MAHABHARAT - THE STORY

As Dhritrashtra was blind, Pandu, though younger, was made the king. He married Kunti, who was the daughter of Surasena - the king of the yadavas and thus the sister of Vasudeva, father of Krishna. She was adopted by Kuntibhoj - a friend of Surasena, who had no child. While yet a girl, she had looked after the very irritable Sage Durvasa who had given her the boon that wshe could make any god enamourd of her and obtain a son from him. Curious to find out whether the spell (Mantra) really worked she thought of the presiding deity of the Solar disc (Sun God) who suddenly appeared before her and she found herself with an infant - Karna. The unmarried princess could not keep the child and so she set him afloat on the river. The infant was picked up by Radha, wife of a charioteer - Adhiratha. Karna was brought up as their son. Later Kunti married Pandu and Dhritrashtra married Gaudhari. Due to an accidental death of a Sage at the hands of Pandu, Pandu was cursed that he would die if he ever got intimate with his wife. As his dynasty was threatened with extinction, Pandu asked Kunti to make use of the mantra given to her by Saga Durvasa and get three sons from three Gods. So she got Yudhishthir from Dharamraj, Bhim from Vayu and Arjun from Indra. Pandu also had another wife - Madri. She too wanted to have children. Kunti taught her the 'mantra' given to her by Sage Durvasa and she too got twins Nakula and Sahdev from the twin gods, the Ashwinis. These five brothers became famous as Pandava brothers.

Dhritrashtra married Gandhari and had a hundred sons from her; the two eldest being Duryodhan and Duhsasana. These hundred brothers were known as the Kauravas. As Pandu died and madri immolated herself on his funeral pyre, Kunti and the pandav brothers go to live with gandhari and her sons in the royal household now presided over by Dhrishtrashtra in Hastinapur. Bhim is giant of a boy and his constant bullying of the Kaurava lads breeds great hatred in Duryodhan.

As the boys grew up, kripacharya started coaching them in the martial arts. Kripacharya's sister Kripi was married to Dronacharya who was extremely poor in his early life. In his boyhood, he was a colleague and friend of Drupad, the prince of Panchala. Drupad had assured him that when he became king he would remove all his problems. But when he did become the king of Panchala, power went to his head, he dismissed his friend who went to meet him with great hopes by saying that only equals culd be fiends. Later Dronacharya was engaged by Bhishma to further instruct the Kaurava and the pandava princes in the martial arts. When their training was completed, he arranged a tournament to test their skills. There Arjuna who was his favourite pupil, excelled everybody. But things took a startling turn when Karna strode in and claimed that he could excel Arjuna. Dronacharya asked him to reveal his identity as only a Kshatriya could challenge a Kshatriya. Karan was embarrased. Seeking to win an ally, Duryodhan crowned him on the spot as the king of Anga. Just at that time Adhirath's foster-father, the old Chariteer walked in and Karn's homage to him revealed his identity and he was not allowed to combat with Arjuna. Karn's humiliation made him a bitter enemy of the Pandavas and a loyal friend of Duryodhan who had made him the king of Anga.

As guru dakshana (traditional tribute) to teacher from pupils on completion of their training, Dronacharya demanded that the princes attack Drupad and bring him as a hostage. Arjuna succeeded in this mission and Drona reminded Drupad of what he had said about friendship being possible only amongst equals. On that plea he divided the conquered realm of Drupad between himself and Drupad so that they became equals. Ever since then Drupad waited to avenge his humiliation. He performed rituals to get a son who shall be the slayer of Drona. That is how he got Dhrisntadyumna. Along with him he got a daughter too. She was named Draupadi. Amba who had sworn to slay Bhishma was also reborn as Drupad's daughter. She changed her sex and became Shikhandi.

As Pandu had been the king of Hastinapur, Dhritrashtra crowned him as heir apparent. But his son Duryodhan hand never reconciled to the bypassing of his father in the line of Kingship because he was blind. He hatched a conspiracy and made his father suggest to the pandavas and their mother Kunti to have a holiday in Varnavata where he had build a house of wax for them as he had planned and arson to kill all of them. Vidur tipped Yudhisnthir and the Pandavas themselves burnt down the mansion and escaped. A tribal woman with her five sons had taken shelter in the mansion; they perished in fire and their cindered dead bodies convinced Duryodhan that his plot had succeeded and the Pandava brothers and their mother Kunti were dead. As Pandavas thought it to be risky, they do not return to Hastinapur. They flee incognito. Once they are faced by demon named Hidum. Bhim killed him and married his sister Hidamba from whom he got a son who was named Ghatotekach. Later they went to participate in Draupadis Swayamwar where she was to be given away as bride to the suitor who could shoot an arrow at the eye of a fish tied to a pole and reflected in a bowl of water kept down below.