Pallavi Hota

Mahabharata is an ancient Indian epic about the brothers, Pandavas and kauravas. It describes the battle between them in the Kurukshetra war for the throne of Hastinapura. It is an epic tale that combines war, religion, philosophy and Hindu history. Following is a story from ìThe Mahabharata.The Pandavas returned home with Draupadi as Arjunaís wife. Kunti was waiting for them thinking that her five sons will return home soon with their daily collection of alms. ?As soon as they reached their cottage, Yudhishthira called out to Kunti, ìMother! See what we have today!î Kunti was inside and did not see what Yudhishthir was talking about. So she casually replied, ìWhatever it is, divide it equally among yourselves.î But as soon as she noticed Draupadi she felt highly embarrassed at what she had said.In order to solve the complicated situation of Draupadi having wed the five Pandavas, Narada advised the brothers to draw up a code of conduct whereby none of the others could invade their brother's privacy when the latter was with Draupadi. Failing which the violator was to go into exile for a period of twelve years.The dharma-abiding Pandava brothers accepted these conditions and life proceeded smoothly until one day, a Brahmin came wailing bitterly. He told Arjuna that thieves had stolen his cows. Arjuna consoled and promised to go after the thieves. But he suddenly realised that his weapons were in Draupad's chamber and Yudhishthira was with her at that time. Arjuna was in a dilemma. But he chose to violate the code and accept exile instead of falling short in his duty as a Prince. He walked into Draupad's chamber, picked up his bow and quiver, and went after the thieves.?Arjuna returned after restoring the cows to the Brahmin. He straightaway went to his elder brother Yudhishthira and apologised for breaking the code. He said, ìI am guilty of violating our mutual agreement and now I seek your permission to go into exile for twelve years.î An aghast Yudhishthira tried to persuade Arjuna to change his mind by arguing that his selfless act of abiding by dharma negated the terms of the agreement. But Arjuna insisted on not making any exception and soon left for the forest.

This is a story of Arjun and Yudhishtra.

Arjun's Exile

Mahabharata is an ancient Indian epic about the brothers, Pandavas and kauravas. It describes the battle between them in the Kurukshetra war for the throne of Hastinapura. It is an epic tale that combines war, religion, philosophy and Hindu history. Following is a story from The Mahabharata.Once, after King Yudhishtira got back the Kingdom, after the great war, a man came to him, asking him for charity. Yudhishtira Mahraj turned down the man saying he had work to do and asked the man to come the next day.Bhima saw this incident and he cried loudly, ìAttention to all the residents of the city! King Yudhishtira is sure that he is going to live up to tomorrow. He is quite sure about this. Yudhishtira Maharaj realized his folly that no one knows what is going to happen tomorrow, and he immediately called the man and gave him charity.

This is a story of Bheem and Yudhishtra.

Tomorrow never comes

Mahabharata is an ancient Indian epic about the brothers, Pandavas and kauravas. It describes the battle between them in the Kurukshetra war for the throne of Hastinapura. It is an epic tale that combines war, religion, philosophy and Hindu history. Following is a story from ìThe Mahabharata.When Yudhisthira Maharaj was ruling this planet, Bhima used to help in solving problems of people, hence people who ever had any questions/problems would come to Bhima and ask him for help. One day, a citizen came and told Bhima that he had noticed a strange thing; his fence was moving into another's place and could not understand why it was happening. Bhima used to help people if there was a demon troubling them but this puzzled him so Bhima asked the man to approach Yudhisthira Maharaj.On the same day, another citizen came and told Bhima, ìI had a big pot full of water. I poured the water into small pots and then poured it back from the small pots to the big pot but surprisingly only half of the big pot got filled.î Bhima not knowing what to say, he asked the man to contact Yudhisthira Maharaj.&nbsp;Another person came to Bhima and said that he saw a big elephant pass through a needle hole but got its tail stuck in that hole. Bhima referred him to Yudhisthira Maharaj. Another person came and said that he saw a big rock on the street and many great personalities could not move the rock. Then a sadhu came and by waving his Sanyasa danda, moved the rock. Bhima thought that it was a bad day for him as everyone was coming with strange problems which he did not have the answer to. They all went to Maharaja Yudhisthira and presented their questions. Yudhisthira Maharaj said that all these incidents show that kaliyuga was coming and explained all the incidents. He said:The first incident of the moving fence indicated that people were more interested in what others have and felt unhappy about not having the same. People were trying to think of ways they can get what other people have by either hook or crook.The second incident of reduced water in the big pot showed that one could only expect 50% of love, affection, and help from others as compared to what you did for the same person.The third incident of an elephant's tail getting stuck in the needle hole indicated that people were ready to spend a huge amount of their income, strength, or resources for the sense satisfaction of their family, friends and love. But when it comes to God, they were not ready to spend even a little bit.The fourth incident of a big rock not being moved by anyone but a Sadhu indicated one could get rid of all their unlimited sins, just by performing Namasankeerthanam (chanting the name of the Almighty).Though there are so many faults in this kaliyuga, the good thing is, just by chanting the holy names of the lord, one can get upto the highest benefit of liberation.

Kaliyuga

Shina Utavani

Mahabharata is an ancient Indian epic about the brothers, Pandavas and Kauravas. It describes the battle between them in the Kurukshetra war for the throne of Hastinapura. It is an epic tale that combines war, religion, philosophy and Hindu history. Following is a story from “The Mahabharata which describes how Dronacharya was defeated.Yudhisthir was the eldest of the Pandava brothers. He had always followed the path of dharma, his whole life. He had never uttered a lie. Due to his values, his chariot stayed 2 feet above the ground.Dronacharya, who was the Guru of Pandavas and Kauravas, had become the chief of the Kaurava army in the Kurukshetra war. He was a warrior and for the victory of Pandavas, it was necessary to defeat Dronacharya.Lord Krishna told Pandavas that it was impossible to defeat Dronacharya because he was very strong. He was the only warrior who had Brahmastra (a weapon with the power of universe) and Divyastra. Krishna told that Dronacharya can be defeated only when he is unarmed.Krishna then said that the only way to remove Dronacharya was to convince him that his son, Aswathama was dead. His son was his weakness. Krishna further said, “If Dronacharya believes that his son is dead, he will drop his weapons.” After listening to this, Arjuna was a little shocked. He disagreed to kill his own Guru.Lord Krishna headed towards Yudhisthir and said, “We have to follow our Dharma. And we have to do anything we can to stand against Adharma. You are the epitome of Dharma and Righteousness. Only you can help do the right thing.” Yudhisthir thought for few seconds and said, “If this is the only way, I will do it. I will carry the weight of this sin on my shoulder.”Lord Krishna then pointed towards an Elephant. He directed Bheem to kill the elephant. The name of the elephant was Aswathama. Bheem killed the elephant and went to the battlefield and announced, “I have killed Aswathama.”Dronacharya did not believe him and went to Yudhisthir to know the truth. Dronacharya asked, “Is it true that my son is no more?” Yudhisthir replied, “Yes Aswathama is dead. I do not know if it is a man or an elephant.”After listening to the words, Dronacharya was shocked. He was in grief and fell on the ground. He dropped all his weapons and sat down. And so Guru Dronacharya was defeated.At that moment Yudhisthir’s chariot touched the ground as he had told a lie.

This is a story of Ashwatthama, Dronacharya, Krishna and Yudhistra

Yudhisthir and Dronachrayaa

Mahabharata is an ancient Indian epic about the brothers, Pandavas and kauravas. It describes the battle between them in the Kurukshetra war for the throne of Hastinapura. It is an epic tale that combines war, religion, philosophy and Hindu history. Following is a story from “The Mahabharata.” Pandu married Kunti. Pandu was cursed for accidentally shooting at a Brahmin named Kindama and his wife, mistaking them as deers while they were making love. Because of his mistake, Kindama cursed Pandu and said he would die if he were to engage in intercourse with any woman. Pandu also relinquished his throne to his brother Dhritarashtra as further penance for his crime. Yudhisthira’s mother, Queen Kunti, had the power to invoke the Devas, or the gods. Because of this power, Kunti was able to give birth to Yudhisthira by invoking the Lord of judgement, Dharma Yudhisthira was Pandu’s eldest son and by right should have been the heir to the throne. But because Pandu gave up his seat to his brother Dhritarashtra, it caused problems because Dhritarashtra’s son, Duryodhana, challenged Yudhisthira for the throne. The Hastinapura kingdom was split into two parts. Yudhisthira agreed to rule the arid and fallow region of the two. He, with his four Pandava brothers, then married Draupadi, the princess of Panchali. She gave birth to a son, Prativindya. Yudhisthira lived a normal life before his dedication to duty became his undoing. My son was then challenged by Shakuni, Duryodhana's uncle, in a game of dice. He lost everything in this game including his kingdom, wife, and brothers and was forced into exile. While in exile, Yudhistira tried to return to his kingdom multiple times but was refused by Duryodhana and Shakuni. An ally of Yudhisthira and his Pandava brothers, Krishna convinced Yudhisthira to go to war and win back his kingdom. After winning the war, Yudhisthira returned and crowned himself as the Emperor of Hastinapura. He believed in fulfilling his moral duty. To Yudhisthira, his Dharma was more important than anything in his life, his family, throne, and any material objects. Yudhisthira married Draupadi because of a comment his mother made in jest and abided by his Dharma of respecting his mother. He also denounced the strict distinctions between castes when he made Bhima, who was a kshatriya, marry Rakshasi, a Rakshasa demon. He believed that kshatriyas needed to fulfill their Dharma and be held accountable by their actions, rather than their birth. His dedication to fulfilling the moral duties of his caste was tested when Duryodhana’s uncle, Shakuni, challenged him to a game of dice. He was unable to refuse Shakuni who was a master gambler and eventually gambled away his kingdom, wealth, brothers, and even his wife. Even though Yudhisthira could have refused, his dedication to his Dharma prevented him from doing so. He said that he could not refuse any sort of challenge because he was of the Kshatriya, or warrior, class and had to stand by the warrior code of honor. This way, he was the son of Dharma, and was also called Dharmaraja.

Yudhisthira, the son of Dharma

Mahabharata is an ancient Indian epic about the brothers, Pandavas and kauravas. It describes the battle between them in the Kurukshetra war for the throne of Hastinapura. It is an epic tale that combines war, religion, philosophy and Hindu history. Following is a story from “The Mahabharata” about Karna and his generous nature.There was a boy named Karna who was very kind and generous. He Duryodhan’s (eldest Kaurava) best friend. Karna used to help people in need. He never denied helping anyone. Karna had a routine of going for a bath to the riverbank every morning and offer his prayers to Sun-God. While returning, if he met a needy person, he would always give something to that person.Lord Krishna was aware of the generous nature of Karna. Once Arjun and Lord Krishna were having a conversation about Karna. Lord Krishna was impressed by Karna’s kindness and he was praising his generosity. Lord Krishna even said that he had never seen anyone as generous and kind as Karna. Arjun was amazed to hear that. Arjun argued saying that his brother Yudhishthir was also very generous. Lord Krishna said, “Yes he is but not as generous as Karna. Let me prove it to you that Karna is the most generous.” Arjun agreed.They both went to Yudhisthir the next morning. It was a rainy season. Yudhisthir saw Lord Krishna and Arjun and welcomed them both. He said, “I am pleased to see you. What brought you here early in the morning?” Lord Krishna replied, “Actually, some important construction work has to be undertaken immediately and we do not have enough wood. We need some wooden logs for that.” Yudhisthir called his servants and told them to bring the best quality wood for construction. After a long time, one servant came back and said that due to monsoon, the wood had become wet and they cannot use that for construction. Yudhisthir was helpless and expressed his helplessness to Lord Krishna and Arjun. After that Arjun and Lord Krishna went to Karna.Karna welcomed Lord Krishna and Arjun with great respect and love. He also inquired about their well-being. Then, Arjun expressed their urgent need of wooden logs for the construction. Karna immediately asked his servant to fetch some wood for construction. The servant took a lot of time to return. Karna was waiting for his servant. After some time, the servant returned saying that due to rain, the wood had become wet. After hearing this, Karna went inside his room and did not return for a long time. Lord Krishna and Arjun decided to go inside as he did not return for a long time. When they entered Karna's room, they saw him cutting the legs of his bed. He had already cut many pieces of his furniture. Looking at him cutting his furniture, Arjun asked, “Karna, why did you cut off your artistic sandalwood furniture?” He replied, “There is no other greater gief for me than to send away a person in need, empty-handed. This furniture can be made again but it was important to fulfil your urgent need.”Arjun was surprised to see the generosity of Karna. He said to Lord Krishna, “Karna is really very generous, I have never seen someone as kind as him”. This is one of the examples of Karna’s sacrifice and generosity.&nbsp; Moral:Friends, you just read about the generosity of Karna. Karna gave away his armour and earrings, which he had received as a blessing at birth. However, we are never willing to give even the smallest of our possessions to others. From this, we must learn that we too should be ready to sacrifice our things for the sake of the ones in need.

This is a story of Arjun, Karna, Krishna and Yudhistra.Moral(s) of the story: generosity, kindness and sacrifice.

Karna‘s Generosity

Mahabharata is an ancient Indian epic about the brothers, Pandavas and kauravas. It describes the battle between them in the Kurukshetra war for the throne of Hastinapura. It is an epic tale that combines war, religion, philosophy and Hindu history. Following is a story from “The Mahabharata” about Karna and his generous nature.&nbsp;There was a boy named Karna who was very kind and generous. He Duryodhan’s (eldest Kaurava) best friend. Karna used to help people in need. He never denied helping anyone. Karna had a routine of going for a bath to the riverbank every morning and offer his prayers to Sun-God. While returning, if he met a needy person, he would always give something to that person.&nbsp;Lord Krishna was aware of the generous nature of Karna. Once Arjun and Lord Krishna were having a conversation about Karna. Lord Krishna was impressed by Karna’s kindness and he was praising his generosity. Lord Krishna even said that he had never seen anyone as generous and kind as Karna. Arjun was amazed to hear that. Arjun argued saying that his brother Yudhishthir was also very generous. Lord Krishna said, “Yes he is but not as generous as Karna. Let me prove it to you that Karna is the most generous.” Arjun agreed.They both went to Yudhisthir the next morning. It was a rainy season. Yudhisthir saw Lord Krishna and Arjun and welcomed them both. He said, “I am pleased to see you. What brought you here early in the morning?” Lord Krishna replied, “Actually, some important construction work has to be undertaken immediately and we do not have enough wood. We need some wooden logs for that.” Yudhisthir called his servants and told them to bring the best quality wood for construction. After a long time, one servant came back and said that due to monsoon, the wood had become wet and they cannot use that for construction. Yudhisthir was helpless and expressed his helplessness to Lord Krishna and Arjun. After that Arjun and Lord Krishna went to Karna.Karna welcomed Lord Krishna and Arjun with great respect and love. He also inquired about their well-being. Then, Arjun expressed their urgent need of wooden logs for the construction. Karna immediately asked his servant to fetch some wood for construction. The servant took a lot of time to return. Karna was waiting for his servant. After some time, the servant returned saying that due to rain, the wood had become wet. After hearing this, Karna went inside his room and did not return for a long time. Lord Krishna and Arjun decided to go inside as he did not return for a long time. When they entered Karna's room, they saw him cutting the legs of his bed. He had already cut many pieces of his furniture. Looking at him cutting his furniture, Arjun asked, “Karna, why did you cut off your artistic sandalwood furniture?” He replied, “There is no other greater gief for me than to send away a person in need, empty-handed. This furniture can be made again but it was important to fulfil your urgent need.”Arjun was surprised to see the generosity of Karna. He said to Lord Krishna, “Karna is really very generous, I have never seen someone as kind as him”. This is one of the examples of Karna’s sacrifice and generosity.&nbsp;&nbsp; MORAL:Friends, you just read about the generosity of Karna. Karna gave away his armour and earrings, which he had received as a blessing at birth. However, we are never willing to give even the smallest of our possessions to others. From this, we must learn that we too should be ready to sacrifice our things for the sake of the ones in need.

This is a story of Karana, Arjuna, Yudhisthira and Krishna.Moral(s) of the story: kindness and sacrifice

yudhishthira stories

Kids moral stories help in improving their imagination & relate to real-world life. Here are age-specific bedtime stories for children by renowned storytellers.