The document provides background information on key characters and events in the Mahabharata. It explains that the Mahabharata means "Great India", telling the story of the descendants of King Bharata. It introduces Vyasa as the one who classified the Vedas and wrote the Mahabharata. Vyasa's mother was Satyavati, who married King Shantanu. Vyasa fathered Dhritarashtra and Pandu. Dhritarashtra was blind and became king, while Pandu had five sons including Yudhisthira and Arjuna. The document concludes with a brief mention of the Kurukshetra War between the Pandavas and Kauravas.

1. Mahabhara
ta
Prepared by: BALLESTEROL, Kristine T.
IV-10 BSE ENGLISH

2. Race descended from
King Bharata, who was
the son of Dushyanta and
Shakuntalâ.
Mahâ means great, and Bhârata
means the descendants of Bharata,
from whom India has derived its
name, Bhârata. Mahabharata
means Great India, or the story of
the great descendants of Bharata.

3. VEDA VYASA or Krishna
Dvaipāyana
Central and revered figure in
most Hindu traditions.
- Veda Vyāsa, the one who classified
the Vedas into four parts.
- Krishna Dvaipāyana, referring to his
complexion and birthplace.
Reincarnation of God Vishnu.
Vyāsa is also considered to be one of the
seven Chiranjivins (long lived, or
immortals), who are still in existence
according to general Hindu belief.

4. Vyasa gave to the world the divine epic of
the Mahabharata
He meditated on Brahma, the Creator, who
manifested himself before him.
Brahma said that Vyasa should go ask and
beg Ganapati to be his amanuensis.

6. Selected Genealogy

7. Characters
Satyavati
-Queen of the Kuru king Shantanu of
Hastinapur and the great-grandmother of
the Pandava and Kaurava princes.
- Mother Vyasa
- Due to the smell emanating from her
body she was known as
Matsyagandha ("She who has the smell of
fish")

8. Satyavati
-As a young woman Satyavati met the
wandering rishi (sage) Parashara, who
fathered her son Vyasa out of wedlock. The
sage also gave her a musky fragrance, which
earned her names like Yojanagandha ("She
whose fragrance is spread for a yojana (8-9
miles)") and Gandhavati ("fragrant one")
- Later King Shantanu, captivated by her
fragrance and beauty, fell in love with
Satyavati. She was allowed to marry the
Emperor Shantanu.

9. Parasara
-Parasara grew attached to Satyavati, and
desired to perform coitus with her. But
Satyavati was terrified of him and gave an
excuse that there were many people present
on either sides of the Yamuna. So Parasara
Muni, with his mystic power, created a dense
sheet of mist around the boat. He then took
her to an island on the Yamuna and in due
course, they had a son, by name Vyāsa. But
Parashara's wandering ascetic life did not
suit Satyavati, and the couple separated.

10. Vyasa
- Father of Dhritarashtra and Pandu
- He gave the sacred story of Mahabharata
to the world.
Shantanu
-A Kuru king of Hastinapura. He was a
descendant of the Bharata race, of the
lunar dynasty and the ancestor of
the Pandavas and the Kauravas.
-Captivated by the fragrance of Satyavati
-He became the wife of Satyavati
-Father of Bhishma

11. Dhritarashtra
-Eldest son of Vyasa
-Was born blind
-King of Hastinapura
-Married to Gandhari
-Father of Duryodhana

12. Pandu
-Younger brother of Dhritarashtra
-King of Hastinapura before
Dhritarashra
-Father of the Padavas
-Married to Kunti and Madri
-Commited a crime and was forced to
renounce his title as a king.
-Lived in the forest with his wives.

14. Yudhisthira
-the eldest son of King Pandu and
Queen Kunti, was king
of Indraprastha and later
of Hastinapura(Kuru). For his piety, he
was known as Dharmaraja (which may
be translated as either 'righteous king'
or 'king of dharma'). He was the leader
of the successful Pandava side in
the Kurukshetra War. At the end of the
epic, he ascended to heaven along
with his four brothers.

15. Yudhisthira
-the eldest son of King Pandu and
Queen Kunti, was king
of Indraprastha and later
of Hastinapura(Kuru). For his piety, he
was known as Dharmaraja (which may
be translated as either 'righteous king'
or 'king of dharma'). He was the leader
of the successful Pandava side in
the Kurukshetra War. At the end of the
epic, he ascended to heaven along
with his four brothers.

16. Arjuna was considered the finest archer and a peerless
warrior

18. Kurukshestra War