INTRODUCTION :
Mahabharata is the most important ancient epic, and it is considered as a great wealth in this present generation. It was written by Lord Vinayaka, when Veda Vyasa narrates the incidents from Mahabharata. But actually Veda Vyasa was considered as the author of Mahabharata. It contains all the essential requirements to lead a prosperous life. It teaches the do’s and don’ts which has to be followed in our everyday life. The Bhagavat Gita teachings given by Lord Krishna, is treated as a valuable source of reading material for the Hindus.
Mahabharata is a source of unlimited knowledge and insists us for a proper way of living. It tells the enmity between the cousins, and about the battle of the Kurukshetra. By reading this great epic, we would be able to maintain a correct balance in our life, and also we would be able to judge the people based on their behaviour.
During the Dwapara Yuga, Shantanu, was the king of Hastinapura, and he was married to the beautiful river Goddess Ganga Mata, and through their union, Devarata was born, who was popularly called as Bhishma, due to his good behaviour, and for his lifelong celibacy. After some time, Shantanu again married with Satyavati, who was the mother of Sri Vyasa Bhagavan, and the great Rishi Vyasa was born through the union of Satyavati and Rishi Parasara. Shantanu had two sons with Satyavati, and both of them lived only for a short period.
Due to that, Satyavati asked her elder son Vyasa to unite with her daughter-in-laws, Ambika and Ambalika, and through his union with Ambika, she gave birth to a blind child, named Dritharashtra and her sister Ambalika to a child who was called as Pandu, and he was born with skin disease. Since Dritharashtra, was a blind person, his step brother Pandu had become the king. Pandu was cursed by Rishi Kindama, that he would die when he maintain sexual relationship with women.
Pandu’s first wife Kunti gave birth to Yudhishthira, Bhima, and Arjuna, through the powers of the mantra. When Kunti was at her young age, she was given a boon by Rishi Durvasa, and due to that, she had tested her boon by chanting a mantra, and gave birth to Karna, and she abandoned him due to fear.
Madri, was Pandu’s second wife, and she had given birth to the twins Nakula and Sahadev, due to the powers of the Mantra, which was told to her by Kunti. These five brothers are collectively called as the Pandavas and they are the original heroes of the story, only next to Lord Krishna. All of them are married with Draupadi.
When King Pandu united with his second wife, madri, he had died, as per the curse given by Rishi Kindama, and after his death, his blind brother Dritharashtra becomes the king. Dritharashtra and his wife Gandhari had hundred children, who are called as the Kauravas. Duryodhana is the eldest among them.
Both the Pandavas and Kauravas grow up together. The Pandavas, contains good behaviour, and was well versed in all the subjects, and they are expert in all kinds of arts. The Kauravas are also trained in various arts, but they are bad minded people, and gave lot of problems to the Pandavas at their young age itself.
Due to the cunning act of Duryodana and Shakuni, Pandavas are defeated in the dice game, and due to that, the Kauravas imposed a 13-year exile on the Pandavas. During this period, the Kauravas made several attempts to kill the Pandavas, but the Pandavas are escaped due to the blessings of Lord Sri Krishna. After completing the exile period, when Pandavas had asked their share of Kingdom, Kauravas refused to give them even a small village in the Hastinapura Kingdom and due to that the great Kurukshetra war was started.
The war lasted for 18 days and during the battle field, Lord Krishna had taught Bhagavad Gita, to Arjuna, and also had shown his Viswaroopa Darshan to him. The Pandavas won in the war with the support of Lord Krishna, and they prosperously ruled the kingdom of Hastinapura for many years.
It is believed that those, who read this Mahabharata and gives discourses on Mahabharata would get good prospects in their life, and after their death, they would attain the lotus feet of Lord Krishna.
“OM”
SENT BY
R.HARISHANKAR
