Known as Bhishma Pitamaha, Bhishma was actually Devavratha, King Shanthanu and Mother Ganga's son. He received a boon from his father that he could choose his own time of death. He vowed never to get married and remained the constant guide, teacher, philosopher and friend to the Pandavas and the Kauravas. He kept his promise of never contesting the King's throne. Accordingly, after his father's death he made his brothers, Chitrangada and later, Vichitravirya,...

Arjuna was Kunti and Pandu's son born, when Kunti invoked Devendra. At the time of his birth, a loud thunder proclaimed that he would be equal to Vishnu in courage, to Shiva in prowess and would uphold the name of the Kuru clan. He was Drona's best student who learnt the use of Brahmastra upon saving his teacher from the fatal grip of a crocodile. He was able to fulfill his guru's wish and thus brought King Drupada to Drona. He agreed to fight against...

Draupadi was king Drupada's daughter born of fire and was destined to bring the end of the Kauravas. She accepted Arjuna to be her husband in the swayamwara but later on became the wife of all the five Pandavas. Sage Vedavyasa convinced Drupada that Draupadi was Swargalakshmi incarnate and that by marrying the five brothers she was marrying five Indras. Upon Narada's advice, the brothers drew up a code of conduct. One of the codes was that Draupadi...

Ravana was born to Kaikasi and Vishravasa, and Pulatsya (son of Prajapathi Brahma) was his grandfather. Kumbhakarna and Vibhishana were his brothers and Shoorpanakha was his sister. As he was born with ten heads, he was known as Dashagreeva, Dashanana, etc. He went to Gokarna with his brothers and performed such severe penance that Lord Brahma appeared before him and granted him a boon by virtue of which he would be immune to death at the hands of...

Sage Vedavyasa, great grandson of Sage Vashista, was also known as Dwaipayana and Badarayana. He classified the Vedas into 4, wrote the Brahma Sutra, and divided the Puranas into 18 Mahapuranas. He initiated four of his disciples—Paila, Vaishampayana, Jaimini and Sumanthu — into the Vedas and invested with them the responsibility of continuing the tradition. Sage Vedavyasa had the power of seeing into the past and the future. Thus he convinced...

Sage Valmiki, who lived on the banks of the Tamasa, was asked by Brahma to compose the Ramayana in the form of slokas. Valmiki was originally Ratnakara, a dreaded robber. Once Sage Narada advised him to mend his ways and asked him whether the people who were living on the fruits of his robbery would partake of his sinful acts. Ratnakara confidently approached his parents, people, wife and son only to be told that they were not willing to make his...

Krishna was a lovable, divine character from whose flute came divine music and one who was the darling of Brindavan. His uncle, Kamsa, tried his best to kill him as Kamsa was destined to get killed by this divine being. Thus, Kamsa sent Poothani, Shakatasura and Trinavartha in various guises but each one was killed by the young Krishna. Even after Krishna located to Brindavan, Kamsa hounded him in various ways but turned out to be unsuccessful. Together...

Narada, Lord Brahma's son, was asked to leave Satyaloka, be born twice as a human being in order to understand the trials and tribulations of earthly life. So first, he was born as a gandharva when he invented the Veena. Second, he was born as a son of a housemaid who worked in a brahmin's house. Thus his mind was filled thoughts of God and service to Him. God appeared before him saying that he had fulfilled his purpose. Soon after, there was the...

Sri Rama , an avatar of Lord Vishnu, was born to King Dasharatha and Queen Kausalya after the king performed the Aswamedha and Putrakameshthi yajnas. Rama and his three brothers had all the qualities of kshyatriyas and endeared themselves to one and all in Ayodhya. Sage Viswamitra once came to the king's palace and requested for Rama to be sent to protect his yajna from two demons' interference. Much to the king's consternation, Rama and Lakshmana...