Author: samrudhi

After the news of Bhima’s birth reached Hastinapur, Gandhari, who had been pregnant for 2 years, became frustrated and stabbed herself in the womb, giving birth to a hard mass of flesh.

The hard mass of flesh was taken to Sage Vyasa. The sage divided the flesh into 100 parts and placed it in jars, and smeared it with ghee. Upon Gandhari’s request to have a daughter, another jar was prepared.

Soon, 100 sons and 1 daughter were born, Duryodhana being the eldest of them all. The day Duryodhana was born, the sky turned dark, and there was an ominous atmosphere, the royal astrologers predicted that Duryodhana would be the cause of destruction of Kuru Dynasty.

Everyone suggested the Dhritarashtra, to abandon Duryodhana. But he was blinded by love, and refused to do so.

During Gandhari’s pregnancy, Dhritarashtra, angered by the delay, had a son named Yuyutsu, mothered by Gandhari’s maiden.

Pandu and his wives began leading their lives in a forest. He met a few sages, and asked them a way to attain heaven. But the sages replied that, without children, one can never go to heaven.

Distressed, Pandu shared his plight with Kunti. She revealed to Pandu, that she had a boon of begetting a child from any God she desires. Pandu was ecstatic and suggested that he could get virtuous children through her boon.

Kunti used this mantra, and invoked Lord Yama-Dharma, who blessed them with a son, who was wise and always followed dharma, named Yudhisthira.

Meanwhile, in Hastinapur, Gandhari was also pregnant, but her pregnancy was unusual.

She remained pregnant for 2 years, while Kunti, prayed to Vayu Deva and gave birth to a boy, who was strong as the wind, named Bhima.

Shortly after Pandu’s marriage with Kunti and Madri, he went to a forest for hunting. While looking for his prey, amidst the bushes, he spotted a couple of deer and shot his arrow towards it.

When he went to check upon the deers, he saw that the deers were Sage Kindama and his wife. The Sage and his wife were on the brink of dying, and Pandu realised his mistake and begged pardon, but the Sage angered by this act of Pandu, cursed him, that he will die, if he ever touches his wives.

Horrified, Pandu returned to Hastinapur, and told his wives about his curse.

Pandu, filled with guilt, wanted to repent for his actions, so he renounced his throne and left the kingdom.

His wives followed his path and went to the forest to live with Pandu, where he wanted to seek solace and repent for his actions.

Meanwhile, in Hastinapur, Dhritarashtra was crowned as the King of Hastinapur and Gandhari becomes the Queen.

Kunti was the daughter of Shurasena, a Yadava ruler of Mathura but, was raised by her childless uncle Kuntibhoja, the King of Kuntibhoja. She was the sister of Krishna’s father, Vasudeva.

Once Sage Durvasa visited Kuntibhoja, and pleased by Kunti’s devotion, he taught her a mantra, through which she could beget a child from any God she desires.

Kunti was curious and recited this mantra, invoking Surya deva. Later, she gave birth to a boy, named Karna.

Kunti was not married yet, so she begged Surya deva to take the child back but he refused, but blessed Karna, with a divine armor and earrings. She put Karna in a basket and left him in River Ganga.

Years later, when Kunti’s Swayamvara was organised, she chose Pandu, the King of Hastinapur, to be her husband. Soon after their marriage, Pandu went on to expand his kingdom, Bhisma proposed that Pandu should marry Madri, the princess of Madra Kingdom, in order to secure the kingdom of Madra.

Dhritarashtra, being the elder one had to be married first, so Bhisma began looking for eligible brides.

Meanwhile, Saubala, the King of Gandhara Kingdom, had a daughter named Gandhari, who was a great devotee of Lord Shiva. Pleased by her devotion, Shiva granted her a boon of begetting 100 children.

Bhisma, hearing the boon Gandhari was blessed with, thought that she would be a perfect bride for Dhritarashtra.

When this proposal was made, Saubala, king of Gandhara, hesitated because Dhritarashtra was blind. But in order to strengthen his weakened kingdom, he agrees to the alliance with the Kuru Dynasty.

When Gandhari found out that her fiancée is blind, she decides to share his disability and blindfolds herself with a silk cloth. Gandhari had an elder brother named Shakuni, who was extremely devious.

After their marriage, Gandhari remained extremely devoted to her husband and continued to share his blindness.

Dhritarashtra, Pandu and Vidura were trained by Bhishma and Kripacharya in military arts and vedic knowledge.

Dhritarashtra, through a boon given by Veda Vyasa, had the strength of hundred elephants. He was able to crush iron with his bare hands but due to his disability, he was unable to use weapons.

Pandu was known as a Maharathi, being an excellent archer. While Vidura, though being the half-brother of Dhritarashtra and Pandu, had a low status, as he was the son of a handmaiden.

Bhisma taught Vidura about dharma, he learnt the dharmic rules and values, becoming the wisest of the three, because of which he became the Mahamantri (Prime Minister) of Hastinapur.

When it was time for choosing an heir for the throne, Vidura proposed that Dhritarashtra was the elder one but was a handicap, so Pandu should be chosen to succeed the throne. Thus, Pandu the next Kuru King of Hastinapur.

Sage Mandavya was once performing austerities in with his arms up in front of his ashram. A few thieves who had stolen from the King’s palace, came across the ashram, dumped their loot and ran away seeing the king’s men running behind them.

When the King’s men arrived, they assumed that Mandavya was a part of the theft and captured him. The thieves were also caught and presented to the king along with Mandavya. Mandavya, due to his vow of silence, refused to speak and was put to death penalty by being struck with the tip of a trident.

The thieves died while Mandavya was alive. The king later realising Mandavya’s innocence, rushed to seek forgiveness, and his men tried to pull the trident but were unsuccessful. With no other option, they cut the tip of the Trident, giving him the name Ani Mandavya. He then approached Yama and asked him what sins had he committed to have suffered like this. Yama replied that he had tortured small birds when he was young.  Mandavya stated the shastras said, No man should suffer for sins committed before the age of 12.

And since Yama had committed a crime of murdering a Brahmin, he was cursed to be born as a Shudra on Earth. He was reborn as Vidura, the half-brother of Pandu and Dhritarashtra.

Satyavati had summoned Veda Vyasa for the process of ‘Niyoga’. After he arrived, Satyavati sent him to Ambika’s Chambers. As he had meditated in the forest for a long time, he had a scary appearance and when Ambika saw him, she closed her eyes in fear.

Vyasa informed Satyavati that the child born would be blind since Ambika closed her eyes, she assumed that he would not be able to become a king since he was blind.

So, she sent Vyasa to the Ambalika’s Chambers. Ambalika as informed, did not close her eyes, but she grew pale seeing his appearance.

Soon, Dhritarashtra, who was blind was born to Ambika and Pandu, who had a pale complexion was born to Ambalika. Satyavati invited Vyasa again, and asked him for another child, and sent him to Ambika’s Chambers. Ambika remembering his scary appearance sent her handmaiden, Parishrami. She considered it as her duty, so the child born to her was healthy and wise and was named as Vidura.  

After getting married to Ambika and Ambalika, the princesses of Kashi, Vichitravirya lived a happy life while being the King of Hastinapur, succeeding his elder brother Chitrangada.

After 7 years, Vichitravirya suffered from tuberculosis, and despite all the efforts from different physicians being done, he could not be healed and dies childless.

Since, he passed away childless, there was no successor for the throne. So, Satyavati asked Bhisma to marry the widows of Vichitravirya, but Bhisma refused reminding her of his vow of celibacy.

The birth of Veda Vyasa was kept a secret which she hid from Shantanu and Bhisma, since Bhisma refused to marry the widows, she revealed the birth of Veda Vyasa to him and suggested that with the help of Veda Vyasa, through the process of ‘Niyoga’ (The process of a widower begetting a child), children could be born to Ambika and Ambalika. Ambika and Ambalika agreed to the process of Niyoga and Satyavati summoned Veda Vyasa as he had given his word to Satyavati, that whenever she needed his help, he would be present there.

Once Amba visited the Vatsa Kingdom, and was performing penance and Goddess Ganga appeared in front of her, and heard that Amba’s penance was for the purpose of destroying Bhisma. Ganga fumed and cursed Amba saying she would flow as a crooked river just like her crooked mind, which would be dry for 8 months of a year, and would flow for 4 months. She added that the river would have crocodiles and other fierce creatures making it a difficult terrain.

After being cursed, Amba wandered in different places and visited many tirthas and finally returned to Vatsa Kingdom, where Ganga’s curse came to being. Amba due to her ascetic merit remained a human but her lower half turned into a river.

Though Amba was persuaded against her austerities (tapas), she continued to performed rigorous penance. Finally, after long, Lord Shiva appeared, and granted her a boon that she would be the reason for Bhisma’s death and in her next life she would be reborn as Shikhandi, the daughter of Drupada, the King of Panchala. After the boon was granted, Amba lit her funeral pyre and self-immolated to be reborn as Shikhandi.