Mahabharata: Encyclopedia II - Mahabharata - The Significance of Mahabharata

Mahabharata - The Significance of Mahabharata

Background

- The story has its beginning at the time of King Shantanu, three generations before Krishna and Arjuna. King Shantanu’s first wife was named Ganga, who conceived 8 sons. The first seven sons were immersed in the sacred waters of the Ganges by their mother Ganga, immediately after birth. King Shantanu pleaded for his eighth son and Ganga conceded and allowed him to live, but she in turn immersed herself into the Ganges. This son was named Bhishma. After some time, Shantanu took a second queen named Satyavati, and they were blessed with 2 sons named Chitrangada and Vichitravirya. Chitrangada died in early childhood, and Vichitravirya died later as a young adult, leaving 2 widowed queens, named Ambika and Ambalika.

- Prior to her marriage to Shantanu, Satyavati was cursed to smell like a fish, such that no one would want to be with her. Sage Parasara took pity on her and blessed her that she would have a son, and thereafter she would be beautiful and exude the fragrance of a lotus. Her son was named Vyasa.

- In an effort that there would be a successor to the throne, the half-brother Vyasa was persuaded to accept the two widowed queens of Vichitravirya, as his wives. Ambika gave birth to Dhritarashtra, and Ambalika gave birth to Pandu.

- Dhritarashtra had 2 wives. From his first wife Gandhari, he had 100 sons, of which Duryodhana was the eldest. From his second wife Vaishya, he had one son named Yuyutsu.

- Pandu had 2 wives. The first wife named Kunti, was the sister of Vasudev, Krishna’s father; and his second wife was named Madri. During a hunting expedition, he had accidentally killed a Sage, resulting in a curse that if he were to ever embrace a woman, he would die. This would result in him and his queens being childless.

- Prior to her marriage, Kunti had gained the blessings of a sage. The Sage was so impressed by her piety and devotional service, that he granted her five mantras, with which she could receive a child from any God she invokes with the mantras. She wanted to test the mantras prior to her marriage, and invoked Surya, the Sun God, resulting in a son named Karna. Fearing society’s scorn for producing an illegitimate child, she sealed him in a box and set him afloat on a river. He was found and raised by an aged charioteer. When she told Pandu of the remaining 4 mantras, he pleaded with her to use three of the mantras to bear him three sons. From Dharma, Yudhistir was born; from Vayu, the God of Wind, Bhima was born; and from Indra, King of the Gods, Arjuna was born. He also entreated her to give the remaining mantra to Madri. Madri invoked the Twin Devas, the Ashwins, and conceived twins Nakula and Sahadeva.

- Over time, all of the Princes were educated by their teacher Drona. Arjuna excelled over everyone. Enmity and jealousy grew between the two sets of children. Yudhistir, being the eldest of the princes, was the heir apparent to the throne, and Duryodhana resented that. In the swayamvara of Draupadi, daughter of King Draupada, Arjuna succeeded, and the Pandavas returned home, jubilant at Arjuna’s victory. Their mother, not knowing what was won, told them that they should share, all that they won, equally. In honor of their mother’s words, she became the wife of all five brothers, bearing them each a son.

- The dispute over the rulership of the kingdom soon reached a climax. Duryodhana together with his wicked uncle Shakuni, engineered a Game-of-Dice, in which Yudhistir lost his kingdom. The entire Pandava clan was banished into the forest for 12 years, and a further 1-year in total anonymity. After which, they could come and claim their kingdom. Having met the conditions, they came to claim their kingdom. The Kurus refused to give them even a strip of land to live on.

- When war became inevitable, Arjuna and Duryodhana sought Krishna’s help. Krishna offered his army to one side, and himself to the other. Duryodhana took the army, and Arjuna took Krishna as his charioteer. Prior to this Krishna sought to persuade Duryodhana to compromise. His desire for power and control of the entire kingdom for his clan, would not allow him to accept any fair solution.

- War was now declared. This is now the setting of the Bhagavad Gita.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "The Significance of Mahabharata", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki