21. The Brothers Get Married

King Pandu married Kunti, daughter of Shurasena, ruler of the Yadavas. But Kunti bore no children, so after a while Pandu took a second wife, Madri, daughter of King Shalya of Madra. Like Kunti before her, Madri also did not bear any children, and Pandu had no son to succeed him.

Prince Dhritarashtra, meanwhile, married a princess named Gandhari, daughter of King Subala of Gandhara. When she learned that her husband was blind, Gandhari blindfolded herself, vowing that she would share his blindness.

“Let us have children soon!” Dhritarashtra told her, hoping that their son would rule Hastinapura after Pandu.

22. Pandu Goes Hunting

While hunting, Pandu shot a stag in the act of love. The stag was in fact a rishi named Kindama, and the doe was his wife. They had transformed into deer to make love in the forest.

As he was dying, Kindama cursed Pandu. “You will die, just as I am dying, if you ever touch a woman again.”

Pandu realized he would never be able to have a son, so he renounced the world and went to live in the wilderness. His devoted wives, Kunti and Madri, went into the wilderness with him.

Thus Dhritarashtra became king after all.

23. The Story of Kunti’s Mantra

But Kunti had a secret.

Years ago, the rishi Durvasa had visited her parents. Durvasa was notoriously bad-tempered, but Kunti’s gracious hospitality pleased him, and he rewarded her with a mantra. “It summons any god,” he explained, “and that god will give you a child.”

Wondering if what Durvasa said was true, Kunti used the mantra to summon Surya, the sun-god.

Surya appeared!

“Forgive me,” Kunti said. “I didn’t mean it.”

“The mantra cannot be undone,” Surya replied.

Kunti became pregnant, and when the baby was born, she put him in a basket and set him adrift in a river.

24. Kunti and Madri Have Sons

Kunti told Pandu about her mantra, and Pandu was delighted. “Summon Yama, god of dharma,” he exclaimed, “and our son will be righteous.”

Kunti summoned Yama, and she had a son. They named him Yudhishthira.

“Now summon Vayu, god of wind, so our son will be strong.” Kunti had another son, and they named him Bhima.

“We need a warrior son,” said Pandu. “Summon Indra, king of the gods.”

Kunti had a third son, and they named him Arjuna.

Kunti shared her mantra with Madri, and she summoned the twin Ashwin gods, who gave her twin sons, Nakula and Sahadeva.

25. Dhritarashtra Has a Son

King Dhritarashtra rejoiced when his wife Gandhari told him she was pregnant, but he despaired a year later when she still had not given birth. Another year went by, and still Gandhari had not given birth, although her belly was big.

While he waited for his wife’s delivery, Dhritarashtra took his wife’s maid, Sughada, into his bed. She gave birth to a son: Yuyutsu.

Because Yuyutsu’s mother was a member of the servant class and not a kshatriya-warrior, Yuyutsu could not inherit the throne, much like his low-born uncle Vidura. Also like Vidura, Yuyutsu was a wise and righteous man.

26. Gandhari Has Sons

Pandu now had five sons by his two wives, but Dhritarashtra’s wife Gandhari still had no children, although she had been pregnant for years. In frustration, she struck her belly, and a ball of flesh emerged.

Gandhari despaired, but Vyasa assured her, “You will have many children.” He divided the flesh into a hundred pieces, putting them into pots.

“These will be one hundred sons,” Vyasa said.

“I’d like a daughter too,” said Gandhari.

Vyasa brought another pot, and put a piece of flesh into that pot also.

The children grew in the pots: one hundred sons and one daughter.

27. Pandu Cannot Resist

One day Pandu was seized with desire for his wife Madri. “You are so beautiful. Come, let me embrace you!”

“No!” shrieked Madri.

When Pandu touched her, he died, just as the curse foretold.

Stricken with grief and guilt, Madri leaped onto Pandu’s funeral pyre.

Kunti then raised her sons and the sons of Madri together; they were the Pandavas, sons of Pandu.

Kunti brought the boys to Hastinapura.

King Dhritarashtra acknowledged his nephews, and the sons of Pandu grew up together with Dhritarashtra’s sons, who were known as the Kauravas, descendants of Kuru, the ancient founder of their dynasty.

28. A Story about Pandu

Before his death, Pandu revealed a secret to his sons. “Years of meditation have imbued my flesh with great wisdom. After I die, eat my flesh and you will receive this wisdom.”

But the priests cremated Pandu’s body before his sons could do as he had ordered.

Sahadeva, however, saw ants carrying away tiny bits of Pandu’s body, which he took and put in his mouth. Instantly, he knew everything, past and future.

Then a stranger, who was Krishna in disguise, told him, “Never reveal your knowledge. Answer every question with a question.”

Sahadeva obeyed, keeping his knowledge to himself.

29. Duryodhana Plots against Bhima

Duryodhana was the eldest son of Dhritarashtra, and he conceived a deep hatred for the Pandavas, his cousins. In particular, he hated Bhima, the strongest among the Pandavas, who liked to play tricks on him.

Duryodhana decided to kill his cousin, so he put poison in Bhima’s food and then, when Bhima was unconscious, he threw Bhima into the river.

Bhima sank deep into the waters, and when the nagas of the river bit him, their poison counteracted Duryodhana’s poison. Bhima did not die! Amazed, the nagas took Bhima into the depths of the river to see their king, Vasuki.

30. Bhima Meets the Naga King

“You look familiar,” Vasuki said. “Who are you?”

“I am Bhima, son of Pandu, King of Hastinapura, and of Kunti, daughter of Shurasena, ruler of the Yadavas.”

“Of course!” Vasuki exclaimed. “Shurasena had a naga wife. That makes us cousins! I know about Yadu also. He was once swimming in the ocean when the naga king of that time brought Yadu to his undersea palace and gave him five naga princesses to be his wives.”

Then Vasuki gave Bhima a potion endowing him with the strength of a thousand elephants, and Bhima emerged from the river more powerful than before.

31. Drona Comes to Hastinapura

The brahmin-warrior Drona came to Hastinapura seeking employment. As he approached the palace, he saw the young princes, both the Pandavas and the Kauravas, trying to retrieve a ball they had lost in a well.

“Help us, sir!” said one of the boys; that boy was Arjuna.

Drona plucked a blade of grass and threw it like a dart. It pierced the ball, and then he threw another blade of grass, and another, forming a chain so he could pull the ball out.

The boys, amazed by his abilities, ran to tell Bhishma, who engaged Drona to be their guru.

32. Drona Arranges an Archery Contest

Drona trained the Pandavas and the Kauravas in warfare, and Arjuna was his best student.

One day, Drona staged an archery contest. He mounted a stuffed bird high on a pole and summoned the princes. “What do you see?” Drona asked.

Yudhishthira went first. “I see you, and a pole, and…”

“Stop!” Drona shouted. “Next!”

“I see a pole, and a bird…”

None of the princes satisfied Drona.

Then Arjuna said, “I see an eye.”

“Do you see the pole?”

“No.”

“The bird?

“No, only an eye.”

“Shoot!” said Drona, and Arjuna hit the target.

Thus Arjuna won the contest.

33. A Crocodile Attacks Drona

One day when Drona was bathing in the river, a crocodile seized him.

Drona yelled for help, and Arjuna came running. When he saw his guru in the crocodile’s jaws, Arjuna shot five arrows that sliced through the crocodile and killed it.

Drona was free!

In gratitude, Drona taught Arjuna the mantra for a secret weapon. “Use this weapon with care,” Drona warned him. “If you launch it against an enemy who is inferior to you, it will destroy the universe. Use it only on an overwhelming enemy, and you will triumph, no matter how powerful your opponent might be.”

34. Ekalavya Seeks a Guru

Ekalavya, a boy who lived in the forest, asked Drona to be his guru, but Drona refused.

Ekalavya then made a statue of Drona and trained himself under the gaze of this statue.

He became a remarkable archer.

One day Arjuna’s hunting dog was barking. To silence the dog, Ekalavya shot arrows into the dog’s mouth in a way that did not harm the dog but kept it from closing its mouth.

When he saw this, Arjuna was dismayed. “Look at this, Drona!” he cried. “You promised I would be the greatest archer, but even I cannot shoot like this.”

35. Drona Demands Payment

“Who did this?” Drona shouted, pointing to the arrows in the dog’s mouth.

Ekalavya stepped forward. “I did!”

Drona recognized the forest-boy. “Who trained you?”

“You did,” Ekalavya replied, proudly showing Drona the statue he had made, certain Drona would now accept him as his student.

But instead, Drona said, “Since I was your guru, you must now pay the guru-fee.”

“Anything!” exclaimed Ekalavya.

“Give me the thumb of your right hand,” said Drona.

Ekalavya did not hesitate; he cut off his thumb and presented it to Drona.

Drona smiled; the boy would never again rival Arjuna as an archer.

36. The Princes Display Their Prowess

When the princes completed their training, Drona organized a tournament, and the public thronged the stadium.

Yudhishthira, Duryodhana, Bhima, all the princes performed brilliantly, but Arjuna was the best.

Then a stranger entered the stadium. “I challenge you, Arjuna!” he said. “Fight me!”

“But who are you?” asked Drona.

“I am Karna!” replied the stranger.

“I don’t know you,” Drona said. “Who is your father?”

The stranger hesitated. “My father is a charioteer.”

Drona sneered at the stranger.

But Queen Kunti, sitting in the audience, fainted. She had guessed Karna’s identity: he was her first-born son, now a grown man.

37. Karna Becomes King of Anga

Karna turned to leave, but Duryodhana badly wanted to humiliate Arjuna.

“Stop!” he shouted. “I make Karna king of Anga, and the king of Anga will fight Arjuna.”

“I am your loyal friend forever,” said Karna. Then he turned to face Arjuna. “Now we will fight!”

Arjuna was indignant. “I won’t fight a charioteer’s son!”

“He is a king!” Duryodhana shouted, turning to his father for support, although Dhritarashtra only shook his head in confusion.

The crowd murmured, not sure what to think.

Then the sun set.

The tournament was over, but Duryodhana had acquired a new ally in Karna.

38. The Story of Karna and the Two Curses

A charioteer had found baby Karna in the river and adopted him, but Karna’s life was cursed.

First, practicing archery, Karna accidentally killed a brahmin’s cow. “You will die like my cow,” swore the brahmin, “struck down by an inescapable arrow.”

Another time, Karna saw a girl crying because she had spilled a pot of milk. Feeling sorry for her, Karna squeezed the milk back out of the earth. This caused the earth great pain, and the earth goddess, Bhudevi, cursed Karna. “When you are in danger,” she said, “I will not help you; instead, I will help your opponent.”

39. Karna Becomes Parashurama’s Disciple

Karna asked the brahmin-warrior Parashurama to teach him the Brahmastra weapon.

“I suspect you’re a kshatriya,” said Parashurama.

“No!” Karna lied. “I’m no kshatriya!”

So Karna became Parashurama’s disciple.

One day Parashurama fell asleep, his head resting on Karna’s lap. An enormous centipede bit Karna’s thigh and sucked his blood. Karna said nothing, not wanting to wake his guru.

When Parashurama awoke and found himself covered with blood, he shouted, “Only a kshatriya would bear such pain in silence. For your deceit, I curse you: when you want to use the Brahmastra, the sacred mantra will slip from your mind.”

40. The Story of Drona and Drupada

When Drona had trained the Pandavas and Kauravas, he demanded the guru-fee: he wanted revenge on King Drupada.

This is why:

Young Drupada had studied with Bharadwaja, Drona’s father. As boys, Drupada and Drona were best friends.

Time passed. Drupada became king, while Drona was only a poor brahmin, so poor he didn’t even have milk to give to his little boy, Ashwatthama.

Out of love for his son, Drona went to ask his friend Drupada for help.

“Friend?” King Drupada scoffed. “Friends must be equals, but you are not my equal in any way.”

Drona vowed revenge that day.

41. Drona Gets Revenge

“For the guru-fee,” Drona said to his pupils, the Pandavas and the Kauravas, “you will attack King Drupada. Seize him, and bring him here.”

The princes succeeded, and they brought Drupada in chains to Drona.

“I could kill you right now, Drupada,” said Drona, “but I will not kill you. I want us to be friends.” Drona then smiled a cold smile. “Friends must be equals. So I will take half of your kingdom.”

Drupada stared at him in angry silence.

“That makes us equals,” Drona continued, “and now we can be friends.”

Drupada agreed, but he never forgave Drona.

42. Drupada Prays for Children

Enraged at Drona and his patrons in Hastinapura, Drupada prayed to Shiva. “Give me a son to kill Bhishma, then a son to kill Drona, and a daughter to divide and destroy Hastinapura.”

The god Shiva appeared and said, “Your prayers are granted.”

Drupada’s wife had a daughter, Shikhandini. Trusting this would be the son who would kill Bhishma, Drupada raised Shikhandini as a boy: Shikhandin.

Drupada then conducted a ritual and from the sacred fire a young man emerged, wearing supernatural armor. Drupada named him Dhrishtadyumna.

Then, a young woman emerged from the fire, and Drupada named her Draupadi.

43. Shikhandin Gets Married

The girl born to King Drupada, Shikhandini, was Amba. As the gods promised, she was reborn as a warrior who would defeat Bhishma, but because she had cut short her life as a woman, she still had years of a woman’s life left to live.

Drupada, however, was confident, and he raised Shikhandini as a boy. He even arranged for Shikhandin to marry the daughter of King Hiranyavarna, but when the bride discovered her husband-to-be was a woman, she ran home to her father, who declared war on King Drupada.

Shikhandin resolved to go into the forest and commit suicide.

44. Shikhandin Meets a Helpful Yaksha

Shikhandin built a funeral pyre and was prepared to leap into the flames when a yaksha shouted, “Wait! What are you doing, young warrior? Why end your life?”

Shikhandin explained.

The yaksha, whose name was Sthuna, offered to trade genders. “I will give you my manhood,” said the yaksha, “and instead of Sthuna, I will become Sthuni. You can go prove to your father that you are his son and to your wife that you are her husband, and then come return my manhood to me.”

Shikhandin was delighted. “I will come back and return your manhood tomorrow,” he promised.

45. Kubera Confronts Sthuni

Shikhandin went back home to prove his manhood, while Sthuni awaited his return.

Later that day, however, Kubera, King of the Yakshas, paid a visit and noticed Sthuni had changed gender. “When did you become a woman?” he asked, and Sthuni explained.

This made Kubera angry. “Gender is not a toy to play with. You will remain a woman, and Shikhandin will remain a man. Only when Shikhandin dies will his manhood return to you.”

Thus the gods fulfilled their promise to Amba and Drupada: Shikhandin, a warrior born as a woman, would be able to defeat Bhishma in battle.