In this article, we have published The Story of Mahabharata in Short. It is one of the ancient Hindu epics in India. Originally it was written in the Sanskrit language. The best part of this epic story is fighting between two groups of cousins in the land of Kurukshetra.
So lets the story begin…
Contents
Beginnings
We all begin with the rule of Bharata when all the people on earth follow the Dharma. He has two sons: Pandav, Dhritarashtra who cannot attain the throne. Pandu has an illegitimate son, who left to grow up and has five sons to call his own, and six gods are avatars. Dhritarashtra has 100 sons (named Kauravas) and all are demons. The five sons of Pandav – Arjuna, Bhimu, Yudhishthira, Nakula, and Sahadeva were all great warriors or great kings, and married princess Draupadi. Duryodhana, the son of Dhritarashtra, heads the other 99 brothers and has a disgusting hatred of the Pandavas, or Pandu sons. Both Yudhisthira and Duryodhana gave the kingdom to Dhritarashtra.
The Hall
After Yudhishthira became king, Duryodhana wanted to take over his kingdom. Therefore, Duryodhana challenged Yudhisthira to play dice. Yudhisthira being a terrible gambler gradually abandons his kingdom and his wife’s independence, but Dhritarashtra orders Duryodhana to give him another chance. Duryodhana agrees that if Yudhishthira lost, he and the Pandavas would be in exile for 12 years and spend 13 years in disguise. Yudhisthira lost and got exiled.
Also read: Essay on Krishna Janmashtami
The Forest
Yudhisthira, his brothers and Draupadi spent 12 years in exile, study and training with Brahmins. During this period, the goddess Indra gives the celestial weapon to Arjuna. Draupadi is kidnapped and brought back.
Virata
In his 13th year, the Pandavas take refuge in the palace of the King of Virat as the former people of Yudhisthira. Draupadi worked as a maid to maintain her independence. It has been an eventful year with a rape attempt on Draupadi, who has killed all the supporters of Bheem and with the help of Arjuna, Virat’s son recover cattle from thieves. Despite these impressive achievements, the brothers have reached the 13th year.
Perseverance
Yudhishthira returns to regain his kingdom, but Duryodhana expressed that he has no intention of overthrowing it. Duryodhana seeks war, but Krishna advises Yudhisthira to transfer power first peacefully. Duryodhana condemned this peaceful transfer, despite the apparent desire that everyone had betrayed him. Both sides are preparing for war. Duryodhana appoints Bhima as his general. Krishna tells Yudhisthira that he will join the Pandavas, even if he is equipped with Duryodhana.
Bhisma
At the beginning of the battle, Arjuna asks Krishna to drop his hand because he does not want to kill his kind. Krishna recited the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna, explained the principles of Dharma and Karma and most importantly, it was Arjuna’s duty to fight in this war. After a continuous confrontation between Arjuna and Krishna, Arjuna kills Bhishma on the 10th day of battle, and Bhishma chooses to lie down in bed and delay the date of his death.
Drona
Arjuna’s former military instructor Drona is appointed as the new commander of Duryodhana’s army. He was a vicious warrior, so the Pandavas devised a plan to deceive Drona to prepare himself. Yudhishthira had told Drona that Bhimu had killed Asvatman, the son of Drona’s son. Bhima killed an elephant called Asvatthaman. Drona flees in anger and violates his religion by slaughtering his soldiers not to kill him. When he realizes what has happened, he loses his hands and accepts his death.
Karna
Duryodhana begins to understand that his campaign has been destroyed, but at the request of Karna, he appoints Karna as the new commander of his army. Karna and Arjuna meet in a bloody exchange on the battlefield in which Karna is slowly brutally killed.
Salya
Salya was appointed as the last and final commander of the Duryodhana Army. The warlord quickly kills him. Duryodhana runs to hide in a lake, and the war is about to end, but the Pandavas find him. Bheem killed him in a match against the clubs using an unfair strike. Despite opposition from observers and Duryodhana, Krishna said that it was in the religion of Bhima and that Duryodhana was provoking war.
The Night-red
As the Kauravas survive, Ashwaththama infiltrates the Pandavas’ camp, killing all of them, some of whom cannot attain paradise without dying as a proper warrior. As he goes, he curses the Pandava woman and makes them barren.
The Women
Yudhishthira goes to meet Dhritarashtra, who mourns the death of all his sons. Similarly, the wives of Kauravas faced Yudhisthira about killing their husbands. When Dhritarashtra sees Bhima, he tries to kill him, but Krishna provokes Dhritarashtra to attack Bhima’s scarecrow. The funeral pyre for the Kauravas and then a ritual in the Ganges River. In the Ganges, Yudhishthira learns that Karna is his brother and drowns in grief.
Tranquility
Yudhishthira is ambitious to take his throne but agrees to honor Dhritarashtra. The Pandavas travel to meet the dying Bhishma who is seeking a pillow from Arjuna, but this means he wants more arrows to rest on his head. Bhishma initiates a philosophical conversation with Yudhisthira about the functions of the king and the nature of religion.
Instruction
Bhishma and Yudhishthira continue the conversation because they want to live well and talk about religion as well as women. Bhishma asks Duryodhana to consider his sons, and forget his evil sons who went to hell. Bhishma dies and cremations are performed.
The Horse sacrifice
Yudhishthira hesitated to resume judgment, but Krishna ordered the horse-sacrifice ritual to clear the world. Arjuna rides a white horse, which is slaughtered around pre-fight places and kills various invaders. After the journey, the horse and many other animals are sacrificed in the pyre and the smoke emanating from the horse’s burning intestines is purified.
The Hermitage
Dhritarashtra and his wife, Gandhari, along with the mother of the Pandavas, Kunti, and others, go to the forest preacher to spend their days as a monk. The Pandavas miss their mother very much and go to meet the elders. Shortly after his visit, his elders ignited a holy fire lit by the Dhritarashtra.
The Clubs
We read the story of Krishna, who, after being informed of his death, drowned in sin. Krishna is killed by a hunter named Zara, which is Sanskrit for “old age”. He climbs the gods and joins them. Without Krishna, Arjuna could not save Varsini from abducting women through a pack of thieves. He returns to tell his brothers of his defeat.
The Great Journey
As Krishna dies, Yudhishthira decides that it is his time. He leaves the throne to Parikshit, and he and his brothers embark on a journey to tour the world. In the mountains, Bhai and Draupadi die individually. When Yudhisthira found Indra to take him to a chariot in heaven, Yudhishthira refused to leave his dog because he obeyed him. The dog becomes the god of religion and praises the Yudhisthira.
The Ascent to Heaven
Yudhishthira is surprised to find Duryodhana alone in heaven. He demands to be taken to his brothers so he can be made to hell. There, Yudhishthira said he would rather be with his brothers than go to heaven. Indra informs him that this is the last test he has passed, he and all the Pandavas are sent to heaven, and Duryodhana is condemned to hell.
Featured Image – William Jon (Flickr)