Episodes
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70. The Funerals of Pandu & Madri
After the youthful beautiful Madri, second wife of former King Pandu, followed her husband into the afterworld upon the agreement with Kunti that she would on her own rear their five children, this episode looks at the immediate aftermath. The reaction of sages, the arrangement of the funerals…
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69. Pandu & Madri Depart
Following the birth of the three sons of Kunti, and two of Mādri, whose seeds were those of none other than demigods, and after Mādri asking if she could have more children, there was an anticlimax in the peaks of Satashringa. After Kunti’s refusal to Mādri’s request for more children of her own,...
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68. Birth of the Sons of Madri
On the peaks of the Satashringa mountains, following the birth of the three, most magnificent sons of Kunti, with Dharma, the God of justice, Vayu, the God of wind, and Indra, the king of Gods, what would this incredible pursuit lead to next. This episode explores the feeling of Pandu after this,...
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67. Birth of the Sons of Kunti
After hearing that it had been seen by the wise ones, that he would have children, Pandu was enthused, and had approached Kunti on the matter. Soliciting her ideas on the matter, and eventually asking her to make an advancement on it. The episode covers how it is that Kunti managed to birth...
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66. Pandu & Kunti discuss progeny
After receiving the curse of the sage Kindama in the guise of a deer, King Pandu seemed to be fated to have no children of his own. This episode shares what happens when he entered renounced life, and the vision of the sages that he would have progeny. Kunti and Pandu debate and explore which…
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65. Pandu's Renunciation
After Pandu‘s unfortunate curse, one that would effectively stop him from procreating with his wives, he renounces on an extreme sending the message back to Hastinapura of the same. Taking up intense association with the forest dwelling sages, they prophesied here of Pandu‘s having powerful...
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64. Pandu & The Deer Curse
King Janamejaya after hearing about the Kaurava births, is curious about his own line, that from Pandu, and so enquiring on this, hears beginning from the ventures of Pandu in the forest, and his dramatic meeting with Sage Kindama, in the guise of a deer. The resulting curse from their curious...
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63. Birth of The Kauravas
Following the conquests of Pandu, and his eventual retirement at a young age, to the forests, this episode turns its attention to Dhritrashtra and Gandhari, and their score of 102 children. Music Forest Walk by Alexander Nakarada | https://creatorchords.com Music promoted by...
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62. Pandu's Conquests
The powerful son of Queen Ambalika of the Kingdom of Kosala, Pandu, whose spirit was adventurous and boisterous, went with his forces in every direction, entailing one of the largest conquests of his race. Rapidly bringing Kings under his sway, he equally quickly retires to the forests, leaving…
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61. Birth of Karna
The two brothers Dhritrashtra & Pandu had thus been married through the vision of Bhishma in reinforcing alliances with the Gandhara, Vrishni, and Madra Kingdoms, who were none other than the fellow ancestors through the line of King Yayati. This episode explains the past of Kunti, who was now...
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60. Dhristrashtra & Pandu Wed
After Bhishma had in his mind an idea of how the marriages of his nephews Dhritrashtra and Pandu would pan out, this episode covers the events would unfold providing an opportunity for those to materialise; bringing together the lines that had come from their great ancestor King Yayati from the…
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59. Bhishma Designs Marital Alliances
After Satyavati & Bhishma had thought through together their succession plans on how best their line may be salvaged, and following the births of Dhritrashtra, Pandu and Vidura, Bhishma in this episode turns his attention to the prospective alliances through the marriages of the princes. Music:...
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58. Dharma as Vidura
Amongst the three sons of Vyasa with the princesses of Kashi, and the maidservant, the previous life roots of Vidura, though born of a maidservant, are indeed the most intriguing, and high. As Dharma himself incarnate, he is amongst the most elevated of personalities that feature in the entire...
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57. The Three Sons of Vyasa
Bhishma & Satyavati, as the leadership of the Kuru house, had made their resolution that Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa, would be invited to Hastinapura and asked to procreate with the two widowed wives of former King Vichitravirya. The episode describes how this all were to unfold. Forest Walk by...
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56. The Succession Dilemma II
After the passing within a short timeframe of three monarchs of Hastinapura in Shantanu, Chitrangada, and Vicchitravirya, the caretakers of the throne, Satyavati & Bhishma are plunged into a dilemma over what should happen next in absence of the royal line of Kuru effectively being halted in its...
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55. The Succession Dilemma I
After the passing within a short timeframe of three monarchs of Hastinapura in Shantanu, Chitrangada, and Vicchitravirya, the caretakers of the throne, Satyavati & Bhishma are plunged into a dilemma over what should happen next in absence of the royal line of Kuru effectively being halted in its...
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54. The Sons of Santanu & Satyavati
The unlikely union between King Shantanu of the great Kuru line, with the daughter, Satyavati of the fisher tribe would set in motion a set of events described in this episode, that would complicate the rulership at Hastinapura, with Bhishma installing his mother in law, followed by his two step...
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53. Santanu & Satyavati
In a circumstance that King Santanu chanced upon, in encountering Satyavati, the fisherlady, it would result in a high stakes encounter involving the heir to the throne Devavrata intervening and effectively staking the future for the present. This episode details the meeting of Santanu and...
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52. Santanu & Ganga
The union of Ganga & Santanu, anticipated in the previous life of Santanu as Mahabhisha coincided with the curse of the eight Vasus, which would result in blended Karma, which would play out through their children, which would include none other than Gangeya, also known as Devavrata. Music Forest...
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51. Mahabhisha & Ganga
The story of how Santanu met Ganga was not ordinary, and would not give way to ordinary events. Stemming from the heavenly personality Mahabhisha, Santanu would be born to fulfil his desire; for the celestial goddess Ganga. The episode describes these happenings that transgress the boundaries of…
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50. The Yadava Dynasty
Whilst much attention has been given to the Kuru line, not so much has been given to the Yadava line. The Yadavas form the maternal backbone of the Pandavas, and are instrumental in the happenings through till the final battle and beyond. This episode explores the intermingles of the Yadus and...
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49. Genealogy III
After hearing of the fall, and return of King Yayati, one of the prominent Kings amongst the Paurava line to the Kurus, Sage Vaisampayana and King Janamejaya elaborate further on this great lineage beyond the noble son of Yayati, Puru. Here again is addressed King Dushyant and Shakuntala, as well...
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48. Genealogy II
This episode features the precise inquiry of King Janamejaya of the line coming from the great King Puru, the youngest and dear most child of King Yayati, and indeed King Janamejaya’s forefather. Music Forest Walk by Alexander Nakarada | https://creatorchords.com Music promoted by...
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47. Genealogy I
The Mahabharata, as the worlds largest ancient classic, has a genelogy spanning across ages, transcending worlds, and leading to interchanges across various branches of the tree, that remain unknown to most. From naming conventions, to the inheritance of dominions, to interventions of the...
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46. King Yayati Falls
After Yayati has taught his son, his most cherished and pronounced realisations covering kindness, Indra asks him more questions; one of which brings out a certain pride in Yayati, leading him to fall from the heavens. Even in falling, Yayati pleads for the association of the virtuous, and...
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45. Teachings of Yayati to Puru
King Yayati after enjoying the insatiable pleasures of the world, decided to retire to the forest, and devote his life to meditating and conducting sacrifices, devoting himself to contentment with simplicity. After attaining the heavens as a result, the King was asked by the King of gods, Indra,...
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44. Decrepitude of King Yayati
This episode describes the immediate lineage of King Yayati, namely that of King Pururava, King Ayus, and King Nahusha; those though human, had interacted with the celestials. Amongst these descriptions, the focus is King Yayati, and his encountering the curse of decrepitude from Sage Shukra, the...
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43. King Yayati & Sharmistha
After being declined by Kacha, and having been saved from the well by King Yayati, Devayani chances across the King again, this time in different circumstances; when she now has Sharmistha as her maidservant. Devayani and Yayati, being enamoured with one another, agree to marriage with the...
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42. Devayani & Sharmistha’s Feud
After the efforts of the gods to obtain the sanjeevani from the demoniac preceptor through Kacha, and the departure of Kacha from the abode of his new found preceptor Sukra, he turns away his daughter Devayani. Devayani finds herself then stuck in a feud with the daughter of those so close to her...
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41. Sage Sukra & Kacha
Having explained of the birth of King Bharata, Sage Vaisampayana goes on to speak of the following ancestors of King Janamejaya after Bharata; many of whom had their maternal line originating from the celestials, both the demons, and the gods. Here is introduced the preceptor of the demons, Sage...
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40. King Bharata
After the King of the Puru race, Dushyanta, was enamoured by the adopted daughter of Sage Kanwa, named Shakuntala, and having proposed numerous options for their union, the King awaits her opinion on the matter. This episode explains what happened next, as the pathway for the great Kings Nahusha,...
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39. King Dushyanta
Now that the identities of descending characters have been explained as well as the reason for their descent, and also the summaries of the story of the Bharata cited; it is now time for King Janamejaya to go directly, in chronological order, to the story of the birth of King Bharata. His father...
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38. The Incarnations
After the somewhat more abstract aspects of existence, such as dharma, and adharma, the personalities behind planetary systems, King Janamejaya inquires of Sage Vaisampayana of who each of the principle characters of the Bharata, the heroes, the villains, the queens, and sages, were, in their…
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37. Dharma & Adharma
After describing the daughters of Daksha, in his final descriptions of how the various entities arose, Sage Vaisampayana describes the progeny of Dharma, and their composite qualities. And side by side, the grave descriptions of Adharma are provided. Music Forest Walk by Alexander Nakarada |...
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36. Daughters of Daksha
Here is explained by the Sage Vaisampayana, details of the daughters of the Prajapati, one of the great progenitors of living entities, to the inquisitive monarch Janamejaya. Amongst his daughters, there are those married to Dharma, the god of justice, as well as the great sage, Kashyapa Muni....
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35. The Sons of Brahma
Sage Vaisampayana describes in response to King Janamejaya’s question on the birth of different living entities, the role of Lord Brahma as creator, and progenitor of several prajapati’s, or progenitors of living entities and their races. Music Forest Walk by Alexander Nakarada |...
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34. Divine & Demoniac Descents
The events of Kurukshetra had a long history, not only in matters of this world, but the other worlds. King Janamejaya inquires about the hidden identities of the scores of personalities, who were at loggerheads since their births, who would again confront each other on Earth, including the…
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33. The Mahabharata Glorified
Sage Vaisampayana, knowing of the spiritual as well as material value to the Mahabharata to an individual and the world, before narrating, informs the monarch, Janamejaya of these great glories of the epic story of the Bharata. Music Forest Walk by Alexander Nakarada | https://creatorchords.com...
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32. The Mahabharata Summarized
The Moghuls called the Mahabharata, the “Book of War.” It is clear that without disunion, the stories prominence, would not be the same. King Janamejaya, on seeing his great great grandfather, Sage Vyasa, asks a very pointed question, what was the cause of disunion amongst his great ancestors. To...
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31. Characters Assemble
As Janamejaya’s curiosity to hear of his ancestral fued deepens, Sage Vaisampayana describes to him the stories behind the characters beginning with Sage Vyasa, and eventually with the host of characters from Pandu, to Vidura, to Shikhandi. Music Forest Walk by Alexander Nakarada |...
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30. The Great Snake Sacrifice
After the personality who would stop the snake sacrifice of King Janamejaya had been born; that effulgent Astika, Suta Goswami narrates on how the story of King Parikshit’s passing at the hands of Takshaka the snake, was told to King Janamejaya, to incite him to revenge. This episode describes…
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29. The Birth of Astika
The liberator of the snakes prophesied by the great Brahma, would be born to the Sage Jaratkaru. This episode describes the circumstance giving rise to his birth; those of circumstances involving a sage who preferred a life of solitude than one of household domesticity. His ancestors urging him…
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28. King Parikshit Departs
The Grandson of Arjuna, King Parikshit, despite being one of the most noble of monarchs to have sat on the throne of Hastinapura, happened to do so at a time of transition. Transition of the ages, into the Dark Age. As a result, destiny would have it that he would come across a peaceful sage, and...
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27. King Parikshit Cursed
In anticipation of the great snake sacrifice feared by Vasuki and his snake brothers, that would be instigated by the future King Janamejaya, Suta Goswami in this episode describes the context of the resent towards snakes after events involving the father of Janamejaya, King Parikshit, and his...
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26. Vasuki's Dilemma
As the curse of Kadru, condemning her snake sons to be annihilated in the great snake sacrifice to be conducted by future King Janamejaya, Vasuki calls a counsel for solutions. The variegated thought processes perusing sustenance of the race, end up turning to understanding what has been fated...
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25. Śeṣa
Shesha is one of the most prominent amongst the snake race, the Nagas. This episode shares the background behind him becoming the force holding together the Earth, after leaving his family given the moral and ethical disagreements stemming from his mothers conspiring to put his step mother into...
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24. The Warrior Class
The Warrior Class, is the most heavily featured class in the Mahabharata. This episode breaks down the warrior class, from the morphology of the Sanskrit word Kshatriya, to the opinions of the likes of Arjuna, Bhima, Karna & Duryodhana on the heart, mindset and role of a warrior. Artwork…
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23. Rama As God
After hearing about how Rama is used by Sages and the Pandavas to give encouragement to one another on their journey to the throne, this episode highlights the citation of Rama as God in the Mahabharata. Music Track: "Tame Tide" Music provided by https://slip.stream Free Download / Stream:...
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22. Rama & Yuddhistira
This episode describes how Rama is cited in the Mahabharata in order to inspire a character in many ways similar to himself, the noble Yuddhistira, to continue on the path to victory, and overcome the various tribulations he faced along with his brothers and wife. Music Track: "Tame Tide" Music...
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21. The Land of Ayodhya
Ayodhya features in the Mahabharata both dependently and independently of Rama. Many Kings have come and gone, both in the line of Ikshvaku, and also not; not least during the Moghul rules, but also in the Indo-Aryan ages. The grand example of devotion in Tulasidas in the 1600s, at also a time of...
About this show
Hear reflections based on the ancient Vedic teachings of the epic Mahabharata.
Hosted by
Prashant Joshi
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