PanduIn the Hindu epic Mahabharata, Pandu (Pāṇḍu) was a king of the Kuru Kingdom. He was the foster-father of the five Pandava brothers, who were the boons bestowed upon his wife Kunti by a number of deities, owing to his inability to bear children following sage Kindama's curse. He belonged to the Kuru Dynasty. When Vichitravirya died due to sickness, Bhishma was unable to ascend the throne because of his vow, and Bahlika's line was unwilling to leave the Bahlika Kingdom. There ensued a succession crisis in Hastinapura.
NiyogaNiyoga (नियोग) was an ancient Hindu practice, primarily followed during the ancient period. It permitted either the husband or the wife who had no child by their spouse to procreate a child with another man or a woman. The epic Mahabharata describes one instance of niyoga. Queen Satyavati asks her eldest son, sage Vyasa to perform niyoga with both the widows of her younger son Vichitravirya. The widows, sisters Ambika and Ambalika and one of their maids, Parishrami bear Dhritarashtra, Pandu and Vidura, respectively.
VyasaKrishna Dvaipayana (Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana), better known as Vyasa (ˈvjɑːsə; Vyāsaḥ) or Vedavyasa (वेदव्यासः, Veda-vyāsaḥ, "the one who classified the Vedas"), is a revered sage portrayed in most Hindu traditions. He is traditionally regarded as the author of the epic Mahabharata. Vyasa is also regarded by many Hindus as a partial incarnation (aṃśa-avatāra) of the god Vishnu and the compiler of the mantras of the Vedas into four Vedas, as well as the author of the eighteen Puranas and the Brahma Sutras.
PandavaThe Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, IAST: Pāṇḍava) is a group name referring to the five legendary brothers, Yudhishtira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva, who are central characters of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. They are acknowledged as the sons of Pandu, the King of Kuru, but were fathered by different Devas (gods) due to Pandu's inability to naturally conceive children. In the epic, the Pandavas married Draupadi, the princess of Panchala, and founded the city of Indraprastha after the Kuru Kingdom was split to avoid succession disputes.
