n the Mahabharata, a Hindu epic text, the Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, IAST: pāṇḍava) are the

five acknowledged sons of Pandu. Named Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva,

they were born to Pandu's wives Kunti and Madri, the princess of Madra. All five brothers were
married to the same woman, Draupadi.[1]
Together the brothers fought and won the great war against their cousins the Kauravas, known
as the Kurukshetra War.

Contents

 1Etymology
 2The Pandavas
 3Story
 4Death of Pandavas
o 4.1Krishna's help to Pandavas
 5Parents of Pandavas
 6Description by Draupadi of Pandavas
 7In literature
 8See also
 9Notes
 10References
 11External links

Etymology[edit]
Sahadeva, the youngest brother, in Javanese Wayang form

The word Pandava (Sanskrit: पाण्डवा, IAST: Pāṇḍavā) is derived from their father's

name, Pandu (Sanskrit: पाण्डु , IAST: Pāṇḍu) and means "descendants of Pandu". Other epithets
given to the Pandavas are:[citation needed]

 Pāṇḍuputra (Sanskrit: पाण्डु पु त्र) - sons of Pandu

 Pāṇḍavakumāra (Sanskrit: पाण्डवकुमार) - young Pandavas
 Kaunteya (Sanskrit: कौन्ते य) - sons of Kunti (Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna). Karna is also
called Kaunteya when his real identity as Kunti's son comes to be known after the war.
o These three are also called Partha, since Pritha is another name of Kunti. [clarification
needed]

 Mādreya (Sanskrit: माद्रेय) - sons of Madri (Nakula and Sahadeva)

The Pandavas[edit]
Draupadi is presented in a pachisi game where Yudhishthira has gambled away all his material wealth.

 Yudhishthira: The eldest Pandava brother. His name means "one who is steadfast even
during war". His parents were Kunti and Yama, god of virtue, justice and morality. He was a
skilled warrior and was a master in Spear fighting and Chariot race. He was good with Bow
and Arrow too, he,as Kanka, helped King Virata to fight his enemy King Susarma. He was a
Maharathi. Yudhishthira was one of the most virtuous men, skilled in the duties of a king and
steadfast in the path of dharma. He was a good king who, along with his brothers, founded
the prosperous city of Indraprastha. By Krishna's designs and his brothers' conquests,
Yudhishthira became the emperor of the world. He performed two Ashwamedha sacrifices
and one Rajasuya sacrifice. Yudhishthira learnt to control the dice from the Sage Brihadaswa
and became good at playing chess. His other names are Ajatshatru ("without enemies") and
Dharmaraja ("admired for virtues").

 Bhima: The second Pandava brother. His name means "of terrible might". His parents
were Kunti and Vayu, the god of air and wind, who was known for his might. Bhima has the
physical strength and prowess equal to a hundred elephants and was very athletic. He was
aggressive and prone to anger. Bhima was devoted to his family and was their natural
protector. He was a master in wielding the mace. He was also a powerful archer, having
fought Drona and Ashwatthama and Karna on several occasions. Bhima was also very
skilled in diverse areas of warfare, including wrestling, charioteering, riding elephants and
sword fighting. Along with Arjuna, he went on expeditions to conquer the kingdoms to the
east and south. During the Rajasuya Yagna, Bhima subjugated the kingdoms of the eastern
direction completely. He slew Krishna's most dangerous enemy, Jarasandha, in a wrestling
bout, and slew the Matsya commander, Kichaka, for attempting to molesting Draupadi.
During the war, Bhima was most famous for slaying one hundred Kauravas
and Duryodhana himself. He was also skilled in chopping wood, cooking, culinary arts and
sciences. Bhima's other name was Vrikodara ("wolf bellied"). However, he was selfish as
well. He married a rakshashi Hidimba during their hiding in the forest in addition to Draupadi
and had a son Ghatotkachh.

 Arjuna: The third Pandava brother. His name relates to "arjana" or earning. His parents
were Kunti and Indra, king of the gods and the god of the sky and war. He was very virtuous
and avoided unjust acts. He was known for his singleminded concentration, determination
and his devotion to Krishna. He was the only person to whom Lord Krishna displayed his
complete param avtara. Arjuna was more fortunate than his brothers as he was the favourite
of Bhishma, popular among the people, famous among the gods and attractive to women.
He was the favourite disciple of his guru Drona, who taught weaponry. Arjuna was
ambidextrous and perhaps the greatest of archers, having mastered archery to the highest
possible level. He was rivalled by Bhishma, Drona and Karna. In those days, archery was
considered to be the foremost of all fighting disciplines, and Arjuna's mastery over it
contributed to his popularity. Arjuna was a complete master archer, a supreme chariot
warrior and had also obtained near-perfect mastery over almost all divine, celestial and
esoteric weapons, along with the secrets of invoking and recalling them. He spent five years
 acquiring and mastering divine weapons from Indra and the other gods. He also acquired the
mastery over the rarest and the most powerful weapon, the Pashupatastra, from
Lord Shiva himself. He also had command over devastating weapons like the Brahmastra.

 Nakula: The fourth Pandava brother. His name means "without kula (or, lineage)". His
parents were Madri and the Ashwin twin Nasatya. He was attractive, humble, diplomatic and
helpful. During the Rajasuya Yagna, Nakula conquered the western direction. During
the Kurukshetra War, he slew many warriors including many sons of Karna and son of
Shakuni, Uluka. Nakula and his younger twin brother, Sahadeva, were excellent sword
fighters. Nakula was also a master of equestrian arts and sciences, skilled in wielding
unusual weapons, in chariotry and in riding horses. He was known for his understanding and
special ways with horses.

 Sahadeva: The fifth and the youngest brother of the Pandavas. His name means "along
gods" or "with gods". His parents were Madri and the Ashwin twin Dasra. Sahadeva was the
wisest of all the Pandava brothers, and the most mysterious and introverted. Like Nakula,
Sahadeva was a master of sword fighting. He was also skilled in fighting and taming wild
bulls. Additionally, he was a skilled cowherd, capable of maintaining cattle, treating their
diseases, assessing their health, milking them and in producing milk products. Sahadeva
acquired mastery over the science of Dharma, religious scriptures and other branches of
knowledge under the tutelage of the Sage Brihaspati, the preceptor of the gods. Sahadeva
had a strong premonition which often warned him of upcoming dangers. During
the Rajasuya War, Sahadeva conquered the southern direction, up to the kingdom of Lanka.
During the Kurukshetra War, Sahadeva slew the wicked Shakuni.

 Karna: The unknown Pandava. His name refers to the earrings he was born with. His
parents were Kunti and Surya, god of the Sun. He was born many years before Kunti's
marriage to Pandu and the subsequent birth of the Pandavas. When she was unmarried,
Kunti rashly tested the power of Durvasa's mantra, invoking Surya. Bound by the power of
the mantra, Surya sired Karna with Kunti. Karna was born with golden armour and earrings,
which granted him complete immunity to divine weapons and any physical threat. Fearing
censure, Kunti set him afloat in the Ganga river in a wicker basket filled with lotuses and he
was subsequently found and raised by Adhirath, a charioteer of Hastinapur and his wife
Radha. He gained the knowledge of divine and celestial weapons comparable to Arjuna
under parashurama. He helped Duryodhana kidnap the princess of Kalinga in
her Swayamvara, and he singlehandedly defeated all the kings in battle. When criticised by
Bhishma, Karna pointed out that Bhishma had done the same thing in the past. Karna was
the only warrior to defeat and humble the powerful Jarasandha in battle. For the first and
only time in his life, Jarasandha surrendered to Karna and made an alliance with him. When
Bhishma ridiculed Karna for his pathetic combat prowess, Karna single-handedly conquered
the entire world and made Duryodhana the emperor. During the Kurukshetra War, Bhishma
declared that the Pandavas were invincible. Karna proved him wrong by defeating
Yudhishthira, Bhima, Nakula and Sahadeva on several occasions during the battle. He used
the Amogh Shakti weapon of Lord Indra during the Kurukshetra war to kill Ghatothkachh.
Urged by Krishna, Arjuna beheaded Karna when he was trying to pull his chariot wheel from
the mud. Karna was a great master in archery, equalling Dronacharya, Bhishma and Arjuna .
When Kunti revealed Karna's true origin to the Pandavas, they were completely devastated.
Yudhishthira nearly lost the will to rule the kingdom after finding the truth about Karna.

Story