Mahabharatha in a Nutshell

By
Sri Swami Sivananda
The Mahabharata is the history of the Great War of India between the Pandavas and the
Kauravas. The two brothers Dhritarashtra and Pandu were born throuh sae !yasa after
the death of !i"hitravirya. Dhritarashtra bein blind# Pandu su""eeded to the throne but
he entrusted the $indom to his elder brother and himself %ro"eeded to forest where his
five sons &udhishthira# et".# were born and were "alled the 'Pandavas.' Dhritarashtra also
had one hundred "hildren in Duryodhana and others# who were "alled the 'Kauravas.'
Pandu died durin the infan"y of his sons and Dhritarashtra "ontinued to rule the
$indom with the hel% of their randun"le Bhishma# who had %leded himself to lifelon
"eliba"y. The Pandava and Kaurava %rin"es were brouht u% toether and also edu"ated
and trained ali$e throuh Drona"harya. Both sets of %rin"es "onsidered themselves
entitled to the $indom and loo$ed u%on the other with hostility and their feelins and
relations rew strained from day to day. (n a""ount of %erse"ution by the Kauravas# the
Pandavas left their home and suffered mu"h hardshi% and %ain# but on their marriae with
the dauhter of Dru%ada# $in Dhritarashtra sent for the Pandavas and made over half the
$indom to them. The Pandavas im%roved their "ountry and established their "a%ital at
Indra%rastha and then %erformed the horse)sa"rifi"e with reat %om%. The Kauravas were
also invited there but on seein the ood fortune of the Pandavas and bein offended by
*o$es made at them# they were over"ome with *ealousy and resentment and returned
home with feelins of enmity and revene. They then "ons%ired aainst the Pandavas and
invited them to amble and thereby they won all their wealth# $indom and their %erson
and also insulted and ill)treated their wife# Drau%adi# in the %resen"e of all. In the end# it
was settled that the Pandavas should o out in e+ile to the forest for twelve years and %ass
another year in se"re"y and on return from the e+ile be entitled to et ba"$ their lost
$indom. The Pandavas did all this but on their return the Kauravas refused to return the
$indom. This ave rise to the reat family war in whi"h all the Kauravas and the two
armies were annihilated and the Pandavas alone survived and ot the vi"tory.
The Pandavas were assisted by Sri Krishna and other relations# Dru%ada# !irata# et".# and
their for"es numbered seven battalions ,-$shauhinis.. The Kauravas were also assisted
by their relations and friends and their for"es numbered eleven battalions. The Pandavas
were su""essful on a""ount of their rihteous "ause and divine ra"e.
The blind Dhritarashtra re%resents -vidya or inoran"e/ &udhishthira re%resents Dharma/
Duryodhana -dharma/ Drau%adi Maya/ Bhishma dis%assion/ Dussasana evil 0uality/
Sa$uni *ealousy and trea"hery/ -r*una the individual soul/ and 1ord Krishna the Su%reme
Soul. -ntah$arana is the Kuru$shetra.