Knowra Pandava Pandava A Pandava is one of the five brothers—Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva—central to the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata. Their shared wife is Draupadi, and their conflict with the Kauravas drives the epic’s central war.
Yudhishthira : The eldest Pandava, renowned for commitment to dharma and known as the king of Indraprastha and later Hastinapura. His choices, especially the dice game, lead the brothers into exile.
Kauravas : The hundred sons of Dhritarashtra, led by Duryodhana, who oppose the Pandavas in the Mahabharata. Their rivalry with the Pandavas turns a succession dispute into a dynastic war.
Kunti : The mother of Yudhishthira, Bhima, and Arjuna, and the adoptive mother of Nakula and Sahadeva. Her marriages and invocation of deities explain the brothers’ births.
Bhagavad Gita : A philosophical dialogue between Arjuna and Krishna on duty, action, devotion, and liberation. Arjuna’s crisis before battle occasions this influential teaching.
Bhima : The second Pandava, famed for immense strength and skill with the mace. His vengeance against Duryodhana culminates in their decisive duel.
Duryodhana : The eldest Kaurava prince, whose refusal to yield the Pandavas’ claims makes him their principal adversary. His rivalry with the brothers is the personal center of the conflict.
Madri : The second wife of Pandu and mother of the twins Nakula and Sahadeva. Her sons join Kunti’s three as the five Pandava brothers.
Abhimanyu : Arjuna and Subhadra’s son, killed while fighting inside the Kaurava battle formation called the chakravyuha. His death deepens the Pandavas’ grief and fuels Arjuna’s vow of revenge.
Arjuna : The third Pandava, an exceptional archer and the central interlocutor of the Bhagavad Gita. His hesitation before battle frames Krishna’s teaching in the Gita.
Dice game in the Mahabharata : The rigged gambling match in which Yudhishthira loses his kingdom, brothers, and Draupadi. The match triggers the Pandavas’ exile and makes their return contentious.
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