Mahabharat - Episode All

Satyavati had two sons, but both died without heirs. Desperate, she called upon her son Vyasa (a sage born before her marriage) to father children on the widowed queens. Vyasa was a dark, wild-haired ascetic. When he approached Queen Ambika, she closed her eyes in fear, so her son was born blind. When he approached Queen Ambalika, she turned pale with terror, so her son Pandu was born pale and sickly. A servant woman, calm and clever, bore a healthy son named Vidura , the wisest of them all.

Dhritarashtra, though blind, became the de facto king because he was the eldest. He married Gandhari, a princess who blindfolded herself for life to share her husband's blindness. She bore a hundred sons—the —led by the cruel and jealous Duryodhana . Mahabharat Episode All

To make his father happy, Devavrata took a terrible, life-altering oath: he renounced the throne forever and swore never to marry or have children. Because his oath was so fierce, he came to be known as ("the terrible"). His sacrifice ensured Shantanu and Satyavati’s marriage. Satyavati had two sons, but both died without heirs

Pandu, due to a curse, could not father children. But his first wife, , possessed a secret mantra from her youth. Summoning gods, she bore three sons: Yudhishthira (god of dharma), Bhima (god of wind), and Arjuna (god of Indra). Pandu’s second wife, Madri, bore twin sons, Nakula and Sahadeva (the Ashwini gods). These five were the Pandavas . When he approached Queen Ambika, she closed her

Prologue: The Curse and the Birth of Rivals