Chapter 2: Cousins and Rivals

Satyavati had two sons. Sadly, both died young, and the second, Vichitravirya, left no children. The throne of Hastinapura stood empty. Bhishma, true to his vow, refused to sit on it. So Satyavati called upon her eldest son, the sage Vyasa, born to her long before her marriage. Through Vyasa's blessing, three boys were born into the royal family: Dhritarashtra, who was blind from birth; Pandu, who was pale but strong; and Vidura, the son of a maid, who grew up to be the wisest man in the kingdom.

Two brothers, two families

Because a blind king could not lead armies in those days, the crown went to the younger brother, Pandu. Dhritarashtra was hurt, though he said little. He married Gandhari, a princess from Gandhara. When she learned her husband could not see, she tied a cloth over her own eyes and wore it for the rest of her life, so that she would never enjoy what he could not.

Pandu married two queens, Kunti and Madri. He was a great warrior and won many lands for Hastinapura. But one day, while hunting, he shot an arrow at a pair of deer — and the deer turned out to be a sage and his wife in disguise. The dying sage cursed Pandu, and the heartbroken king left his throne in Dhritarashtra's care and went to live in the forest with his two queens.

Now Kunti had a secret gift. As a girl she had served the short-tempered sage Durvasa so well that he taught her a mantra. With it, she could call any god and receive a child blessed by him. Using this gift, Kunti and Madri became mothers to five boys, known as the Pandavas, the sons of Pandu:

1. Yudhishthira, son of Dharma, the god of righteousness — truthful and fair
2. Bhima, son of Vayu, the wind god — mighty and always hungry
3. Arjuna, son of Indra, king of the gods — a peerless archer
4. Nakula and Sahadeva, twin sons of Madri, blessed by the Ashvin twins — handsome and wise

Back in Hastinapura, Gandhari gave birth to one hundred sons and a daughter named Duhshala. These hundred brothers were called the Kauravas, after their ancestor Kuru. The eldest was Duryodhana, proud and determined, and his closest brother was Duhshasana.

Pandu did not live long in the forest. After his death, Madri chose to follow him, and Kunti brought the five young boys to Hastinapura. Bhishma welcomed them with open arms. But Duryodhana looked at his five cousins and felt something cold and bitter grow inside him. If Pandu had been king, would his sons not claim the throne one day?

Drona's school

At first the boys played together, but Bhima was so strong that he would dunk the Kauravas in ponds and shake them out of trees like ripe fruit. He meant it as fun, but Duryodhana never forgave him. Once he even fed Bhima poisoned sweets and pushed him into the river. Bhima sank down to the kingdom of the serpent people, the Nagas, who healed him and gave him a drink that made him stronger than ever. He came home smiling, and Duryodhana's jealousy only grew.

Bhishma found the princes a great teacher: Dronacharya, a brahmin who was a master of every weapon. All the princes — Pandavas and Kauravas alike — studied with him, along with Drona's own son, Ashwatthama.

One day Drona placed a small wooden bird on a high branch and called his students one by one. “Aim at the bird's eye,” he said. “Now tell me, what do you see?”

Yudhishthira said, “I see the tree, the branches, the bird, and you, my teacher.” Drona told him to step aside. Others gave similar answers. Then came Arjuna.

“What do you see?” asked Drona.

“Only the eye of the bird,” Arjuna replied.

“Shoot!” said Drona — and the arrow struck the eye exactly. From that day, Drona loved Arjuna best of all his pupils and promised to make him the finest archer in the world.

When the mind sees only the goal, the arrow knows its way.

— A lesson from Drona's school

The stranger in golden armour

When their training ended, the princes showed their skills before the whole city in a grand tournament. Arjuna dazzled everyone. He shot arrows that turned into fire, water and wind. The crowd roared.

Then a young man strode into the arena. He wore shining golden armour and earrings that seemed to be part of his very body. “I can do everything Arjuna has done,” he announced — and he did. His name was Karna.

When Karna challenged Arjuna to a duel, Kripa, the royal teacher, asked, “Who is your father? A prince may only duel with someone of royal birth.” Karna lowered his head. He had been raised by Adhiratha, a charioteer, and his wife Radha. Some in the crowd laughed.

Duryodhana jumped up. “If birth is the problem, I will fix it,” he said, and on the spot he crowned Karna king of the land of Anga. Karna was overwhelmed. “What can I give you in return?” he asked. “Only your friendship,” said Duryodhana. And Karna swore to be his friend forever.

In the crowd, one woman fainted. It was Kunti. She had recognised the golden armour. Long ago, before her marriage, she had tried her secret mantra out of curiosity and called the Sun god, Surya. A baby boy had been born, wearing armour and earrings. Frightened and alone, the young princess had placed him in a basket and set him afloat on the river. That baby was Karna — her eldest son, and the elder brother of the Pandavas. But she said nothing, and the secret stayed buried.