2.1.2 Characters and dynasties of the Mahabharatham

Explained

The Kuru family tree in one view.

Before the Kurus (Adi Parva stories).

• Kacha, son of Brihaspati, became Shukracharya's pupil to learn the Mritasanjivani (the art of reviving the dead). Shukra's daughter Devayani loved him; when he refused her, calling her his sister (he had come out of her father's body), she cursed that the art would not work for him.
• Sharmishtha pushed Devayani into a well; King Yayati pulled her out and married her, and Sharmishtha became her attendant.
• Shukracharya cursed Yayati with early old age for his sons by Sharmishtha. Only Puru took his father's old age, so Puru got the kingdom.
• Shakuntala, daughter of Vishwamitra and the apsara Menaka, was raised by sage Kanva. Dushyanta married her in the Gandharva form (by consent, without rites); their son Bharata gave his name to the line.

Bhishma. Devavrata gave up the throne and marriage so that Shantanu could marry Satyavati. For this terrible vow (bhishma pratijna) the gods called him Bhishma, and his father gave him the boon of death at will (iccha mrityu). Ganga taught him first; his weapons teacher was Parashurama. He fought Parashurama over Amba and neither won. In the previous birth he was the Vasu Dyau (Prabhasa), who stole Vasishtha's cow Nandini; that curse made the eight Vasus take human birth. Ganga drowned the first seven at birth to free them; Shantanu stopped her at the eighth.

Vyasa. Called Krishna for his dark colour and Dvaipayana for his island birth. He got the name Vyasa for dividing (arranging) the Vedas into four. His disciples: Paila (Rigveda), Vaisampayana (Yajurveda), Jaimini (Samaveda), Sumantu (Atharvaveda). His son was Shuka. Tradition says Ganesha wrote the epic down as Vyasa dictated it.

Kunti's mantra. Sage Durvasa gave young Kunti a mantra to call any god. She tested it with Surya and Karna was born; she floated him in a box on the river. Later she used it for three sons and taught it to Madri, who called the Ashvini twins.

Pandu's curse. Pandu shot sage Kindama, who was in the form of a deer with his mate. The sage cursed him to die on embracing a wife. Pandu died this way with Madri, and Madri entered his funeral fire (sahagamana); Kunti raised all five.

Gandhari's 100 sons. She carried a lump of flesh for two years; on Vyasa's advice it was divided and kept in pots of ghee, giving 100 sons and Dusshala. Gandhari blindfolded herself to share her husband's blindness.

The princes grow up.

• Duryodhana poisoned Bhima and threw him into the Ganga; he sank to Nagaloka, where snake bites cancelled the poison and the Nagas gave him more strength.
• Drona's test of aim: the others saw the tree and the bird; Arjuna saw only the bird's eye. When a crocodile seized Drona in the river, Arjuna shot it, and Drona gave him special divine weapons.
• Bhima and Duryodhana became masters of the mace (pupils of Balarama); Arjuna of the bow. Arjuna could shoot with either hand, so he is Savyasachi.
• At the tournament Kripacharya asked Karna his lineage before a duel with Arjuna; Duryodhana answered by crowning him king of Anga.

Karna's life. Parashurama taught him, thinking he was a Brahmin; when the truth came out, Parashurama cursed him to forget the Brahmastra when he most needed it. A Brahmin whose cow he killed by mistake cursed that his chariot wheel would sink in battle. Indra, disguised as a Brahmin, took his kavacha-kundala and gave him the one-time weapon Vasavi Shakti. He is Vaikartana as son of the Sun (Vikartana), a name also read as "the one who cut off" his armour.

Draupadi's swayamvara. Drupada set a revolving target (matsya yantra) and a very stiff bow. Arjuna, disguised as a Brahmin, won. At Kunti's word ("share what you have brought") Draupadi married all five. Drupada had obtained Draupadi and Dhrishtadyumna from a fire sacrifice by the sages Yaja and Upayaja; a voice from the sky said Dhrishtadyumna was born to kill Drona.

Drona and Drupada. They studied together as boys. Drupada, once king, insulted Drona as a poor Brahmin. Drona asked his pupils for gurudakshina: the Kauravas failed, then Arjuna captured Drupada, and Drona kept North Panchala (Ahichchhatra), leaving South Panchala (Kampilya) to Drupada. This feud runs to the war.

Shikhandi. Amba blamed Bhishma, did penance and won Shiva's promise that she would cause his death. Reborn to Drupada as a girl (Shikhandini), she exchanged sex with the Yaksha Sthunakarna. Bhishma would not fight one born a woman, which decided the 10th day of the war.

The year at Virata's court. Kichaka, brother of Queen Sudeshna and commander of Matsya, harassed Sairandhri; Bhima (Ballava) killed him. Susharma of Trigarta raided Virata's cattle from the south; when the Kauravas raided from the north, Brihannala drove out with prince Uttara (Uttarakumara), who lost heart, so Arjuna fought and Uttarakumara drove the chariot.

Parikshit and Janamejaya. Parikshit hung a dead snake on the silent sage Shamika; Shamika's son Shringi cursed that Takshaka would kill the king in seven days, and so it happened. Janamejaya held the snake sacrifice to avenge him. Astika, son of the sage Jaratkaru and the snake-sister of Vasuki, stopped it.

Krishna's family. Kamsa, son of Ugrasena, ruled Mathura; Devaki was his cousin. Kamsa's wives were Asti and Prapti, daughters of Jarasandha. Krishna studied under Sandipani at Avanti (Ujjain). After Jarasandha attacked Mathura again and again, Krishna moved the Yadavas to Dwaraka. His chief queens include Rukmini (Vidarbha, sister of Rukmi), Satyabhama (daughter of Satrajit) and Jambavati. Balarama's wife was Revati. Kritavarma (a Yadava) fought for the Kauravas; Satyaki (Yuyudhana, a Vrishni and pupil of Arjuna) fought for the Pandavas.

Shishupala. He was Krishna's cousin and was promised to Rukmini before Krishna carried her off. Krishna had promised Shishupala's mother to forgive 100 offences. At Yudhishthira's Rajasuya, Shishupala objected to Krishna receiving the first honour (agra puja) and insulted him past the limit; Krishna killed him with the Sudarshana chakra. In the Bhagavata, Shishupala and Dantavaktra are the third birth of Jaya and Vijaya, the gatekeepers of Vaikuntha (after Hiranyaksha-Hiranyakashipu and Ravana-Kumbhakarna). His son Dhrishtaketu later fought for the Pandavas.

Born of a divine portion (Adi Parva).

Other kings.

Other names to know. Yudhishthira: Dharmaraja, Ajatashatru. Bhima: Vrikodara. Arjuna's ten names (he recites them to Uttara in the Virata Parva): Arjuna, Phalguna, Jishnu, Kiriti, Shvetavahana, Bibhatsu, Vijaya, Krishna, Savyasachi, Dhananjaya; he is also Partha (son of Pritha). Duryodhana: Suyodhana; his son Lakshmanakumara. Kunti: Pritha (hence Partha for her sons). Karna: Radheya, Vaikartana, Angaraja. Bhishma: Devavrata, Gangeya, Shantanava.