This article is about mythohistorical figures of India. For the spider genus known as Pandav, see Titanoecidae. The titanoecid spiders (family Titanoecidae) include only five genera and a little over 46 Species worldwide

Pandav brothers with Krishna, in Razm-Nama, a Mahabharata translation, initiated by Akbar

In the Hindu epic Mahābhārata, the Pandava (or Pandawa) brothers (Sanskrit: पाण्‍डव pāṇḍavaḥ) are the five acknowledged sons of Pandu (Sanskrit: पांडु), by his two wives Kunti and Madri. Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. Sanskrit (sa संस्कृता वाक् saṃskṛtā vāk, for short sa संस्कृतम् saṃskṛtam) is a historical In the Mahābhārata epic Pandu ( Sanskrit: पाण्‍डु is the son of Vichitravirya and his second wife Ambalika from Vyasa Sanskrit (sa संस्कृता वाक् saṃskṛtā vāk, for short sa संस्कृतम् saṃskṛtam) is a historical Kunti ( Sanskrit: कुंती is the mother of the eldest three of the Pandava brothers from the Indian epic Mahābhārata. In the Mahābhārata epic Madri ( Sanskrit: माद्री was a princess of the Madra kingdom and the second wife of Pandu. Their names are Yudhishtira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva. In the great Hindu epic Mahabharata, Yudhisthira ( Sanskrit: युधिष्ठिर yudhiṣṭhira) the eldest son of King In the Mahābhārata, Bhima ( Sanskrit: भीम IAST: Bhīma was the second of the Pandava brothers Arjuna or Arjun ( Sanskrit: अर्जुन arjuna) is one of the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahābhārata, whose name Nakula ( Sanskrit: नकुल naküla) was one of the five Pandava brothers according to the epic Mahābhārata. Sahadeva ( Sanskrit: सहदेव sahadéva)was one of the five Pandava brothers according to the epic Mahābhārata. All five brothers were married to one woman, Draupadi. In the Ancient Indian epic Mahābhārata, Krsnā Draupadī (Devanagari कृष्णा द्रौपदी; approx Together, they fought and prevailed in a war against the party of their cousins the Kauravas, the climax of which was the Battle of Kurukshetra. The term Kaurava ( Sanskrit:कौरव is a Sanskrit term that means a descendant of Kuru, a legendary king who is the ancestor of many of the characters The Kurukshetra War ( Devangari: कुरुक्षेत्र युद्ध forms an essential component of the Hindu epic Mahābhārata Their alienated half-brother Karna fought against them and was eventually slain by Arjuna. Karna ( Sanskrit: कर्ण written Karṇa in IAST transliteration is one of the central characters of the Mahābhārata. Arjuna or Arjun ( Sanskrit: अर्जुन arjuna) is one of the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahābhārata, whose name

Parents of the Pandavs

The first three of the Pandavs were the sons of Kunti, and the younger two were sons of Madri. Since Pandu had been cursed to die if ever he had intercourse with his wives, the actual fatherhood of the children is traditionally attributed to various gods, in virtue of a boon that Kunti had received from Durvasa and had transferred to Madri. Kunti ( Sanskrit: कुंती is the mother of the eldest three of the Pandava brothers from the Indian epic Mahābhārata. Thus, Yudhishthira was the son of Dharma the god of righteousness, Bhima the son of Vayu the wind-god, Arjun the son of Indra the sky-god, and Nakul and Sahadeva the sons of the Ashwini Gods. In the great Hindu epic Mahabharata, Yudhisthira ( Sanskrit: युधिष्ठिर yudhiṣṭhira) the eldest son of King The Sanskrit term ( Devanāgarī: धर्म Pali transliteration dhamma) is an Indian spiritual and religious In the Mahābhārata, Bhima ( Sanskrit: भीम IAST: Bhīma was the second of the Pandava brothers In Hinduism Vayu ( Sanskrit: वायु, IAST: Vāyu Malay: Bayu Thai: Phra Pai is a primary deity the father of Indra ( Sanskrit: इन्द्र or इंद्र Indra, Malay: Indera, Thai: พระอินทร์ Phra-Intra Nakul is the name of one of the brothers among the five Pandavas in the Hindu epic poem Mahabharata. Sahadeva ( Sanskrit: सहदेव sahadéva)was one of the five Pandava brothers according to the epic Mahābhārata. The Ashvins (अश्विन ( aśvin- "possessor of horses" "horse tamer" "cavalier" dual aśvinau) or Ashwini Kumaras

Iravati Karve has suggested in her book, Yuganta, that the actual father of Yudhishtira, or of all of the brothers, may have been Vidura, and that this was edited and hidden in the story to strengthen the claim for the kingdom by the brothers. Irawati Karve (15 December 1905 - 11 August 1970 was an Indian anthropologist. Vidura ( Sanskrit: विदुर vidūra) was half-brother to Dhritarashtra and Pandu.

Iravati Karve's theory has been however rubbished by many Mahbaharata authorities like Buddhadeb Bose and Nrsimhaprasad Bhaduri on grounds that the author of Mahbharata had no need to "hide" about Yudhisthira's birth when he writes explicitly and undauntedly about all "illicit" relationships. Irawati Karve (15 December 1905 - 11 August 1970 was an Indian anthropologist.

Draupadi's description of her husbands to Jayadrath

The Pandava brothers were collectively married to Draupadi. In the Ancient Indian epic Mahābhārata, Krsnā Draupadī (Devanagari कृष्णा द्रौपदी; approx On one occasion, Draupadi was kidnapped and abducted from a hermitage in the forest by the wicked king Jayadratha. In the epic Mahābhārata, Jayadratha (जयद्रथ is the king of Sindhu. When her husbands learned of the crime, they came in hot pursuit. Seeing them approach, Jayadrath asked Draupadi to describe them. Angrily, Draupadi told the king his time was up, and that the knowledge would do him no good. She then proceeded to give the description. (Mahābhārat, Book III: Varna Parva, Section 268. )

• According to Draupadi, Yudhishthira possessed a "complexion like that of pure gold, possessed of a prominent nose and large eyes, and endued with a slender make. In the great Hindu epic Mahabharata, Yudhisthira ( Sanskrit: युधिष्ठिर yudhiṣṭhira) the eldest son of King " He was just, had a correct sense of morality, and was merciful to surrendering foes. Draupadi counselled Jayadrath to run to Yudhishthir and to beg for forgiveness.
• Draupadi described Bhima as tall and long-armed. In the Mahābhārata, Bhima ( Sanskrit: भीम IAST: Bhīma was the second of the Pandava brothers In a display of ferocity, he was "biting his lips, and contracting his forehead so as to bring the two eye-brows together. " His superhuman feats had earned him great renown. "They that offend him are never suffered to live. He never forgets a foe. On some pretext or other he wreaks his vengeance. "
• Arjun she praised as the greatest of archers, intelligent, "with senses under complete control. " Neither lust nor fear nor anger could make him forsake virtue. Though capable of withstanding any foeman, he would never commit an act of cruelty.
• Nakul, said Draupadi, was "the handsomest person in the whole world. Nakul is the name of one of the brothers among the five Pandavas in the Hindu epic poem Mahabharata. " An accomplished swordsman, he was also "versed in every question of morality and profit" and "endued with high wisdom. " He was unflinchingly devoted to his brothers, who in turn regarded him as more valuable than their own lives. The name Nakul generally means full of love and the male characteristics implied by the name are: Intelligence, Focus, Hard-Work, Handsomeness, Health, Attractiveness, Success, Popularity, Respect, and unconditional Love.
• Finally, Sahadeva was the youngest of the brothers, and like the others formidable in war and observant of morality. Sahadeva ( Sanskrit: सहदेव sahadéva)was one of the five Pandava brothers according to the epic Mahābhārata. "Heroic, intelligent, wise and ever wrathful, there is not another man equal unto him in intelligence or in eloquence amid assemblies of the wise. "

References

• Chakravarti V. Narasimhan; The Mahabharata. Columbia University Press, 1965.

External links

• The Mahābhārata of Vyasa, translated from Sanskrit into English by Kisari Mohan Ganguli and published online at sacred-texts. com.