Reading Notes: Mahabharata Part A

(The Five Pandavas With Draupadi: Wikimedia Commons)

• Vyasa, composer of the Mahabharata, is born.
• Devavrata is the son of King Shantanu and goddess Ganga, but Ganga leaves and never returns.
• King Shantanu falls in love with Satyavati, Vyasa's mother, but cannot marry her because he cannot fulfill her father's wish of letting her son become the heir to his throne.
• Devavrata renounced his throne so that Satyavati could be Shantanu's wife. The gods then called him Bhishma, meaning terrible, because this deed was terrible.
• Satyavati then bears two sons for Shantanu, Chitrangada and Vivhitravirya.
• During a battle, Bhishma seizes three princesses to be the bride of Shantau and Satyavati's youngest son, Vichitravirya.
• Vichitravirya only takes two of the princess, leaving Amba, the third woman. She set herself on fire so that she could be reincarnated to destroy Bhishma.
• Vyasa had a son with each woman, Ambika, Ambalika, and Ambika's handmaiden. Ambika's son (Dhritarashtra) was blind, Ambalika's son (Pandu) was pale, and the handmaiden's son (Vidura) was the reincarnation of Dharma, the god of justice.
• Bhishma trained them, and Panda and Vidura was set upon the throne.
• King Pandu's wife, Kunti, had a son, Karna (who was actually born a girl),years before they married.
• Dhritarashtra's son, Duryodhana (sons are called Kauravas), tried to kill Bhima (son of Pandu, and they are called the Pandavas), but Bhima came back to life with the power of a thousand nagas.
• Drona trains the Pandavas and Kauravas.
• Pandavas excel as Drona's students, and Duryodhana, Dhirtarashtra's eldest son, grows jealous, especially of Arjuna.
• Ekalanvya, son of a Bhil king, tried to get trained by Drona but was rejected, so trained himself, but still said he was a pupil of Drona.
• Pandavas and Kauravas participate in a tournament. Bhima and Duryodhana get into a mock fight that turns serious, then Arjuna stopped them, and his true skills were shown.
• Karna then showed up to the tournament and beat Arjuna, and is befriended by Duryodhana.
• Drona's request of payment for training the boys was to have him bring revenge to his childhood friend that treated him badly, King Drupada. Drupada and Drona "make up" and Drona gets half of Drupada's territory. 
• Pandavas waged war against neighboring kings, and they extended the territory for Dhritarashtra.
• Duryodhana grew jealous with the Pandavas' successes, so he convinced a wicked guard, Purochana, to kill them. Purochana assured Duryodhana that he would set fire to their palace when they went to sleep.

Bibliogrpahy

The Indian Heros by C.A. Kincaid