Mahabharat

The newborn Karna is placed in a basket and set afloat on the Ganga. He is rescued by Adiratha and his wife Radha, who raise him unaware of his true lineage. His later life as a formidable warrior is shaped by this act of abandonment.

In Hastinapur, Pandu marries Kunti and together they bear five sons: Yudhister, Bhimsen, Arjun, Nakul, and Sahdev. Their birth establishes the Pandavas as potential heirs, sowing seeds of future rivalry with their cousins. The royal succession begins to take shape around this growing lineage.

Blind king Dhritarashtra and Gandhari give birth to a hundred sons, among them Duryodhan and Dushasan. Gandhari's brother Shakuni also resides with them, plotting against the Pandavas. This setup deepens the enmity between the two branches of the Kuru clan.

Karna is rejected by his potential teacher Drona, who underestimates him. He instead seeks and learns from Parshurama, becoming a formidable warrior while hiding his true lineage. This clandestine training will haunt him later in the story.

After Pandu's death, Dhritarashtra seeks Yudhister to ascend the throne, provoking Duryodhan's jealousy. Duryodhan and Shakuni hatch a plan to kill the Pandavas in a palace made of wax, forcing the brothers and their mother Kunti to flee for their lives. The seeds of war are planted in this treacherous act.

The Pandavas escape the wax-house plot and begin exile in the forest. Bhima encounters Hidimba, slays her demon brother Hidimb, and marries Hidimba, yielding a son who will grow into a powerful ally, Ghatotkach. The forest becomes their proving ground and home for many years.

In Panchal, Arjuna wins the hand of Draupadi after a contest, and the Pandavas reveal their true identities to her. Draupadi becomes their shared wife, binding the five brothers in a common cause and alliance. This moment solidifies the Pandavas’ unity in their exile and beyond.

Kunti, unknowingly and in her earlier boon to the gods, asks the brothers to share Draupadi, which leads to Draupadi becoming the wife of all five Pandavas. The arrangement reshapes family dynamics and intensifies future political intrigue within Hastinapur.

Dhritarashtra recognizes the growing enmity with the Pandavas and orders them to relocate to Khandavprasth. With the aid of Vishwakarma and Indra, the barren land is transformed into Indraprasth, a splendid new capital that marks the rise of the Pandavas’ power.

Duryodhan humiliates Draupadi in the Maya Mahal, a public affront that hardens the animosity between the Kauravas and the Pandavas. Draupadi’s dignity becomes a rallying cry for the Pandavas and Krishna’s intervention in later events foreshadows the coming conflict.

Shakuni arranges a dice game in Hastinapur, and Yudhister loses Indraprasth, his brothers, wealth, and finally Draupadi. The atmosphere grows tense as the stakes rise and trust erodes among the clans. This game becomes a catalyst for the Pandavas' exile and the looming war.

When Draupadi is humiliated in court, Krishna intervenes in her defense. The Pandavas are banished for thirteen years, with a potential additional twelve years to stay incognito if discovered. The exile tests their resolve and forges new alliances that shape the war to come.

Having completed the exile, the Pandavas return to claim Indraprasth but are rejected by the Kauravas, leading to a grand confrontation at Kurukshetra. The stage is set for a war between the two houses that will decide the kingdom’s fate. The epic conflict finally nears its boiling point.

At Kurukshetra, Duryodhan seeks Krishna’s armies while Arjuna chooses Krishna as his charioteer. Overcome with doubt about killing his kin, Arjuna’s hesitation prompts Krishna to reveal his divine form and teach him about duty, righteousness, and detachment, yielding the famous Bhagavad Gita.

As the war rages, Gandhari blesses Duryodhan with a steel-firm body, and Kunti's plea to Karna for mercy surfaces amidst the carnage. Bhima is reinforced by the appearance of Hanuman (Pawanputra) in incognito, lending divine support to the Pandavas during crucial moments of the conflict.