Tales from the Mahabharat
Introduction
The War
The Mahabharat is a Sanskrit story composed around two thousand years ago about a war between the five Pandav brothers and the hundred Kaurav brothers over the throne of Hastinapur. The Pandavas (singular: Pandav) and the Kauravas (singular: Kaurav) were first cousins; their respective fathers, Pandu and Dhritarashtra, were half-brothers. The Pandavas were the good guys. They had Lord Krishna (the eighth avatar of Vishnu, the Preserver of the universe) on their side and finally vanquished the evil Kauravas.
The Pandavas
The five sons of Pandu are called the Pandavas. Pandu had two wives, Kunti and Madri. Note that the Pandavas were not Pandu's biological children; a rishi had cursed Pandu that he would die if he made love to his wife. The Pandavas, from oldest to youngest, were:
Yudhishthir, the son of Yamaraj (the god of justice) and Kunti, was righteous to a fault.
Bheem, the son of the Wind god and Kunti, was strong as the wind and an exceptional mace fighter.
Arjun, the son of Indra (the king of the gods) and Kunti, was another expert archer.
the twins Nakul and Sahadev, the sons of the Ashvins (twin gods of medicine and health) and Madri, were exceptional swordsmen.
The Pandavas were married to Draupadi, the daughter of King Drupad.
The Kauravas
Duryodhan was the oldest Kaurav and an expert mace fighter. Dushasan was the second oldest Kaurav. The Kauravas' parents were the blind Dhritarashtra and his wife, Gandhari.
Cause of the Dispute
Vichitraveerya ruled the kingdom of Hastinapur. After his death, his oldest stepson, Dhritarashtra, would've been the heir to the throne. But, since Dhritarashtra was born blind, his younger half-brother, Pandu, was crowned king instead. King Pandu unexpectedly died, after which Dhritarashtra was made the interim king of Hastinapur until Pandu's oldest son, Prince Yudhishthir, was old enough to take up the throne. Duryodhan, the eldest son of Dhritarashtra, believed his father had been unfairly denied Hastinapur's throne because of his blindness. So, Duryodhan believed that he, not Prince Yudhishtir, should become the next king of Hastinapur.
Contents
The following are some snippets from this epic, in no particular order.
Arjun's Encounter with Lord Shiv: The Tale of the Boar and the Hunter
Bheem's Encounter with the Demon Siblings: The Tale of Hidimb and Hidimba
The Tale of Eklavya: Unparalleled Archer and Devoted Disciple
The Life and Legacy of Dronacharya: Guru of the Pandavas and Kauravas
Sources
Shri Krishna (1993 TV series) by Ramanand Sagar
महाभारत (book) by Om Books International