King Santanu spots the most beautiful woman on the Ganges. Web Source: Wikipedia
- Vyasa is introduced as the writer of the Mahabharata who arranged the Vedas. Ganesha scribed the Mahabharata. Vyasa repeated it to his disciple Vaishampayana, and from there it was passed down. Vyasa emerged from a fish. Both he and his sister were conceived by means of King Uparichara. His sister was reared by a fisherman's wife, while Dwaipayana was born on an island, thus emerged Vyasa.
- King Bharata is King of Hastin and built the city of Hastinapura. King Shantanu of the Ganges is Bharata's grandson. His wife is the goddess of the Ganges, and she was cursed by a sage to be "born among men." She consented to become vasus human mother, promising she would cast her offspring one by one into the Ganges soon after birth. Ganga made the vasus agree to bestow one eighth part of his power to her son, who would remain among men for many years, but never wed or have children. One day, a beautiful Ganga in human form passed King Shantanu and he desired her. He wed the maiden under conditions appealing to her interests. They continued to have sons, but each time she destroyed them up until the seventh one. She was going to drown her eighth, but the King broke his promise by speaking up in anger and disapproval. The maiden vanished and came back to bring forth a noble son, endowed with virtues of vasus. The heart of Shantanu was moved towards the child, who became a powerful youth named Devavrata. Shantanu grew old and seeks to marry a young and beautiful bride. He smells the alluring scent of a maiden named Satyavati. The fisher girl became the mother of Vyasa who grew rapidly. He spent most of his days in holy meditation in the forest. King Shantanu wanted Satyavati, but the fisherman refused to marry her until he promised her son be chosen as heir. He did not want to disinherit Devavrata, so he went away with a heavy heart.
- King Shantanu tells his son why he is sorrowing. Then, Devavrata goes to find the fishermen himself and agrees to dethrone himself, if his father weds Satyavati and they bear sons; they will inherit the kingdom. Devavrata becomes known as Bhishma, because he made a terrible bargain. His father bore two sons with Satyavati. Kind Shantanu dies, leaving Bhishma to care for the queen and her two princes. The sons names are Chitrangada and Vichitravirya. Bhishma sets out to find his half-brother Vichitravirya a wife. Bhishma hears of the bridal tournament and heads to the city of Benares. He spots three beautiful maidens and lets out a battle cry. With perfect aim and precision, he defeats the kings in combat and claims his royal prize of three princesses to bring his queen-mother and half-brother.
- On the wedding day, one princess named Amba discusses her feelings for the king of Shalwas to Bhishma. She pronounces her desire to the Shalwas king, but is rejected and humiliated by him. She flees to the forest-hermitage because she doesn't know where to go. She becomes angered and seeks to end Bhishma, the root of her problems. The god Shiva answers her prayers and appears before her. She asks to defeat Bhishma, and Shiva informs her that she will take a new birth and obtain manhood, becoming a fierce and skilled warrior to defeat Bhishma.
- Vichitravirya dies and queen Satyavati seeks a replacement to bear children with his wives, Ambika and Ambalika. So, she calls on her son Vyasa who has grown repulsive and gant in the jungle. He bears a blind son named Dhritarashtra, and a pale son named Pandu. Ambika sends her hand maiden also to Vyasa, and they bear a son named Vidura. Vidura is a human incarnation of Dharma, who is put under the spell of a rishi. Bhishma teaches them the laws and trains them as warriors. Pandu is selected for the throne, because he is the most uncompromised. King Pandu becomes a might monarch and is renowned as a warrior. He marries two wives, Kunti and Madri. Kunti is of celestial origin and was adopted by a rajah. The great rishi Durvasas, imparts her a powerful weapon after his pleasant stay. The charm compels the love of a celestial being. One day, she has a vision of the god Surga, and receives him. She mothers her son Karna, to become great and powerful like a lion and bull. Kunti was embarrased, so she sent him down the Aswa river in a basket. It reached the Yamuna, and was passed to the Ganges, then borne unto the country of Anga. There a couple who had been longing for a son, retrieved him from the basket and he becomes a mighty youthful bowman.
- Pandu's wife Kunti, chooses him at her swayamvara, while Madri had been purchased with gold, jewels, elephants, and horses by Bhishma. Pandu brings glory to Bharata's legacy, as he achieves many conquests. One day he is hunting with his two wives and see beautiful deer. He instantly wounds them and finds they are a holy brahmin and his wife in disguise. The brahmin curses him to death and he becomes frightened for his safety and his wives. The curse kills him as soon as he lusts for his wives.
- Kunti is mother of Yudhishthira, Bhima, and Arujna. Madri receives twins named Nakula and Sahadeva. All together, they are known as the Pandava brothers. One day King Pandu lusts for his favorite wife Madri and dies of the curse. His wives argue about who should follow him to the region of the dead, as his sons build his funeral pyre. The brahmins overhear and choose Madri to be burned with him, since she was his favorite. Dhritarashta, King Pandu's blind brother ascends the throne to reign over Bharatavarsha with Bhishma as his regent, until the oldest of the young princes come of age. Dhritarashta weds Gandhari. She becomes the mother of 100 sons, the oldest being Duryodhana. The princes are named the Kauravas, after the country of Kurujangala. When he was born, he cried and brayed like an ass. The King was advised to abandon him because of the ruin he would cause. The Kind didn't, and Duryodhana grew up to be jealous and evil-minded.
- Widowed Kunti returns Hastinapura with her five sons, and tells Dhritarashtra that Pandu is dead. He gives protection to Pandu's five heirs, and raises them with the Kauravas. Bhima of the Pandavas is the most powerful, and this makes Duryodhana very jealous. He is so jealous that he attempts to poison Bhima. He throws Bhima into the Ganges, and Nagas attack him. The poison from the Nagas end up extracting the poison he was given, and he meets Aryata in the underworld of the serpents. Aryata is kind and gives him a boon of strength that contains the virtues of a thousand Nagas. He returns home and tells his brothers what has happened, and they advise him to conceal it from the Kauravas.
- Bhishma suggests they train to bear arms. So, he finds Drona who is skilled and instructs them to be warriors. Bhishma is a pious brahmin. He promised to train the boys, if they help defeat his enemy Drupada, who denied his friendship. Bhishma consents to the agreement. Dona, his wife, and son Ashwatthaman enter the palace and aid the boys to become skilled warriors. He becomes the family priest and instructor of the princes. After they complete their training and achieve warrior status, they each have a special craft. Drona is especially fond with the Pandavas, and Arjuna's overall skill. This creates more jealousy in Duryodhana. Drona receives much recognition for his work, and many warriors and rajahs wish to be instructed by him. He agrees, except for with one named Ekalavya, who is the son of the rajah of the robber Bhills. He would not teach him, because it would be a sin to impart knowledge of weapons to the Bhills. Ekalavya was saddened, and made a clay image of Drona to worship until his fame as an archer was noticed. Drona found out and asked for the right thumb of his right hand, and he severed his thumb. This ruined his skill, but accustomed a trend in the Bhills warriors.
- There is a tournament to showcase the acquired skills of the Pandavas and Kauravas. Bhima and Duryodhana engage in a battle that becomes somewhat violent, but Arjuna intervenes and puts both warriors to shame. An unknown might and intimidating warrior suddenly emerges and seeks to battle Arjuna. His name is Karna. Durtodhana and Karna embrace each other and become friends. He takes Karna to his own palace and no longer fears Arjuna's skill at arms. Drona completes his mission and claims his bargain for the warriors to fight his enemy Drupada. The cousins do not agree harmoniously, so the Kauravas go first and are defeated. Then the Pandavas go forth and Arjuna seizes Drupada and brings him to Drona. Drona asks for Drupada's friendship again and he agrees. Drona gets possession of half his kingdom.
- The Pandavas continue to wage war with neighboring kings. Prince Duryodhana becomes more jealous of his cousins who are thriving. He goes to his blind father and tells him lies about the Pandavas, pronouncing they wish to depose him as king. He believes his son and proposes a plan to build a palace of wood and soaked in oil to burn them. He sends Purochana with them and tells him the master plan to set fire to the lac palace when the Pandanvas and their queen mother are asleep.
Mahabharata Online: Public Domain Edition
Authors: Arnold, Besant, Devee, Dutt, Ganguli, Kincaid, Macfie, Mackenzie, Nivedita, Seeger, and Tagore.
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