Month: June 2026

Vishvakarma collected all the beauty from the Triloka and created an apsara named Tilottama, who was named so because she was created by bits and pieces of gems.

Tilottama’s beauty was so extraordinary that all beings were mesmerised by her. She was directed by Lord Brahma to distract the two asura brothers, Sunda and Upasunda, in a way that she would create a rift and turn them against each other.

As Sunda and Upasunda were drinking along a riverbank in the Vindhya Mountains, Tilottama appeared. When the asura brothers saw Tilottama’s radiant beauty, they became mesmerised and wanted to marry her, and this was when their unity broke.

Each brother claimed Tilottama for himself and neither was willing to let her go. Slowly, their affection turned into possessiveness, and soon into rage, which led to the brothers attacking one another.

A terrible duel took place between the two brothers, and finally, the brothers killed each other. Their unity made them invincible, but the rivalry over a woman became the cause of their destruction.

One day, Narada visited the Pandavas and they received him respectfully and with great honour. He observed the prosperity of the kingdom and the unity of the brothers.

He also observed their unique marriage and understood that this arrangement could someday become dangerous.  

Later, Narada warned them that even loving brothers could become enemies if rivalry over a woman arose, and in order to explain this statement, he narrated the story of Sunda and Upasunda.

Sunda and Upasunda were two asura brothers who were deeply loyal to one another and were inseparable. The brothers ruled together and shared everything.

They performed severe austerities and pleased Lord Brahma, who granted them a boon. The brothers cleverly asked that no being in existence should be able to kill them except each other.

After receiving the boon, the brothers became arrogant and disturbed yajnas. The devas, fearing the asura brothers, approached Lord Brahma, who ordered Vishvakarma to create a beautiful apsara named Tilottama.

After the Pandavas arrived at Khandavaprastha, they selected an auspicious land and performed sacred rituals in order to purify the land with the help of Vyasa and Krishna.

After the purification of the land, the city was measured properly and they began planning the capital. The artisans, craftsmen, and architects designed the roads, palaces, gardens, and mansions. The city was built according to royal traditions.

The city was soon filled with grand palaces, gardens, and lakes, making it look beautiful and radiant like heaven. Therefore, the city came to be known as “Indraprastha” in reference to the celestial city of Lord Indra.

As time went by, many merchants, Brahmanas, craftsmen, scholars, nobles, and artisans arrived at Indraprastha and soon the city became prosperous, independent, and wealthy, making it one of the greatest cities across Aryavarta.

As Indraprastha prospered and was no longer dependent on Hastinapur, Duryodhana became increasingly disturbed and jealous.

After resting for a while, the Pandavas came to the royal court and took their respective seats. Later, Dhritarashtra addressed Yudhishthira and said that in order to avoid further conflict within the Kuru family, the kingdom must be divided.

After the division, a wild barren land, Khandavaprastha, was given to the Pandavas, and Duryodhana kept the prosperous Hastinapur.

Though Khandavaprastha was a rough and barren land that was difficult to inhabit, the Pandavas accepted Dhritarashtra’s decision respectfully, while the Kauravas remained in Hastinapur.

But the decision of Dhritarashtra was not out of generosity, it was in order to satisfy the Pandavas while protecting Duryodhana’s position in Hastinapur.

The Pandavas sought blessings from the Kuru elders and departed for Khandavaprastha, along with Kunti, Draupadi, and attendants.

With the guidance and support of Krishna and Vyasa, they reached Khandavaprastha.

In the court of Panchala, though King Drupada was cautious about the Pandavas returning to Hastinapur, Krishna supported the proposal and his words carried great influence in the assembly.

The Pandavas and their mother, Kunti, agreed to return because they wished to preserve unity within the Kuru dynasty.

King Drupada honoured the Pandavas and gave them wealth, ornaments, and royal gifts and then the Pandavas bid farewell and departed towards Hastinapur, along with Kunti, Draupadi, Krishna and Vidura.

When they reached Hastinapur, the citizens of Hastinapur rejoiced and praised Yudhishthira for his righteousness and remembered King Pandu with great affection.

The affection and admiration of the people towards the Pandavas deeply troubled Duryodhana and Shakuni.

They were then welcomed by the Kuru elders and the Pandavas paid respect to them.

After a while, the Pandavas were summoned to the royal court by Dhritarashtra.

During the discussions in the Kuru court, Bhishma and Vidura advised Dhritarashtra to abandon ideas of hostility towards the Pandavas and reminded him that the Pandavas, the sons of Pandu, were the rightful heirs of the Kuru dynasty.

Bhishma, Dronacharya and Vidura advised Dhritarashtra to make peace with the Pandavas instead of creating conflict within the family. Finally, Dhritarashtra decided to invite the Pandavas back to Hastinapur.

Dhritarashtra asked Vidura to go to Panchala as an envoy and bring the Pandavas, Kunti and Draupadi, back with honour.

Vidura travelled to Panchala and was warmly welcomed by King Drupada. He affectionately embraced the Pandavas and enquired about the well-being of both them and Kunti. Later, he conveyed Dhritarashtra’s message and informed them that the Kuru elders wished for the Pandavas to return to Hastinapur.

Dwarkadhish Krishna, who was present in the court, supported the reconciliation as he knew that it was the destiny of the Pandavas, though Drupada still remained cautious about the Pandavas returning to Hastinapur.

Now that the Pandavas were alive, Duryodhana became fearful that they would reclaim their throne. Duryodhana, along with Shakuni and Karna, devised many plans against them.

He first thought of creating a rift among the Pandavas, but realised that it would not be possible because they were protected by their virtues and strong bond with one another.

Duryodhana then proposed bribing King Drupada to turn against the Pandavas, but Karna interrupted and said that King Drupada was not greedy for wealth and would never commit such an act. Duryodhana then began thinking of attacking the Pandavas.  

Karna, however, reminded him of the Pandavas’ alliance with Krishna, and said that as long as they had Krishna’s support and remained united, Duryodhana’s schemes were unlikely to succeed.  

Meanwhile, in the Kuru court, Bhishma said that he had never supported the idea of hostility towards the Pandavas and Gandhari also wished for peace. He strongly warned Dhritarashtra that conflict within the Kuru dynasty would destroy the family.

After the marriage, news spread across Aryavarta that the Pandavas were alive and had married the princess of Panchala, Draupadi, and their marriage astonished many kingdoms.

Soon, the news reached Hastinapura and and the Kuru court learned that the Pandavas were alive.

Vidura learnt that Draupadi had married the Pandavas and that the pride of the Kauravas had been humbled, and he was filled with joy. He exclaimed to Dhritarashtra that the Kurus were flourishing.

Dhritarashtra assumed that Duryodhana had won Draupadi, and he became pleased and ordered many jewels and ornaments to be brought for her.

But Vidura clarified that the Pandavas were alive, had married Draupadi and had formed a powerful alliance with King Drupada.

Dhritarashtra then said that the sons of  were dear to him as his own sons.

Duryodhana, his brothers, and Shakuni, were filled with envy because they believed that the Pandavas had perished in the Lakshagriha fire.

Duryodhana and Shakuni felt distressed because the Pandavas had now gained a powerful ally in Panchala, and they could challenge Duryodhana’s claim to the throne.

After Drupada accepted the marriage of Draupadi with the Pandavas, priests were called, Vedic hymns were chanted, and the sacred fires were prepared. The marriage was conducted according to traditions.

Draupadi was married to the five Pandavas sequentially according to proper rituals over consecutive days; she was first married to Yudhishthira, then Bhima, then Arjuna, then Nakula, and finally Sahadeva.

The priests blessed Draupadi, saying that she would regain her maiden purity each day.

Rules were then established to maintain harmony among the brothers. The rule was that Draupadi would stay with one Pandava for a year and during that time, no other brother should enter her private chamber.

If any brother entered the chamber of Draupadi when she was with another brother, then he would have to undergo exile for 12 years.

King Drupada gifted the Pandavas a hundred chariots adorned with gold, and each chariot was drawn by four horses.

Having completed the wedding, the Pandavas dwelt happily in the city of the King of Panchala.

The words spoken by Kunti left everyone in deep confusion. After a long silence, Yudhishthira stepped forward and said that a mother’s words should never become false, and dharma stood above everything else.

Meanwhile, King Drupada was curious about the identities of the Brahmanas because the strength they displayed in the swayamvara made him suspicious that they could not be ordinary Brahmanas. So, he sent his son, Dhrishtadyumna, secretly to follow them.

Dhrishtadyumna followed the disguised Pandavas and Draupadi to the potter’s hut and observed them. He heard them speak about warfare, weapons and military matters. Because of this, Dhrishtadyumna became convinced that these Brahmanas were actually the Pandavas.

Dhrishtadyumna returned to Drupada and informed him of everything he had heard and seen. King Drupada was overjoyed because he had long desired for his daughter to marry Arjuna and he immediately sent his messengers to respectfully invite the Pandavas to the palace.