We’ve read the Mahabharata so you don’t have to. (Nearly) Everything you need to know about the world’s greatest epic poem is right here.
Welcome to my giant resource of Mahabharata Stories! The Mahabharata is the longest of all epic poems, and is considered one of the seminal works of Indian ancient literature. On the surface, it is the story of an internecine feud between the Pandavas and the Kauravas for the throne of …
The Stree Parva of the Mahabharata is a record of the immediate aftermath of the Mahabharata war. Dhritarashtra and Gandhari’s grief plays an important role in this section, and so do the ways in which different ladies of the Kuru court mourn their dead brothers, sons and fathers. Following on …
The Sauptika Parva of the Mahabharata begins with the installation of Ashwatthama as the commander of the Kauravas. It ends with the curse of Ashwatthama and the extinction of the Kuru dynasty. Following on from the Shalya Parva post, I have put together a dozen Mahabharata stories from the Sauptika …
Of all the questions about the Mahabharata, this one is asked surprisingly often: did Draupadi like Karna? At first glance, this is an absurd notion. Why would Draupadi like Karna? What reasons would she have for liking the one person in the world who is most responsible for making her …
Draupadi’s disrobing (vastraharan) is one of the most pivotal incidents in the Mahabharata. It is the event that launches the Mahabharata story into the woods, stripping the Pandavas of all their wealth and status. It is also the one episode that sows the first seeds of the Mahabharata war. From …
Draupadi’s swayamvara (groom-choosing ceremony) is one of the seminal incidents of the Mahabharata. The events that occur during it have a deep, long-lasting impact on the future of the Kuru kingdom. In this post, we will take a detailed look at this episode. We will also analyze the various threads …
The Shalya Parva of the Mahabharata begins on the eighteenth day of the Mahabharata war. It ends with the death of Duryodhana in a mace fight with Bhima. Following on from the Karna Parva post, I have put together a dozen Mahabharata stories from the Shalya Parva, which will add …
In the Mahabharata, the Draupadi Swayamvara (groom-choosing ceremony) is an important episode that brings together a number of concurrent threads: Of all these, here we will focus primarily on the last item: why did Draupadi reject Karna? In her swayamvara, Draupadi is offered by Drupada as prize to any man …
The Karna Parva of the Mahabharata begins on the sixteenth day of the Mahabharata war. It ends with the death of Karna on the seventeenth day. Following on from the Drona Parva Post – Part 3, I have put together a dozen Mahabharata stories from the Karna Parva, which will …
The Drona Parva of the Mahabharata begins on the eleventh day of the Mahabharata war. It ends with the death of Drona on the fifteenth day. Following on from the Drona Parva Post – Part 2, I have put together a dozen more Mahabharata stories from the Drona Parva, which …