Mahabharat - One Of World's Greatest Epics
Mahabharata is not only the history of ancient Indian civilization but also one of the best books on the world's greatest epics.
Mahabharata is also an important book of ethics.
According to the Mahabharata story, King Shantanu was a Kuru king of the Lunar dynasty in Hastinapura, a region situated between the Ganges and the Jamuna River. He was an heir of the Bharata clan and also the great-grandfather of the Pandavas and Kauravas. His sons were Bhishma, Chitrangad, and Vichitravirya. Bhishma was bound by the throne of Hastinapur due to his vows. Bhishma decided to remain unmarried as a vow given to her mother Satyavati, Vichitravirya became the king of Hastinapura and had two sons - Pandu and Dhritarashtra after marriage.
Dhritarashtra was blind from birth, hence Pandu became the king of Hastinapura. Pandu had five sons known as Pandavas while Dhritarashtra, had a hundred sons who were called the Kauravas. Dhritarashtra's son, especially his elder son Duryodhana was jealous of the Pandavas. He wanted the throne of Hastinapura so he conspired with his maternal uncle Shakuni, and managed to send the Pandavas to exile. Pandavas then settled near Delhi and established a new capital, Indraprastha. Arjuna, won Draupadi, the princess of the Panchala, in Swayamvar. Because of a misinterpretation by Kunti, Pandava's mother, Draupadi also had to marry the other four brothers of arjuna.
The Battle Of Mahabharat
Once Duryodhana in his jealously for the Pandavas invited Pandavas to play dice in his kingdom. During the game, Yudhishthira, the eldest Pandavas lost everything, including Draupadi, the wife of the five Pandavas in the game. As a result, the Pandavas were once again sent to exile for thirteen years. After completing his term of exile, the Pandavas once again claimed for their kingdom Hastinapura. But, Duryodhana refused to return them back their possessions which eventually led to the battle of Mahabharata, which lasted for eighteen days.
Arjuna first refused to fight against his own family and relatives in the battle but Lord Krishna enlightens him with the knowledge of karma and reminded him of his duties. Lord Krishna became his saarthi and gave him the divine message which is cherished in the Bhagavad Gita. Thus, Arjuna took up his arms and fought bravely. In this huge battle, the prodigious massacre of men took place and all Kauravas were killed.
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