Mahabharata synopsis
The Mahabharata begins after the death of a childless king. The king's brother, the powerful rishi Vyasa, assumes the duty of impregnating his queens. The first queen, disgusted by Vyasa's appearance, closes her eyes during the act, and the child (Dhristarastra) is born blind. Because a blind man cannot become king, Vyasa approaches the other queen, who gives birth to healthy son (Pandu). To ensure that the line will continue if something happens to both princes, Vyasa is asked to visit the first queen again, who secretly forces her maid to take her place. The third son (Vidura) is thus disqualified to become king by his illegitimacy, and only Pandu is fit for the throne.
Dhristarastra and his wife are granted 100 sons by Vyasadeva's blessing. His first son, however, is born among inauspicious omens, and Dhristarastra is advised by his sage father to kill the infant before he brings about the destruction of their entire line. Dhristarastra is too weak to heed the hard advice, and allows his first-born son to live.
Pandu, after being cursed by a rishi to die at the moment he lies with any woman, entreats his wives to conceive children by another man, for his dharma as king is to create offspring that will continue his line. His wives refuse--such action would be sin for them. He commands them to bear offspring, and they chant mantras that require the gods to appear and perform the chanter's bidding. Thus, Pandu has five sons fathered by the gods: Yudhisthira, son of Dharma (the god of justice); Bhima, son of Vayu (the strongest of the gods); Arjuna, son of Indra (the king of the gods); and the twins Nakula and Sahadeva, sons of the Ashvini twin gods (the gods of sunrise and sunset).
Dhuryodhana, Dhristarastra's eldest son, is filled with jealousy for Pandu's sons (the Pandavas), especially when they return to the city after Pandu's death. He dislikes Bhima the most because he is effortlessly strong and somewhat arrogant. Duryodhana conceives a plan to kill Bhima with poison, but even enough poison to kill 100 men fails to cause him any harm. Duryodhana enlists his brothers and his father in another attempt on the Pandavas lives. He is nearly successful on the second try, and the Pandavas (along with their mother) flee the city, unwilling to engage their 100 cousins in battle.
They travel as ascetics, gaining power through their ritual sacrifices to the gods, until they hear of the contest to win the holy woman Draupadi as wife (a contest similar to that performed by the suitors to Penelope in the Odyssey). The Pandavas journey to the home of Draupadi in complete anonimity. It is decided that Arjuna will contend for her hand, and he is victorious. When the Pandavas return to their mother and announce that they have won a prize, she unthinkingly says the brothers must share it amongst themselves. Her command cannot go unfollowed (so that she will never have spoken a lie), and after a long discussions about the implications of a woman having five husbands, it is decided that Draupadi can marry all five brothers in consecutive ceremonies without performing wrong.
Draupadi's father restores the Pandavas, giving them aid and allies as part of Draupadi's dowry. Learning of their return, and fearing retribution for the attack on their lives, Dhristarastra gives the Pandavas half the kingdom. This action renders Duryodhana more envious of the brothers than ever before. One of Draupadi's brothers is Krishna, embodiment of the Supreme Person, god of gods. Krishna helps the Pandavas rebuild the beautiful kingdom of Hastinapura, and it appears to mortals as heaven on earth. The Pandavas rule well and peacefully. Yudhisthira is crowned emperor of the world.
It is at this point which Duryodhana vows to take back the entire kingdom. Duryodhana comes up with the scheme to invite the Pandava brothers to play at dice, a game which his uncle excels at, and plans to incite the brothers to wager more and more in a game they cannot win (the dice are charmed), until they lose the entire kingdom. Yudhisthira loses everything, and becomes so hotheaded in his desire to win that he wages his brothers, himself, and their queen, Draupadi.
When Draupadi is lost to Dhristarastra and his son Duryodhana, they send a guard to fetch her. She refuses to make an appearance in the court because she cannot believe the claim that would be lost in a game of dice, and also because she is dressed in her undergarments with unbound hair. The man drags her by her hair into the main hall, and the Kurus subject her to lascivious remarks and gestures. Bhima must be restrained to keep from killing the Kurus present. The Pandavas can honorably do nothing to protect their wife against this indecency--this sin--for they are all slaves to the Kurus. The Pandavas are seething, and Dhristarastra's council hears the evil omens of jackals cackling and donkeys braying. Dhristarastra stops his sons from tormenting Draupadi and begs her to forgive them. He asks her to demand a boon. She asks that the Pandavas be released from slavery, and Dhristarastra assents. The Pandavas return to their kingdom with Draupadi.
Duryodhana is not satisfied, however, claiming that his father is too soft. He devises another strategy involving the dice game to rid himself of the Pandavas. The losers of the game would exiled to the forest for 13 years. In the final year, they could leave the forest, but they would have to remain unknown--if they were discovered, they would have to return to the forest for another twelve years. Yudhisthira must accept the stakes and must play at the king's behest, out of honor and respect for his elder. The Pandavas lose and repair to the forest with their wife.
While in the forest, the brothers meditate, pray, and train. Arjuna receives a blessing from the gods, and becomes the greatest warrior on earth. Bhima grows stronger and more spiteful. Yudisthira becomes wise through prayer and fasting. When the twelve years end, the brothers and Draupadi stealthily make their exit from the woods and are absorbed in another kingdom, playing the parts of a king's adviser (Yudisthira), a cook (Bhima), a lady's maid (Draupadi), and a eunuch (Arjuna--long story...). At the end of their final year in exile, the Pandavas return to their kingdom.
Presented before Dhristarastra and Duryodhana, the Pandavas make their claim, demanding the forfeit of their kingdom. Duryodhana, however, argues that they have returned a day early. After consulting the calendar, Dhristarastra's council agrees with Duryodhana--the Pandavas ended their exile early, and the penalty is another 13 years in the wilderness. The brothers are infuriated. They leave the kingdom.
Krishna attempts at negotiating with Duryodhana, councilling him that his best interests lie with the brave and strong Pandavas. But his attempts are futile. The Pandavas and the Kurus prepare for war.
The preparations for battle are bitter--cousins are armed against one another. The kingdom, once peaceful and prosperous, collapses under the weight of Duryodhana's greed. As their cousin and as Draupadi's brother, Krishna allies himself with the Pandavas. The Kurus are bothered little by the power of their opponents, for their numbers far outweigh the Pandavas'.
When the armies finally meet on the battlefield, Krishna (having vowed not to strike a man in this battle) drives Arjuna's chariot. Arjuna is weakened by the sight of his grandfather and mentor standing amidst the Kuru forces. Krishna strengthens his resolve by explaining that all beings are transcendent and must perform their dharma. When he strikes his cousins, Arjuna is not killing them--he cannot kill their eternal souls, the parts of them that are God--he only destroys their ties to earth. This segment is the "Bhagavad Gita" (Song of God), a Hindi religious text in itself.
Many of the greatest warriors fall in this 18-day battle--widows and orphans lament Duryodhana's greed. But all five Pandavas are victorious survivors, and are welcomed back as the rulers of the kingdom in a joyous parade. The remainder of the story chronicles their happy lives until Krishna departs from earth and the brothers assume the lives of aesthetics. They climb the highest peaks of the Himalayas, making their way towards heaven. The Pandavas fall, one by one, along the way, claimed by death. Yudisthira is the last remaining. He receives a vision from Indra, sees his entire family in the different levels of heaven, and then joins them in the highest level to which a soul can aspire.
Dhristarastra and his wife are granted 100 sons by Vyasadeva's blessing. His first son, however, is born among inauspicious omens, and Dhristarastra is advised by his sage father to kill the infant before he brings about the destruction of their entire line. Dhristarastra is too weak to heed the hard advice, and allows his first-born son to live.
Pandu, after being cursed by a rishi to die at the moment he lies with any woman, entreats his wives to conceive children by another man, for his dharma as king is to create offspring that will continue his line. His wives refuse--such action would be sin for them. He commands them to bear offspring, and they chant mantras that require the gods to appear and perform the chanter's bidding. Thus, Pandu has five sons fathered by the gods: Yudhisthira, son of Dharma (the god of justice); Bhima, son of Vayu (the strongest of the gods); Arjuna, son of Indra (the king of the gods); and the twins Nakula and Sahadeva, sons of the Ashvini twin gods (the gods of sunrise and sunset).
Dhuryodhana, Dhristarastra's eldest son, is filled with jealousy for Pandu's sons (the Pandavas), especially when they return to the city after Pandu's death. He dislikes Bhima the most because he is effortlessly strong and somewhat arrogant. Duryodhana conceives a plan to kill Bhima with poison, but even enough poison to kill 100 men fails to cause him any harm. Duryodhana enlists his brothers and his father in another attempt on the Pandavas lives. He is nearly successful on the second try, and the Pandavas (along with their mother) flee the city, unwilling to engage their 100 cousins in battle.
They travel as ascetics, gaining power through their ritual sacrifices to the gods, until they hear of the contest to win the holy woman Draupadi as wife (a contest similar to that performed by the suitors to Penelope in the Odyssey). The Pandavas journey to the home of Draupadi in complete anonimity. It is decided that Arjuna will contend for her hand, and he is victorious. When the Pandavas return to their mother and announce that they have won a prize, she unthinkingly says the brothers must share it amongst themselves. Her command cannot go unfollowed (so that she will never have spoken a lie), and after a long discussions about the implications of a woman having five husbands, it is decided that Draupadi can marry all five brothers in consecutive ceremonies without performing wrong.
Draupadi's father restores the Pandavas, giving them aid and allies as part of Draupadi's dowry. Learning of their return, and fearing retribution for the attack on their lives, Dhristarastra gives the Pandavas half the kingdom. This action renders Duryodhana more envious of the brothers than ever before. One of Draupadi's brothers is Krishna, embodiment of the Supreme Person, god of gods. Krishna helps the Pandavas rebuild the beautiful kingdom of Hastinapura, and it appears to mortals as heaven on earth. The Pandavas rule well and peacefully. Yudhisthira is crowned emperor of the world.
It is at this point which Duryodhana vows to take back the entire kingdom. Duryodhana comes up with the scheme to invite the Pandava brothers to play at dice, a game which his uncle excels at, and plans to incite the brothers to wager more and more in a game they cannot win (the dice are charmed), until they lose the entire kingdom. Yudhisthira loses everything, and becomes so hotheaded in his desire to win that he wages his brothers, himself, and their queen, Draupadi.
When Draupadi is lost to Dhristarastra and his son Duryodhana, they send a guard to fetch her. She refuses to make an appearance in the court because she cannot believe the claim that would be lost in a game of dice, and also because she is dressed in her undergarments with unbound hair. The man drags her by her hair into the main hall, and the Kurus subject her to lascivious remarks and gestures. Bhima must be restrained to keep from killing the Kurus present. The Pandavas can honorably do nothing to protect their wife against this indecency--this sin--for they are all slaves to the Kurus. The Pandavas are seething, and Dhristarastra's council hears the evil omens of jackals cackling and donkeys braying. Dhristarastra stops his sons from tormenting Draupadi and begs her to forgive them. He asks her to demand a boon. She asks that the Pandavas be released from slavery, and Dhristarastra assents. The Pandavas return to their kingdom with Draupadi.
Duryodhana is not satisfied, however, claiming that his father is too soft. He devises another strategy involving the dice game to rid himself of the Pandavas. The losers of the game would exiled to the forest for 13 years. In the final year, they could leave the forest, but they would have to remain unknown--if they were discovered, they would have to return to the forest for another twelve years. Yudhisthira must accept the stakes and must play at the king's behest, out of honor and respect for his elder. The Pandavas lose and repair to the forest with their wife.
While in the forest, the brothers meditate, pray, and train. Arjuna receives a blessing from the gods, and becomes the greatest warrior on earth. Bhima grows stronger and more spiteful. Yudisthira becomes wise through prayer and fasting. When the twelve years end, the brothers and Draupadi stealthily make their exit from the woods and are absorbed in another kingdom, playing the parts of a king's adviser (Yudisthira), a cook (Bhima), a lady's maid (Draupadi), and a eunuch (Arjuna--long story...). At the end of their final year in exile, the Pandavas return to their kingdom.
Presented before Dhristarastra and Duryodhana, the Pandavas make their claim, demanding the forfeit of their kingdom. Duryodhana, however, argues that they have returned a day early. After consulting the calendar, Dhristarastra's council agrees with Duryodhana--the Pandavas ended their exile early, and the penalty is another 13 years in the wilderness. The brothers are infuriated. They leave the kingdom.
Krishna attempts at negotiating with Duryodhana, councilling him that his best interests lie with the brave and strong Pandavas. But his attempts are futile. The Pandavas and the Kurus prepare for war.
The preparations for battle are bitter--cousins are armed against one another. The kingdom, once peaceful and prosperous, collapses under the weight of Duryodhana's greed. As their cousin and as Draupadi's brother, Krishna allies himself with the Pandavas. The Kurus are bothered little by the power of their opponents, for their numbers far outweigh the Pandavas'.
When the armies finally meet on the battlefield, Krishna (having vowed not to strike a man in this battle) drives Arjuna's chariot. Arjuna is weakened by the sight of his grandfather and mentor standing amidst the Kuru forces. Krishna strengthens his resolve by explaining that all beings are transcendent and must perform their dharma. When he strikes his cousins, Arjuna is not killing them--he cannot kill their eternal souls, the parts of them that are God--he only destroys their ties to earth. This segment is the "Bhagavad Gita" (Song of God), a Hindi religious text in itself.
Many of the greatest warriors fall in this 18-day battle--widows and orphans lament Duryodhana's greed. But all five Pandavas are victorious survivors, and are welcomed back as the rulers of the kingdom in a joyous parade. The remainder of the story chronicles their happy lives until Krishna departs from earth and the brothers assume the lives of aesthetics. They climb the highest peaks of the Himalayas, making their way towards heaven. The Pandavas fall, one by one, along the way, claimed by death. Yudisthira is the last remaining. He receives a vision from Indra, sees his entire family in the different levels of heaven, and then joins them in the highest level to which a soul can aspire.
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