King Pandu was of frail health. But he ruled the state wisely with the help of many experienced and able counselors.
One day while he was out hunting, he accidentally shot a male deer, ignorant of the fact that it was a sage in the guise of a deer. Mortally wounded, the sage cursed Pandu, "Sinner, you will die the moment you taste the pleasure of wedded life."
Pandu, retired to the forest with his wives and lived as an ascetic. Seeing that he wished to have children. Kunti told him about the mantra that sage Durvasa had taught her. At Pandu's request, she and Madri used the mantra to beget sons from the gods.
Thus five boys were born Kunti and Madri. Yudhishthira, the eldest, was by Dharma, the god of justice. Indra, the king of the gods gave Kunti the brave and noble Arjuna. The valiant Bhima was the gift of the wind god, Vayu. Nakula and Sahadeva came to Madri from the Ashwini twins.
Pandu, who with each passing day grew weaker was overjoyed.
But when his sons were still children, he died suddenly. The two queens were grief-stricken. Madri threw herself on her husband's pyre leaving the children in Kunti's care.
The sages of the forest took Kunti and the five Pandavas to Hastinapura and placed them in Bhishma's care.
Now when word of this reached the Kauravas, the hundred sons of Dhritarashtra, they were not at all pleased. Duryodhana, the eldest swallowed his anger, smiled and called them his brothers, hating them secretly all the while.
When they bent to touch blind Dhritarashtra's feet in respect the old man embraced them. Then Gandhari, Dhritarashtra's wife and the mother of the Kauravas, held out her arms to them. She was blind folded in deference to her husband's blindness. Duryodhana watched with a smile upon his lips and hatred in his heart. | |