Characters
- Vyasa - tells the Mahabharata to Ganesha
- Satyavati - mother of Vyasa, daughter of Uparichara
- Parachara - rishi/father of Vyasa
Information
Story of Vyasa's Birth: Found online here
There was a king named Uparichara who was so noble that the gods were worried that he was trying to gain too much power. Indra decided to bribe Uparichara with a flying crystal chariot made by Vishvakarma. Uparichara decided to take the chariot. The chariot was like other chariots made by Vishvakarma, and Uparichara loved it a lot. In fact, "Upari" means upward and "Chara" means going, so Uparichara's name literally translates to "upward going". Uparichara was flying over a river when his semen landed in the river, and, then, a fish had two of Uparichara's kids. A fisherman caught the fish and kids, and gave the boy to the king and raised the girl. The girl's name was Satyavati, and she met a rishi named Parashara. Parashara and Satyavati had a kid and named him Vyasa. Vyasa went on to tell the Mahabharata to Ganesha.
Other Sources: "Uparichara Vasu" on Wikipedia
Story of Bhima:
The Pandavas, Pandu's sons, and Kauravas, Dhritarashtra's sons, lived together on the bank of the Ganges. Duryodhana, the evil son of Dhritarashtra, one day conspired to kill the Pandavas. Duryodhana poisoned Bhima, one of the Pandavas, while Bhima was eating. Duryodhana then threw Bhima into the Ganges where Bhima sank to the bottom and was bitten by the poisonous serpents known as Nagas. The poison from the Nagas counteracted the poison from Duryodhana and Bhima woke up. At this point, Bhima was in the city of serpents and the king of the serpents, Vasuki, was in awe of Bhima and granted him a wish. Bhima wished for strength and was given extraordinary strength. Bhima then slept for eight days before returning to his home, besting Duryodhana's assassination attempt.
Sources:
"Indian Myth and Legend" by Donald A. Mackenzie [Online]
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| Bhima with the Nagas in the underworld Image courtesy of Wikimedia |
Story of Drona:
Drona was the son of Bharadwaja, a brahmin. Drona's best childhood friend was Drupada, a son of a king. Eventually, Drupada became a king when his father passed away. A sage passed away and left celestial weapons to Drona, so Drone went to Drupada's kingdom to share the weapons with Drupada. However, Drupada had no intentions of continuing the friendship with Drona and Drona left without saying another word after Drupada's reply. Drona then became the teacher for the Pandavas and Kauravas, under the condition that they would one day help him defeat Drupada. However, Drona favored the Pandavas, and Duryodhana grew jealous. Drona only ever turned away Ekalavya, the son of a king who was notorious for robbing travelers. Eventually, Ekalavya became a good archer and Drona told Ekelavya that he would take him on if Ekalavya would cut off his thumb, and Ekalavya cut off his thumb. One day, Drona's pupils were sparring but it became serious between Bhima and Duryodhana, and the fight was won by Arjuna, Bhima's brother. Drona sent the Pandavas and Kauravas to Drupada's kingdom, and after Drupada's army was slain, he was brought to Drona by the Pandavas. Drona again requested Drupada revive the friendship and Drupada agreed.
Sources:
"Indian Myth and Legend" by Donald A. Mackenzie [Online]
"Mahabharata, Epic of the Bharatas" by Romesh C. Dutt [Online]
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