1. Vyasa Seeks a Scribe

Vyasa had composed a poem and needed a scribe to write it down.

“Will you be my scribe?” he asked Ganesha, the elephant-headed god.

“I will,” said Ganesha, “provided you do not pause in your recitation.”

“I agree,” Vyasa replied, “provided you understand each word’s meaning before you write it down.”

Vyasa recited, and Ganesha wrote.

Sometimes Vyasa said things that were confusing, and Ganesha would pause and think.

Once, when Ganesha’s pen splintered, he broke off one of his own tusks to keep writing.

That was the first version of the Mahabharata.

This Mahabharata will begin with King Shantanu.

2. King Shantanu Gets Married

King Shantanu lived in a great palace in Hastinapura, but he had no queen.

One day he went hunting, and by the river he saw a beautiful woman. He loved the woman at first sight. “Marry me!” he said.

“I agree,” the woman replied, “under one condition: you must never question my actions.”

Shantanu agreed, and they were soon married.

A year later, their first child was born.

On that very day, the queen took the baby to the river and drowned him there.

King Shantanu was stunned, but said nothing.

He kept his promise to never question her actions.

3. The Story of Mahabhisha

To understand Shantanu’s story, listen to the story of Mahabhisha:

King Mahabhisha had earned so much merit that he ascended to Indra’s heaven. There he danced with the apsaras to the music of the gandharvas, drinking sura, and the wish-granting tree Kalpataru gave him everything he desired.

One day a breeze blew the goddess Ganga’s garment aside. The devas looked away, but Mahabhisha could not resist: he stared directly at her naked breasts.

Indra cursed Mahabhisha to return to earth, and he told Ganga to take human birth and break his heart.

Mahabhisha was reborn as Shantanu, king of Hastinapura.

4. King Shantanu Confronts the Queen

King Shantanu’s queen drowned their first child in the river, and their second. One by one, she drowned seven children.

Shantanu said nothing.

When she gave birth to their eighth child, Shantanu shouted, “Stop! I forbid you to kill this child.”

“The child will live, but I must leave you now,” the queen replied. “I am Ganga, goddess of this river, and I came to earth in order to marry you, bear your children, and drown them as soon as they were born. Our children were the eight Vasus, gods of the eight elements, cursed to be born as humans.”

5. The Story of the Vasus

Prabhasa, chief of the Vasus, had coveted the wish-granting cow of the rishi Vashishtha. Together with the other Vasus, Prabhasa stole the cow, but Vashishtha caught them and cursed them. “You will be born on earth as humans.”

The Vasus begged Ganga to be their mother on earth and drown them, making their lives as short as possible.

Ganga agreed. She became the wife of King Shantanu, and she drowned their children as soon as they were born. But when the eighth child was born, Shantanu stopped her.

That eighth child was the incarnation of Prabhasa.

Shantanu named him Devavrata.

6. Devavrata Departs and Returns

“I will take Devavrata with me now,” Ganga told Shantanu, cradling the infant in her arms, “and return him to you later.” She then disappeared into the river.

King Shantanu returned every day to the river, forever hoping that his wife and son would appear.

Then, one day, it happened: Ganga emerged from the river, together with a handsome young man. “Your son has learned the Vedas from the rishi Vashishtha,” she said, “and Parashurama has taught him the arts of war.”

Shantanu embraced his son and proclaimed him to be the crown-prince, his heir.

Ganga then returned to heaven.

7. Shantanu Sees Satyavati

King Shantanu went hunting one day.

Again, he saw a beautiful woman by the river.

Again, he fell in love at first sight.

“Marry me!” he said.

“You must ask my father’s permission,” she replied.

“Who are you?” Shantanu asked. “And who is your father?”

“I am Satyavati,” she said. “My father is a fisherman.”

“Let me marry your daughter!” Shantanu said to the fisherman.

“I agree,” he said, “under one condition: when Satyavati bears you a son, that son must inherit the kingdom.”

But Shantanu could not agree to this condition because he had named Devavrata as his heir.

8. The Story of Satyavati

Who was Satyavati? This is her story:

King Uparichara, resting beneath a tree, thought of his wife and ejaculated. He wrapped the semen in a leaf and gave it to a parrot to take to his wife.

But a falcon attacked the parrot, and the leaf fell into a river.

A fish ate the leaf… a fish who was actually an apsara cursed to live as a fish.

A fisherman caught the fish and found twin babies inside. He took them to King Uparichara, who accepted the boy but gave the girl to the fisherman.

She became his daughter: Satyavati.

9. Devavrata Swears an Oath

Devavrata saw that King Shantanu was troubled, and Shantanu told his son what had happened: to marry Satyavati, he had to promise that her son, not Devavrata, would inherit the kingdom.

Devavrata did not hesitate. “I renounce all claims to the throne!” he said.

“But there is also the problem of your sons,” Shantanu added.

Then Devavrata swore a dreadful oath. “I renounce all women, and I will never marry.”

Henceforth he was called Bhishma, meaning “dreadful” because of this dreadful oath.

The gods, in admiration and pity, gave Bhishma the boon of choosing the time of his own death.

10. King Shantanu Marries Satyavati

Shantanu then married Satyavati, and they had two sons: Chitrangada and Vichitravirya.

When Shantanu died, Chitrangada became king of Hastinapura.

Chitrangada was a great warrior, but he died in battle before he could marry and have sons of his own.

Bhishma performed the funeral ritual, and then Vichitravirya became king.

Vichitravirya was still very young, so Bhishma and Satyavati ruled the kingdom in his stead.

“He must marry as soon as possible and father sons to carry on the family line,” Satyavati told Bhishma. “Because he is too young to win brides for himself, you must do that for him!”

11. Bhishma Goes to the Swayamvara

Bhishma went to the kingdom of Kashi, where King Kashya was holding a swayamvara for his three daughters: Amba, Ambika, and Ambalika. The king had invited many princes to the competition, but not Vichitravirya.

Bhishma, however, was determined that the princesses would marry his half-brother. So, before the competition even began, Bhishma rushed into the assembly, surprising everyone. He grabbed the three princesses and raced away in his chariot, fighting off the angry princes who pursued him.

Bhishma’s rivals were disappointed, and none more so than Prince Shalva, who was secretly betrothed to the eldest of the three princesses, Amba.

12. Amba Pleads with Bhishma

Bhishma returned to Hastinapura with three brides for Vichitravirya, but Amba confessed that she was secretly betrothed to King Shalva.

“Let me go to Shalva,” she begged.

Bhishma agreed, but when Amba went to Shalva, he rejected her. “I cannot marry you,” he said. “You belong to Bhishma.”

Then, when Amba returned to Hastinapura, Bhishma also rejected her. “I cannot let Vichitravirya marry you now,” he said.

“Then you must marry me!” insisted Amba.

“I cannot,” Bhishma replied.

Without home or husband, Amba blamed Bhishma for her fate. “Someday, somewhere, I will be the cause of Bhishma’s death,” she vowed.

13. Amba Goes to Parashurama

Amba then sought an avenger who would fight Bhishma, but the kshatriya-warriors were all afraid of him, and no one would help her.

Then Amba went to Parashurama, the brahmin-warrior who had been Bhishma’s teacher.

“What Bhishma did to you was wrong,” Parashurama said to Amba. “I agree to fight him for you.”

Parashurama challenged Bhishma, and Bhishma reluctantly agreed to fight his guru. They fought for many days and, to Parashurama’s surprise, he could not defeat his former pupil.

“No one can kill Bhishma unless he wishes to die,” Parashurama told Amba. “There is no way to defeat him.”

14. Amba Prays to the Gods

When Parashurama failed to defeat Bhishma, Amba despaired. She prayed to the gods to avenge her humiliation. She stood on one foot on top of a high mountain, through hot and cold, in sun and snow, not eating and not drinking until the gods answered her.

Years passed.

Finally Shiva appeared. “You will bring about Bhishma’s death, but not in this lifetime,” he said. “You must wait for your next lifetime.”

But Amba didn’t wait. She built a funeral pyre and threw herself into the flames.

She was reborn as Shikhandini, the daughter, and later the son, of King Drupada.

15. How the Sons of Satyavati Died

Chitrangada died unmarried. A gandharva had challenged him, shouting, “My name is Chitrangada, and I forbid you to use my name!” “No!” the king retorted; “I am Chitrangada forever!” Then they fought fiercely for days, weeks, months, years. After three years, the gandharva won. The king who would not surrender his name paid with his life.

Vichitravirya died married, but without sons. He was still a boy when he became king, and Bhishma ruled as his regent. “You must not enter my palace,” Bhishma told him, “not ever!” But Vichitravirya disobeyed him, and Bhishma’s pet elephant crushed him to death.

16. Vichitravirya Leaves Two Widows

When Vichitravirya died, he left behind two widows, the princesses of Kashi: Ambika and Ambalika. Both were childless.

“Who will be king of Hastinapura now?” Satyavati wailed. In desperation, she turned to Bhishma for help. “It is lawful for a dead man’s brother to continue the family line,” she told him. “You are his half-brother! You must marry the princesses.”

“You of all people know I cannot do that,” Bhishma replied. “Your father compelled me to renounce all offspring.”

Satyavati then said something that took Bhishma completely by surprise. “Then I must summon my son. He is our only hope.”

17. Another Story of Satyavati

Satyavati, who had been born from a fish, became a beautiful young woman, but she smelled like a fish. People called her Matsyagandha, “Fish-Smell,” and no man would marry her.

Satyavati worked ferrying people across the river, and one day a rishi named Parashara fell in love with her. “Become my lover,” he said, “and I will use my powers to remove your fish-smell, replacing it with a scent no man can resist. I will also restore your virginity afterwards.”

Satyavati agreed, and the rishi kept his promise.

Their son was Vyasa.

Yes, the same Vyasa who composed the Mahabharata.

18. Satyavati Summons Vyasa

To continue the family line, Satyavati summoned Vyasa, who was living as a forest rishi.

“Mother, I will do what you want,” he said, “but give me time to make myself presentable.”

“No,” she said, “come now! The widows await you.”

Vyasa went to Ambika. Terrified by his appearance, she closed her eyes.

Ambalika was also terrified, and the blood drained from her face.

Vyasa told Satyavati, “Ambika’s son will be blind, and Ambalika’s son will be pale.”

“Go to Ambalika again,” Satyavati said.

But Ambalika had her maid take her place. She greeted Vyasa happily and showed no fear.

19. Three Sons are Born

All that Vyasa said came true.

Ambika’s son was born blind. They named him Dhritarashtra, which means “Kingdom-Holder.”

Ambalika’s son was born pale. They named him Pandu, which means “Pale.”

Ambalika’s maid had a beautiful boy, and they named him Vidura, which means “Wise,” and he grew up worthy of the name. But because he was the son of a maid, Vidura was not a royal prince like his brothers, and he could never be king.

Dhritarashtra was the eldest, but because he was blind, he was not allowed to become king.

Thus Pandu the Pale became king of Hastinapura.

20. The Story of Mandavya

To understand Vidura’s story, listen to Mandavya’s story:

While the rishi Mandavya meditated, thieves hid in his ashram. The king’s guards arrested Mandavya with the thieves. “I’m innocent!” Mandavya protested, but the king pierced him with a lance.

Mandavya complained to Yama, god of dharma.

“Actions have consequences,” said Yama. “That’s karma. As a boy, you played with insects, piercing them with sticks. You, the impaler, have been impaled.”

“That is not justice!” replied Mandavya. “I curse you to suffer unjustly in another life.”

Yama was born as Vidura, having the qualities of a king but not allowed to rule.