Hey all, my name is Parikshit, and today I’m going to introduce you to my family tree. I will warn you, it gets a little crazy, so please try your best to follow along.
First let’s start with King Vichitravirya. He had two wives, Ambika and Ambalika (they were sisters) who gave him two sons, Dhritarashtra and Pandu. Now, Once King Vichitravirya died, his mother thought of her other son, Vyasa. He terrified Ambika so much so that when she saw him, she closed her eyes. Therefore, Dhritarashtra was born blind. Ambalika was also terrified, but she went pale. Therefore Pandu was pale. Vyasa is my great-great grandfather and the father of both Dhritarashtra and Pandu.
The next generation is a little more complicated. So Dhritarashtra married Gandhari and she had Duryodhana, Dushasana, Dussala and 98 other sons in total. These children are usually referred to as the Kauravas. Pandu married a woman named Kunti, who already has a son named Karna. This son was Surya’s son and grew up so quickly that Kunti didn’t really raise him. Kunti had three sons: Yudhishthira, Bhima, and Arjuna while Pandu’s other wife, Madri, had two sons: Nakula and Sahadeva. Now, all these sons were actually fathered by different deities, but Pandu always claimed them as his own as we all just let him. Pandus 5he sons were typically referred to as the Pandavas.
My father was the son of Arjuna and his wife Subhadra, and he married Uttara, my mother, who had me. When I was born, I was born dead, but Krishna brought me back to life. I was eventually made king of my grandfather’s kingdom, but the story to get there is a little complicated...
There was always a big feud between the Pandavas and the Kauravas. They all grew up together after Pandu’s death, and it was a household with 105 sons, there was going to be fights. You see the Pandavas were extremely gifted and very talented, which made Dhritarashtra’s eldest son, Duryodhana extremely jealous. So jealous that Duryodhana ended up disrespecting my great-uncles’ wife, Draupadi, and then sent my great-uncles’ to exile in the forest. But after their exile, they declared war on the Kauravas. The war was bloody and many died, including my father, Abhimanyu, and every single one of my uncles and aunts, and all of the Kauravas. My family won, but at great cost. This is how I was made the heir of the throne, even though I was the grandson of Kunti’s youngest son.
So while my family maybe complicated, but who's family doesn't have a little drama in it. And I’m so grateful for my family’s hard work that ended with me on the throne. Author's Note: The most confusing part of the Mahabharata for me was the family tree. There was so many characters and so many character names and I just kept getting confused. So for my story this week, I decided to have it be from the youngest member of the Pandava family, Parikshit, and have him tell his families story. It mainly focuses on the family tree to help me straighten things out, but also give a bit of the family drama involved at the end of the Mahabharata, because who doesn't like a little bit of family drama.
Source: Mahabharata (Public Domain Version)
First let’s start with King Vichitravirya. He had two wives, Ambika and Ambalika (they were sisters) who gave him two sons, Dhritarashtra and Pandu. Now, Once King Vichitravirya died, his mother thought of her other son, Vyasa. He terrified Ambika so much so that when she saw him, she closed her eyes. Therefore, Dhritarashtra was born blind. Ambalika was also terrified, but she went pale. Therefore Pandu was pale. Vyasa is my great-great grandfather and the father of both Dhritarashtra and Pandu.
The next generation is a little more complicated. So Dhritarashtra married Gandhari and she had Duryodhana, Dushasana, Dussala and 98 other sons in total. These children are usually referred to as the Kauravas. Pandu married a woman named Kunti, who already has a son named Karna. This son was Surya’s son and grew up so quickly that Kunti didn’t really raise him. Kunti had three sons: Yudhishthira, Bhima, and Arjuna while Pandu’s other wife, Madri, had two sons: Nakula and Sahadeva. Now, all these sons were actually fathered by different deities, but Pandu always claimed them as his own as we all just let him. Pandus 5he sons were typically referred to as the Pandavas.
My father was the son of Arjuna and his wife Subhadra, and he married Uttara, my mother, who had me. When I was born, I was born dead, but Krishna brought me back to life. I was eventually made king of my grandfather’s kingdom, but the story to get there is a little complicated...
There was always a big feud between the Pandavas and the Kauravas. They all grew up together after Pandu’s death, and it was a household with 105 sons, there was going to be fights. You see the Pandavas were extremely gifted and very talented, which made Dhritarashtra’s eldest son, Duryodhana extremely jealous. So jealous that Duryodhana ended up disrespecting my great-uncles’ wife, Draupadi, and then sent my great-uncles’ to exile in the forest. But after their exile, they declared war on the Kauravas. The war was bloody and many died, including my father, Abhimanyu, and every single one of my uncles and aunts, and all of the Kauravas. My family won, but at great cost. This is how I was made the heir of the throne, even though I was the grandson of Kunti’s youngest son.
So while my family maybe complicated, but who's family doesn't have a little drama in it. And I’m so grateful for my family’s hard work that ended with me on the throne. Author's Note: The most confusing part of the Mahabharata for me was the family tree. There was so many characters and so many character names and I just kept getting confused. So for my story this week, I decided to have it be from the youngest member of the Pandava family, Parikshit, and have him tell his families story. It mainly focuses on the family tree to help me straighten things out, but also give a bit of the family drama involved at the end of the Mahabharata, because who doesn't like a little bit of family drama.
Source: Mahabharata (Public Domain Version)
 |
| Family Trees from Source |
