Mahabharat: Facts lesser-known/concealed/distorted: Part-1

Lesser-known

Incomplete list of reincarnations, lineages and ‘Ansh/Amsha'(Hindi: अंश). Prominent/well-know reincarnations e.g: Bhishma, Arjun, etc. have been skipped:
- Dharma/Yam(Hindi:धर्म/यम) as Vidur(Hindi:विदुर).
- Viprachitti(Hindi:विप्रचित्ति) as Jarasandh(Hindi:जरासंध).
- Hiranyakashipu(Hindi: हिरण्यकशिपु) as Shishupal(Hindi:शिशुपाल).
- Hans(Hindi:हंस) as Dhritarashtra(Hindi:धृतराष्ट्र). Hans was a Gandharva, who was Arishtha’s(Hindi: अरिष्टा) son. Arishtha was Daksha‘s(Hindi:दक्ष) daughter).
- Duryodhan(Hindi:दुर्योधन) was Kali‘s(Hindi:कलि) अंश.
- Various rakshasas of Pulastya(Hindi:पुलस्त्य) lineage as Duryodhan’s brothers(Dhritarashtra’s 99 sons).
- Chandrama‘s(Hindi:चन्द्रमा) son Varcha(Hindi:वर्चा) as Abhimanyu(अभिमन्यु).
- Thousands of Apsaras(Hindi: अप्सरा) as 16,000 wives of Krishna.
- Siddhi(Hindi: सिद्धि) as Kunti(Hindi: कुंती).
- Dhriti(Hindi: धृति) as Madri(Hindi: माद्री).
- Acharya Brishaspati(Hindi:बृहस्पति) as Dron(Hindi: द्रोण).
- 5 Indras(Hindi: विश्वभुक्, भूतधामा, प्रतापी इन्द्र शिबि, चौथे शान्ति और पाँचवें तेजस्वी) from various eras(cursed by Rudra) as Pandavas.
After Mahabharat was completed(let us thank Ganesh here, once again), the first student learning it was Vyas‘s son, Shuk.
Chitrangad(Hindi:चित्रांगद) was challenged for a battle/war/duel by a Gandharva (Hindi: गंधर्व) of the same name. In Kurukshetra, both fought a war/duel for 3 years in which the King Chitrangad was killed in action.
After eliminating unrighteous Kshatriyas, Parshuram wanted to retire, hence, he started donating all his possessions. When Dron learnt this, he rushed to Parshuram to gain wealth(Ashwatthama was already born and the family was living hand-to-mouth). When Dron approached Parshuram, the latter said that all that was left was his life and knowledge and he asked Dron to choose one. Dron asked for knowledge which Parshuram duly transferred.
Bhimsen and Duryodhan were born on the same day.
After Pandu’s death, Kunti came to Hastinapur with the Pandavas. She was escorted by a large group of Maharshis(Hindi:महर्षि) who publicly narrated to Bhishma, the facts about the birth of Pandavas.
Kunti’s grandfather’s(Hindi: नाना) Shursen‘s grandfather(Hindi: नाना) was Aryak, a Nag(Hindi: नाग) nobleman.
The abode of Nagas(Hindi: नागलोक) had reservoirs/lakes containing a juice which, if drunk entirely, gave strength equivalent to 1000 elephants. Bhimsen drank 8 such lakes, effectively giving him strength equivalent to 8000 elephants.
During the education of Kuru princes, filling water for usage was one of the tasks assigned to the students. Dron would give kamandalu(Hindi: कमण्डलु) to everyone but a broad-mouthed jar(Hindi: घड़ा) to Ashwatthama so that the latter would complete his part faster than others. Then, Dron took special lessons for Ashwatthama during this time gained. When Arjun realized this, he would use Vaarunastra(Hindi: वारुणास्त्र) to fill his kamandalu, and immediately join Ashwatthama.
When Kauravas and Pandavas completed their education, as one part of the gurudakshina , Dron asked Arjun to take an oath – if at all Dron and Arjun face each other on the batt
While Dron taught the Kauravas and Pandavas for maximum duration of their studies, he was not their sole teacher. An incomplete list of their other teachers:
- Well known to the masses – Bhimsen and Duryodhan learned mace warfare from Balram
- A yaksha named Angarpan(Hindi:) taught Arjun ‘Chakshushi Vidya)(Hindi: चाक्षुषी विद्या)
- Arjun learned usage of divyasastra(Hindi: दिव्यास्त्र) from Mahadev, Indra and other devas(Hindi: देव)
Both, Yudhisthir and Vidur, were well-versed in an obscure language(a Mlenchha(Hindi: म्लेंच्छ) language). Vidur warned Yudhisthir about the impending danger, just before the Pandavas and Kunti left for Varnavat(Hindi: वारणावत).
Pandavas stayed in Varnavat for an year. During the tenure, they were on-guard – wary of Purochan, getting acquainted with the adjoining geography and memorizing directions and positions of stars/constellations, so they could navigate in the night.
Vidur had arranged a sturdy boat and a navigator, which was ready on the banks of Ganga. The Pandavas escaped via a tunnel, walked through the forests and crossed Ganga in that boat. It should also be noted that the tunnel beneath the lakshagriha was not discovered by Duryodhan’s spies, which implies that Vidur’s spies had covered up it’s discovery even after the palace burnt down.
Jarasandh, Shalya also participated in Draupadi’s swayamvar(Hindi: स्वयंवर) but could not even lift the bow.
After Pandavas and Kunti passed through the states(Hindi: जनपद) of Matsya, Trigarta, Panchal and Kichak, Vyas visited them and predicted that Pandavas will rule the planet. From this time, till Pandavas returned to Hastinapur, Vyas not only personally kept in touch with Pandavas but also actively helped them to overcome obstacles e.g: Convinced Drupad to marry Draupadi to the 5 Pandavas(Drupad was unwilling to marry his daughter to 5 men).
When Arjun was mastering various weapons in Swargalok(Hindi: स्वर्गलोक), Maharshi Lomesh visited the rest of the Pandavas and conveyed Arjun’s whereabouts.
Jarasandh and Bhimsen’s duel(wrestling) lasted for 14 days.
As part of the Rajasuya(Hindi: राजसूय) expeditions, Arjun went North, Bhimsen went East, Sahadev went South and Nakul went West. Bhimsen left Indraprastha after Arjun returned from his expedition.
Shishupal not only agreed(without an armed conflict) to pay taxes to Indraprastha but also hosted Bhimsen for 13 days.
Nakul personally went to Hastinapur to invite Dhritarashtra and Bhishma for the Rajasuya closure ceremony.
Narad was present during the Rajasuya closure ceremony. He felt apprehensive after viewing the gathering of numerous powerful kings across the then Bharat. He recalled a conversation in the Devlok(Hindi: देवलोक) where Narayan(Hindi: नारायण) had predicted that various gods would reincarnate on earth as powerful kings, kill each other and return to the Devlok.
Jarasandh was assisted by two brothers and able warriors – Hans(Hindi:हंस) and Dimbhak(Hindi:डिम्भक) who couldn’t be killed by any weapon(they were bestowed a boon). During the 17th attack on Mathura, Balaram(Hindi: बलराम) killed a king named Hans who was an entirely different person but his army panicked and went into a disarray. Hearing this, Dimbhak assumed that his brother Hans has died. Devastated, he committed suicide by drowning self in Yamuna.
Reviving Parikshit wasn’t the first time that Krishna revived a ‘dead’ person. As gurudakshina(Hindi: गुरुदक्षिणा), he revived Rishi Sandipani’s(Hindi:सान्दीपनि) son.
Sometime after the Rajasuya ceremony, Vyas was hosted by Pandavas. He predicted a carnage, catastrophe wherein all the kings would be at war among themselves and perish. Yudhisthir and the other pandavas would be the instruments/channel for this carnage.

Distorted

Dron didn’t coach only the Kuru princes but also princes from other states, as well as many Brahmins.
There is no mention of Drupad having any clones/doubles fought Arjun in the battle and that, the latter. was able to defeat them because of Krishna’s advance warning.
Bhimsen is depicted as a impatient, haughty and reckless warrior in the various TV serials. This doesn’t seem correct, following are some examples:
- After killing Hidimb, he assured his terrified subjects that as long as they don’t kill any human, they won’t be harmed in any way by the Pandavas, however, anyone breaking this rule will be killed.
- During his Rajasuya expedition, apart from his wrestling and mace-wielding expertise, Bhimsen exhibited skills like diplomacy(convinced, without armed conflicts, many kings like Shishupal, Sharmak & Varmak, Ayodhya’s king Dirghadnya,etc. to pay taxes to Indraprashta) , identifying talent(appointed Dasharna’s king Sudharma, as his army’s commander), commanding an army( defeated many kings in battles).
Draupadi did not have a fair complexion. She was dusky, hence, was named Krushna(Hindi: कृष्णा) after she emerged from a yagya(Hindi: यज्ञ).
There is no mention of Karna succeeding in even lifting the bow(during Draupadi’s swayamvar), tying the bowstring and fixing an arrow? As per the book that I have mentioned:
“कर्णके द्वारा प्रत्यंचा और बाण चढ़ानेकी बात दाक्षिणात्य पाठमें कहीं नहीं है। भण्डारकरकी प्रतिमें भी मुख्य पाठमें यह वर्णन नहीं है। नीलकण्ठी पाठमें भी इससे पूर्व श्लोक १५में तथा उत्तर अ० १८७ श्लोक ४ एवं १९में भी ऐसा ही उल्लेख है कि कर्ण धनुषपर प्रत्यंचा और बाण नहीं चढ़ा सका था|“
Khandav wan(Hindi: खांडव वन) was burnt down by both Krishna and Arjun, as per the demand of Agni(Hindi: अग्निदेव), well after Indraprastha was a well-established kingdom. Aplenty animals and birds died in the wildfire, the ones escaping were shot by the duo.
During the Rajasuya closure ceremony, Kauravas and the other Hastinapur elders were treated not only respectfully but also like a family. Following were the tasks assigned to various persons:
- Food supplies, inventory and serving food to the guests: Dushasan
- Welcoming and honoring the Brahmins: Ashwatthama
- Serving and honoring the guests who were crowned kings: Sanjay
- Overall management of the event: Bhishma and Dron
- Identifying quality gems(bought as well as received as gift), accepting/donating the same: Kripacharya
- Personally inviting and attending powerful kings e.g: Bahlik, Dhritarashtra, Somdutt, Jayadrath
- Accounting and distributing alms: Vidur
- Accepting and arranging gifts from crowned kings: Duryodhan
When Duryodhan fell in an illusive water cistern/tank in Mayasabha(Hindi: मयसभा), Bhimsen, Nakul, Sahadev and many servants burst into laughter but immediately, Bhimsen ordered new, dry clothes for Duryodhan. There is no mention of Draupadi’s presence or her mocking sentence ‘अंधे का पुत्र अँधा! ‘ (A blind man’s son inherits blindness).
Shakuni tried to dissuade Duryodhan from competing with Pandavas, when the latter was burning with envy after attending the Rajasuya ceremony. He(Shakuni) explained that despite of his and Duryodhan’s multiple attempts, Pandavas not only survived but emerged more successful and powerful. They were militarily, politically and financially invincible, hence, Duryodhan should let them live their own lives peacefully. Duryodhan vehemently opposed this suggestion, on the contrary, asked Shakuni to convey to Dhritarashtra his(Duryodhan’s)intention to commit suicide. Shakuni then assured Duryodhan that he can trick Yudhisthir in a game of dice and make him lose everything he bets.
During the infamous vastraharan(Hindi: वस्त्रहरण) episode, the courtiers and the kings present there were not entirely mute witnesses. Most of them openly condemned Dhritarashtra and the Kauravas but a few of them were also encouraged Duryodhan.
The ‘Mahabharat'(2013 series) is a phenomenal disaster in terms of facts. For now, I am mentioning just one of the many facts mentioned in the epic that debunk Ashwatthama’s villainous depiction in that series:
- There is not even a mention of rigging of the event where the Kauravas and Pandavas showcased their weapon skills, let aside Ashwatthama abetting Duryodhan in doing the same.
- When Duryodhan and Bhimsen turned a sport into a savage fight, Dron ordered Ashwatthama to intervene, which the latter promptly did.

Concealed

The biggest fault in the epic, at least in the आदिपर्व & सभापर्व, is there is almost no coverage of what Kauravas, Karna and other significant actors were up to(other than their conspiracies against the Pandavas). These two sections are primarily focused on the timeline and events in the lives of Pandavas and Krishna.
Duryodhan strangled Bhimsen’s charioteer but Yudhisthir the rest of the Pandavas to keep mum.
After Bhimsen went missing and was presumed dead, Vidur was alarmed but still advised Kunti to keep mum. He was afraid that if Duryodhan is interrogated, this will result in assassination attempts on other Pandavas as well.
To fulfill Drona‘s wish, Kauravas launched an armed assault on Panchal. In a duel between Drupad and Karna, the latter was severely wounded and fled the battlefield. It should be noted that soon Duryodhan was also defeated and he too, fled the battlefield.
After learning that Dhrishtadyumna(Hindi:धृष्टद्द्युम्न) was born to kill him, Dron accepted it as his destiny and not only blessed the former but also taught him warfare and weapons techniques.
Duryodhan was in-charge of state treasury. He bribed many ministers and nobles, who started a propaganda that Varnavat was a beautiful and sublime town, and that the Pandavas should take a leisure trip and vacation there.
Even the lakshagriha conspiracy went unpunished, it was primarily Vidur’s advice to Pandavas to keep mum.
As a ruler, Dhritarashtra suffered a severe loss-of-face among the People/Society. While he was aware of it, Bhishma warned him about it and to prevent any further power tussle, suggested partitioning Hastinapur.
Arjun won the competition in Draupadi‘s ‘swayamavar'(स्वयंवर), in disguise of a ‘Brahman'(ब्राह्मण). When Drupad announced the marriage, some of the kings lost their temper because a ‘Kshatriya'(क्षत्रिय) beauty was going to be married to a ‘Brahman’. They took up arms to kill Bhimsen and Arjun(the other Pandavas slipped away to avoid detection). Karna was one of such kings who assaulted Arjun and Bhimsen. He couldn’t recognize Arjun but impressed by his might. Arjun(disguised as a Brahman) advised him to fight but Karna said that he is impressed by ‘Brahma Tej’ that the Brahman(Arjun) was exhibiting and he left the duel. The other kings and warriors, including Duryodhan, were defeated and then, they relented.
Draupadi wasn’t the first woman in the then-know human history to marry multiple men(polyandry). Yudhisthir provided the following examples:
- A lady named Jatila(Hindi: जटिला), belonging to the Gautam gotra(Hindi: गोत्र) married 7 rishis(Hindi: ऋषि).
- Kandu(Hindi: कंडु) muni’s daughter Varkshi(Hindi: वार्क्षी) married 10 men who were brothers.
After returning from Indraprastha to Hastinapur, Duryodhan slipped into depression, his skin became pale and he started to lose weight. When Dhritarashtra expressed his concern, Duryodhan confided that he is devastated after witnessing the riches of Indraprastha and the might and success of Pandavas. He made it clear that he was contemplating suicide as he cannot bear the Pandavas reaching new heights.
Draupadi accompanied the Pandavas to Hastinapur when the latter accepted the invite for a game of dice(Hindi: द्युत). Wives of the various Kauravas were fuming with envy when they witnessed the beauty and riches of Draupadi.
Draupadi was menstruating(Hindi: रजस्वला) on the day game of dice was being played.
Just before the Pandavas were going to return to Indraprasth after the game of dice and it’s reversal/nullification, Duryodhan, Karna and Shakuni pressurized Dhritarashtra for ordering one more game of dice. During his justification(a long text). Duryodhan clearly addressed Arjun not only as the best archer in the world but also expressed his fears of facing him on the battlefield. He also reasoned that the Pandavas will not forget their and Draupadi’s insult during the game of dice, hence, they should be subdued.
The consideration of second game of dice was opposed by the following, but overriden by Dhritarashtra:
1. Bhishma
2. Vidur
3. Somdatta
4. Vikarna
5. Ashwatthama
6. Kripacharya
7. Yuyutsu
8. Bhurishrawa
9. Balhik
10. Dronacharya
When Pandavas commenced their journey(for vanvas) from Hastinapur, hundreds of citizens followed them, all the way till the forest. Finally, Yudhisthir almost begged them to return. During this time, following events happened:
1. A meteor fell near Hastinapur
2. Vultures and crows dropped remains of scavenged flesh atop the city’s boundary wall(bulwark?), trees and heighted buildings(Hindi: अट्‌टालिका. Skyscraper is an incorrect translation)
3. Narad and other maharshis briefly appeared in Hastinapur, predicted total annihilation of the Kauravas(and their lineage) in the 14th year, by hands of Arjun and Bhim.
When Pandavas commenced their vanvas, Duryodhan, Karna and Shakuni conspired to kill the Pandavas, to end the feud/enemity, once and for all.
As the war tilted in favor of Pandavas but Duryodhan, Karna and Shakuni were adamant to continue, Dhritarashtra was alarmed. He said to Sanjay – “O knowledgeable and intelligent, Sanjay! Carefully listen to what I am going to say, lest you will blame me for this war. I never wanted this war to happen but my haughty sons and my own filial love made us commit mistakes, one after the other”. It is lengthy dialogue which I cannot reproduce here but following are some facts which Dhritarashtra quoted and according to him, each of this fact made him nervous about the outcome of a (future)war:
- After attending the Rajasuya ceremony, Duryodhan was overwhelmed by envy but since he lacked the courage and capability to wage a war against the Pandavas, he conspired with Shakuni to trick Yudhisthir.
- Arjun slayed Asuras belonging to Kalakeya and Poulom clans.
- Despite of being a banished from his kingdom and deprived of all assets for 13 years, Pandavas assembled an army of 7 akshauhini(Hindi: अक्षौहिणी).
- Dogs howled frequently in Hastinapur, before and during the Kurukshetra war.

Facts about Karna

While some facts about Karna have been mentioned in this post, he deserves dedicated posts(maybe, a series), owing to his popularity! The interested viewers can start with this post where many distorted and concealed facts about Karna have been listed.

Facts about Duryodhan

As I started to list the facts mentioned about Duryodhan in the आदिपर्व & सभापर्व, I realized that dedicated posts(maybe, a series!) are required. I will update this section, whenever I write such a post/series. In this particular post, I have skipped mentioning many conspiracies that Duryodhan hatched against the Pandavas.

Disclaimer

I am interested in factual history, rather than novels or fictional depictions of historical entities and with this hat on, I have started to read Mahabharat.
My primary goal is to slice-and-dice the epic on several parameters – it’s characters, geographical listings, specific events e.g. boons and curses, facts lesser-known to the masses(that includes me), and so on.
I have tried to reproduce the facts as mentioned in the original epic, in other words, AS-IS. I have also tried my best to avoid expressing my own guesswork & opinions but wherever I couldn’t avoid, I have marked the text in grey.
Related to point 3. – I have refrained from commenting/skipping/justifying/opposing facts that seem unrealistic, unscientific, improbable, etc.
Errors in translation, interpretation of metaphors, geographical entities might have crept in. Constructive corrections are welcome.
The posts should be read and interpreted with the above points in mind, otherwise, I have no intentions and capabilities to evaluate or criticize a timeless legend like Mahabharat and it’s characters.
As an epic, I doubt there would be any Indian who is unaware of Mahabharat and I belong to that humongous population. My intention was/is to gain, at least a brief, understanding of the political and social events during that era. I wish to learn about the simultaneous and sequential events that occurred in the then known geographical areas.
I am completely aware of the rule of reading History – one should not judge the past based on the present standards, paradigms and situations.
I dislike the English language’s norm of appending ‘a’ to Indian epic names(Rama, Ravana, Ganesha, Shiva, etc.), hence, as far as possible, I have deliberately avoided the English language interpretation of ‘schwa‘. This is not always possible though e.g: ‘Kaurav’ and ‘Pandav’ are terms that designate lineage, not a number. So, plural reference, it is necessary to use ‘Kauravas’ and ‘Pandavas’. Another deviation from English language rules is spelling words as per their phonetic sound in Hindi e.g: ‘यज्ञ’ has been written as ‘yagya’ and not ‘yajna’.
The readers can be of diverse backgrounds, especially, in terms of their knowledge about Mahabharat. My posts are written based on my ( limited)knowledge of facts, which may differ from the readers. Constructive feedback is welcome. For discussions, please drop a personal message.