King Pandu married Kunti, daughter of Shurasena, ruler of the Yadavas. But Kunti bore no children, so after a while Pandu took a second wife, Madri, daughter of King Shalya of Madra. Like Kunti before her, Madri also did not bear any children, and Pandu had no son to succeed him.

Prince Dhritarashtra, meanwhile, married a princess named Gandhari, daughter of King Subala of Gandhara. When she learned that her husband was blind, Gandhari blindfolded herself, vowing that she would share his blindness.

"Let us have children soon!" Dhritarashtra told her, hoping that their son would rule Hastinapura after Pandu.

While hunting, Pandu shot a stag in the act of love. The stag was in fact a rishi named Kindama, and the doe was his wife. They had transformed into deer to make love in the forest.

As he was dying, Kindama cursed Pandu. "You will die, just as I am dying, if you ever touch a woman again."

Pandu realized he would never be able to have a son, so he renounced the world and went to live in the wilderness. His devoted wives, Kunti and Madri, went into the wilderness with him.

Thus Dhritarashtra became king after all.

But Kunti had a secret.

Years ago, the rishi Durvasa had visited her parents. Durvasa was notoriously bad-tempered, but Kunti's gracious hospitality pleased him, and he rewarded her with a mantra. "It summons any god," he explained, "and that god will give you a child."

Wondering if what Durvasa said was true, Kunti used the mantra to summon Surya, the sun-god.

Surya appeared!

"Forgive me," Kunti said. "I didn't mean it."

"The mantra cannot be undone," Surya replied.

Kunti became pregnant, and when the baby was born, she put him in a basket and set him adrift in a river.

Kunti told Pandu about her mantra, and Pandu was delighted. "Summon Yama, god of dharma," he exclaimed, "and our son will be righteous."

Kunti summoned Yama, and she had a son. They named him Yudhishthira.

"Now summon Vayu, god of wind, so our son will be strong." Kunti had another son, and they named him Bhima.

"We need a warrior son," said Pandu. "Summon Indra, king of the gods."

Kunti had a third son, and they named him Arjuna.

Kunti shared her mantra with Madri, and she summoned the twin Ashwin gods, who gave her twin sons, Nakula and Sahadeva.

King Dhritarashtra rejoiced when his wife Gandhari told him she was pregnant, but he despaired a year later when she still had not given birth. Another year went by, and still Gandhari had not given birth, although her belly was big.

While he waited for his wife's delivery, Dhritarashtra took his wife's maid, Sughada, into his bed. She gave birth to a son: Yuyutsu.

Because Yuyutsu's mother was a member of the servant class and not a kshatriya-warrior, Yuyutsu could not inherit the throne, much like his low-born uncle Vidura. Also like Vidura, Yuyutsu was a wise and righteous man.

Pandu now had five sons by his two wives, but Dhritarashtra's wife Gandhari still had no children, although she had been pregnant for years. In frustration, she struck her belly, and a ball of flesh emerged.

Gandhari despaired, but Vyasa assured her, "You will have many children." He divided the flesh into a hundred pieces, putting them into pots.

"These will be one hundred sons," Vyasa said.

"I'd like a daughter too," said Gandhari.

Vyasa brought another pot, and put a piece of flesh into that pot also.

The children grew in the pots: one hundred sons and one daughter.

One day Pandu was seized with desire for his wife Madri. "You are so beautiful. Come, let me embrace you!"

"No!" shrieked Madri.

When Pandu touched her, he died, just as the curse foretold.

Stricken with grief and guilt, Madri leaped onto Pandu's funeral pyre.

Kunti then raised her sons and the sons of Madri together; they were the Pandavas, sons of Pandu.

Kunti brought the boys to Hastinapura.

King Dhritarashtra acknowledged his nephews, and the sons of Pandu grew up together with Dhritarashtra's sons, who were known as the Kauravas, descendants of Kuru, the ancient founder of their dynasty.

Before his death, Pandu revealed a secret to his sons. "Years of meditation have imbued my flesh with great wisdom. After I die, eat my flesh and you will receive this wisdom."

But the priests cremated Pandu's body before his sons could do as he had ordered.

Sahadeva, however, saw ants carrying away tiny bits of Pandu's body, which he took and put in his mouth. Instantly, he knew everything, past and future.

Then a stranger, who was Krishna in disguise, told him, "Never reveal your knowledge. Answer every question with a question."

Sahadeva obeyed, keeping his knowledge to himself.

Duryodhana was the eldest son of Dhritarashtra, and he conceived a deep hatred for the Pandavas, his cousins. In particular, he hated Bhima, the strongest among the Pandavas, who liked to play tricks on him.

Duryodhana decided to kill his cousin, so he put poison in Bhima's food and then, when Bhima was unconscious, he threw Bhima into the river.

Bhima sank deep into the waters, and when the nagas of the river bit him, their poison counteracted Duryodhana's poison. Bhima did not die! Amazed, the nagas took Bhima into the depths of the river to see their king, Vasuki.

"You look familiar," Vasuki said. "Who are you?"

"I am Bhima, son of Pandu, King of Hastinapura, and of Kunti, daughter of Shurasena, ruler of the Yadavas."

"Of course!" Vasuki exclaimed. "Shurasena had a naga wife. That makes us cousins! I know about Yadu also. He was once swimming in the ocean when the naga king of that time brought Yadu to his undersea palace and gave him five naga princesses to be his wives."

Then Vasuki gave Bhima a potion endowing him with the strength of a thousand elephants, and Bhima emerged from the river more powerful than before.