Duryodhana's brother, Dushasana, dragged Draupadi into the court by her hair and tried to disrobe her. Draupadi prayed to Krishna, and a miracle occurred: as Dushasana pulled, her sari became an endless river of cloth. Finally, Bhima swore a terrifying oath: "I will tear open your chest and drink your blood, Dushasana."
Years later, Arjuna won the hand of the princess at her swayamvara . The five brothers, by a misunderstanding (and later, divine decree), all married Draupadi together. They returned to Hastinapura, and Dhritarashtra, feeling guilty, split the kingdom. He gave the Pandavas the barren, wild forest of Khandavaprastha. The Pandavas, with Krishna's help, built the magnificent city of Indraprastha there.
On the field of Kurukshetra, two vast armies faced each other. Arjuna, seeing his beloved grandsire Bhishma, his teacher Drona, and all his cousins on the opposing side, broke down. "Krishna, I will not fight. What is the glory in killing my own family?" Mahabharat Episode All
Yudhishthira was crowned king, but he was haunted. Years later, Krishna left the earth, returning to his divine abode. The Pandavas, their purpose done, renounced the world. They climbed the Himalayas toward heaven. One by one, the brothers and Draupadi fell, their hidden sins weighing them down. Only Yudhishthira, the righteous one, reached the gates—only to be told he could enter only if he left behind his dog . The dog was Dharma, his divine father. Yudhishthira refused. In that moment, heaven opened, and he entered, finally reunited with his brothers and Draupadi.
Dhritarashtra, though blind, became the de facto king because he was the eldest. He married Gandhari, a princess who blindfolded herself for life to share her husband's blindness. She bore a hundred sons—the —led by the cruel and jealous Duryodhana . The five brothers, by a misunderstanding (and later,
Victory was hollow. That night, three survivors—Ashwatthama, Kritavarma, and Kripa—crept into the Pandava camp and murdered all five of Draupadi’s sleeping sons. Only the five Pandavas survived.
The Pandavas lived their 13th year disguised in the court of King Virata. Arjuna, dressed as a eunuch dance teacher, Bhima as a cook, and Draupadi as a hairdresser. They survived and revealed themselves at the year's end. The Pandavas, with Krishna's help, built the magnificent
Pandu, due to a curse, could not father children. But his first wife, , possessed a secret mantra from her youth. Summoning gods, she bore three sons: Yudhishthira (god of dharma), Bhima (god of wind), and Arjuna (god of Indra). Pandu’s second wife, Madri, bore twin sons, Nakula and Sahadeva (the Ashwini gods). These five were the Pandavas .