Maha-bharata vol.1 (ENG)

King Sura, of the Vrishni lineage, had a son named Vasudeva and a daughter named Pritha. His cousin Kuntibhoja, on the other hand, had not been able to have children, so, Sura decided to give him … Read More

Vicitravirya lived happily with his queens, but not for long. A deadly disease killed him while he was still very young. Satyavati was desperate. She had lost her husband and two children in a very short … Read More

When Vicitravirya was coming of age, Bhishma and Satyavati began to think about his eventual marriage. They learned that the three beautiful and virtuous princesses of Kashi, Amba, Ambika, and Ambalika had reached the right age … Read More

In those days, among the upper social classes, the Kshatriyas were the only ones allowed to hunt, but only certain animal species. They thus learned to kill to defend their territories. One day, while Shantanu was … Read More

Whenever it comes to the oldest warrior in the war of Mahabharata, the name of Bhishma Pitamah comes to the mind of the people. While the fact is that it was not Bhishma Pitamah, but his … Read More

In the years that followed, she [Ganga] killed their [Shantanu] seven children in the same way, drowning them in the river. The eighth pregnancy came. When the baby was born, the queen took him and with … Read More

  Years had passed, and Pratipa had grown old. So, he retired to the forest to spend the last years of his life in devotional service and meditation. Shantanu had inherited his father’s throne and ruled … Read More

King Shantanu was the forty-seventh descendant of the noble lineage of Kshatriyas who came from Brahma through the moon Deva, Chandra. His father was called Pratipa, and he had been a great king, loved by his … Read More

A long time had passed since Parasurama, the embodiment of the Personality of God, had come down to earth to purify it from those twenty-one generations of warriors who had not bothered to observe and defend … Read More

  Astika, a young Brahmana with a controlled mind and a serene face, arrived on the same day that Takshaka, called by the Brahmanas by mantras, was about to be absorbed by the destructive fire. Welcomed … Read More

Meanwhile, the preparations for the great snake sacrifice were almost complete. The great arena had been prepared by the best Brahmana Ritviks of the time and by the perfect connoisseurs of the science of the sacred … Read More

The Nagas, having learned of Janamejaya’s intentions, inquired about the real possibilities of danger they might be in. Unfortunately, the news they received did not bode well; he had in fact invited the most powerful Brahmanas … Read More

A few days after the king’s death, the vacant throne was taken over by his young son, Janamejaya.   Years passed. As an adult, Janamejaya began to wonder what were the real reasons for the strange … Read More

One day, during a hunting trip, the virtuous king Pariksit arrived at the hut of the sage Samika and asked him to give him something to quench his thirst. But the latter, who was sitting in … Read More

Adi Parva   OM NAMO BHAGAVATE VASUDEVAYA   Suta’s Arrival About five thousand years ago, in the course of his pilgrimage, the saint and scholar Suta Gosvami, wishing to pay his respects to some sages who … Read More

The Story of Drona and Drupada Who was Drona? Drona, the son of the famous sage Bharadvaja, was a Brahmana renowned for possessing great knowledge and holiness, but devoid of any material wealth. That was the … Read More

Offering obeisances and asking for blessings mukam karoti vacalam pangum langhayate girim yat krpa tam aham vande sri gurum dina-taranam I offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, the deliverer of the fallen souls. His … Read More

After undergoing severe penances and prolonged meditations, the sage Vyasa, who throughout his life had always kept faith in his vows and observed the practices of spiritual ascents, studied with great attention and seriousness the eternal … Read More