Pandu
| Pandu | |
|---|---|
 Pandu with wife Kunti | |
| Wife | Kunti and Madri |
| Issue | Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, Sahadeva |
| Father | Vyasa |
| Mother | Ambalika |
In the Mahabharata epic, Pandu (Template:Lang-sa Pāṇḍu, lit. yellowish, whitish, pale or jaundiced), was the king of Hastinapur, was the son of Ambalika and Rishi Veda Vyasa. He is more popularly known as the earthly father of the Pandavas. He was said to be a great warrior and expanded his kingdom during his rule.
Birth
Vichitravirya, king of Kuru kingdom dies childless at young age, leaving kingdom heirless. His mother Satyavati sent for her son from different father, Rishi Veda Vyasa. She asks him to beget child with Vichitravirya's first wife Ambika, according to Devar Dharma. But Ambika closes her eyes when she visits Vyasa, resulting in a blind child, Dhritarashtra. Satyavati again asks him to visit Ambalika, as blind person can't protect the kingdom. Ambalika was instructed by Satyavati to keep her eyes open lest she would bear a blind son like Ambika's. She did keep her eyes open but she became pale after seeing the formidable form of the Sage. Therefore, Pandu was born pale.
Kingdom and Marriages
Pandu was an excellent archer and Maharathi. He became the successor to his kingdom and was coronated King of Hastinapur. Pandu later conquered the territories of the Sindhu Kingdom, Kashi, Anga, Trigarta Kingdom, Kalinga, Magadha, etc. and thus re-established their superiority over all the kings and increasing the span of his empire.[1]
Bhishma arranges Pandu's marriage with Kunti, adopted daughter of a Yadava Chief Kuntibhoja, and a sister of Vasudeva (father of Krishna). Later Pandu marries Madri, princess of Madri kingdom.
Curse
While hunting in a forest, (looking from a distance, his vision partially obscured by plants and trees) Pandu mistook Rishi Kindama and his wife for deer and shot arrows at them, killing the conjugal couple. The dying sage placed a curse on Pandu, since he had not only killed them in the midst of lovemaking, but was not remorseful for his action. King Pandu argued with sage Kindama by misquoting sage Agastya's ruling on the right of Kshatriyas' on hunting. Sage Kindama then decided to curse this Kshatriya who forgot his duty, the curse being that were he to approach his wives with the intent of making love, he would die. Upset and seeking to repent his action, Pandu renounced his kingdom and lived as an ascetic with his wives.[2]
Children
Childless at the time, Maharaja Pandu left his kingdom in the command of his elder brother, the blind Dhritrashtra, who was then crowned as king of Hastinapura. When Pandu expressed to Kunti his despair at the prospect of dying childless, Kunti used the boons given to her by Sage Durvasa to bear three sons—Yudhishthira (by Lord Yama), Bhima (by Lord Vayu), and Arjuna (by Lord Indra). Kunti also shared her boons with Madri, who bore Nakula and Sahadeva, twins from the physicians to the gods, the Ashwini Kumara twins. Thus the five Pandavas of Pandu were born.
Death
After 15 years of celibacy, when Kunti and his sons were away, Pandu suddenly became strongly attracted to his wife Madri. Due to the aforementioned curse, he died after attempting to be intimate with her. Madri, out of repentance and grief, committed sati, burning herself alive on her husband's funeral pyre.
Citations
- ^ Menon, [translated by] Ramesh (2006). The Mahabharata : a modern rendering. New York: iUniverse, Inc. ISBN 9780595401871.
- ^ Ramankutty, P.V. (1999). Curse as a motif in the Mahābhārata (1. ed.). Delhi: Nag Publishers. ISBN 9788170814320.
See also
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| Other deities | ||
| Texts (list) | ||
