The Story Behind Dhritarashtra

In the city of Hastinapura, there is a king. Shantanu rules the city. He meets a woman by the river and falls in love. The woman asks for him to never ask any questions and if he agrees, they can marry. With every child they conceive, the woman drowns them one by one. The newborns drown in the river. Once the eighth child is born, Shantanu can no longer take it. He protests the baby being drowned. His wife explains to him that she is the river Ganga incarnated to give birth to eight gods. The babies return to heaven after being drowned. The woman takes the eighth child with her and together they disappear into the river. The eighth child is known by the name of Bhishma.

Along comes Satyavati. She is a fisherman's daughter who Shantanu falls in love with. They want to marry, but her father objects. The father objects because of Bhishma. Bhishma is already going to be Shantanu's successor. In order for Satyavati and Shantanu to marry, Bhishma must first renounce his claim to the throne and also the possibility of having children.

Shantanu and Satyavati do have two sons. Their names are Chitrangada and Vichitravirya. Chitrangada becomes king. Unfortunately, he dies, and Bhishma rules as regent for Vichitravirya.

Bhishma finds three wives for Vichitravirya: Amba, Ambika, and Ambalika. The problem is Amba has already promised herself to another king. Bhishma sends her away. Amba is then rejected by the other king because she has entered another man's house. Amba vows revenge on Bhisma, but Ambika and Ambalika both marry Vichitravirya.

Vichitravirya soon dies and he dies before creating any sons. Satyavati wants Bhishma to conceive sons with Vichitravirya's widows. She begs him to father sons with Ambika and Ambalika. Bhishma refuses. Bhishma cannot break his vow of celibacy. Satyavati proposes a solution. Her son, Vyasa, can sleep with the widows in order to carry on the family line.

Vyasa is called by his mother to sleep with Vichitravirya's widows. Vyasa has an unusual appearance. This is because of the rituals and austerities that he had been practicing.

When it is time for Ambika to sleep with Vyasa she is repelled. His appearance repulses her. It repulses her so much so that she has to have her eyes closed. Because she closed her eyes during conception, this caused their son to be born blind. The son that was born was named Dhritarashtra.

Ambalika is repulsed by Vyasa's appearance. They do conceive a child together. Their son is born extremely pale. They name their son Pandu.

Ambalika forces her maid to take her place to sleep with Vyasa. The maid likes Vyasa. She does not see Vyasa in a negative way. She was not frightened or repulsed by Vyasa. They sleep together and conceive a child. Their child, Vidura, is born without a flaw.

Author's Note:

I am retelling the stories from Mahabharata, the Tiny Tales version. In this story, you will read about what happens in the city of Hastinapura.

My writing retells the story of how Vidura came to be. I think it is important for the readers to understand Vidura's legacy and family line. I wrote this story in my own words. I think that retelling a story using a different author can help others better understand the story.

My story tells of how Vindura came to be; the family before and what led to his life. Many events led to the life of Dhritarashtra as well as Vidura. My story helps readers understand the history of Vidura's family. Understanding family ties is important to understand the story of Mahabharata.

Vidura has many ancestors. By reading my story, you will come to understand why Dhritarashtra was born blind and what his family endured before his birth.

To start, there are five Pandavas brothers. The brothers are Yudhistira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva. They are cousins to the Kauravas. The Kauravas are the descendants of Dhritarashtra.

I enjoy retelling this story because it is so interesting. I really enjoyed reading the story of Mahabharata, the Tiny Tales Version. I hope you enjoy the story as much as I did.

Bibliography:

Tiny Tales, Laura Gibbs

Shantanu pursues Ganga