Name ---------- Class ----------

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Hare Krishna Sunday SchoolInternational Society mr Krishna Consciousness

Founder-acharya: His Divine GraceA. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

INTROduCTioN

TO

BHAqAVAd-qiTA

Compiled by:Tapasvini devi dasi

Hare Krishna Sunday School Programis sponsored by:

ISKCON Foundation

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This book is dedicated toHis Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada

who has made the teachings and wisdom ofBhagavad Gitaavailable to the whole world

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Contents

Chapter Paee

Introduction 2

1. The History of the Kuru Dynasty 3

2. The Birth of the Pandavas 8

3. The Pandavas Move to Hastinapura 15

4. Indraprastha 22

5. Life in Exile 30

6. Preparing for the Battle 36

Bhagavad Gita 1.1

dhrtarastra uvacadharma-ksetre kuru-ksetre

samaveta yuyutsavahmamakah pandavas caiva

kim akurvata sanjaya

Translation: Dhritarashtra said, 0Sanjaya, after my sons and the sons ofPandu assembled in the place ofpilgrimage at Kurukshetra, desiring tofight, what did they do?

9ntroduction

Why was Arjuna fighting in a big war, killing all his relatives? Whywould Krishna want so n1any people to get killed? Is war ever all right? Ifthe Pandavas were saintly, why did they agree to fight and kill millions ofpeople? Why is the Bhagavad Gita, one of the world's greatest scriptures,spoken on a battlefield? I thought we were supposed to be peaceful.

These are questions that anyone may ask when they hear about theBhagavad Gita and the events surrounding it. After all, wars don't seem to bevery religious. The scriptures teach us to be mild, loving and forgiving.

In this session we are going to learn a bit of history about thePandavas. We willleam what led up to the big battle of Kurukshetra. We'llsee for ourselves. Did that battle really need to be fought? Was it right orwrong to have so many people killed?

2

ehapter Onetfhe History of the Kuru Dynasty

A. DevavrataOnce upon a time, the great King Santanu and his wife, Ganga, had a

beautiful son born to them. His name was Devavrata. Ganga was a heavenlybeing who had been cursed to take birth upon the earth for some time. AfterDevavrata was born, Ganga was free to return to the heavenly planets and shetook her baby son with her.

Devavrata stayed with her through his childhood years and was trainedin all the ksatriya arts. His mother returned him to King Santanu when hewas 16 years old and went back to her heavenly home. Devavrata was anextremely handsome boy, skillful and noble. He filled his lonely father'sheart with a joy that King Santanu hadn't felt for many years. King Santanuwas proud of this fme young man who would soon take his place as king ofthe world.

Father and son spent a few happy years together and King Santanucrowned Devavrata as the yuvaraja, or future king. The citizens wereoverjoyed. But fate cast a dark shadow upon these happy plans.

The king had been lonely since Ganga had left him for the heavens.Even the happiness of having his son with him couldn't fill the ache in hisheart. One time while out hunting, he fell in love with a beautiful fisher girl.He wanted to marry her, but the girl's father would only agree if in the futureKing Santanu would make the fisher girl's son the king. King Santanucouldn't disappoint his own qualified Devavrata this way and he left withouttaking the girl as his wife.

Devavrata soon noticed a change in his father. He seemed quiet anddepressed. After inquiring from others, Devavrata discovered that the kingwas unhappy because he felt he could not marry the fisher girl. The faithfulson set out for the forest to meet the girl's father. He demanded to know whythe fisherman would not allow his daughter to marry the great king.

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"Of course, I know it is a great honor for the king to desire mydaughter as his wife," explained the fisherman. "But it has been predictedthat the son of my daughter Satyavati will be a king. I asked the king topromise that he would grant this. That is what happened."

Devavrata couldn'tstand the thought of hisfather not getting what hewanted. He said, "Youwant your grandson to beking after my father? So beit. I renounce the kingdom.And I promise never to __marry so that no sons ofmine will ever claim thethrone! I vow that I will notmarry as long as I live."

The vow he hadtaken was so serious andastonishing that the devasrained flowers on him fromabove. The word"Bhishma! Bhishma!"resounded from the skies."Bhishma! Bhishma!" washeard from all quarters ofthe earth.

Devavrata, now ~

known as Bhishma, tookSatyavati into his chariotand rushed to the home ofhis father. He presentedSatyavati to the king.When the king heard all that had happened, he was struck with grief. Hiswonderful son, so full of manliness and beauty, had taken a tremendous vow.Out of love and gratitude, the king bestowed a boon upon Bhishma. Bhishmacould die only when he wished. Death would have to wait for his word. In

4

this way King Santanu hoped to make up for all that Bhishma would miss inlife.

B. Heirs to the Kuru DynastyKing Santanu and Satyavati spent happy years together. They had two

sons named Chitrangada and Vichitravirya. In the course of time, the kingpassed away. Chitrangada and Vichitravirya were heirs to the throne butsince they were too young to rule, Bhishma acted as the regent. Tragedysoon struck and Chitrangada was killed in a battle.

Vichitravirya was Satyavati's only hope now. As Vichitravirya gotolder, Bhishma arranged his marriage. Two princesses, Ambika andAmbalika, were married to the young prince. Fate struck again, however.Vichitravirya suffered from a deadly disease, and the best doctors could notsave the young man from an early death. He died before having a son, andagain, there was no heir to the throne.

In special cases like this, it was allowed that a noble brahman couldfather a son to carry on the lineage. It was decided that the great sage,Vyasadeva, would father a child to both Ambika and Ambalika. Their sonscould then rule the kingdom.

Vyasadeva was very dark and had a frightening appearance. When hemet with Ambika, she was so scared that she closed her eyes and refused tolook at him. As a result, she had a son but he was born blind. His name wasDhritarashtra.

Ambalika was just as petrified as Ambika about meeting Vyasadeva.When he came to visit her, Ambalika was pale with fright and dread. As aresult, the child born to her was handsome and gentle but pale and white. Hisname was Pandu.

Satyavati was disturbed and wanted a more qualified heir to be born.She requested Vyasadeva to visit Ambika again after Dhritarashtra was born.Ambika couldn't bear the thought of meeting the fearsome sage again and soshe sent her maid instead. The maid was very kind to Vyasadeva and he waspleased with her. The next day Vyasadeva told Satyavati that a wise andgood son would be born. "But the mother of this child is not your daughter-

5

in-law," he revealed. "She sent her maid to me and this maid is lucky to bethe mother of the best of my children." This wise child was named Vidura.

Now there were three young children. Bhishma again had the task ofbringing up the boys and ruling the kingdom until Pandu and Dhritarashtrawere old enough. Bhishma acted as their father, teaching them all they wouldneed to know as ksatriya princes.

Dhritarashtra had great strength; Pandu was especially skilled inarchery; Vidura was the wisest. The three boys had their duties.Dhritarashtra was appointed the yuvaraja, Pandu was the commander of thearmy, and Vidura was trained to be the king's minister. Because he wasblind, Dhritarashtra could not rule the kingdom. Pandu was ruling it in hisname with Vidura assisting him.

As the years went by, Bhishmafound himself concerned with themarriages of the two princes. Bhishmachose Gandhari for the wife of the blindDhritarashtra. Gandhari was a noblewoman and her next action proved it.She thought that she should not be betterthan her husband in anything. Therefore,she got a piece of silk and tied it aroundher eyes, refusing to see the world thather lord could not see.

In the Madra kingdom, a swayamvara was held for the princess Madri,who chose Pandu as her husband. Pandu's beauty and skill were greater thanall other princes who sought her hand in marriage.

Kunti, daughter of King Kuntibhoja, also held a swayamvara and chosePandu for her husband. Bhishma made arrangements for the weddings and hewas pleased with the wonderful brides who were to be the queens of the greatKuru dynasty.

6

eheck. for Understanding

Match by drawing lines.

Bhishma

Dhritarashtra

Gandhari

Ganga

Madri

Pandu

Santanu

Vidura

Vyasadeva

princess of Madra who chose to marry Pandu

the father of Devavrata

a frightening-rooking sage

the wisest of Vyasadeva's sons

handsome but very white

the heavenly mother of Devavrata

bound her eyes with cloth

born blind

took a vow never to marry

Write the missing word on the line to complete the sentence.1. "Yuvaraja" means future _

2. ruled the kingdom when Chitrangada and---------

Vichitravirya were young.

3. Dhritarashtra had great ; Pandu was skilled in

and Vidura was the-------- ----------

7

ehapter'two'the rJirth of the pandallas

A. Kunti's BoonWhen Kunti was a young girl, long before her marriage to Pandu, the

great sage Durvasa Muni was pleased with her behavior and granted her aboon. He taught her a special incantation. He explained that when sherecited it, any deva that she thought of would come to her.

One day while young Kunti was watching the sun rise and cast itsgolden hue over the land, she remembered the incantation. How wonderful itwould be to see the sun god! She held her palms together and softly recitedthe incantation while thinking of the sun god, Surya.

The brilliant sun god appeared before her and smiled. Kunti wassatisfied by simply seeing Surya before her, but his words shocked the girl.He said, "Perhaps you don't know the power of your incantation. Whatevergod you call will appear before you and embrace you. He will give you a sonas beautiful as the god whom you have called."

Kunti didn't know what to do. She had no idea that this was what theincantation meant. She was very young. She was not married. What wouldher father think if she were to have a baby? What would the citizens think ofher now? Such a shameful thing should never happen to her! She told thesun god to go away and leave her.

Surya reassured the poor, frightened Kunti. "It is all right, my child.After your child is born, everything will be as it was before and no one willever know of this."

Kunti accepted the deva's words and had no more fear. When Suryawas ready to depart, he told Kunti that her son would be born with a Kavachaand a Kundala (armor and earrings). He would be a great archer and a verygenerous man. His fame would spread throughout the world. Saying this, thesun god vanished from sight.

8

--_~__ 9 ~__~ _

In due course of time, a son was born to Kunti. She didn't know whatto do with the boy. She was so ashamed that all she could think of was howto get rid of the child before anyone found out. She wrapped him up andplaced him in a wooden box and carried it down to the river. Kunti set thebox on the water and gave it a little push to send it downstream. Her heartwas breaking as she watched her frrst-bom sun float away, his Kavacha andKundala gleaming in the light of the sun.

This experience was in Kunti' s past and the thought of her dear childthat she had never known haunted her. Little did she know that theincantation that had caused her so much pain would soon be useful.

B. The Pandavas are BornPandu and his two queens, Madri and Kunti, enjoyed spending time in

the forest. Here on the southern slopes of the Himalayas, Pandu had manyhappy days with his wives. He enjoyed hunting there, also.

One time Pandu was huntingand spied two deer. The deer seemedonly to notice each other and take noheed of the hunter. Pandu aimed hisarrow at the deer and shot it. Themale deer fell down to the ground.The deer and its mate were actually arishi and his wife who had changedthemselves into deer. They did this sothey could show their love for eachother freely without the restraints thathumans have.

The dying deer spoke to the king in a human voice, "How could youhave done such a sinful thing? I am a rishi and this is my wife. Whileembracing her in love, I was shot with your sharp arrow and I feel myselfdying. This act will cost you your life. When you approach your wife toembrace her in love, you will die just as I." With these words cursing Pandu,the rishi died and his wife died along with him.

Pandu was a changed man now. He had no hope of having sons nowand decided to retire to the forest and live like a rishi. Kunti and Madri gave

10

away all their jewels and costly silk garments and followed their husband tothe forest of Satasringa. Once again, Bhishma found himself needed to rulethe kingdom.

Pandu, Madri and Kunti spent several years in the forest quite happily.But Pandu wanted sons. He knew that he could not father the childrenhimself or he would die. After seeing her husband so worried, Kunti tookpity on him and told him about the boon she had received from DurvasaMuni. They decided that Kunti should recite the incantation and call Dharmawho would give Kunti a religious and worthy son.

In the beautiful gardens of Satasringa, Kunti invoked the Lord ofDharma and months later gave birth to a son born of Dharma. This child wasnamed Yudhisthira and he would be famed throughout the world for hisrighteousness. Pandu was so happy.

A year later he asked Kunti to bear him another son. This time hewanted Vayu, god of the wind, to be the father. Kunti recited the incantationand Vayu appeared to her. A beautiful, strong son was born to her. Thischild was named Bhima and would be known for his power and affection.

Now Pandu had two sons but he wasn't satisfied. He asked Kunti tobear another, this time with Indra as the father. She agreed and Indra gaveher a son named Arjuna. He was destined to be the conqueror of the entireworld. A voice from the heavens proclaimed, "This son is the other half ofVishnu. He is Nara. Krishna, the son of Vasudeva, is Narayana. Because ofthese two, the earth will be cleansed of all the poisons caused from the evilkings."

More sons were wanted by Pandu and it was decided that Madrishould bear them. Kunti taught the incantation to Madri who called theAshvini Kumars, the heavenly twins. They gave Madri two sons who werenamed Nakula and Sahadeva. They would be the most handsome men in the

world. The would be famed for theirdevotion, bravery and wisdom. Therishis in the forest became theteachers of the young princes. Theywere trained in the art of weaponryand became skillful fighters.

c. Dhritarashtra's FamilyGandhari was blessed to have 100 sons. This happened in quite an

extraordinary way, however. When Kunti was pregnant with Yudhisthira,Gandhari was also pregnant. Yudhisthira was born, but a year later Gandharihad still not had 11er baby. She became jealous that Kunti had an older sonand she was angry about being pregnant for two years. Gandhari struck herabdomen with her fist and she gave birth to a lump of flesh as a result.Vyasadeva advised her to divide the lump into 100 pieces. Each piece wasplaced in a bowl of ghee, covered and carefully guarded. He gaveinstructions to Gandhari on when to open the bowls. Gandhari followed hisdirections carefully and eventually her first child, named Duryodhana, tookbirth.

Duryodhana was born on the same day that Bhima was born.Dhritarashtra was a proud father but he wished that his son could have beenthe heir to the Kuru throne. He called Vidura and consulted him. "I hearPandu has one son that is older than mine. I'm afraid that he will become heirto the throne instead of my son. Something else is upsetting me. WhenDuryodhana was born there were many bad omens. I don't understand thereason for this."

Vidura warned the blind king, "My brother, these omens mean thatyour son will cause the destruction of the whole world."

Dhritarashtra was alarmed and wanted to know how to avoid thecatastrophe. Vidura advised him to put his son to death. That was the onlyway. "For the protection of the entire world, this one child should be killed,"the wise Vidura cautioned.

Poor Dhritarashtra couldn't follow Vidura's advice. Duryodhana washis first-born son. The king soon became the father of one hundred more sonsand one daughter. He forgot all his worries and buried himself in the joys offatherhood.

12

eheck fo, Unde,standin!I..

Circle the letter of the correct answer.

1. Durvasa Muni gave Kunti a special _a) jewelb) sonc) boon

2. The first deva that Kunti called was ----a) the moon godb) the sun godc) Lord Indra

3. Pandu could not have sons because he was ----a) cursedb) oldc) sick

4. Kunti called the wind god Vayu and he gave her a son called _a) Arjunab) Bhimac) Nakula

5. Pandu's two wives were named-----a) Madri and Kuntib) Kunti and Ambalikac) Gandhari and Kunti

6. King Dritarashtra's fITst son was named _a) Duryodhanab) Dushasanc) Yudhisthira

7. Vidura told the blind king to _a) make his son a princeb) put his son to deathc) have more sons

13

Who's who review

ACROSS DOWN5. the wife of 1. the oldest of 14. Sahadeva's

Dhritarashtra the five twin8. a fisher girl; Pandavas

Santanu's wife 2. another name9. Ambika's blind for Bhishma

son 3. the wise son of11. Vayu's son Vyasadeva

born of Kunti 4. the father of12. father of Draupadi

Bhishma 6. wife of all five15. one of the Pandavas

wives of Pandu 7. a sage in this16. mother of the form cursed

five Pandavas Pandu17. Ambalika's 10. the heavenly

pale son mother ofBhishma

13. Indra's sonborn of Kunti

14

ehap.ter ~hree'the pandavas }tIlove to Hastinapura

A. The Death ofPanduThe sons of Pandu were now in their teens. They had spent their time

happily in Satasringa with their parents. One day Kunti took the five boys tovisit a nearby ashram. Madri stayed behind with Pandu.

Pandu looked upon his wife, who looked enchantingly beautiful. Hewas overcome with love for her and wanted to embrace her. Forgetting allabout the curse, he approached her. Madri ran away like a frightened deerbut Pandu caught her and held her in his arms. Although Madri cried andtried to warn him, he embraced her tightly to him, and in the next instant hefell down dead.

Madri insisted that she shouldenter the funeral fIre and die alongwith her husband. She asked Kunti tostay behind and guard all five children.The rishis agreed that this was theright thing to do. As Yudhisthira litthe fIre, his eyes streaming with tears,

, Madri placed herself in the funeralfIre, her face reflecting the peace andjoy she felt within.

What were Kunti and her five sons to do now? The residents ofSatasringa decided that it would be best for them to return to Hastinapura.There, Bhishma and their uncle Dhritarashtra could care for them. So the

15

rishis, with Kunti and the five sons of Pandu, set off for the beautiful city ofHastinapura. What was to become of them no one knew. ,J

?:jl~~~:~ ~:"~1~~,....

B. The Pandavas in DangerIn Hastinapura the Pandavas lived in

the lifestyle of the princes they were. Theywere the pride and joy of GrandfatherBhishma, who was like a father to them.Bhishma appointed Kripa and later Drona toeducate all of the boys in the ksatriya arts.Arjuna quickly became a favorite of Drona'sbecause of his devotion and love of archery.Young Arjuna's goal was to be the bestarcher in the world and Drona was sure hecould do it.

The Pandavas were very popular in the kingdom. Their respectfulnatures, good looks and delightful manners were impossible to resist. Butthere was one person in the kingdom who felt no love for the Pandavas. Thatwas their young cousin Duryodhana.

Bhima was an energetic and wild boy. He liked teasing the other boysand defeating them in all sorts of games. It was all in fun but Duryodhanasoon tired of it and became angry and jealous of Bhima' s strength.Duryodhana hated his cousin and began to think of ways to get revenge.

Duryodhana became so maddened by his envy that he tried to killBhima. He tried to drown him and poison him but Bhima was not hurt.Vidura and the others knew that it was Duryodhana who tried to murder hiscousin so they were all on guard.

Years later Duryodhana hatched a plot to destroy Queen Kunti and herfive sons. He reasoned that he would then be the heir to the throne ratherthan the elder Yudhisthira. Duryodhana had his father Dhritarashtra sendthem away to a distant city called Varanavat, where he had a house builtespecially for them. Duryodhana had the house made of lac and ghee andother things that burn easily. His plan was to start a fIre when they weresleeping in the house and kill them all.

16

Vidura was able to warn them about this plot, so when the house wasset afire the Pandavas and Kunti escaped through underground tunnels thathad been dug. They thought that Duryodhana would surely come after themif he knew they were alive, so the five brothers and their mother disguisedthemselves as poor, simple brahmans. They got whatever they needed bybegging alms and sharing what they received. In this way, they lived in theforest until the time was right for them to come out of hiding.

c. Draupadi Weds the PandavasWhile they were in disguise, they heard that a swayamvara was being

held for a beautiful princess named Draupadi, the daughter of King Drupada.Whoever wished to claim her as his wife must fITst pass a very difficult test ofarchery. Draupadi's father had really wanted his daughter to marry Arjunaand he knew that this challenge would lure Arjuna to his kingdom.

The Pandavas decided to attend the swayamvara and came in theirdisguises as brahmans. They sat amongst hundreds of kings hoping to winDraupadi's hand in marriage. Krishna and Balaram, who were cousins of thePandavas, were also there to watch the event. They recognized their cousinseven though they were in disguise.

King after king came forward to show their skills but they were noteven able string the bow. Suddenly Arjuna, whom all thought was a gentlebrahman, stepped forward and strung the bow easily. He sent his arrowswhizzing through the air and felled the target, which no one had come closeto doing before. The whole assembly was astounded as Draupadi garlandedhim as her husband and followed him out of the swayamvara hall.

The Pandavas went home with Draupadi following them. When theyreached the house they went inside calling jokingly to their mother, "Mother,we have brought our alms!"

Kunti did not see them come in and replied in her usual way, "You canall share what alms you have brought home." When she saw the lovelyDraupadi standing beside Arjuna and realized that Draupadi was what theymeant by "alms" she was horrified. She had never spoken a lie and had neverdone anything wrong. But it was not proper for a woman to have more thanone husband. How could they all share Draupadi?

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DraupadI's svaya!pvara.

18

It was fmally decided that Draupadi would be the husband of all fivePandavas. They all loved her already. She had previously received a boonthat she would have five husbands. The great sage Vyasadeva confrrmed thatthis was the proper thing to do in this circumstance.

At this time, Krishna and His brotherBalaram went to the house where the Pandavaswere staying. The cousins had never met althoughthey had heard much about each other.Immediately a strong friendship grew betweenKrishna and the Pandavas. All eyes were shiningwith love. Krishna blessed His aunt Kunti and hersons and warned them to be careful of the sons ofDhritarashtra. He and Balaram then left to returnto Their own camp.

The Pandavas soon went to King Drupada, who was satisfied with hisdaughter's marriage. The Pandavas now felt that with King Drupada'ssupport and Krishna's help it was safe for them to come out ofhiding.

News soon reached Hastinapura that the Pandavas were alive and well.This was a terrible discovery for the Kauravas. Thinking that the Pandavaswere dead, Duryodhana had already thought of himself as the ruler of theentire kingdom. He didn't want to give up that position to Yudhisthira.

Duryodhana and his army challenged the Pandavas to a battle but itwas short and decisive. Arjuna, Bhirna and their brothers showed theirsuperior strength and conquered their cousins. The Kauravas were no matchfor the Pandavas and the humiliated Duryodhana returned to Hastinapura withhis army. His mind was fIXed on fmding a way of defeating his cousins onceand for all.

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When Vidura warned the Pandavas of the danger in Varanavat, hespoke in code. Yudhisthira was trained in understanding codedmessages, so he was able to realize what Vidura was saying. A secretmessage follows for you! To decipher it, look at the letters listed underthe blanks. Write the next letter in the alphabet in the spaces above thelisted letters. Hint: "A" comes after "Z".

The following message is good advice if you happen to live in ahouse of lac like the Pandavas:

C N M s o K Z X

'"

V H S G

L Z SBGDR

eheck fo, Unde,standin9..

Choose a word from the box to complete the sentences below.

jealousbrahmans

tunnelsMadri

KuntiDwarka

deerHastinapura

Draupadifire

1. A rishi in the form of a cursed Pandu.

2. chose to die in her husband Pandu's funeral----------

fire.

3. Kunti and the five Pandavas left the forest of Satasringa and went back to

the city of _

4. Duryodhana tried to kill Kunti and her sons setting their house on

5. Vidura warned them of the plot and they escaped through

6. The Pandavas lived for several years disguised as _

7. All the Pandavas claimed

8. Duryodhana was of his cousins.

21

as their wife.

ehaE!-ter 'jour9ndraprastha

A. The Pandava's Gain a KingdomBack in Hastinapura the Kuru elders were deciding what should be

done. They held a conference. Bhishma, Orona, Kripa, Vidura, Dhritarashtraand others were there. They thought that the time had come for the Pandavasto be treated fairly. They urged Dhritarashtra to divide his kingdom with thePandavas and save his reputation. He agreed and Vidura went to thekingdom of Orupada to bring back the Pandavas. Krishna and Balaram werealso there and They accon1panied the Pandavas, Kunti and Vidura back toHastinapura.

An official reception was held and King Dhritarashtra received themwarmly. He explained that the Pandavas were entitled to the kingdom alsosince their father Pandu had helped rule it. The blind king divided thekingdom between Yudhisthira and Duryodhana, making Yudhisthira the lordof the land called Khandavaprastha.

Khandavaprastha was half of the kingdom but the land was like adesert. The land was a wasteland where nothing would grow and no animalscould live. This was Yudhisthira's share of the kingdom. But Yudhisthiradidn't mind; he was tired of all the quarreling. When they looked over thewasteland, Krishna called Lord Indra. He asked him to send the rains tomake the land fertile and green again. They renamed the land Indraprasthaand work soon began on the city. It was like magic and the area was soontransformed into a beautiful place.

Yudhisthira wanted to perform a great sacrifice called the Rajasuya.Kings were invited from allover the world and they arrived bringing gifts andwealth to honor Yudhisthira. Krishna came as a special guest of honor. Itwas during this Rajasuya that Sisupala insulted Krishna. Krishna was forcedto kill him on the spot. What had begun to be a celebrated ceremony turnedsour as the killing of Sisupala spoiled everyone's happiness.

Duryodhana's unhappiness was the greatest of all. When he saw hishated cousins with great wealth and many citizens, prospering in the beautiful

22

city that was once a wasteland, his envy doubled. He could not sleep due tothinking of ways to destroy these rivals.

B. The Gambling MatchDuryodhana had an evil uncle named Sakuni who always helped

Duryodhana in his schemes to hurt the Pandavas. Now Sakuni approachedDuryodhana with an idea.

~~King Yudhisthira is indeed a righteous person. He is Dharmapersonified. Yet he has one weakness: gambling. I know of a way that youcan recover all that the Pandavas have. Let us invite the Pandavas here for agame of dice." Duryodhana was delighted.

Dhritarashtra agreed with the plan. Due to his selfish love for his son,he no longer cared about being fair to his good nephews. He sent Vidura,who tried to talk him out of the evil plot, to bring the Pandavas back to thekingdom of Hastinapura. The Pandavas were told that a new hall had beenconstructed near Hastinapura and they were invited to see it. The kingwanted them to come and enjoy some games of dice.

Yudhisthira was dismayed at the invitation. He guessed that the gameof dice was planned for an evil purpose. But he felt he must obey his uncleDhritarashtra's command to come. Yudhisthira left for Hastinapura with hisbrothers, followed by Kunti and Draupadi.

The Pandavas were surprised at the pleasant way the Kauravaswelcomed them. They toured the new hall, appreciating its architecture andbeauty. That was soon forgotten as Sakuni invited them to sit down for agame of dice.

Yudhisthira tried in many ways to avoid playing but Duryodhana andSakuni wouldn't take no for an answer. Duryodhana challenged Yudllisthirabut had Sakuni play on Duryodhana's behalf. This was unfair but as theyinsisted, Yudhisthira gave in to fate and played the game. Jewel werewagered. Yudhisthira lost. Precious gems and stones were wagered.Yudhisthira lost. Gold coins by the thousands were wagered and lost againby Yudhisthira. His horses, his wealth, his chariots, his army, his slaves, histreasury -- all was being swallowed up by the evil Sakuni, crying "Won!Won!" with every wager.

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Vidura pleaded with the blind king to stop this cheating gamblingmatch. He would not listen. Yudhisthira had now lost all his worldly wealth.Sakuni said, "You have nothing now. If you still think you have something tobet, wager that. If you win, you can have back all that you have lost andDuryodhana's riches as well."

Yudhisthira had lost all good sense and sat silent for a moment. Hesaid, "I have something to wager. This handsome brother of mine, Nakula,will be my wager." Yudhisthira lost. One by one he wagered his brothersand lost them all. He next wagered himself and lost. The five brothers werenow the slaves of Duryodhana.

Sakuni said, "You still have Draupadi. You have not lost her yet."

Arjuna and Shima could barely keep from killing Duryodhana andSakuni but they did so out of respect for Yudhisthira. Yudhisthira, his sensesout of control, wagered Draupadi. He lost her. Now there was nothing left.

The entire assembly was stunned. Duryodhana commanded thatDraupadi be brought to the hall. She was now a slave and should be sent tothe servants' quarters. Dushasan, Duryodhana' s brother, went to her roomand laughingly told her all that had happened. She was horrified and angrilyhurried towards Gandhari's room. Dushasan grabbed her by the hair andforcibly dragged her in front of the assembly. She appeared before the elderswith her dress wet with tears and crumpled from the rough handling ofDushasan.

Draupadi stood in that great court as Dushasan and Duryodhanainsulted her and called her names. They told her repeatedly that she was theirslave and should now choose a new husband. She cried for help from theothers but only Vikama, a wise and good son of King Dhritarashtra, spoke upfor her. Bhishma was silent. Drona was silent. Kripa was silent.

As a [mal insult, Duryodhana ordered that the clothes of the Pandavasand Draupadi should be taken off and surrendered to him. The Pandavasremoved their upper cloths and laid them in a heap. The cruel Dushasan tookhold of the top ofDraupadi's sari and began pulling it off.

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DraupadI is humiliated by the ·Kauravas.

Draupadi was frantic as she realized that no one could help her. Shelooked at each of her five husbands but they hung their heads in shame. Noone stepped forward to stop this greatly sinful act.

Draupadi remembered that surrender to the Lord is the only thing thatcan help. She folded her palms together and fixed her mind on Lord Krishna,begging Him to save her. She closed her eyes and did not try to stopDushasana anymore.

Then a miracle happened. As Dushasan pulled her sari and the stunnedaudience looked on, her clothes got longer and longer. Dushasan pulled withboth hands and still the cloth grew. A heap of cloth was at his side asDushasan angrily ripped at her clothes. Finally, exhausted, he gave up andsat down.

Shima, Arjuna, Sahadeva and Nakula were enraged. Their eyesflashed fITe and they took terrible oaths, vowing to kill the sinful relatives ofDhritarashtra. The blind and weak-hearted king realized later how serious thesituation was. He was frightened about the future and the wrath of thePandavas. He called Draupadi to him and asked her to forgive Duryodhana'sbehavior. He offered her two boons. She fITst asked that Yudhisthira befreed. Her second request was that the other four brothers be freed. Shedidn't care about their wealth; she only wanted that her husbands would notbe slaves of such a sinner as Duryodhana.

Dhritarashtra granted her this and as they took leave of Hastinapura, hewas overcome by a feeling of generosity. He told the Pandavas to go back toIndraprastha and take back all that they had lost in the gambling match. "Justforget about today, as you would a bad dream. Think kindly of my sons andforget their sins. Go in peace to your home," he told them.

Duryodhana was furious when he heard what his father had done.After fulfilling his life's dream of conquering his cousins, Dhritarashtra gaveeverything back to them. Duryodhana would not allow this to happen. Heinsisted that one more game of dice must be played. This time the winnergets to rule the entire kingdom. The loser must live in the forest for twelveyears and must live the thirteenth year in disguise.

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Gandhari pleadedwith her son to stop hisimmoral plot. Shewished now that she hadtaken Vidura's adviceand destroyedDuryodhana when hewas born. But KingDhritarashtra was like apuppet in the hands ofhis son. He could notrefuse him and soanother game of dicewas set.

So the Pandavas returned to the same hall, the same dice, the sameSakuni. Yudhisthira sat and listened as Sakuni told the conditions of thegame. "The winner will be the lord of the land of the Kurus. The loser willhave to spend twelve years in the forest. One year more must be spent indisguise. If he is recognized during that year in disguise, the loser must spendanother twelve years in the forest."

Sakuni took the dice in his hands. They rolled on the floor. The cry"Sakuni wins!" was heard by all. The Pandavas were the losers doomed tospend the next thirteen years in the forest.

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1//

eheck. tor Understanding

1. Why did Sakuni and Duryodhana invite Yudhisthira for a game of dice?

2. How did Dushasana insult Draupadi?

3. How did Krishna help Draupadi?

4. How many years would the loser have to spend in the forest?

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The Pandavasx x s A H A D E V A A S

P Y A M A R A J U H R T

E J H I L I N D R A I R

F L C H U H L W M N G 0

R 0 B B K T M U A D H N

W T P 0 A S K P K S T G

G L I A N I P A P 0 E Z

G P X T N H R N Q M 0 0

J 0 N I N D V D K E U E

J M V A Y U A U A G S C

S S V N 0 Y K V F M S M

A R J U N A M N A J A K

ArjunaAsvini kumarsShimaHandsomeIndraKunti

MadriNakulaNoblePandavaPanduRighteous

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SahadevaStrongVayuYamarajYudhisthira

ehapter'1:il1e£ife in Exile

A. The Pandavas Set Out/or the ForestThe Pandavas dressed themselves in tree bark and deerskin and left

Hastinapura. The citizens felt as if their very lives were ebbing away.Kunti's grief was unbearable. The five brothers, along with their queen,traveled quickly away from the city that had been the home ofdisappointments.

The Pandavashad many adventuresduring their exile.During this time,Arjuna traveled to theabode of Indra in theheavenly planets andstayed for a fewyears. There helearned the art offighting. He receivedmany divine astras(mantra weapons)from variousdemigods. Theseastras would helphim be victorious inthe battle that was

While the Pandavas were in exile, they had the company of saintlyrishis and sages who dwelt in the forest. Together they moved to differentareas, trying to make their lives as pleasant as possible. But happiness wasimpossible. Bhima's anger seethed as he recalled the many ways they hadbeen insulted and the awful way that Draupadi had been treated. Arjunalonged for the day that he could hold a bow and arrow in his hands and aimhis deadly arrows at the Kauravas. All were simply waiting for the thirteenyears to end. Then the time would be right for WAR. The Kauravas wouldhave to pay for their greatly sinful actions. /5

1~~(~ ~ ~2..~b .e.

.,.--,-

30Arjuna receives the Pljupata astra.

sure to come. He also became expert in singing, dancing and playing musicalinstruments. These skills would be useful to him in his year of disguise.

Duryodhana kept his spies busy watching the Pandavas. Thirteen yearshad seemed like a long time but the time was approaching when thePandava's exile would be over. Dhritarashtra and his son felt their thatpeaceful days would soon be fmished.

B. The Final Year ofExileIt was now time for the thirteenth year -- the year to be lived in

disguise. This was a very important time, for if they were discovered, anothertwelve years would have to be spent in the forest. The brothers and theirqueen made plans for the year in hiding.

The city of Virata was chosen to be their living place. The king was anoble and generous man. It was thought that they could escape detection inVirata.

What would their occupations be for that year? They would berecognized immediately if they went as ksatriyas. "I will be a companion andadvisor to the king," declared Yudhisthira. "My name will be Kanka and Iwill tell the king I know the Vedas well. I will wear garlands of Tulasi andchant japa all the time."

"And I will be the chief cook in the king's kitchen," said Bhima. Hewas a talented cook and he also liked to eat, so this was a good job for him."Since I am good in wrestling, I will be in charge of the king's gym. I cantrain all the young boys to wrestle. I will be named Valala."

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Arjuna had plans on using the skills he learned in the heavens to helphim with his disguise. "I will wear my hair long and cover my chest andbroad shoulders with a blouse like women wear. I will train the women in theking's court to sing and dance. 1 will call myself Brihannala and I will be themusic teacher."

Nakula was expert in training horses."Taking charge of the king's horses will bemy duty," said Nakula. "I have a specialway of communicating with horses. It seemsthat they understand my words and are happyto obey me. 1 will be called Damagranthiand the stables will be in my care."

Sahadeva was equally good with cows. "I will be called Tantripalaand 1 will show the king how good 1 am at handling cows and bulls," heclaimed. "When I take care of the king's cows they will give more milk thanever before."

Draupadi had plans to show the queen how talented she was atdecorating women. "I can dress hair in many different ways. 1 can makeflower garlands that are very beautiful and I can show her how to perfumeherself wonderfully. Ilmow she will let me stay with her and 1 will namemyself Sairandhri," she said.

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They had all dreaded this year of hiding but it turned out to be one oftheir most pleasant years. The king and queen were good and righteous andtreated the Pandavas lovingly, although they knew not who they were.

C. Duryodhana's Challenge ='__~~ -'!«v_-oDuyodhana's hope was that his ..._ ~

cousins would be discovered in this ~"'~~

fmal year and he could banish them foranother twelve years. His spies couldnot fmd a trace of the Pandavas andsome thought them to be dead. Nearthe end of the year, Duryodhanafigured out that they must be in thecity of Virata. He made a plan to go

with his army and capture the king's cows. He was sure the Pandavas wouldcome to help the king recover his cows and thus be discovered.

Duryodhana was defeated in his attempt. Arjuna fought Duryodhanaand his army single-handedly and beat them all. This was humiliating for theproud son of Dhritarashtra. He claimed that since Arjuna was detected thePandavas must return to the forest. His claim was wrong, however. The timeof exile was over long before the battle over Virata's cows was fought. ThePandava's were free again.

Now the powerful sons of Pandu turned their thoughts to othermatters. It was time to get back what was rightfully theirs. Duryodhana hadtaken everything in a cheating dice game. They had been wronged andinsulted. The time came to put an end to his sinful ways.

The king of Virata gave them the city called Upaplavya. Yudhisthirasent for his friends and well-wishers from other kingdoms. Krishna andBalaram were among the first visitors. When they met with the Pandavas inUpaplavya their talks centered around what should happen to right thewrongs that occurred.

Drupada, Draupadi's father, planned to send his family priest to speakto Duryodhana, Bhishma and Dhritarashtra. He was to ask them to be fairand give Yudhisthira half of the kingdom. This was the only way a deadlywar could be avoided. In the meantime, Yudhisthira would begin gatheringkings and warriors to fight on his side. He knew he must strengthen his armyand be ready for war. The Pandavas knew there wasn't much hope ofDuryodhana sharing the kingdom.

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Choose two of the Pandavas. Draw a picture of each of them as theywould have looked in disguise.

Name of Pandava:

Name of Pandava: -------

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Life in Exile

ACROSS I DOWN!

1. Arjuna's disguise 2. the city ofname Duryodhana

4. the Pandava 3. There weregood at handling Pandavas.cows 5. mantra weapons

6. the number of 7. city chosen foryears to be spent the Pandavas'in the forest (not year of disguiseincluding the 9. animal who givesyear of disguise) milk

8. the wife of a king9. another word for

town10. animals that

Nakula liked totrain

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~~terSix

preparing for the Battle

A. Hopes for PeaceAs Drupada's messenger traveled to Hastinapura, Yudhisthira lost no

time in sending messengers to other regions asking for help and support in theupcoming war. Duryodhana's spies told him and he began gathering supportfrom others for his army.

Arjuna left for Dwarka to ask for Krishna's help. Duryodhana heard ofthis and, using his fastest horses, rushed to Dwarka to see Krishna frrst.Arjuna arrived a bit later than his cousin and fOWld him sitting outsideKrishna's room. Duryodhana smiled at Arjuna and said, "Oh, it seems thatwe had the same idea in coming to visit Krishna. Well, I have come frrst so itis only right that Krishna should help me."

Arjuna said, "It doesn't matter who came first or last. We will have towait and see who Krishna supports. I am not worried."

Krishna woke up and sawArjuna at his feet. He smiled butthen noticed that someone else wasin the room. He saw Duryodhanaand received him affectionatelyalso. Duryodhana told him thereason for his coming; he wantedKrishna to fight on his side in thebattle. Arjuna said that he camealso to ask that Krishna fights onhis side.

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Duryodhana insisted that since he arrived frrst, it was Krishna's duty tohelp him. Krishna replied, "You arrived first, but when I woke up I sawArjuna first. I think the best thing is that I help you both. Arjuna may choosefirst. I have a fierce and terrible army made of thousands of warriors asstrong as Myself. That is one choice. The other choice is Me. Just Me. Iwon't fight or carry a single weapon. Arjuna, think carefully before youchoose."

Arjuna fell at Krishna's feet with tears in his eyes. "You, my Lord, Iwant you. I don't want anything else in the world."

Duryodhana was thrilled to get Krishna's huge army. He thought thatthe Pandavas were as good as dead now that he had such powerful help. Hethanked Krishna and left.

Duryodhana soon saw Balaram and told him of the arrangement.Balaram loved Duryodhana and wanted to support him. But now that Heheard that Krishna was fighting with the Pandavas he told Duryodhana that hecould not side with him. Balaram would not fight with His dear brother.Rather than take part in the battle, Balaram went an a pilgrimage to holyplaces throughout India.

Drupada's messenger had no luck in convincing Duryodhana to sharehis kingdom with the Pandavas. Dhritarashtra, Bhishma, Drona and theothers tried to reason with Duryodhana but his hatred of the Pandavas wastoo strong. He wanted to be king of the world and he was ready to fight forit. King Dhritarashtra was blinded with love for his son. Although he knew itwas wrong, he supported Duryodhana in his cheating and greedy ways.

Yudhisthira still wanted peace. As a last resort he sent Krishna toHastinapura to speak with Duryodhana and the elders. Krishna spokestrongly to them. His words clearly showed that they would lose everythingif they did not make friends with the Pandavas. Duryodhana's selfishnesswould cause the destruction of the world. Gandhari was brought to the courtand pleaded with her son to stop his sinful actions against his cousins. ButDuryodhana would listen to no one.

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B. Krishna Shows His Visvarupa FormDuryodhana, Sakuni and Dushasana plotted to capture Krishna. If the

Pandavas didn't have Krishna, surely they wouldn't dare to fight. As theycame towards Krishna in the hall, the Lord smiled at them and theirfoolishness. "I am sorry for you and your crazy thoughts. You think I amalone and you can capture Me?"

As Krishna spoke,his form began to glowlike millions of suns. Thedevas appeared out ofHis body and thePandavas, Balaram andmany other heroes alsoemerged and were seenstanding by His side.Krishna now had manyarms, all holding terriblyfierce weapons. Flameswere leaping out of Hiseyes and nose. Heavenlymusic was heard and flowers rained down from above. Bhishma, Drona,Vidura and the great rishis stood in amazement, seeing the visvarupa form ofthe Lord. Miraculously, Dhritarashtra gained his sight and could see thisfearsome form of Krishna. He was frightened and prayed to Krishna to takeway this vision. Krishna resumed His original form and left the palace.

Even this was not enough to change Duryodhana's mind. "Let thepreparations for war begin at once I"~ he cried. "I cannot eat or sleep until thiswar begins !"

c. Krishna Speaks The Bhagavad GitaEach army was made of several akshauhinis. One akshauhini

consisted of 21,870 chariots, 21,870 elephants, 65,610 horses and 109,350footmen. Yudhisthira claimed seven akshauhinis in his army andDuryodhana's army consisted of eleven akshauhinis. Each army made itsway to the battlefield called Kurukshetra. Bhishma was the commander ofthe Kauravas and Dhrishtadyumna, Draupadi's brother, was the commander

38

of the Pandava's army. Arjuna wasmade the chief fighter with Krishnaas his charioteer.

All of the great warriors gazedat the opposing armies and werethrilled to think of the strengthassembled there. Excitementbroiled in their blood as conchshellsand battle cries resounded in the air.

An abrupt silence fell about thebattlefield as each ksatriya thoughtof the battle ready to begin.

/ I. " Yudhisthira suddenly removed hisarmor, dropped his weapons and walked with bare feet towards the enemycamp. Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva were bewildered but theyfollowed him. What was their brother doing -- surrendering? Yudhisthiramade his way to Grandfather Bhishma and fell at his feet. He said, "My deargrandfather, war is now certain. We must fight with you. Please bless us thatwe will be victorious."

Bhishma was pleased with Yudhisthira's action and said, "My child,victory is yours. You have Krishna on your side. I have been supported byDuryodhana and it is my duty to fight for him. But my love and blessings willalways be with you."

Yudhisthira and his brothers went to their teachers, Drona and Kripa,and received their blessings. Then they returned to their camp. Yudhisthira'sarmy knew now that the war was to start at any moment and that thePandavas would win.

Arjuna's chariot came to the front.On top of his swift chariot the flag ofHanuman fluttered in the breeze. Heasked Krishna to drive him right in themiddle of the two armies. Arjuna wishedto see the heroes who he would be fighting-- the heroes who sided with Duryodhana.

39

Krishna placed his chariot right where Arjuna directed: in front ofBhishma, Orona and the others. Seeing all those who were so dear to him,Arjuna was overcome by a sudden feeling of compassion. He really didn'twant to kill these friends, relatives and teachers. Arjuna felt faint with grief:He laid down his Gandiva bow and his arrows. His eyes filled with tears andhis heart felt as heavy as a stone.

Because of Arjuna's grief: because he was unwilling to fight, Krishnaspoke transcendental words of wisdom to him. The instructions He spoke areinstructions for all of us. The words Krishna said to Arjuna on the battlefieldof Kurukshetra before the war are known as the "Bhagavad Gita" or "thesong of God." The Bhagavad Gita is revered throughout the world as a greatscripture. It is special among scriptures because it was spoken directly byKrishna.

Arjuna listened carefully to the Lord. He asked Krishna manyquestions. When Krishna was fInished speaking the Bhagavad Gita, Arjunano longer felt confused. He knew what his duty was and he was ready to doit with Krishna's help. Like Arjuna, we will also go on to study what Krishnasaid in the Bhagavad Gita. Now we know why and where these importantwords were spoken.

eheck. for Und.erstand.ing

Name three people fighting on the side of the Pandavas:

Name three people fighting on the side of the Kauravas:

Unscramble the following words. Each word is something you wouldfind in an akshauhini.

APSTNHELEHISTORACOTNOEMFSSERHO

Answer the following questions:

1. Why did Yudhisthira lay down all his weapons and go speak to Bhishma?

2. Wh~does"BhagavadGha"mean? ~~~~~~~~~~~~

3. Why did Arjuna change his mind and decide that he didn't want to fight?

41