The Mahabharata is a story of the dynasty of King Shantanu, the ruler of Hastinapur. It is a story about the decisions taken by his successors and the Royal household, that determined to a great extent the fate of Hastinapur. The story revolves around the Kauravas and the Pandavas, who were cousin brothers. Duryodhana was the eldest amongst the Kaurava brothers and was the son of Dhritarashtra. Yudhishtira, Bheema, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva were five brothers and were called as the Pandavas because they were the sons of Pandu. Kunti was the mother of the Pandavas.
A lot of the Mahabharata revolves around how the Kauravas tried to get rid of the Pandavas and to stake claim to the throne of Hastinapur and how finally both the groups ended up fighting a war against each other. Though finally, the Pandavas won the war, not much good was done as everything was destroyed in the war and hence, after making Parikshit the King, the Pandavas left Hastinapur forever. CONTENTS: 1. Vashishtha’s Curse 2. The Strange Promise 3. Bhishma’s vows. 4. Manu and the Fish 5. The Birth of Jarasandha 6. Guru Dakshina 7. The Bird’s Eye 8. Karna’s Predicament 9. Open Challenge 10. The Palace of Lac 11. The Big Fight 12. Draupadi’s Swayamvara 13. The New City of Indraprastha 14. Hearty Appetite! 15. Damyanti’s Dilemma 16. The Inhuman Sacrifice 17. Might and Right 18. Savitri’s Sincerity 19. Yaksha’s Questions of Life and Death 20. Nahush’s Great Fall 21. Curse or Boon? 22. The Brave Warrior 23. Karna’s Loss 24. Quick-witted Krishna 25. An Untimely Death 26. The Death Trap 27. Eclipsed 28. Giant-hearted Ghatotkacha 29. The Fall of the Elephant 30. The Wheel of Misfortune