Mythological & Legendary Figures Codexery

Pandava

Five legendary brothers and central figures of the Hindu epic Mahabharata.

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The Pandavas are the five legendary brothers Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva, central to the Hindu epic Mahabharata.[1] The five Indras are born as the Pandavas, according to one account.[2]

Quick Facts

Mother
Kunti (Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna); Madri (Nakula and Sahadeva)
Spouse
Draupadi (common wife)
Kingdom
Indraprastha (part of the split Kuru Kingdom)
Epithets
  • Pāṇḍuputra
  • Pāṇḍavakumāra
  • Kaunteya
  • Mādreya
Parents
  • Pandu (father)
  • Kunti (mother of Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna)
  • Madri (mother of Nakula and Sahadeva)
Divine fathers
  • Dharmadeva (Yudhishthira)
  • Vayu (Bhima)
  • Indra (Arjuna)
  • Ashvins (Nakula and Sahadeva)
Key event
Kurukshetra War against the Kauravas

Facts from the source article.

Key facts and history

Kunti used a boon from sage Durvasa to bear sons by gods, and at Pandu's request she shared the mantra with Madri, who bore the twins Nakula and Sahadeva.[3][4] Warned by Vidura, the Pandavas escaped through a secret tunnel into the forest.[5][6] Yudhishthira lost their kingdom to Duryodhana in a dice game, leading to 12 years of exile and a 13th year in disguise.[1][7] After the Kauravas refused to return the kingdom, the Pandavas waged the Kurukshetra War and won with Krishna's help, though at great cost.[1][6]

While hunting, Pandu shot and killed the sage Kindama and his wife, who had taken the form of deer; the dying sage then cursed Pandu that he would die if he touched his wife with the intent of sex.[6][8] After Yudhishthira was appointed crown prince, Duryodhana agreed to a plan by Shakuni to murder him; Shakuni built a flammable palace called Lakshagriha in Varnavarta, and Duryodhana convinced Dhritarashtra to send Yudhishthira there.[5] The Pandavas later married Draupadi after she was won at a swayamvara, and she became the common wife of all five brothers.[6][9]

What the cited sources add

The account by Das describes how the Pandavas, after escaping the fire plot, accidentally reached the Panchala kingdom during Draupadi's swayamvara ceremony.[6] Das also notes that Kunti asked Karna to join the Pandavas as the elder brother in the war if he left the Kauravas.[6] According to the same source, Krishna visited Kunti at Hastinapura and narrated the fate of the Pandavas.[6] The aumamen.com account states that Pandu convinced Kunti to give the mantra to Madri so she could bear sons, resulting in Nakula and Sahadeva.[4]

The Hindu article states that Krishna told Duryodhana he would not eat what Duryodhana offered because Duryodhana was the enemy of the Pandavas, and that the Pandavas are Krishna's five praanas.[2]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Pandava" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "F4mr98Rl20wC" (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. "according to Mahabharata all five Pandavas were previous Indras", The Hindu. facts only, no text reused. thehindu.com
  3. Wikipedia, "Pandava" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Vyas, "Mahabharat"; "Pandava", Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi, 1975, p. 562; "The five Pandavas and the story of their birth", aumamen.com (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. "The five Pandavas and the story of their birth", aumamen.com. facts only, no text reused. aumamen.com
  5. Wikipedia, "Pandava" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Pandava", Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi, 1975, p. 562 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Das, "The Story of Kunti: Secrets, Sacrifices, and Dharma", vedicstory.com. facts only, no text reused. vedicstory.com
  7. Wikipedia, "Pandava" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Geeta Jayanti 2019 Pandavas had asked these five villages from Kauravas Know about these", Nai Dunia, 5 December 2019; Jain, "The cities of Delhi", Management Pub. Co., 1994; "Journal of Indian History", Department of Modern Indian History, 1964 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Pandava" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Das, "The Story of Kunti: Secrets, Sacrifices, and Dharma", vedicstory.com; "Who Was Madri? A Legendary Character and second wife of Pandu.", asianmythology.com, 2024-09-02; "Pandava", Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi, 1975, p. 562 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Pandava" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Section CCLXVIII – The Mahabharata – Book 3, Vana Parva – Draupadi-harana Parva", sacred-texts.com (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Pandava (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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