna go off for a walk.
A hideously thin beggar with brown, matted hair, and glazed red eyes approaches.
"I have a favor to ask you warriors. I am hungry: give me food." The two
say, "But we do not have any food with us." The beggar assumes his true
form, that of Agni, the god of Fire. Flames leap up around him and the
air crackles. "I desire food. I need to eat the Khandava Forest and all
creatures in it. But the great god Indra protects the forest. He sends
rain clouds whenever I try to consume it. I require this sacrifice to sate
my appetite." Arjuna replies, "Yes, but we need powerful weapons." Agni
summons the great bow Gandiva, and hands it to Arjuna: "Here, take this
wonderful weapon. And, here, I give you an inexhaustible quiver of arrows."
Krishna smiles enigmatically, "I have no need of a weapon: I have this
magical discus on my finger. When I send it out, it kills and then returns
to my finger instantly." The two ride their chariots to the outskirts of
the Khandava Forest. They dismount. Arjuna launches his mystical weapons
from Gandiva bow and sends up a wall of arrows. From heaven, Indra sends
angry rain-clouds that shower rain over the forest, and his minions launch
their weapons, but Arjuna's arrows hold them off, creating a roof over
the forest. Krishna magically dries the dripping leaves and grass of the
forest. Both the warriors send darts of flame that engulf the forest. All
the animals in the forest cry out but cannot escape. Finally, Indra sends
a mighty thunderbolt at the two warriors below: "They are slain!" But Krishna
sends his disc and the thunderbolt lies broken on the ground. Indra blesses
the two warriors and asks his son, Arjuna, to visit him sometime. As the
flames envelop the fire, Maya a divine architect and master of illusion
runs out and begs to be saved from it. The two warriors relent and allow
him to leave. The forest is then consumed totally by fire. The horrendous
destruction makes a terrifying noise that can be heard even in the Kuru
capital of Hastinapura.
On to PART
III: The Game of Dice
Back
to PART
I
View the Table
of Contents
Back to the Mahabharata Home Page