There are plentiful stories from the Mahabharata, directly and indirectly related to the main characters. They are tales of entertainment and learning. Here, we’ll discuss several stories from the Mahabharata that teach us important lessons about dharma and what constitutes the correct and wholesome way of living. Some of these stories are well-known while others are not so well-known, but they all have beautiful lessons embedded in them.
What to Learn From the Great Epic
Stories from the Mahabharata epic are in the hundreds! Almost every event in the epic is a story in itself, though we can appreciate the lessons better when we understand the surrounding context. The dharma of the Mahabharata can be understood best by becoming aware of the larger picture and and understanding individual events from that context. It also helps to be aware that the main Mahabharata characters embody an archetype. Figuring out the archetype will help the reader understand that characters’ motivation and whether they are on the side of dharma or adharma. In this epic of the Mahabharata, you will find that the actions of the Pandavas are almost always on the side of dharma whereas the actions of the Kauravas are almost always on the side of adharma. You’ll also see that characters like Bhishma are often on the fence. Draupadi’s actions are difficult to decipher if you look at them from only from human logic, but if you were to examine her actions from the bigger picture then you would view Draupadi in Mahabharata as a very gracious and dharmic character. Another thing we’d like to make you aware about is that we’ve used several sanskrit words on this page because translating them would result in loss of meaning. Check the Mahabharata glossary to understand what they mean and look up the Mahabharata FAQ for answers to frequently asked questions.
Apart from the events directly related to the Pandavas and Kauravas, the Mahabharata has stories that appear on the fringes of the central plot. They deal with the dharma in various facets and their implications. timeline. Such stories work as standalone narratives and are also found in other Puranas. The story of Samudra Manthan isone example of a standalone story. Many of these have been rewritten and retold as fictional narratives in literature and visual media (TV shows, movies, etc.). Do you know the following stories of Mahabharata in English?
9 Stories of Tests From the Mahabharata
The Mahabharat has several stories of tests. Some of these stories depict gurus testing disciples, while some show celestial beings testing humans. Regardless of who is being tested, these stories from the Mahabharata are not only fun but also contain useful life lessons.
Rishi Ayoda-Dhaumya Tests His Disciples
Rishi Ayodha-Dhaumya had three disciples who had been learning at his hermitage for some time and were nearing the end of their education. The wise Rishi decided to test his disciples before they went their own ways into the open world. If we think about it in contemporary terms, this was a graduation exam. However, ancient India did not believe in standardized tests. The gurus knew each disciple at a personal level, so even though there would be certain common tests, the guru would also test each disciple in unique ways to see if they were ready for the world. The next three stories are about how Rishi Ayoda-Dhaumya tested his three disciples: Aruni, Upamanyu,and Veda.
Rishi Dhaumya Tests His Disciple Aruni
The Rishi asked Aruni to solve a problem with water leakage in a nearby canal. That canal channeled water to various nearby fields. However, some problem had developed and the farmers weren’t getting water in their fields. Rishi Dhaumya asked Aruni to fix the problem.
Aruni got to work and soon found out that the canal’s wall was broken at one place because of which all the water leaked out from that hole. That’s why no water reached the farmers’ fields. Aruni first tried to plug the hole with some clay but the clay wasn’t strong enough to contain the water. After a few unsuccessful attempts to solve the problem, Aruni himself sat in the hole to prevent the water from leaking. Finally the problem was solved and the farmers got their water.
Aruni stayed put in the canal’s hole to ensure the water doesn’t start leaking again. Meanwhile, in the ashram, the Rishi started to get worried because Aruni hadn’t returned. He called his students and they went in searching for Aruni calling out his name loudly. When they reached close to where Aruni was sitting in the canal’s wall, Aruni heard his teacher call out his name and immediately rushed out to his teacher and explained how he had solved the problem. However, when Aruni stepped out of the hole the water started leaking again.
Nevertheless, the Rishi was pleased with Aruni. He blessed his disciple and gave him permission to go out in the world and live his life. He also gave Aruni a new name – Uddalaka – which meant water flow.
Rishi Dhaumya Tests His Disciple Uppamanyu
After Aruni left the ashram, Rishi Dhaumya decided to test another disciple, Upamanyu. He asked Upamanyu to go and take care of the cattle grazing in the forest clearing. The disciple bowed and left to do as ordered by his guru.
Upamanyu returned in the evening with the cattle. Rishi Dhaumya looked at his disciple looking hearty and asked how he sustained himself without food. Upamanyu replied that he went to the nearby village for bhiksha and ate the food provided by them.
Rishi Dhaumya admonished him for forgetting to offer the bhiksha he received to his guru. Upamanyu apologized. The next day, he brought the food to his guru and left to take care of the grazing cattle. However, when he returned in the evening, Upamanyu appeared well-fed.
Upon inquiry by the guru, he replied that he went to ask for another round of bhiksha. Rishi Dhaumya was disappointed and reminded Upamanyu that he was depriving other students of their food by asking for food twice.
The next day, Upamanyu found another way to sustain his hunger. He drank the milk from the cows. When he revealed this to his guru, Rishi Dhaumya reminded him the cows belonged to the ashram and he had to take permission first.
The following day, Upamanyu consumed the froth brimming out of the calves’ mouths when they suckled milk from the cows. Rishi Dhaumya again reminded Upamanyu that calves needed all that milk to grow stronger.
A determined Upamanyu wanted to control his hunger but failed. He finally gave in and ate some leaves which turned him blind. This terrified Upamanyu who stumbled his way to the ashram and fell into a ditch.
A worried Rishi Dhaumya went searching for his disciple and found him in the ditch. He advised Upamanyu to pray to the Ashwin twins to grant his eyesight back. Upamanyu did as instructed. The Ashwins indeed appeared and gave Upamanyu a loaf of bread to consume. Upamanyu said he would first offer it to his guru. Pleased by his dedication, the Ashwins restore Upamanyu’s eyesight.
Rishi Dhaumya blessed Upamanyu and told him he had learnt his lesson and was ready to leave the ashram and live his life in the world.
Rishi Dhaumya Tests His Disciple Veda
Two of the three disciples completed their tests and left Rishi Dhaumya’s ashram. You might be wondering how the Rishi would test his third disciple – Veda. Rishi Dhaumya didn’t say anything about the test. He simply asked Veda to stay back at his house for some time and serve him because it would benefit Veda. The disciple agreed and stayed back and did all the tasks his guru asked him to perform. He worked like an ox for his teacher and bore heat, cold, rain, and all sorts of heavy burdens without complaining. Finally, Rishi Dhaumya was pleased with Veda and blessed him to go out in the world and live his life.
After leaving his guru’s ashram, Veda decided to enter the grihasta (householder) stage of life. He got married and set up his own ashram. However, Veda’s technique of teaching was very different from the way his own teacher taught. After experiencing extremely heavy and exhausting tasks at his own guru’s ashram, Rishi Veda, now himself a teacher, decided that he would not put his students through extreme physical labor. He taught his students in a very gentle way and gave them a lot of freedom in using their own discretion in making decisions. His teaching bore fruit when his disciple, Uttanka, took very good care of his house when Rishi veda had to go away for sometime to attend a grand yagna.
The Archery Contest
This story is set in Hastinapur and is about Guru Dronacharya and the Kuru princes. The Kaurava children and the Pandavas children learnt under the tutelage of Dronacharya. Arjuna was highly skilled at archery. Duryodhana and Bhima loved mace fighting, while the twins (Nakula and Sahadeva) were efficient in sword fighting.
One day, Drona decided to test his students in archery. He took them near a tree where a bird was perched on a branch. The test was to aim their arrows on the eye of the bird.
Yudhistira was the first student to be tested. When Yudhistira aimed at the bird’s eye, Drona asked Yudhistira if he could see the tree’s branches and leaves. Yudhistira replied yes. Drona was disappointed and asked Yudhishthira to step aside. Then he called another disciple, and, when he had taken his aim at the bird’s eye, Dronacharya asked him what he could see. The disciple gave a similar answer. Disappointed, Dronacharya asked him also to step aside. He called all his students one by one and repeated the drill, but all of them gave unsatisfactory answers.
Finally, Drona called Arjuna. Once Arjuna had taken his aim, Drona asked Arjuna if he could see the leaves. Arjuna replied no. Then, Drona asked him to describe the bird. Arjuna said he couldn’t see the bid; he could only see the target – bird’s eye. Drona told him to shoot. Arjuna did and the arrow struck the bird’s eye perfectly.
Drona was pleased. He explained to everyone that when there was a target to aim at, they should see nothing but the target. Everything else is background noise and should not distract the person from their aim. Yet again, Drona was delighted that Arjuna was his best student ever.
King Sibi is Tested by Indra and Agni
The story of king Sibi appears in the Aranyaka Parva of the Mahabharata. This story is also attributed to King Sibi’s father, Usinara. It goes like this:
One day, King Sibi was performing a grand yagna. He was popular for hosting thousands of yagnas and lavishly donating to brahmins and other guests. This particular yagna surpassed everything he had performed earlier and lasted for many days. Indra and Agni Deva were impressed but also wanted to test the king’s character.
Indra turned into a hawk, while Agni Deva became a dove. The dove flew to Sibi and hid in his lap, asking for mercy. It requested the king to save its life from being eaten by the hawk. The majestic hawk flew in and stopped to face Sibi. The hawk demanded that the king release its food. Sibi refused, saying he would provide shelter to every being who asked for help. The hawk asked if it was right to deprive it of its food and lead to its death.
Sibi offered many alternatives and meat from other animals. He said he would give anything and everything else to keep the dove safe. The hawk then demanded Sibi’s flesh. The king agreed. He placed the dove on a scale and cut a portion of his flesh to weigh against it. The scales didn’t tilt. He cut more and more of his body but none of it could match the dove’s weight.
Finally, the king entirely stepped onto the scales and asked the hawk to consume him in full. This satisfied Indra and Agni Deva who revealed their true identities. They blessed King Sibi, healed his wounds, and said that he would prosper and become popular as a rightful ruler. The king thanked them for their blessings and completed the yagna successfully.
Yudhisthira Helps Break Nahusha’s Curse
This Mahabharat story appears in Ajagara upa-parva of Aranyaka/Vana Parva. The Pandavas were on a pilgrimage during their forest exile. One day, Bhima went to explore the forest near the hermitage where they lived. He roamed the area, enjoying the view of the trees, flowers, water bodies, etc. Soon, he reached a cave and saw a gigantic serpent at the mouth of the cave. The snake grabbed Bhima with its tail, and so strong was its grip that the mighty Bhima found it impossible to free himself.
A surprised Bhima, introduced himself as Bhima, the younger brother of Dharmaraja Yudhisthira, and asked the snake who it was and what it wanted.
The snake replied it would eat him as he had been waiting for food for a long time. However, before that, the snake decided to share its story with Bhima and said he was actually an ancient ruler named Nahusha whose arrogance led to being cursed by a rishi. The snake added that he had a boon, according to which, anything it grasped on the sixth day would never be able to escape. The snake added that if any person answered its questions then the rishi’s curse would be broken.
Bhima lamented that his family would be devastated if he was killed and they may give up the desire to regain their lost kingdom.
Meanwhile, Yudhistira became uneasy because of Bhima’s absence. Upon asking around, he found out from Draupadi that Bhima had gone for a walk in the forest. Yudhishthira went searching for Bhima and soon found his brother in a mighty snake’s grip.
The snake introduced himself as Nahusha and said he would free Bhima only if Yudhsitira answered his questions correctly. Yudhistira said he would try his best.
Nahusha asked Yudhisthira who should be considered a brahmin and what should he know. Yudhishthira answered that any person who has the qualities of truth, charity, forgiveness, good conduct, benevolence, mercy, and observance of rites of his order should be known as a brahmin. And for Nahusha’s second question, Yudhis hthira said that the object worthy of knowing is the supreme Brahma in which there is neither happiness nor sadness. Nahusha asked more questions about these topics to uncover the nuances. Yudhishthira gave satisfactory answers to all of Nahusha’s queries.
After that Yudhishthira also asked several questions to Nahusha about the fruits of actions and what causes a soul to ascend to heaven and how a soul experiences touch, taste, sight, smell, and sound. Nahusha explained that by his own actions a human obtains its next birth in one of three realms: human, deva, or animal. Nahusha further explained that a person who is not slothful, gives alms to deserving people, speaks kind words, tells the truth, and does not injure others goes to heaven, while people who entertains anger, lust, avarice, and malice obtains a lower birth in the animal kingdom. Nahusha explained that animals could also obtain a higher birth and horses as well as cows were known to be reborn in human and divine realms.
Thus Nahusha and Yudhisthira exchanged several questions. Yudhishthira’s correct answers helped Nahusha become free of the rishi’s curse while Nahusha’s answers helped Yudhisthira gain a better understanding of dharma. Being freed from the curse, Nahusha also released Bhima from his grip.
The Yaksha Questions Yudhistira
The Pandavas went through many difficulties during their twelve-year exile. Towards the end of the exile, they were tested again by a yaksha who was none other than Dharma in disguise.
This story took place in the Areneya upa-parva when the Pandava brothers were pursuing a deer to retrieve a kindling fire it had stolen from a brahmin. They found the kindling but were too tired and thirsty. They had ventured deep into the forest and needed rest and water before they could proceed. Yudhistira asked Nakula to climb up the tree and see if there was a water body nearby. Nakula found a lake and said he would go and bring them some water.
When he failed to return, Yudhistira sent Sahadeva to see what happened. Sahadeva went and didn’t return either. At the lake, the brothers met a yaksha who stopped them from drinking the water as he owned the place. He said they could drink if they answered his question. However, the brothers ignored him, drank the water, and fell unconscious. The same happened to Arjuna and Bhima who reached the lake searching for Nakula and Sahadeva.
With all four brothers gone, Yudhistira himself went to the lake to find his brothers. There he saw them on the ground, looking dead. He wondered how his warrior brothers could have been killed so easily and thought the lake water was poisoned, perhaps by Duryodhana. Then, he realized the bodies didn’t show signs of poisoning.
Yudhsitira stepped into the lake when a voice spoke to him. The voice told him to stop and first answer the question or he would end up like his brothers. The questioner showed himself as a gruesome looking yaksha sitting on a tree. He said he killed the four Pandavas for not following his instructions. Yudhistira said he would obey and answer the questions as well as he could.
Thus began a long round of philosophical debate with many questions and answers like what makes the sun rise and set, what are the divine traits of brahmins, what is a sacrificial formula, etc., and some trick questions like what does not close its eyes while asleep, what travels alone, what is a man’s self, and so on.
Needless to say, Yudhistira had excellent knowledge about these and continued to answer whatever questions the yaksha flung at him. Then, the yaksha said he was pleased and asked Yudhsitira to choose one of his brothers to revive back to life. Yudhsitira chose Nakula. When asked why, he replied that by choosing Nakula he would ensure that one son of Madri (Nakula) and one son of Kunti (himself – Yudhishthira) remained alive. The yaksha was pleased and replied that he would revive everyone.
Yudhistira knew the yaksha was a powerful being and asked him to reveal his true identity. The yaksha smiled and said he was Dharma (Yudhistira’s birth father) and was delighted to see his son follow the virtuous path. The yaksha offered a boon to Yudhistira who asked him to steer the deer away from the poor brahmin’s kindling. Dharma said the entire episode of the dees running away with the kindling was part of his test. Then he offered another boon to Yudhisthira
This time, Yudhsitira said they were getting ready to spend the final year of exile in disguise and asked for a boon that would prevent anyone from recognizing them. Dharma gave them the boon and also advised that they should spend the year in King Virata’s kingqdom. He blessed the Pandavas that their exile would be successfully completed.
Parashurama’s Curse on Karna
This story from the Mahabharatam is about how Parshuram ji tested Karna to see through this deception.
Karna studied under Guru Dronacharya along with the Kaurava and Pandava princes. while it’s true that he exuded brilliance and was an exceptional archer, it’s also true that he was immensely jealous of Arjuna and was always competing with him.
When Drona was pleased with Arjuna’s dedication and learning, he gifted the Brahmastra to him. Karna found out and asked Drona to teach him the mantra for Brahmastra so that he could be Arjuna’s equal and fight him. Drona declined as Karna did not satisfy the prerequisites for learning the Brahmastra – he was not a Brahmin like Ashvatthaman, nor did he have the necessary temperament and discipline for it as Arjuna did. Moreover, he openly confessed that he needed the astra to fight Arjuna, which was against the rules.
This annoyed Karna, who with Duryodhana’s advice and support, went to find Parasurama in the Himalayas. He approached Parashurama disguised as a Brahmin. Parasurama, who mostly taught brahmins and rarely taught kshatriyas (with the exception of Bhishma and a few others) agreed to take Karna as his disciple. Karna won Parasurama’s affection by being devoted to him and achieved his goal of learning the mantra for Brahmastra.
One day, Parasurama rested his head on Karna’s lap and slept. An insect – perhaps a worm or a bug – crawled its way and bit Karna’s leg. Though it hurt him, Karna bore the pain and didn’t move. His blood dripped and touched Parasurama. The rishi got up immediately and asked Karna to reveal the truth about his identity. He could tell that Karna was not a brahmin based on his high tolerance and the blood that touched him. Karna admitted he was the son of Adiratha and Radha and lied to get the Brahmastra.
Parasurama cursed Karna that he would fail to recollect the mantra for the Brahmastra when he needed it the most. The knowledge he gained by trickery wouldn’t help him in dire situations. However, he still gifted his bow called Vijaya (a gift from Indra) and a marvelous chariot to Karna.
Dharmaraja Tests Yudhistira
After the Kurukshetra war, Yudhishthira was crowned the king of Hastinapura. Yadhishthira along with Draupadi and the four younger Pandava brothers ruled Hastinapur for a few decades and brought prosperity, peace, and joy back to the kingdom. After they had completed the work they had taken birth for, the five Pandavas and Draupadi crowned Arjuna’s grandson Parikshit as the next king and left the palace to go on a long tirtha yatra – the final tirtha yatra of their lives. When they began the ascent up the Himalayas, a dog joined them and walked alongside silently. While climbing up the Himalayan slope, Draupadi and the four younger Pandavas fell and died one by one. Yudhishthira was the only Pandava to survive and reach the top. The dog who had joined them earlier was also alive and stood beside Yudhishthira.
Indra came to meet Yudhistira and take him to heaven. The eldest Pandava was lucky to get an opportunity to enter heaven in his mortal body. Indradeva asked Yudhishthira to get on his chariot, however, he did not allow the dog to enter his chariot. Yudhistira protested and said he couldn’t leave the dog on its own when it had been with him throughout the journey. It was under his protection, and he wasn’t about to discard the animal carelessly for a place in heaven. Indra pointed out that Yudhistira barely paused when his family fell. Yudhistira explained that he let go of his family only after their death and not before. He replied that the dog was very much alive, so the same rules wouldn’t apply.
Pleased by Yudhistira’s firmness to follow his dharma, Indra congratulated him for succeeding in another test. The dog changed form and became Dharma, who was testing Yudhistira to determine his worthiness for entering heaven in his mortal body. Yudhishthira passed the test and entered heaven in his mortal body.
3 Stories of Deceit From the Mahabharata
Kadru Wins a Bet and Enslaves Vinata by Deceit
Rishi Kasyapa had thirteen wives; two of them were – Kadru and Vinata. Both were sisters but they often competed with each. One day, the rishi said that he would give them each a boon. Kadru asked for a thousand powerful serpent children. Vinata asked for two children who would be even more powerful than Kadru’s thousand. The rishi granted both their boons. He gave Kadru a thousand eggs and Vinata two eggs, asking them to take good care of the eggs. After that he left to do tapasya.
Five hundred years later, Kadru’s eggs hatched, and out came a thousand snakes. Vinata, whose eggs had not yet hatched, started becoming jealous of her sister. Unable to wait any longer, Vinata broke one egg in the hope of getting her child. A blinding light burst out with a half-formed body. The angry child cursed his mother for impatience, saying she would be enslaved for her act. However, he also gave her a respite saying if she took care of the other egg, the child would free her from the slavery and curse. The malformed child then flew into the sky and became Aruna, the charioteer of the sun.
On the other hand, Kadru was happy with her children but she wanted more. She wanted to further humiliate her sister. One day when she and Vinata were together, she pointed at the celestial horse, Uchchaihshravas, and said its tail was black. Vinata said the tail was white. They made a bet that whoever was wrong would become the slave of the other. Kadru asked her serpent children to wrap themselves around the horse’s tail to change its color, but the snakes refused. An angry Kadru cursed them that they would all die in a snake sacrifice one day.
Terrified of her anger, the snakes did as asked. When Vinata saw Uchchaihshravas with a black tail, she had to become her sister’s slave. That’s how Kadru won the bet with deceit and enjoyed lording over Vinata. She often sat on Vinata’s shoulders and asked her sister to carry her to different places. Vinata would meekly do all the menial work her sister asked her to do.
However, Vinata took good care of the other egg, and her second son, Garuda, freed her from slavery, just as her first son had said.
Takshaka Kills King Parikshit by Deceit
King Parikshit was the son of Abhimanyu and the grandson of Arjuna. He was made the heir to the throne when the Pandavas and Draupadi left for the Himalayas and finally traveled to heaven. Parikshit ruled Hastinapur for many years, and the kingdom flourished. He was fond of hunting and would often go on hunts in the forests. During one such hunting expedition, Parikshit was tired after following a deer. He saw a rishi’s ashram and went to ask if they saw an injured deer with an arrow in the side.
The old rishi, Samika, didn’t reply. He had taken a vow of silence. However, the lack of response angered Parikshit who was already thirsty, hungry, and cranky. Without thinking, he grabbed the dead body of a snake and draped it over the rishi’s shoulders. The rishi still didn’t respond or move. Though Parikshit realized his mistake, he didn’t know what to do and left the ashram. The old rishi wasn’t angry at this as he understood the king’s annoyance.
However, Samika’s son, Sringin, was livid when he found out that the king insulted his father. He cursed Parikshit to die of a snake bite within 7 days. When the old rishi Samika found out, he tried to convince his son. Then, he sent his disciple to inform Parikshit of the curse.
King Parikshit was saddened by the news. He felt bad for insulting such a great man in thoughtless anger. He thanked the disciple and sent his apologies. However, Parikshit also knew that the young rishi’s words would take effect, so he immediately ordered a tower to be built on a single column with no windows. He would deploy guards around the tower making it impossible for any intruder to enter.
Meanwhile, when Takshaka found out about the curse, he decided to use its potency and kill Parikshit as an act of revenge because Parikshit’s ancestor had once killed Takshaka’s kin. Takshaka was an astute strategist. He spent the first six days collecting information.
On the 7th day, Takshaka asked his assistants to disguise themselves as brahmins and go to the king with baskets of fruits. They were instructed to convince the king’s guards that they had come with good wishes and fruits for the king. Takshaka himself shape-shifted into a tiny worm and hid himself in an apple.
When the brahmins arrived to visit Parikshit, the advisors warned him not to meet them or accept the offerings of the fruits. Yet, Parikshit let them in as he didn’t want to insult the brahmins. Takshaka waited until Parikshit picked up a fruit. He popped out as a worm and grew into his original size. Takshaka quickly bit King Parikshit and killed him.
Takshaka Steals the Queen’s Earrings From Rishi Uttanka by Deceit
Uttanka was a disciple of Rishi Veda. After he completed his education, Rishi Veda gave him permission to leave without asking for gurudakshina. However, Uttanka insisted that he wanted to give something to his teacher because it would not be correct to leave without giving gurudakshina. Rishi Veda asked Uttanka to go to his wife and bring whatever she wanted as gurudakshina. When approached, Rishi Veda’s wife asked Uttanka to bring the earrings worn by king Paushya’s wife.
Uttanka took blessings from Rishi Veda and his wife, went to King Paushya’s palace, and requested the queen to give her earrings to him so he could give dakshina to his guru. The queen readily gave her earrings, but also cautioned Uttanka to keep them safe from naga Takshaka because he had been coveting those earrings for a long time.
On the way back to the ashram, Uttanka took a break near a water body to perform his evening prayers. Unbeknownst to Uttanka, Takshaka had been following him. As soon as Uttanka kept the earrings aside before starting his prayers, Takshaka quickly grabbed the earrings, assumed the appearance of a snake, and slid into a hole far away from Uttanka’s reach.
Eventually, after much difficulty, and with the help of Indradeva, Uttanka was able to get the earrings and give them to Rishi Veda’s wife in the nick of time, just before the starting of the function where she wanted to wear them.
This is one of the many stories from the Mahabharat where deceit is used to obtain something.
Mother-Child Stories From the Mahabharata
Garuda Frees His Mother and Himself from Slavery
We’ve read in an earlier story (Kadru Wins a Bet and Enslaves Vinata by Deceit)that Vinata and her sister, Kadru, were both wives of Rishi Kashyapa. We also read how Kadra and her thousand serpent sons used deceit to win a bet with Vinata and enslave her. In this story, we’ll see how her second son, Garuda, freed her from slavery.
Garuda was born several hundred years after Vinata was enslaved. During her trials and tribulations during enslavement, Vinata took very good care of the egg in which Garuda was incubating. When the egg finally cracked open, a majestic bird flew out of it. He was glorious and shone like the sun. Garuda was noble, powerful, strong, and honest. Because his mother, Vinata, was enslaved, he grew up watching her take orders from Kadru. Consequently, he also did as Kadru’s serpent children asked him to do. He carried the serpents on his back and flew to different islands as they commanded.
One day, he wondered why he and his mother were following the serpents’ commands. Vinata told Garuda about the bet she had lost and how she became enslaved. Garuda went to the snake and asked them what he could do to free himself and his mother from slavery. The serpents said they would free Garuda and his mother if he brought them amrit (nectar) from heaven. Garuda agreed.
Garuda first flew to the Gandhamadana Mountain where his father, Rishi Kasyapa, was engrossed in his tapasya. Taking advice from his father, Garuda finally flew to heaven. The gods and Indra himself tried to stop the majestic bird. But, in the battle that ensued, Garuda defeated the devas and successfully stole the amrit from its safe place and proceeded toward the island where the Nagas lived.
Vishnu noticed that Garuda didn’t touch the amrit or drink it himself to become immortal. Pleased, Vishnu asked Garuda if he would be his vehicle when he fought with the asuras. Garuda agreed and also asked Vishnu to find a way by which he would fly higher than Vishnu who put Garuda’s image on his banner so he would always fly higher than Vishnu.
Meanwhile, Indra had been following Garuda after he took the amrita. He hid in a place from where he hurled the vajra weapon at Garuda. However, Indra’s mighty weapon did not have any effect on Garuda. The great bird dropped a feather as a sign of respect.
In the conversation that followed between Garuda and Indra, they became very good friends and Garuda explained why he had stolen the amrit. Indra explained to Garuda that the serpents would misuse the amrit. They made a plan to obtain freedom from the serpents without letting the serpents take the amrit.
Garuda took the pot of amrit to the island and offered it to the serpents. He placed the amrit on kusa grass and told the serpents they would have to bathe. The serpents agreed and freed Garuda’s mother Vinata. Garuda immediately asked his mother to sit on his back and flew away, and when the snakes went to bathe, Indra took the pot of amrit and flew back to heaven.
Thus, Garuda was successful in freeing himself and his mother from slavery.
Stories of Subtle Dharma from the Mahabharata
In the Mahabharata, it is often mentioned that the dharma is subtle. What this means is there are times when the application of dharma may not be in line with the rules laid out inbthe dharmashastras. One has to discern the correct course of action based on the context with the help of yogastha buddhi. The following stories depictvsituations where right and wrong is not clearly demarcated and one may have to apply a keener intellectvand intuition to discern what is correct.
Drona’s Demise
Dronacharya was made the commander-in-chief of the Kaurava army after Bhishma fell on the tenth day. Drona commanded the army for five days and was killed by Dhristadyumna on the fifteenth day.
After Ghatotkacha was killed by Karna, Yudhistira wanted to immediately attack Karna but Krishna told him to control his emotions and plan his actions. On the Kaurava side, Drona had an argument with Duryodhana. He was fed up with Duryodhana’s selfishness and insults. Despite this, Drona continued to do what was expected of him on the battlefield. He was quickly killing the Pandava army. The battle raged well into in the night.
Everyone took a brief break before dawn to wash and perform their morning prayers, after which, the battle resumed. Throughout the day, Drona seemed determined to kill as many warriors as possible to weaken the Pandava side. Since Dhristadyumna was destined to kill Drona, they sent him to face the old guru. However, Dhristadyumna kept losing. At times, Satyaki or Bhima had to step in and support him to prevent Drona from gaining the upper hand. Drona and Arjuna fought for a long time, with Arjuna neutralizing all divine astras Drona fired at him.
Observing the entire scenario, Krishna decided that he needed to do something. He said they would have to take a slight detour from the rules and asked Yudhistira to lie that Ashvatthaman was killed. This would weaken Drona’s will and give Dhristadyumna a chance to kill him. Yudhistira agreed. Bhima readily agreed and even killed an elephant named Ashvatthaman. Arjuna was reluctant and didn’t like the idea. Yet, he was outnumbered in opinion and had to go ahead with the plan.
After killing Ashwatthama the elephant, Bhima loudly proclaimed that he killed Ashvatthaman. Drona was stunned only for a second. He knew that his son was capable enough to not be killed so easily. Though this news saddened Drona, he didn’t stop fighting. In fact, he resumed it with greater vigour. At one point, Drona invoked the Brahmastra against soldiers who didn’t know about it. This was against the rules. A host of gods led by Havyavaha or Agni Deva appeared to Drona and stopped him. They reminded Drona that he was a Brahmin who was taking up the role of a Kshatriya. They told him that his actions were adharmic and ordered him to lay down his weapons.
Still, Drona persisted and continued to fight for some time. He demanded that Yudhistira say if Ahvatthaman was really dead. After all, Yudhistira was the son of Dharma and never lied. Yudhistira shouted that Ashvatthaman died and mumbled that it was an elephant. Drona felt dejected. Dhristadyumna saw his chance to attack Drona who picked up his bow again and retaliated.
Then, Bhima rode closer to Drona and whispered how he killed Ashvatthaman, and Drona being a Brahmin was butchering kshatriyas whose duty was to fight. Drona felt a guilty conscience and finally dropped his weapons. He sat down to meditate. A blinding flash appeared on the battlefield when the aatma in Drona’s body rose and disappeared into the sky as a twinkling star. Only Krishna, Arjuna, Yudhistira, Kripa, and Sanjaya witnessed this moment.
Dhristadyumna rushed at Drona with a sword. Everyone asked him to stop but he paid no heed. Arjuna even got down the chariot and ran to stop Dhristadyumna but he was too late. Dhristadyumna grabbed Drona by his hair and beheaded him with his sword.
Drona died in Dhristadyumna’s hands as predicted (though his aatma already left his body by then). This led to heated debate among the Pandavas, Dhristadyumna, Satyaki, etc., which Krishna managed to calm down. This also made Ashvatthaman vow revenge which he finally got in Sauptika Parva.
Five Famous Stories From the Mahabharata
The stories in this section are independent of the central Draupadi Mahabharata plot. However, they teach us about love, loyalty, greed, betrayal, arrogance, good vs. evil, and that every action has consequences.
Shakuntala and Dushyanta
Sakuntala was the daughter of a celestial angel, Menaka, and Rishi Vishwamitra. Indra sent Menaka to hinder the rishi’s tapasya. She was successful in distracting Rishi Vishwamitra from his tapasya, but ended up with a child whom she left on the banks of a river in the Nandana forest. Rishi Kanva found the child and adopted her. He called the baby, Sakuntala.
Years later, King Dusyanta went hunting in the forest and came across Rishi Kanva’s ashram. There, he met Shakuntala and fell in love with her. The duo got married in secret as per the Gandharva marriage rituals. He left after the marriage, promising Shakuntala that he’d send for her soon.
However, after leaving he did not send anyone to bring Shakuntala to the palace. She waited for years but there wasn’t even a message from the king. One day, after discussing her pain with her father, Rishi Kanva, she decided to go to the palace with her son, Bharat.
In the palace, the king refused to recognise her. He denied any knowledge of her and asked her to leave. Feeling betrayed and insulted, Sakuntala reminded him of their time together and told him that he should follow dharma. When Dusyanta still denied the truth, the gods from the heavens spoke and a celestial voice informed him to accept his family. Dusyanta made sure the entire kingdom heard of the celestial voice, and acknowledged Sakuntala.
He then apologized to Sakuntala, saying the public wouldn’t have accepted her or the child without proof, and hence, he had to put up an act and provoke her.
Dushyanta crowned Bharata as the prince. Bharat grew up to be a fearless warrior and protector of dharma. Eventually, blessed by the gods, he becomes a Chakravartin Samrat.
Note: The Kalidasa retelling of Sakuntala (Abhijnanashakuntalam) has additional creative elements and is considered one of the greatest dramas in Indian Literature. It is also one of the most popular stories from Mahabharata in Hindi, Telugu, and other Indian languages.
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Samudra Manthan
This is the story of churning the great Ocean of Milk (Ksheera Sagaram) using Mandara Mountain as the churning rod and the serpent, Vasuki, as the rope. This is one of the stories from the Mahabharata that is also mentioned in several Puranas. With the gods on one side and the danavas on the other, they tugged Vasuki this way and that to churn the celestial ocean for amruta (heavenly nectar that gives immortality).
Around thirteen items arose from the ocean as the churning progressed. Halahalam or Kalakuta, a deadly poison, was one of them. Shiva agreed to store it in his throat. The Moon (Chandra), Parijata tree (Kalpavriksham), Airavata (White Elephant with four tusks), Uccaihshravas (white horse with wings), Kamadhenu (celestial wish-granting cow), Kausthubha and Chintamani gems, the apsaras (angels), Goddess Lakshmi, and Soma appear also appeared from the ocean.
Finally, Dhanvantri arose from the ocean with the pot of amruta. The danavas stole the pot and ran away. That’s when Vishnu took the Mohini avatar to entice the danavas and got the pot of amruta from them.
Note: Samudra Manthan is a part of Shrimad Bhagavatam. Sauti Mahamuni recites the same to other rishis when narrating Mahabharata to them. Check out the Mahabharata Glossary for more information (to be published soon).
Birth of Garuda
Garuda is the most powerful bird in Hindu Itihasa-Purana stories. He is known as the Indra among birds and is also the vehicle of Maha Vishnu. The story of his birth, which occured in Satya Yuga, is full of action, adventure, and intrigue.
Sage Kashyapa had thirteen wives. You might have heard of Diti and Aditi who give birth to devas and danavas, respectively. Among the other wives of the sage were two ladies called Vinata and Kadru. One day, the sage granted them each a wish. Kadru asked for a thousand powerful and resplendent serpents as sons and Vinata asked for two sons who would become greater than Kadru’s thousand sons.
Sage Kashyapa granted them their wishes. He gave Kadru a thousand eggs from which her serpent sons eventually crawled out. Vinata also got two eggs, however, her eggs didn’t hatch for a long time. Vinata became impatient and cracked open one egg. The baby was still developing in the egg when she cracked it open. As a result, the child was born half-formed. As soon as the under-developed child came out of the egg, he cursed Vinata and flew into the sky to eventually become Surya devata’s charioteer. This child’s name was Aruna. The curse he uttered on his mother was that she would become Kadru’s slave. However, before flying away, he said that if she took proper care of the other egg, then her second son would deliver her from slavery.
The wheel of karma turned and Kadru used deceit to enslave Vinata. Despite the suffering of having to perform tasks at Kadru’s bidding and having to carry her to various places, Vinata took very good care of the second egg. She had learnt her lesson and did not show any impatience this time. Five hundred years later, the second egg cracked open, and a brilliant bird came out of the egg. This bird was called Garuda. He was majestic and glowed like fire.
True to Aruna’s prophecy, Garuda freed his mother from Kadru’s bondage. In performing this task, circumstances became such that he even had to fight the devatas, but Garuda prevailed and Vinata was freed from slavery.
Note: The birth of Garuda gets a magnificent description in the original. The enmity between Nagas and Garudas has been exploited in several fictional retellings with many embellishments. This is one of the most powerful short stories from the Mahabharata because its words have a mantric effect.
You can read Garuda by Amar Chitra Katha to enjoy the story with colorful illustrations.
Garuda as Vishnu’s Vehicle
Garuda was Vinata and Rishi Kasyapa’s son, born from an egg. He was a mighty bird with a vast wing span, a powerful beak, and strong claws. Garuda startled the world when he broke out of the shell. He shone as radiant as Agni himself. However, his mother was a slave to her sister, Kadru, which made Garuda a slave of Kadru’s serpent sons.
Hurt by how his mother was ill-treated, Garuda asked if there was a way to gain freedom from Kadru and her serpent sons. The serpents told him to bring amrita (nectar) from heaven. If he was successful, they would free him and his mother, Vinata, from the promise. Garuda agreed to the deal. He first met his father, Sage Kashyapa, and flew to heaven after having a few adventures along the way.
The gods were terrified and awestruck by his splendor. They tried their best to fight and prevent Garuda from reaching the pot of amrita, however, the mighty Garuda vanquished the devas with ease and reached the place where the amrita was kept. Seeing that the pot of amrita was protected by multiple layers of security, he strategized his way through the layers, grabbed the pot of Amrita and flew back to give it to the serpents.
On his way back, Garuda flew past Vaikuntam, Maha Vishnu’s adobe. Vishnu was pleased to see that Garuda didn’t even touch a drop of amrita, nor was he interested in consuming it. He said he would give the bird a boon.
Garuda thanked him and asked to be immortal and free of diseases even without drinking amrita. He also wished to stay above Vishnu. When he granted the wishes, Garuda said he would also like to give Vishnu a boon.
Vishnu asked Garuda to become his vehicle. Garuda immediately agreed and Vishnu said that he would put Garuda’s image on his flagstaff. This ensured that he would always stay above Vishnu at all times. Thus, Garuda became Visnhu’s vehicle and his ardent bhakta.
The Story of King Yayati Enjoying Pleasures for a Thousand Years
While the story of King Yayati is seen as a tale of lust and its consequences, it also deals with various themes on both sides of the spectrum.
King Yayati married Devayani, daughter of Sage Shukracharya. However, once he had a physical relationship with Sharmishtha, Devyani’s beautiful maid. Angered by the infidelity, the Shukracharya cursed Yayati to become old and impotent. When he pleaded for forgiveness, the sage told him that if another man agrees to accept the curse, Yayati would regain his lost vitality.
Yayati asked his five sons if any of them would exchange their age with him. Yayati wanted to enjoy sensual pleasures for a thousand years after which he promised to re-exchange their ages and restore that son’s youth. Puru, Yayati’s youngest son, was the only one who agreed. As a result, Puru became old and Yayati became young and virile. Yayati was delighted. He enjoys everything that youth and a young body can give him. For one thousand years he sported with beautiful maidens and apsaras and spent his time in celestial gardens, gem-laden mountains, and shimmering lakes. However, in the end, he realized that physical pleasures were ephemeral and the only pleasure worth pursuing was Divine pleasure.
Lesser Known Short Stories From Mahabharata
The Seven Chiranjeevis
While the word Chiranjeevi is interpreted as immortal, it actually means that the person would live for a very very long time (centuries). According to Mahabharata, there are seven such men in this universe:
- Hanuman (also considered the elder brother of Bheema)
- Krishna-Dwaipayana Veda Vyasa (the rishi who composed Mahabharata)
- Ashwatthama (Sage Drona’s son)
- Vibhishana (Ravana’s younger brother)
- Maha Bali (the demon king)
- Parashurama (Vishnu’s sixth avatar; he is also known as the warrior sage)
- Guru Kripacharya (the sage who trained the Kuru clan before Dronacharya)
Amba’s Story of Revenge Through her Rebirth as Shikhandi
Amba was the eldest princess of the Kosala kingdom. She had two sisters: Ambika and Ambalika. When the sisters were of marriageable age, the king of Kosala held a swayamvara for his daughters so they could each select a groom for themselves. Bhishma stormed into the swayamvara function and abducted Amba and her two sisters to take them back to the Kuru kingdom’s capital, Hastinapur, as brides for his stbr-brothers, Chitrangada and Vichitravirya.
After reaching Hastinapura, Amba told Bhishma that she loved King Shalva and was going to select him as her husband in the swayamvara. Bheeshma apologized to Amba and asked his soldiers to escort her respectfully to her lover, King Shalva.
Shalva had tried to stop Bhishma from abducting the sisters but had been defeated by the latter. When Amba returned to Shalva, he felt humiliated and broke his relationship with Amba. Devastated, she went to Bhishma and asked him to marry her as he was the one who abducted her. However, Bhishma declined to marry Amba because he had taken a vow of celibacy.
Spurned by her lover (Shalva) and abductor (Bhishma), she went to Bhishma’s guru, the great warrior sage, Parashuram. She pleaded with Parashurama to help her. Parashurama tried to convince Bhishma to marry Amba, but B hishma refused because of his vow of celibacy. Parashurama even battled with Bhishma but was unable to defeat Bhishma.
When Amba realized that nothing would convince Bhishma to marry her, she went into the forest to perform penance and get revenge on Bhishma for ruining her life. Lord Shiva gave her a boon that she would be the cause of Bhishma’s death in a future birth.
Amba was, in a later birth, born as Shikhandi to King Draupada and his wife in the Panchala kingdom. Shikhandi was a female child who later became a male when they exchanged their gender with a yaksha called Sthulakesa.
During the Kurukshetra war, Krishna strategized to Shikhandi and Arjuna to fight Bishma together. to kill Bhishma. Eventually, Bhishma fell to Arjuna’s arrows, but shikhandi became The cause of Bhishma’s death because Bhishma had taken a vow to not attack a person who was a woman or had been a woman earlier. Because of this, Bhishma did not fire arrows of attack in the direction of Shikhandi and Arjuna’s direction. This way, Shikhandi succeeded in getting her revenge and the Pandavas succeeded in vanquishing Bhishma. It is an example of dharma in the Mahabharata.
The Curse of Urvashi on Arjuna
Urvashi is one of the three main apsaras in Indra’s abode. She is the epitome of feminine beauty and is immortal. The story goes that during their exile, Arjuna prayed to the gods to obtain celestial weapons for the upcoming war with the Kauravas.
Since Indra was Arjuna’s father, he invited Arjuna to heaven to grant him the boons. Arjuna stayed in heaven for a long time. He received the divine weapons, blessings, and also learnt several other skills. One day, while in heaven, Urvashi saw him and was awestruck by his beauty and strength. She tried to impress him and proposed a liaison (or physical relationship). However, Arjuna apologized and declined, saying he saw Urvashi like a mother, and therefore, could not agree to her proposal. Enraged by his words, she cursed him to be a eunuch for one year.
Later, during the Pandavas’ 13-year exile when it was time for the final Agyatavaas (the year of disguise), Arjuna utilized the curse to become Brihanalla, a transgender dance teacher, to Uttara, King Virata’s daughter.
Summing up the Stories From the Mahabharata
Every story in Mahabharata has something valuable to offer. Sometimes a story directly illustrates an aspect of dharma and clearly shows us what is aligned with dharma and what is not aligned with dharma, some stories even show us the consequences of such actions, however, there are many stories where the distinction between dharma and adharma is not clear. The stories illustrate the fact that dharma is subtle. Finally, certain stories show us how different people (or personalities) act in unique ways in a given situation.
This great epic is best savored, not just by reading the stories literally, but also by look for hidden meanings and the bigger picture.
If you enjoyed reading the stories on this page then you will also enjoy the stories from the Mahabharata in Hindi.
Check out The Mahabharata – FAQs Page for additional information (to be updated regularly).