#pandavas

[zeherili-ankhein]

I think Arjun was the only middle child ever to be more popular than his brothers.... Because other than that all middle childs are forgotten

[sambhavami]

Hi,

I have been following your posts recently and loved the insights you offer.

Would really like to know your comments on these follow incidents

What was the relationship scenario btw Kuru and Panchala rivalry during the time of Drupad, there was Shikhandi aspiring to kill Bhishma, also parallely Drupad and Pandu were friends?

There is an interpretation of Ekalavya thumb incident, such that Dron did what he did because bitter relationship btw Kuru and magadh and nishada were there vasal, Mostly princes who belonged to kingdom that were in good ties with kuru studied in drona institute, but later we find Dury and co fighting with magadh and against Yadava, why do you think Pandavas didn't oppose that, as krishna sent akrur to support yudhishthir claim for throne, couldn't Pandavas not avoid kuru from aligning with Jarasandha as Yudhi was crown prince before varanvat

What's your opinion on krishna and Arjuna friendship, how did it start? What made Krishna like him ?

What do you think about Arjun accusation of being greedy when he made the half lie, although Krishna's intention behind the strategy was elimination of Drona was because of who ruthless the latter was turning into. What do you think about the psychology of Krishna, Yudhishthir, Arjun, Satyaki and Dhristadyumna towards this incident?

Did balaram being cousin to both Pandavas and Kauravas (Rohini) and Krishna being to only Pandavas affected their aligning

Thank you so much for the nice words and the lovely questions! <3

Kuru-Panchala were not fighting at that precise moment, when Drupada was king, primarily because everyone knew going up against Bheeshma was a bad idea. However, the enmity was still there, where Drupada kept Shikhandi [even after a 'divine' announcement that he'd kill Bheeshma] for the same reason that Bheeshma employed Drona [among other reasons]. A what-you-gonna-do-about-it, a kind of a non-violent escalation (especially after the Amba debacle where both parties considered themselves unfairly insulted). Also, I wouldn't call Drupada and Pandu friends, maybe they were civil in international settings, but they never would have set foot in each other's kingdom lest they set off a war. Also Pandu's death probably worsened their inter-kingdom situation, since neither Bheeshma nor Hotravahana (through Drupada) were ready to move on.

Actually, Kuru-Magadh relationships were downright cordial. Given Bheeshma and Jarasandha were, distant but still, cousins, they had an agreement: Magadh (Bihar-Chhattisgarh) will keep up the pressure on Panchala (Uttar Pradesh) alongside the Kurus (bits and pieces from Haryana to Bihar), and in return, Bheeshma will not get involved in any other expansionary efforts on King J's part (they even had agreed upon vassal turfs: this you can invade, this you can’t sort of). Personally, I think this is the reason why Bheeshma didn't intervene in Mathura etc. The Nishadas were not a single kingdom, but rather pockets of independent land that was not successfully colonized by the aryans. These communities then fought/allied with different kingdoms, as per their convenience. At this point, yes, Hiranyavarma and Ekalavya's tribe was allied with Jarasandha. In Drona's school, people from many places came, from Mathura, Anga, Magadh, and even Panchala. Neither Drona not Bheeshma had any issue with that. Hence, we can see that Ekalavya's case is purely one of caste-based discrimination since the hierarchy was that of {Devas > Brahmana > Kshatriya > Vaishya > Shoodra > Women of these castes > Nishadas (independent non-aryans) > Chandalas (hunters/butchers/cremation workers) Rakshasas (other tribes: mix of aryan/non-aryan) > Mlechhas (non-deva foreigners)}. We should remember that Drona was often accused of being a kshatropeta dvija (a brahmin pretending to be a kshatriya) due to his affinity for war and weaponry. Hence, he took special care to double down farther on other areas of caste-rigidity (maybe even to prove to himself that he is a true brahmin and therefore worthy of that respect). Drona refused Ekalavya because of this. What Drona did to his thumb was a different case. Many people blame Arjuna too, but I would differ on the grounds that Arjuna was still a child, and Drona, as the adult, had a greater responsibility which he grossly neglected. All Arjuna wanted was to learn the tricks (maybe from Ekalavya, with Drona’s approval), but his point came out wrong, and more accusatory than he had hoped. Also, seeing Ekalavya’s superior skill and fearing Bheeshma’s disappointment in him, Drona handicaps him. Even then, even four-fingered, Ekalavya became literally the stuff of Krishna’s nightmares (by his own admission too)! Since Jarasandha didn’t respect Krishna as an equal (since he was raised a cowherd), he earmarked Ekalavya-the-nishada, to finish off Krishna-the-aahira-gopa. On King J’s instruction, Ekalavya chased Krishna around the entire subcontinent, until finally Balarama was able to kill/chase him off to the Maldives. Even on the even of Kurukshetra, we see Krishna heave a sigh of relief because Ekalavya’s not there on the other side to exact his revenge on Arjuna. (b) When Duryodhana fights alongside Jarasandha, along with (in his generation) Karna, Shishupala, Dantavakra, Shalva, Jayadratha and Rukmi, he takes only a smaller portion of the army that is specifically allotted to him and his brothers. We see a similar arrangement in Dwarika, where none of Satyaki, Krishna or Kritavarma have to seek permission from their parliament before embarking on the war of Kurukshetra in any capacity, specifically because they only took ‘their’ portions of the army. It’s this same reason that the Pandavas have no say in what battles the Dhaartarashtras fight (so long as they’re not involving the entire army). Basically, the Pandavas (except Yudhishthira) all had their own ‘start-up’ conquests, while the Kauravas were basically all doing battle internships under the guidance of Jarasandha, Paundraka, Naraka, Shalva, Srigala etc. Also, Krishna didn’t send Akroora to support the Pandavas just then. Akroora was instructed only to reestablish a thread of communication with Kunti and her sons (on a personal capacity), and gather as much information about their situation as possible. Krishna didn’t lend his explicit support until Draupadi’s swayamvara, and Yadavas as a whole remained neutral throughout.

On Krishna and Arjuna’s friendship I’ve written in length before, so I am not going into it in much detail here. You can find most of those posts here: (x). The start of Krishna’s interest in Arjuna (and his brothers) starts one night when a semi-drunk Vasudeva calls Krishna and Balarama to his room and sobs into their arms about how much of a failure of a brother he was- given he could do nothing for Kunti when she was sent away by their father (she was 11, he was 7, no one but Vasudeva blames Vasudeva), or that he couldn’t provide shelter for her kids when her husband died and they were mistreated by Dhritarashtra (he was literally being held captive, again, no one blames him but him). Krishna is deeply moved by this confession of his father, and promises that he will be there for the Pandavas hereafter, no matter what (that he will “subjugate the world and put it at his auntie Pritha’s feet”). Very soon after this only, he sends off Akroora on priority and deploys an elaborate network of spies to start tracking them (this, and his subsequent close ties with Vidura and Vyasa, is how he already knows that they didn’t die in Varanavat and that Vyasa is herding them off to Panchala to get married). What attracted Krishna to Arjuna specifically, is a mixture of things: (a) Arjuna looks exactly like him, (b) he is also an introvert (believe it or not, Krishna is too, at least with people he doesn’t really know very well, and actually Arjuna is so quiet that he makes Krishna look like an extrovert), (c) they both (and the other brothers too) grew up with a relatively simple lifestyle, as opposed to either of their cousins, (d) they were both passionate archers, (e) Arjuna’s only sixish-months younger than him (and yet Krishna makes him touch his feet at every opportunity he gets), and they can relate to each other very well, and lastly (f) Arjuna is near-equally intelligent, and he really gets Krishna, and can follow his logic two/three/four jumps later as well, no matter what topic they might be talking about (his suitability for listening to and understanding Geeta in about 1.5/2-ish hours, basically as soon as Krishna says the words out loud).

Drona’s elimination was a matter of strategy, yes. Arjuna’s case is that for him, in the absence of his father (and the discouragement from Bheeshma), his entire father-worthy love had become concentrated on his flawed guru. He latches on to Drona in the same way as Yudhishthira does to Dhritarashtra. He had already forgiven all indiscretions, partiality, intentional sabotage- every such act that Drona had committed against him, and Arjuna still loved him like a father. It is therefore no surprise that he had also forgiven Drona for supporting the Kauravas and fighting tooth-and-nail on their behalf. The true reason why Arjuna couldn’t defeat Drona conclusively was not because Drona was better than him, but rather because from that very first moment, when Drona had pulled out their ball and his ring from a well with a trick of archery, before a 10/11 years old Arjuna, he pretty much worshipped the ground that Drona walked on- believing him to be, in the fatherly sense too, an infallible and  immovable rock. Hence, when Krishna suggests his trick, Arjuna, knowing Drona and Yudhishthira both, knew this would work. Krishna, in fact has to threaten to drive back (since it was nearabout a split-second decision on the battlefield) and leave him tied up in the tents if he didn’t get with the plan (Arjuna threatened that when Yudhishthira lied, he would just scream over his brother and broadcast the plan). Krishna has to simultaneously convince both Yudhishthira and Arjuna of the suitability (as you mentioned, the rapidly rising casualty figure) of this lie. Bheema, Dhrishtadyumna and Satyaki are in favour, but they all still sort of afraid of Arjuna, because they know when it comes to Drona, Arjuna is not playing around. Finally, they lie and Drona basically k*lls himself, Dhrishtadyumna then severs his head (basically he desecrated his corpse, more out of a mechanical fulfilment of his proclaimed destiny than out of revenge for his father), and it is now that Arjuna actually loses it, and he lunges for Dhrishtadyumna. Arjuna would have legit murdered the guy with his bare hands right then if Bheema and Krishna hadn’t gotten in the middle (imagine, it took two of them to restrain Arjuna at that moment)! Later, at night, Ashwatthama says, frustrated with the Kauravas’ and Karna’s comabative and excusatory attitude, “No one but Arjuna is truly experiencing what I am, tonight.” And really, Arjuna, when he returns to the tent, he refuses to speak to even Krishna, or anyone else. I think he never even looks at Dhrishtadyumna again, as in his mind, somehow, Pandu and Drona having gotten mushed together, it's almost as if Dhrishtadyumna has murdered Pandu himself anew. Ashwatthama wants to go and grieve with Arjuna (maybe it would have averted all the mess later), but his attitude is more along the lines of, “How can I show him my face after the side that I’ve taken.” And this unfortunately gives Kauravas plenty of time to shift the narrative in his head wherein by the next couple of days, he fully believes that the Pandavas and Panchalas are the only ones to be blamed for his father’s death and not his lifelong Kaurava-association and their collective silence in the dyuta-sabha. For Yudhishthira, we know that story (most probably metaphorical), of how his chariot touches the ground post this lie. However, it was, in my opinion, not because of the lie, because even according to Yudhishthira’s own definition of dharma, it was the right thing to do, in order to save his sharanagata (under his refuge) soldiers’ lives. I believe, the chariot thing is in fact a manifestation of his own guilt, bubbling out of the love and respect that Yudhishthira has for his guru too (though nowhere near Arjuna’s level).

Yes, the two-way relationship (twice over, that too), is what kept Balarama neutral. Since Rohini is from the original 'biological' Kaurava lineage, Balarama doesn't think it approprieate for them to get involved in any havoc that the adopted ones wreak in Hastinapura.

[yumjum414]

Just a little longer

“Arjuna.”

The name was spoken gently, but Krishna’s voice cracked like a leaf in the wind. He knelt beside his brother, his other half- his steady hand reaching for Arjuna’s shoulder, the other resting over the blood-soaked cloth covering the boy’s face: Covering much of the brutality left by the unjust of the battle today.

But Arjuna didn’t move.

Not even a flicker of acknowledgement.

He sat there in the dust, knees drawn, back bowed, cradling his son in his arms as if he were still small- still a child with ink-dark eyes and tiny fingers that used to tug at his bowstring in play. His armor, dented and smeared with soot and gore, pressed cold against the boy’s lifeless cheek.

This was his Abhimanyu. His child. His heart’s first dream, his soul’s fiercest prayer, his son that lay unmoving in his lap.

And now they wanted to take him away. To prepare the pyre. To burn what remained.

They might as well set him on fire.

Because Arjuna knew, he knew, that whatever he was before this moment- it had died with his son.

Oh.

How could he explain it to Krishna- to his god, his breath, his dearest soul- that it wasn’t just a body in his arms, but every hope he'd held across battlefields, across exile, across aching, endless years of longing for peace?

That this boy was the proof that something good had come from his hands- not just war and ruin and killing. That this boy had been his reason to believe in a future.

And now… Now, there was no future left.

“No,” Arjuna rasped, the word so raw it sounded more like a wound than speech. “Just a little longer.” His voice shook, nearly breaking under the strain. “Please.”

For thirteen long years, he had dreamt of holding his sons. Of running his hands through their hair. Of showing them the stars he used to name with Krishna. Of teaching them to shoot and pray and love.

He had nothing left- nothing but this. This boy. This lifeless body, so small again in his arms.

He deserved this.

Even if he deserved nothing else from fate—no crown, no kingdom, no forgiveness—he deserved to hold his son for just a while longer.

Nakula stood some feet behind, unmoving. His jaw clenched, his knuckles white, and his eyes swollen. He was murmuring to the grieving Upapandavas, trying to comfort children when he, himself, was breaking. He didn’t know how to mourn this.

He didn’t know who to mourn first- his moon-faced nephew, who once giggled in his arms as he spun him through the gardens… or his sister-in-law, now a husk of herself, drained and crumbling beneath the weight of her cries, or his brother, his brilliant, unshakable brother: now hunched and hollow, clutching loss like it was the only thing keeping him from vanishing too.

Sahadeva knelt in silence, palms joined in prayer, tears slipping down his face without resistance. Of all the brothers, Sahadeva had always sensed what others didn’t speak aloud- and what he saw now in Arjuna terrified him. Because he wasn’t just watching a father grieve, he was watching his brother unravel.

No one could move him.

Not even Bhima, whose arms had once uprooted trees and torn chariots in half, could loosen Arjuna’s grip.

The mighty warrior, the Vrikodara, had tried. He had knelt beside his brother, voice thick with grief, hands gentle despite their strength.

“Arjuna, Brother, please, let him go.”

Yet Arjuna clung tighter. His arms- bloody, bruised- wrapped around Abhimanyu’s still form like a man shielding fire from the rain.

Bhima tried again, but he could not move. Because it wasn’t just muscle holding Abhimanyu’s broken body: It was grief. Grief so dense, so ancient, so fierce that even Bhima’s strength turned useless against it.

Arjuna looked up at him then- his eyes rimmed red, lashes stiff with unshed and shed tears, dust clinging to the curve of his cheek. And in them, Bhima saw something that hollowed him out completely.

A boy. Not a warrior. Not a prince. He just saw his younger brother crushed under the weight of a loss the world had no name for.

“Just for a moment, Dada,” Arjuna whispered, his voice cracked. “If I let go now…” Arjuna’s voice faltered, and the tremor in his fingers spoke what he couldn’t say. Bhima read the unsaid words in his brother’s eyes.  I’ll forget. I’ll forget how he felt.

It wasn’t just about holding Abhimanyu’s lifeless body. It was the desperate, aching need to remember: to etch the feel of his son’s broken body into his very bones.

And in that moment, Bhima realized: Arjuna wasn’t just fighting to hold onto his son. He was fighting to hold onto himself.

Bhima swallowed hard.

He had no reply. Only a tear that rolled, hot and unwanted, down his cheek and into the dust. He stood up and stepped back, shoulders shaking, fists clenched uselessly at his side.

Then, it was Yudhishthira who approached, his heart breaking into countless pieces at the sight of his younger brother, his warrior, his Phalguna, reduced to a shadow of himself.

With the gentleness of a father, Yudhishthira placed a hand on Arjuna’s shoulder, feeling the tremors that wracked his brother’s frame. His voice, usually calm and commanding, was a mere whisper now, heavy with sorrow.

“Phalgun,” Yudhishthira whispered, the name coming from him as a caress, as a gentle call to the boy Arjuna once was- so full of life, so full of promise. “My Anuj...” He paused, his chest tightening, fighting the tears that threatened to escape. “Please, let him go. We need to prepare him for the rites. You must let go, brother.”

Arjuna’s eyes remained distant, fixed on his son, his hands clutching Abhimanyu’s body as if he were afraid it would vanish, as though the very air would steal him away. His lips quivered, but no sound came.

Yudhishthira’s words were a soft echo in the storm of Arjuna’s grief. He knelt in front of him, his eyes filled with pain. "He is at peace now, Phalgun. But his soul cannot move on without this- without us giving him this final gift." The king’s voice faltered, and the man who had so often held his brothers together was now nothing more than a fragile thing, broken at the sight of his younger brother's agony.

Yudhishthira’s hand remained gently on Arjuna’s, the touch conveying all the unspoken love between them. But it was not enough. Arjuna didn’t move. His grip on Abhimanyu tightened.

Finally, it was Krishna who knelt beside him- quietly, like dusk folding itself over the ruins of a battlefield.

And in moments like this, one remembers why he is called divine- not solely for his miracles, not only for his might- but because he speaks truth even when it tears through the soul like a blade.

He placed a hand on Arjuna’s back, feeling the tremble that coursed through him, the quaking breath, the silent storm of a grief so heavy that not even gods could shoulder it.

“Arjuna,” Krishna whispered, his voice gentle- aching, threaded with centuries of love and lifetimes of brotherhood. “Our Abhimanyu… he fought like fire. He bore your name with pride. He made you proud. He made us all proud.”

Arjuna didn’t respond. His arms only curled tighter around his son’s lifeless body as if to protect him from the cold that had already taken him.

Krishna’s voice softened, but each word pressed like a blade to the soul. “Now you must do what he did. Fulfill your duty. He upheld your name, Parth. Now you must uphold his.”

He paused, then added, almost pleading, “Do not let grief cloud his honor. Let his farewell be worthy. Let your love walk with him across the fire, not cling to the ashes left behind.” Still, Arjuna didn’t look up. His cheek was pressed to Abhimanyu’s blood-matted curls. The tremble in his hands had stilled into something far worse: numbness.

“You taught him how to live, how to aim straight, how to stand tall even when the odds crushed around him.” Krishna’s voice broke slightly, despite himself. “Now teach him how to cross over. That too- is a father’s role.”

Slowly, painfully, Arjuna turned his face toward Krishna. His eyes- once bright with clarity and resolve- were red, hollow, and unfocused. The storm had passed, but it had taken everything with it.

His voice, when it came, was no more than a cracked breath, so fragile it barely reached Krishna’s ears. “My gods, Hai Prabhu,” Arjuna rasped, “I will-I will do my duty. But hai Krishna- just a moment more. Please… Please, let me stay with him… just a moment more, Madhav.”

The plea struck Krishna like no weapon ever had. The great Vishnu, the keeper of dharma, the anchor of the universe: could do nothing but close his eyes, crushed under the weight of a sorrow he could not lift.

“I know,” Krishna whispered. “I know, Parth.”

His hands, steady as they rested on Arjuna’s shoulders, now trembled as well. The bloodied cloth between them was growing colder by the minute.

“But you must let him go,” Krishna said again, voice raw. “You must walk him to the pyre. Not because you are ready but because he deserves that walk with his father.”

“I will be with you, Arjuna. Always. Your brothers are here. Your family is here. You are not alone. We still need you.” He paused, his fingers tightening slightly on Arjuna’s shoulder.

“You must let go, Parth. For the sake of his soul… and for your own.”

Arjuna’s eyes lifted to Krishna’s, and for a heartbeat, the world seemed to still. Just them. Just grief. Just love. And the impossible moment between a father’s heart and his duty.

Then, like a bursting dam,

From deep within Arjuna’s chest, there came a cry- raw, wounded, primal. A sound not meant for the world of men, a sound that shattered through the silence and scraped at the sky. His fingers, once iron-bound in grief, began to tremble. His arms, bruised and bloodstained, slowly- painfully- unwound from the broken body of his son. And into Yudhishthira’s waiting arms, the boy was passed.

The eldest Pandava held Abhimanyu as though the weight might crush him- not his body, but his soul. His knees nearly buckled, but he did not flinch. The calmest brother, the pillar of their house, stood trembling.

Yudhishthira looked down at the boy: his nephew, his brave-hearted kin, and then up at his broken brother.

His voice cracked as he whispered, “He will never be forgotten, Phalgun. Not while I breathe. Not while any of us remain. Your son will live on- in every tale sung of courage, in every heart that knows his name.”

At Arjuna’s cry- a sound so devastating it reignited the weeping of Subhadra’s wails in Draupadi’s arms- Sahadeva and Krishna moved like lightning, instinct propelling them forward. Sahadeva caught his brother’s shoulder, steadying him with arms that had never seemed more desperate, while Krishna pulled him close.

No one there, no soul present, would ever forget how Arjuna wept that day. And Arjuna himself would never remember whose arms caught him, whose embrace cradled his collapse. Because in that moment, the world became nothing but grief.

He could barely see Abhimanyu anymore- blurred behind never-ending cascading tears. Just a flicker of a face he once kissed goodnight: a boy who had once run to him, laughing in a sun-drenched courtyard.

Arjuna’s body buckled, and he fell into Krishna’s chest, breath hitching, the sobs powerful and shaking.

And Krishna- His Madhav held him like a friend, like a brother, like the god who had carried oceans and now bore the storm that was Arjuna’s grief.

The fire had not yet been lit. The pyre stood ready.

But for Arjuna, the true burning had already begun: deep inside his chest, where no flames could be seen, and none could ever be extinguished.

His heart was already ashes, and in that quiet, trembling moment, Arjuna let go: of his son, of a piece of his soul.

[meghavahana]

In trouble with Karna and 99 others.

[lovelyllamasblog]

"In his dream"

OG Artist: @/siraco (Danbooru) (Twitter)

[ssj2hindudude]

[krsnaradhika]

can I ask about what the drama around "palace of illusions" is about and why it's bad?

Hey! Sure thing. Lemme list my problems with the book :-

1) The author presents Karna as some tragic hero compelled to be in the company of Duryodhana who clearly committed multiple murder attempts, went on to sexually harrass his sister-in-law and troubled another woman during the Ghosha yatra. Karna was NOT an outcaste. He was a Suta— meaning one with a Brahmin mother and a Kshatriya father. Adhiratha, Karna's adoptive father, was a wealthy man as he was Bhishma's charioteer. Keep in mind that charioteers used to play important roles in warriors' lives - as advisers, close friends and well-wishers. Krishna was the charioteer of Arjuna. Karna had all the opportunities the Pandavas didnt. He had parents who loved him, while the Pandavas were left halfly orphaned with the death of Pandu and Madri. Veda Vyasa describes Karna as "the trunk of the tree of adharma".

2) The Karna Draupadi ship is bullshit because Karna called the latter a whore during the disrobing sequence as well as presented the idea of "there should be no clothes on servants." Yes, Karna was the one who suggested her public sexual assault. She had blood stains on her garment and was dragged into the court of nefarious men by her hair. People who blame her for the assault inflicted on her are sick and need serious psychological help. You cannot defend attempted rape as one with working braincells.

3) So, shipping a victim with her abuser is not fun y'all. This is not some mentally unstable wattpad dark romance. It's itihāsa. The true history of Bhāratavarsha. Let's draw the line. She was an ekavastraa (meaning a woman in a single cloth, as she was menstruating) during the attempt at disrobing, and the man who called for it shouldn't be hailed. Karna also lied to Parashurama of his caste due to which he got cursed, had an unhealthy obsession with Arjuna and because he wanted to kill him for competition, Drona did not provide him with the knowledge of celestial weapons.

4) It is an ignominy against Lady Draupadi to ship her with anyone apart from her husbands because clearly, the Mahabharata says that she's Indra's wife Shachi while the Pandavas are the cursed five Indras of different kalpas. It is . . . not nice to ship one's wife with another man. It is creepy. Draupadi is one of the panchakanya, one of the five pious women whose names if chanted with sincerity wash off one's sins. She expresses her pride over her husbands multiple times in the text because all of them cherish her to no end. Yudhishthira does not hesitate on the fact that Draupadi is the five brothers' fortune, calls her ‘Kalyani’. Bhima kills Keechaka for her, threatening the revealing of their identities. Arjuna becomes Brihannala and spends most of the time near her during the incognito. In the book, however, the Pandavas do not give a damn about her. Yikes.

5) The book says that Draupadi faced prejudice because of her dark skin. I call bullshit again because Madreya Nakula, Partha Arjuna, Krishnatmika Devi Rukmini according to the Harivamsha, Devi Shri Jambavati (who is said to have a blue lotus like complexion), and lastly Shri Rama and Shri Krishna themselves are dark according to our scriptures. And, none of them faced discrimination because of it. Kanha is in fact called "Bhuvansundar" - the most beautiful one on the earth while Draupadi herself is hailed as one of the most beautiful women canonically.

6) Draupadi was never attracted to Karna. Neither did she pine for him, as the author portrays. Sheesh. Please please, we do whatever with human characters. But with divine ones, you have to be careful with the message you get across. This book is saying that ancient india was casteist and colorist, literally the times when the son of a fisherwoman, Veda Vyasa became a Brahmin and the said fisherwoman went on to become a queen mother of one of the most influential dynasties back then. Krishna was raised a cowherd, though a prince. He went on to become the most erudite diplomat and established Dvaraka, which was en engineering marvel as it was constructed on reclaimed land.

7) According to the author . . . Draupadi felt something more than just friendship for Krishna too. Heavens, I can't do this. Let's normalise a man and a woman being just friends now, shall we? Krishna is Mahavishnu, he's not supposed to invoke romantic feelings in Draupadi who is Shachi, Indra's wife. Indra and Upendra (Vishnu) are brothers, since Vāmanadeva was born of Mata Aditi's womb, who is Indra's mother and of all the Adityas' too.

[aru-loves-krishnaxarjuna]

Mahabharata in Social Media

Part 1 –> Masterlist

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Family Group Chat!?

Is/can be very very VERY ooc

Dhritarashtra created a GC

Dhritarashtra added Duryodhana, Dushasana, Dushalana, Yuyutsu, +97 Kauravas

Dhritarashtra added Gandhari and Dushyala

Dhritarashtra added Bhishma, Vidura, Kripa and Drona

Dhritarashtra added Shakuni

Dhritarashtra added Kunti

Dhritarashtra added Yudhisthira

Dhritarashtra added Bhima

Dhritarashtra added Arjuna

Dhritarashtra added Nakula and Sahadeva

Family✨️❤️🤗

Duryodhana: This what?

Sahadeva: What's this?*

Duryodhana: Don't correct me, I know basic grammar 😡

Bhima: As if

Dhritarashtra: This is a group chat

Duryodhana: And why, Pitashree?

Dhritarashtra: So we could all talk and share our problems ☺️🥰

Nakula: Lmao

Arjuna: Nawwwhh—

Sahadeva: Lol

Bhishma: Great idea, Putra Dhritarashtra 😄

Yudhisthira: Yeah :)

Dushasana: As if we ever 'talk' 😔

Duryodhana: I would rather kill 😇

Bhima: I would rather smash your bones 🙂

Bhishma: Putra Bhima and Putra Duryodhana, ham sab ek parivar hai. Hum Kuruvanshi hai

Dushyala: Honestly... sad of you to think that, Pitamah 😐😔

Yudhisthira: Please don't say that, sister Dushyala, we are a family together. We should respect each other and talk properly with each other, that way we can lead Hastinapur together 😃

Dushalana: Kinda delusional 😐

Arjuna: Hush Bhrata Dushalan, Delulu is the solulu 🫠

Duryodhana: Wha–

Nakula: You won't understand, Bhrata Duryodhana 😂🤣

Arjuna is offline

Shakuni: Mere bacche, Yudhisthira ko sochne doh, woh hamesha apne dharmic bhram mei rehta hai

Bhishma: You're right, Putra Yudhisthira!

Duryodhana: Mera rajyatilak kab, Pitaji?

Nakula: Thankfully, not in this Yuga

Dushasana: Shut up, Nakula 🙄😒

Bhima: Jab tumhara rajyatilak hoga tab praja tumpar ande aur patthar phekke maregi 😇

Duryodhana: I will kill you, Bhima!! 😡

Dushasana: Your death soon, Bhrata Bhima 😚

Shakuni: Mere baccho, kabhi maun rehna bhi avashyak hota hai

Duryodhana: Mamashree, what? You were the one who planned it?? That you would mix poison in Bhima's food the next time?

Shakuni: MERE BACCHE DELETE THAT MESSAGE

Duryodhana: I definitely have a bigger brain that that

Bhima: WTF—!?

Nakula: 😎🍿... wow!

Vidura: HUH!?!

Kunti: 😨😰😱

Gandhari: Bhai, I didn't expect this 😶

Shakuni: This is just a misunderstanding, Didi 😅

Arjuna is back online

Arjuna has seen

Arjuna: Sup, what'd I miss?

Bhima: My murder plan is being discussed in front of everyone 😃😄😃

Arjuna: ...oh, everyday drama you mean?

Nakula: 💀💀💀💀

Sahadeva: 👻👻

Arjuna: Just this time caught in 4k 🤷‍♂️

Bhishma: 😰😰

Duryodhana: Koi na, there is always a next time, we can make another one 🥰

Dushasana: Yeah, exactly 🤗

Shakuni: I raised your brains better than this 🤦‍♂️

Bhishma: Mera Kuruvansh 😭😭😭

Dhritarashtra: ...I am blind 👨‍🦯‍➡️

Bhima: Of course you are 😑

Nakula: He is always blind to his 'priya putra's actions 🙄😒

Sahadeva: Damn straight 🫥

Yudhisthira: Why does everyone want to kill each other? 😶

Duryodhana: Don't worry, you're next 🤗

Bhishma: Duryodhana, apne vichar apne paas rakho, Putra

Dushasana: Arey, boodha bhairav, unke vichar unki marzi

Bhishma: Boodha Bhairav!?!?

Shakuni: Baccho, maun raho, woh Pitamah hai tumhare

Dushasana: What, Mamashree, you're the one who calls him boodha bhairav ●_●

Bhishma: Gandhara Raja, what!?!?–

Shakuni removed Dushasana from this group chat

Nakula added Dushasana to the group chat

Nakula: You can't remove the fun element from this group 😛

Yudhisthira: Nakula 😑

Nakula: Whaaat??

Duryodhana added Karna to the group chat

Duryodhana: Everyone, meet my priya mitra, Karna, again 🥰

Bhishma kicked Karna out of this group chat, damn

Duryodhana: WTF, excuse me!?

Bhishma: He isn't family

Arjuna: Lmfao

Arjuna: Even the notification that said Karna was kicked out said 'damn' ☠️

Bhima: Well deserved!

Duryodhana: As if this IS family 🤡

Nakula: Why did you attach a pic of yours at the end, Bhrata Duryodhana!? 😂😂

Duryodhana: Whatever 🙄

Arjuna: ...yeah, keep rolling those eyes. Maybe you will find a brain back there

Bhima: OOOHH—

Nakula: DAAAAMMNNN 💀💀💀

Sahadeva: Roasted, cooked, fried, burnt, served, ate 💀💥✨️

Duryodhana is offline

Yudhisthira: Arjuna!!

Arjuna: What, Jyesht...? 🥺🥺🥺 *all innocent*

Bhima: OOO HOHHOHOHO 🤣🤣🤣

Dushyala: ...honestly, deserved–

Dushasana: SISTER!?!?

Dushyala: Nawh I am in my Queenie Era 💅✨️👑👸🗿

Nakula: SLAAAAYYYY—

Sahadeva: I like this side of Dushyala

Yuyutsu: Both Bhrata Arjuna and Didi Dushyala are slaying today... from ALL ways 😭😂😂

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Twitter

@Duryodhana_the_best

@Duryodhana_the_best: Definitely a family @TheBestArcher_Karna 🥰

@TheBestArcher_Karna: Yes Mitra 🥰

@ThemostHandsome_Nakula: More like husband 🤫

@Mightiest_Bhima: How I wish you were born in his family and not yours 😔

@Devavrata_Bhishma.Kuru: I respect your sentiments, Putra Duryodhana, but NO.

@ChausarMaster_Shakuni: Rajmata Kunti has been silent for a while, hasn't she?

@Duryodhana_the_best: Mamashree what?

@ChausarMaster_Shakuni: Kuchh nahi, mere bacche

Trending:

#usualthingsinKuruvansh

#Duryodhanawtf

#lolDuryodhanaandKarna

#everythingiswrongwiththisgeneration

Got most of the reference and idea from @jiyaarererererere from Wattpad

[seohyun0306]

I’m by no means an expert on the Mahabharata or Hinduism in general (I’d say my knowledge on Hinduism especially is rather limited) but am I wrong in thinking that the game was rigged against Duryodhana from the start?

There’s no denying that he’s far from a saint and some of the things he did were awful but I feel like he’s portrayed as such a completely morally black and bankrupt character when it’s sort of far from that.

Like as far as major characters are concerned, he’s the only one who has absolutely no interest or regard in the caste system whatsoever. There’s like three speeches of his that very very clearly show that. His intervention with Karna at their first meeting, although perhaps partly due to opportunism depending on your interpretation, is one of the most honourable scenes in the entire epic to me.

Not once has he ever even implied that Karna’s caste is of any importance and throughout their entire relationship, there was no one who he treated with more love and respect than Karna. Even in general, it’s well established that his judgements of people are based on their individual qualities and not caste.

Again, not saying that he was a good guy at all but he was also known for being generous and a good ruler. He’s almost always interpreted as a power hungry yet incompetent person but that’s also far from the truth. He was Balarama’s favourite student which means that there was a lot of good about him or why would someone like Balarama even bother with him?

Also, being told that on the day of his birth his uncle told his father to kill him and then his mother saying she should have killed him, is not something that anyone should hear lmfao so I think, in certain aspects, his anger is justified.

It’s also very clear that from the start, Krishna was against him. Every act of his towards Duryodhana was deliberately meant to sabotage him in some way. Even Balarama acknowledged this so it’s basically a matter of fact.

So yeah, I’m not saying he was a good guy or that he’s just some misunderstood pookie but I think that not acknowledging some of his very good traits and the fact that everything was rigged against him since day 1 is a disservice to the whole point of the epic.

I hope I didn’t offend anyone with this. I know for over a billion people the Mahabharata is a religious text and the last thing I want to do is disrespect that regardless of whether I believe in it or not. I’d really like to hear some of your opinions on this take and I’m also really keen on engaging with people about the epic in general <3

[hindulivesmatter]

Kunti and the Pandavas

[novaae]

hello i somehow wrote a modern au mahabharat fanfic if anyones into that

disclaimer: the mahabharat for me is a piece of literature thats very funky and funny i do not care about hinduism

[sambhavami]

Draupadi and Pandavas - A Summary

Dr. N. P. Bhaduri, quoted this wonderful little poem by Jatindranath Sengupta in his deeper analysis of this relationship:

Bibaho-ashone baama-angushtha On the wedding-altar, [your] left thumb Dile tumi Raja Yudhishthir-e, You gave [to] King Yudhishthira, Torjoni tule dile Vrikodar-e, [Your] index [you] lifted towards Bheema, Madhyamaa dile Partha beer-e; [Your] middle finger you gave to brave Arjuna; Ishot naamaaye dile onamikaa, [You] slightly lowered your ring finger, Dhorilo Nakula hrishto-mone, Nakula held on [to it] happily, Konishtha tobo porosh koriya Touching [your] little finger Sahadeva shwiyo bhagyo gone! Sahadeva thanked his own luck!

I find the analysis a wonderful little summary of one stream of explanation of the relationship of the Pandavas and Draupadi:

Yudhishthira held her thumb (most important on paper, but 'thenga dikhana' type se kinda down-market, indicating how she often went against him on principle),

Bheema held her index finger (as in, he is her enforcer, she need only point- Bheema will do anything she wishes: bringing saugandhika flowers, humiliating Jayadratha, killing Keechaka, or the eventual retribution against the Kauravas),

Arjuna held her middle finger (the weakest of the fingers, pointing to their self-imposed distance, and also the longest one, pointing to Draupadi's silent preference for him),

Nakula held her ring finger as she lowered it for him (the most inconsequential of the husbands, and wouldn't have a chance if Draupadi didn't 'lower' herself) and,

Sahadeva gratefully, 'barely touched' her little finger (Kunti pushed them into somewhat of a maternal relationship even).

[yumjum414]

Shakuni Mama aur Shraapit Seedhiyan- Mahabharat crack fic Series Part I

The halls of Hastinapura had seen countless battles, both in the court and on the training grounds. They had witnessed the thunderous steps of warriors, the hushed whispers of conspiracies, and the resounding laughter of carefree princes. But on this particular afternoon, the halls bore witness to something truly unforgettable-something that would go unspoken in formal gatherings but live on in the hearts (and suppressed laughter) of the Kuru princes for years to come.

It all started, as many disasters did, with Bhima.

The young Pandava, already a force of nature at his age, had just been dismissed from his lessons along with his brothers and cousins. The elders-Bhishma, Guru Drona, and Shakuni-were leading the way down the long, grand staircase that connected the higher halls to the central court. It was a staircase worthy of its royal residents: steep, wide, and polished to a near-miraculous shine by the tireless palace attendants.

And, as it turned out, far too polished.

Bhima, unwilling to walk like a normal human being, decided to sprint up the last few steps. Why? No one knew. Perhaps he was racing an imaginary opponent. Perhaps he had just remembered that lunch was being served soon. Perhaps he was simply Bhima.

Regardless of his reasons, the results were catastrophic.

The moment Bhima reached the top, his sandal betrayed him. It slipped-a treacherous, traitorous little movement that sent his foot skidding out from under him. The great warrior-to-be flailed, arms windmilling, desperately grasping for anything to steady himself.

Fate, ever the mischievous force, provided him with something.

Shakuni’s cloak.

For a brief, glorious second, Shakuni was not a man.

He was a spectacle.

One moment, he had been walking with his usual air of practiced elegance, his fine robes flowing behind him as he engaged Bhishma in conversation. The next moment-he was airborne.

His feet lifted clean off the ground, his arms flailed, and his mouth opened-but no words came out, only a stunned, undignified gasp. His turban, that ever-present symbol of his regal composure, tilted precariously to one side.

And then, gravity remembered him.

Shakuni descended.

Not gracefully. Not heroically. Not with the composed dignity of a statesman. No, he rolled.

His long cloak, the very thing that had betrayed him, tangled around his legs, turning what might have been a simple fall into a grand, tragic performance. His staff, once held with the poise of a master strategist, clattered ahead of him, announcing his descent like a herald announcing a king’s arrival-except this king was tumbling helplessly down a flight of stairs.

First, he lurched forward. Then, he twisted midair. Then-thump, thump, thump-down he went, step by step, his arms flapping wildly in a last, desperate attempt to regain control of his fate.

The grand staircase of Hastinapura had never seen such an event before.

And it would never, ever see one like it again.

At the top of the stairs, the young Kuru princes froze.

This was a moment of great crisis.

Not because Shakuni might be injured-no, that was secondary. The real crisis was not laughing.

Duryodhana and Arjuna made the fatal mistake of looking at each other. Their expressions, which had started as carefully composed masks of concern, cracked immediately.

Nakula and Sahadeva stood as still as statues, the effort of holding back their laughter written all over their faces. Sahadeva was biting his tongue. Nakula’s shoulders were trembling.

And Yudhishthira-oh, poor Yudhishthira-looked as though he was suffering the torments of the gods themselves. His hands were clenched into fists, pressed against his mouth as he struggled desperately to maintain some semblance of dignity. His eyes were wide, pleading with the heavens for strength.

And Bhima?

Bhima, the root cause of this disaster, was trying to be the responsible one. He stepped forward, schooling his expression into what he probably thought was a look of deep concern.

“Shakuni Mama,” he said, in a voice that was just a little too strained, “are you well?”

It was a valiant attempt.

Unfortunately, his voice cracked halfway through.

The effort to suppress their laughter reached its breaking point. Duryodhana’s lips twitched. Arjuna coughed violently. Nakula turned away, pretending to examine a very interesting section of the wall.

The entire hall was silent.

The ministers, the soldiers, the attendants-everyone was holding their breath.

Bhishma, ever the composed patriarch, stroked his beard and nodded thoughtfully, as though he had just witnessed a fascinating philosophical lesson unfold before him. Guru Drona, to his credit, maintained his usual impassive expression, though his fingers twitched ever so slightly.

And then-Shakuni rose.

The fallen prince of Gandhara stood, slowly and shakily.

With the precision of a man who refused to acknowledge what had just happened, he adjusted his turban, straightened his robes, and calmly dusted off his shoulders.

Then, in a voice so controlled it could have been carved from stone, he declared:

“I am perfectly fine, mere bachche”

He paused.

Then, with a pointed look at the offending staircase, he added, “The stairs, however, are treacherous.”

Silence.

And then, Bhishma, in his infinite wisdom, gave a sage nod.

“Indeed,” he said gravely. “The stairs are quite polished.”

The princes lost their battle.

Yudhishthira turned away, his entire body shaking. Duryodhana let out a strangled noise that could have been a cough-or a suppressed howl of laughter. Nakula buried his face in his sleeve. Sahadeva looked like he had physically left his body to avoid the disgrace.

And Bhima?

Bhima covered his mouth, his shoulders heaving.

Shakuni, either unwilling or unable to acknowledge the suffering of his audience, simply gathered what was left of his pride and walked away.

He did not stalk off in anger. He did not rage or scowl. He merely left, as if nothing had happened, as if his descent down the grand staircase of Hastinapura had been a deliberate choice-an elegant, calculated maneuver.

But from that day on, the young Kuru princes knew.

And every time Shakuni passed by, if Bhima happened to look at him for just a little too long-

Bhima would cough.

And immediately pretend to be deeply, deeply interested in something else.

[meghavahana]

[melonmagnet]

Fanart for DEVASYA KANYA by HopeMikaelson2009 on ao3!!! This fic is soo good and I totally encourage y’all to give it a read and send the author some love ❤️

This is that one scene where Aru gets exposed and Karna is mad on her behalf

and ohhhhhh the parallels they have! Like, I was inspired to reread the series to see how many parallels they have and boy are there A LOT

I also tried a couple new brushes! I think I like these better but we’ll see

[ssj2hindudude]

"I call myself Spider-Man. Not because I have spider powers, but because for some ungodly reason, the writers just love to make me suffer as much as possible..."

-Karna