23. Drona and Parasurama

As the princes were growing up, Bhishma wanted them to be trained in the art of warfare and in the use of arms. Looking out for the most outstanding teacher, Bhishma  chose Drona, the son of Saint Bharadwaja as the tutor for the Pandavas and the Kauravas.  Pleased with the reception given to him by Bhishma when he visited the palace on invitation, Drona accepted the assignment. He taught the princes all aspects relating to the use of arms. Both the Kauravas and the Pandavas became proficient in the use of all kinds of arms.

Prompted by Janamejaya, Sage Vysampayana  narrated the story of Dtona in detail.

Sage Bharadwaja was living at the source of the river Ganga, observing rigid vows. Once when he went to the river to perform his ablutions, he met Ghritachi, a celestial woman known as an Apsara. Seeing the beautiful woman emerging from the river after taking her bath, the sage was consumed with a burning desire. On seeing her clothes coming off her body, his vital fluid came out. The sage held it in a vessel called Drona. Eventually, Drona, the child, sprang out of the fluid preserved by the sage.  The child thus born studied the Vedas and other scriptures.  Bharadwaja taught his knowledge of arms to his illustrious disciple Agnivesa, who was born from fire. Agnivesa, in turn, taught the Science of Weapons to Drona.

King Prishata, a great friend of Bharadwaja had a son by name  Drupada.  Drupada, came to the hermitage of Bharadwaja to study under the sage. He was studying in the company of Drona and was also playing with him. When Prishata was dead, Drupada became the king of the northern Panchalas. At about this time, Bharadwaja also ascended to heaven.

Drona continued to reside in his father's hermitage, devoting himself to as ascetic way of life. As per the wishes expressed by his father before his death, Drona married Kripi, the daughter of Saradwat. A son was born to them. When he came into this world, the child neighed like the celestial horse Ucchaihsravas. Hearing that cry, a voice from the sky ordained that the child be named  Aswatthaman, meaning ‘the horse-voiced’. Drona, exhilarated by the birth of a son, continued to reside in that hermitage, devoting  himself to the study of the science of arms.

Drona came to know that the illustrious brahmin Parasurama, son of Jamadagnya, the foremost among all wielders of weapons, had expressed a desire to give away all his wealth to brahmins. Having heard of Parasurama's knowledge of arms and of his celestial weapons he possessed, Drona set his heart on getting them as well as  the knowledge of ethics and morals that Parasurama possessed.  

Drona, accompanied by his disciples set out for the Mahendra mountains, where he met Parasurama. After prostrating before Parasurama and  introducing himself  as  one born in the lineage of  Angiras,  Drona said, “I have sprung from Bharadwaja. But I have not entered the womb of any woman. I have come to you seeking your wealth.”

Parasurama said, “I welcome you. I have gifted all my wealth to brahmins. I have given the earth conquered by me to Sage Kashyapa. I have only my body and my weapons. I am willing to give you either my body or my weapons. Please indicate your choice.”

Drona said, “Please give me all your weapons along with the knowledge of hurling and recalling them.”

Parasurama gave all his weapons and the knowledge of using them to Drona. Drona then proceeded to the city of his friend Drupada.

22. Kripa becomes the first teacher of the Kuru Princes

Sage Gautama had a son named Saradwat, who was born with arrows in hand. Saradwat had a keen aptitude for learning about the weapons. He acquired many weapons by means of the austerities through which students would acquire the knowledge of the Vedas.

Indra, the God of the celestials became afraid of Saradwat and sent a celestial damsel named Janapadi to entice Saradwat and distract him so that he would lose his concentration on learning. Seeing Janapadi appear before him clad only in a single piece of cloth, Saradwat was momentarily stunned. His bows and arrows slipped from his hands. Though his ascetic way of life enabled him to overcome the temptation, the feelings stirred up in him for a moment resulted in his semen falling on to a bush of weeds. He left the place quickly to avoid the damsel.

The semen that fell on the bush of weeds divided the bush into two parts and two children, twins, sprang from the two parts. The presence of the twins was noticed by a soldier accompanying King Santanu, who was in the forest on a hunting exercise. Seeing the deer skin and the bow and arrows abandoned near that place by Saradwat, the soldier thought that the twins should be the children of a sage. He took the children along with the deer skin, the bow and the arrows to King Santanu. Santanu took the children to his palace, performed the religious ceremonies prescribed and named them Kripa and Kripi.

Saradwat left his former abode but continued his study of  the Science of the Weapons by settling down at another place. Because of his insight developed through his spiritual pursuits, he became aware that his son and daughter were being brought up by Santanu. He went to Santanu, identified himself as the father of Kripa and Kripi and narrated to him what had happened. With Santanu's consent, he taught  Kripa the four branches of the Science of arms, and various other recondite subjects. As a result, within a short time, Kripa became an expert in the Science of Arms.

Dritarashtra wanted the Kauravas and the Pandavas to become well versed in the Science of Arms and other branches of knowledge. With Kripa's eminence having become widely known, he sent the princes to Kripa, after consulting with Bhishma. The Kauravas and Pandavas were well groomed by Kripa under whom many other princes also got trained.

21. More Attempts by Duryodhana

In the meanwhile, the Kaurava and the Pandava princes set out for Hastinapura. On the way, the Pandavas noticed that Bhima was not with them. They wondered whether Bhima had left earlier. On reaching the palace, Yudhishtira enquired of his mother whether Bhima had returned. Kunti was alarmed that Bhima had not returned and advised her sons to look for Bhima.

Kunti then summoned Vidhura and conveyed to him the news of Bhima missing. She shared her suspicion that he might have been harmed by Duryodhana. Vidhura advised her not to accuse Duryodhana lest he should harm her other sons too! He consoled her saying that Vyasa had told him that all the Pandavas would have a long life.

It was only after seven days that Bhima woke up from his slumber. He felt refreshed after the sleep. He also realized that he felt very strong as a result of the nectar he had ingested. Seeing him awake, the Nagas cheered him saying, "Oh man of mighty arms, you have now acquired the might of a thousand elephants. Now, no one can vanquish you in a fight. Take bath in this holy water and return home. Your brothers and your mother may be worried about you."

Accordingly, Bhima took bath in that holy water wore the new clothes and flowers offered by the Nagas, ate the food offered by them and took leave of them. The Nagas lifted Bhima above the surface of the water and placed him in the garden where he had been sporting earlier.

Bhima rushed to Hastinapura and presented himself to his mother and brothers. All of them embraced him expressing their joy and relief. Bhima narrated to them the things that had happened to him. After listening to Bhima's story, Yudhishtira said, "Let us not talk about this to anyone. From now onwards, we should carefully protect one another."

Though shocked by Bhima's return, Duryodhana, in pursuit of his obsession, made another attempt on Bhima's life, by poisoning Bhima's food once again. However, Yuyutsu (Dhritarashtra's son by a Vaisya wife), a man of virtues, informed the Pandavas of this. Bhima consumed the poisoned food but the poison had no effect on him, his body having been conditioned by the nectar given by the Nagas.

Duryodhana was puzzled by the fact that the poison did not act on Bhima. He consulted his uncle Sakuni and friend Karna and tried several other ways to kill Bhima. However, all his attempts turned futile. Though all these designs were known to the Pandavas, they kept quiet in keeping with the advice given to them by Vidhura.

Next: 6. Adi Parva - 4. Bharata
Previous: 4. Adi Parva - 2. The Devas and the Asuras

20. Adi Parva - 19. Duryodhana Attempts to Kill Bhima!

The Pandavas were brought to the palace after they had performed all purifying rites. 

They began to live in the palace along with the Kauravas. Whenever they were engaged in play or other activity with the sons of Dhritarashtra, their supremacy was revealed. 

Bhima excelled the Kauravas in speed of action, in striking objects with accuracy of aim, in consuming food and in scattering food. He would also pull their hairs playfully and laugh when they cried out of pain. 

Sometimes, he would pull them by the hair and draw them along, causing injuries to their knees, heads or shoulders in the process. Sometimes, he would hold ten of them and drown them in water and release them only after they felt extremely suffocated. 

When a Kaurava climbed up a tree for plucking fruits, Bhima would kick the tree with his foot, bringing down some fruits and the fruit-plucker too! Bhima tormented the Kauravas in many such childish ways but he had no malice towards them.

Having seen and experienced the might of Bhima, Duryodhana began to develop hostility and hatred towards Bhima. He decided to kill Bhima by devising a cunning scheme. He planned to throw Bhima into the river Ganga when the latter was asleep. He could then imprison Yudhishtira and Arjuna and rule the country, he thought!

Duryodhana selected a beautiful place called Pramanakoti on the banks of the Ganga and  built a palace for sporting in the water, 

The palace was named  'The Water Sport House.' Skilled cooks were engaged to prepare delicious food and facilities for a variety of entertainments were created. 

When the palace was ready for use, Duryodhana invited the Pandavas to visit the palace and sport at the spot. The unsuspecting Yudhishtira accepted the invitation and the Pandavas were taken to the palace.

The Pandavas were impressed by the elegance of the palace and the facilities provided there. Sitting down with the Kauravas, they began to enjoy the things provided for them. They became engaged in, play and exchanged morsels of food with one another. 

Meanwhile the wicked Duryodhana had mixed poison with a particular item of food and in a friendly way fed Bhima with that poisoned food. After they had had their food, the sons of Dhritarashtra and Pandu together began to sport.

After playing for sometime, the princes retired to the palace. Bhima, on whom the poison had begun to act, felt fatigued and lay down on the ground. 

Duryodhana, who was waiting for this moment, tied him with chords and threw him into the water. Bhima sank down the river and reached the Naga kingdom. The snakes inhabiting the Naga kingdom, which had fangs filled with virulent venom, bit him by thousands. The poison from the food fed to him by Duryodhana which had entered Bhima's blood was neutralised by the snake-poison.

"On regaining consciousness, Bhima burst his bands and pressed the snakes down. While some snakes were crushed to death, others fled and went to their King Vasuki and narrated their experience. 

Vasuki, along with other snakes, went to Bhima. One of the snakes named Aryaka, who was the grandfather of Kunti's father recognized Bhima and embraced him. 

Vasuki wanted to give Bhima a present since he was related to one of the snakes. Aryaka suggested that Bhima be permitted to drink the nectar stored in rasakundas (nectar-vessels) and thus acquire immeasurable strength. 

Vasuki told Bhima that the nectar in one vessel would give the strength of a thousand elephants and permitted Bhima to drink as much as he could from the eight vessels. The serpents prepared a comfortable bed for him, on which Bhima lay down and relaxed.

Next: 21. Adi Parva - 20. More attempts by Duryodhana
Previous: 19. Adi Parva - 18. The end of Satyavati

19. Adi Parva - 17. The End of Satyavati

The sages, after consulting among themselves, decided to take Kunti and the five sons of Pandu to Hastinapura and hand them over to Bhishma and Drhitarashtra, Accordingly, they left for Hastinapura taking Kunti, the Pandavas and the two dead bodies along with them.

When the entourage arrived at Kurujangala (the western region of the Kuru kingdom), the ascetics sent word to Dhritarashtra and Bhishma through the gatekeepers. The citizens came out in large numbers, amazed at the sight of the large number of ascetics. After getting the message, Bishma, Dhritarashtra, Somadatta, Vidura, Duryodhana and his brothers also arrived at Kurujangala.

After the ascetics were duly received, extended appropriate hospitality and offered seats, the oldest of the ascetics narrated the events that took place in the forest. The substance of their message was this:

"After living a virtuous life and reviving the almost extinct line of his grandfather by making use of the boon grated to Kunti, Pandu departed from this world. His wife Madri ascended the funeral pyre of her husband and sacrificed her life. We have brought the unburnt portions of the two bodies. Appropriate rites could be performed for the departed souls."  

The ascetics also presented the five children of Pandu and requested that they be received with due honor. After giving their message, the ascetics instantly vanished into thin air.

Dhritarashtra asked Vidura to make arrangements for performing the funeral ceremonies for Pandu and Madri and to liberally donate cattle, clothes, gems and other kinds of wealth to the poor and the needy. He also said, "Let us not lament the death of Pandu, who was a heroic king and who has left behind him five heroic sons equal to the celestials."

Vidura, in consultation with Bhishma, selected a suitable place and made arrangements for the funeral rites. The citizens, watching the remains of the dead bodies wailed in grief and said that they would follow their king by giving up their lives. 

The Pandavas lit the pyre and cremated the dead bodies. Seeing the bodies go up in flames, Pandu's mother Ambalika cried "Oh my son!" and fell down unconscious. The wise Vidura and Bhishma also cried. So did Dhritarashtra.

Seeing the Pandavas sleep on the ground during the period of mourning, the citizens also renounced their beds and observed a 12-day mourning along with the Pandavas.

After the mourning period was over and all ceremonial functions were duly completed, the Pandavas returned to Hastinapura. The citizens of the Kuru kingdom continued to grieve over Pandu, who had been occupying a special place in their hearts due to his virtues, valor, simplicity and sacrifice.

Vyasa told his mother Satyavati, "Mother, our days of happiness are over. They have been succeeded by days of calamity. Sin is going up day by day. The Kaurava empire will no longer endure because many wrongs are going to be committed by the rulers. It will be better for you to retire to the forest and spend your time in devotion and yoga. You will save yourself from witnessing in your old age, the annihilation of your race."

Accepting the counsel of her wise son, Satyavati retired to the forest along with her two daughters-in-law, after obtaining the consent of Bhishma and spent her time in contemplation of God. After some time, she ascended to heaven.

Next: 20. Adi Parva - 18. Duryodhana's attempts to kill Bhima
Previous: 18. Adi Parva - 16. Pandu invites his death

18. Adi Parva - 16. Pandu Invites His Death

After three sons were born to Kunti and hundred sons were born to Gandhari, Madri, Pandu's second wife told her husband:

"I feel grieved that unlike Kunti, I am childless.But I feel reluctant to seek this favor from Kunti. So, I feel that you should ask Kunti to fulfill my desire to have children."

Pandu replied:

"O, Madri, I have been thinking about this myself, but I was reluctant to suggest this to you since I was not sure how you would receive the idea. Now that you have conveyed your desire to me, I will speak to Kunti. I am confident that she will not refuse to help you."

Pandu then asked Kunti to help Madri get children and gain the satisfaction of becoming a mother. 

Kunti readily agreed to this. She told Madri, "Think of some celestial and you will get a child through him."

Madri  thought of the Aswini Devas, the Twin Gods of Health. The twins gave her two beautiful children Nakula and Sahadeva. At the time the children came out of their mother's womb, a celestial voice said, "In energy and beauty, these twins will surpass Aswini Devas themselves."

After the five children were born, they were blessed by the sages living in the mountains by performing the first rites of birth and bestowing appellations on them. 

The three sons of Kunti were called Yudhishtira, Bhimasena and Arjuna and the two sons of Madri were called Nakula and Sahadeva. The five sons born at an interval of one year after one another looked like an embodiment of a five-year period.

Pandu was elated looking at the five children of celestial beauty, abundant energy, great strength and prowess. The children were also loved by the sages living in the mountains and their wives .

After sometime, Pandu again approached Kunti at the behest of Madri. 

Kunti said, "When I gave her the formula for invoking it once, she managed to obtain two sons. She has deceived me. If I give her the formula again, she will end up having more children than me. This is the way of wicked women. I was a fool to have not used the formula to get two children at a time. I beseech you not to command me to give the formula to Madri once again. Let this be a boon granted to me by you."

As the five sons of Pandu were growing up in the forest, the sages' affection and admiration for the children began to grow as well.

One day, in the season of spring, Pandu was wandering in the forest with his wife Madri. They witnessed several species of animals and birds engaged in mating, with their passions stirred up by the spring season. 

Pandu felt the desire to unite with his wife. Overpowered by this desire, he embraced Madri. 

Though Madri, apprehensive of the effect of the sage's curse, resisted him, Pandu had his way And with the curse acting on him, Pandu died while being united in intercourse with his wife.

Madri, clasping the dead body of Pandu, began to weep loudly. Kunit and the children, hearing her cries, came rushing to the spot. Madri requested Kunti to come alone, leaving the children where they were. Kunti asked the children to stay behind and came to the spot. 

Beholding Pandu and Madri lying prostrate on the ground, Kunti exclaimed:

"O Madri, knowing the sage's curse, how did you let yourself enjoy his company? However, I envy you because you have seen the face of our husband suffused with joy."

Madri replied with tears in her eyes, "'Revered sister, I resisted the king, but he could not control himself, as if he was determined to make the curse take effect!"

Kunti said, "Being his first wife, I have to follow him in death. Please don't prevent me from doing this."

Madri replied, "Since failing to prevent this tragedy from happening was my fault, it is only fair that I follow him. If I were to survive you, I won't be able to rear your children, treating them as my own children. But you will bring up my sons considering them as your own."

Eventually, Madri ascended the funeral pyre of Pandu.

Next: 19. Adi Parva - 17. The End of Satyavati
Previous: 17. Adi Parva - 15. The Birth of Bhima and Arjuna

17. Adi Parva - 15. The Birth of Bhima and Arjuna

After Yudhishtira was born, Pandu asked Kunti to seek a son with great strength since a Kshatriya was expected to be a man of great strength. 

Kunti invoked Vayu and sought a son through him, who would be endowed with great strength, large limbs and the capability to humble the pride of everyone. Vayu gave her Bhima. 

When Bhima was born, a voice from the skies said, "This child shall be the foremost of all those endowed with strength."

Once when the child Bhima was sleeping on his mother's lap, Kunti, frightened by a tiger, got up suddenly, momentarily becoming unconscious of the child lying on her lap. The child fell on the rocky surface on which her mother was sitting. The rock was broken into fragments by the impact of Bhima's fall. Pandu was amazed at this sight.

As mentioned earlier, Duryodhana was born on the same day as Bhima was born.

After Bhima was born, Pandu began to think of getting a son who would achieve world-wide fame. Since Indra, the chief of the celestials was considered to be endowed with immense strength, prowess and boundless energy, Pandu wanted to have a son through Indra. 

He felt that that son would possess superior skills and capabilities that would enable him vanquish all other men and other creatures.

After taking the advice of some sages, Pandu asked Kunti to observe an auspicious vow for the next one year, with the objective of pleasing Indra. He himself practiced severe austerities by standing on one leg from morning to evening and meditating upon the Lord.

After a long time, Indra, gratified by the devotion shown by Pandu and Kunti appeared before Pandu and said, "I will give you a son who will be celebrated over all the three worlds and who will promote the welfare of virtuous people and destroy the wicked. He will be foremost among all men and will destroy all his foes."

Elated by Indra's words, Pandu conveyed his message to Kunti and asked her to invoke Indra.

Arjuna was born as a result of Kunti's union with Indra. Immediately after he was born, a celestial voice pronounced that the child would be equal to Kartavirya in energy and Siva in prowess, that he would be invincible like Indra himself and that he would achieve great fame.

Kunti was excited to hear these words. The ascetics doing penance in the mountains and the celestials also heard these words. There were shouts of joy and celebrations all around. The sages began to utter propitiatory hymns.

Pandu wanted to have more children and broached the subject to Kunti. But Kunti declined his proposal saying that she won't have intercourse with a fourth person.

Next: 18. Adi Parva - 16. Pandu invites his death
Previous: 16. Adi Parva - 14. Yudhishtira is born