The summary of Mahabharata-
Lord Vishnu removed oppression on earth using the Pandavas as instruments.
Brahma was born from the lotus in Vishnu’s navel. Atri was Brahma’s son. Soma was born from Atri. Budha was born from Soma. Aila-Pururavas was born from Budha. Ayu was born from him. Nahusha was born after Ayu. Yayati and then Puru followed. Bharata was born in this lineage. Later, King Kuru was born. In the same race, King Shantanu was born. Bhishma, son of the Ganges, was Shantanu’s son. His brothers, Chitrangada and Vichitravirya, were born to Shantanu and Satyavati.
After Shantanu died, Bhishma ruled and protected his brother’s kingdom. Chitrangada was killed by the Gandharva Chitrangada. Bhishma captured the two daughters of King Kasi, Ambika and Ambalika. They became the wives of Vichitravirya. Vichitravirya died due to illness. With Satyavati’s consent, Vyasa fathered Dhritarashtra through Ambika and Pandu through Ambalika. Dhritarashtra and Gandhari had a hundred sons, with Duryodhana as the eldest.
Pandu was cursed by a sage and died after uniting with his wife in the hermitage of Saptashringa. Kunti gave birth to Yudhishthira from Dharma, Bhima from Vayu, and Arjuna from Indra. Madri bore Nakula and Sahadeva from the Ashwini Kumaras. Pandu died in union with Madri. Karna was born to Kunti when she was a virgin and later became Duryodhana’s ally. Fate caused enmity between the Kauravas and the Pandavas.
Duryodhana tried to burn the Pandavas in the lac house, but they escaped with their mother. They lived in Ekachakra disguised as ascetics and killed the demon Baka. They traveled to Panchala, where Draupadi chose Arjuna in her swayamvara. The five Pandavas married Draupadi.
Duryodhana gave the Pandavas half the kingdom. Arjuna obtained the divine bow Gandiva and an excellent chariot from the Fire God. Krishna became Arjuna’s charioteer. Arjuna received celestial weapons, including the Brahma missile, from Drona. All Pandavas mastered weapons.
Following Krishna’s advice, Arjuna extinguished the Khandava forest fire. He blocked Indra’s rain with arrows and conquered various regions. Yudhishthira ruled justly with his brothers.
The armies of Yudhishthira and Duryodhana gathered at Kurukshetra. Arjuna hesitated to fight his elders, but Krishna advised him. He explained that bodies perish, but the soul is eternal. Krishna told Arjuna to remain neutral to success and defeat and fulfill his duty as a warrior.
Encouraged by Krishna, Arjuna fought. Bhishma commanded Duryodhana’s army, while Shikhandi led the Pandavas. The battle was fierce. Bhishma’s arrows devastated the Pandava army for ten days. On the tenth day, Arjuna and Shikhandi attacked Bhishma. Bhishma lay on a bed of arrows, waiting for the summer solstice, meditating on Vishnu.
Drona became the commander after Bhishma’s fall. He killed many warriors. Dhrishtadyumna killed Drona after hearing that Ashwatthama had died. Karna became the next commander. He fought fiercely with Arjuna. On the second day of their battle, Arjuna killed Karna.
Shalya led for a day before Yudhishthira killed him. Duryodhana, left alone, challenged Bhima. Bhima killed Duryodhana with his mace and also killed his brothers.
On the eighteenth night, Ashwatthama attacked the sleeping Pandava army and killed the sons of Draupadi. Arjuna captured Ashwatthama’s crest jewel and gave it to Draupadi. Krishna revived those burnt by Ashwatthama’s weapons. Uttara’s unborn son became King Parikshit. Krtavarman, Kripa, and Ashwatthama survived. The five Pandavas, Satyaki, and Krishna remained alive.
Yudhishthira consoled the mourning women. He performed funeral rites, gave offerings, and ruled justly. He conducted the Ashvamedha sacrifice and gave charity. Hearing about the destruction of the Yadavas, he installed Parikshit as king and renounced the world.
Dhritarashtra, Gandhari, and Kunti went to the forest and followed the path of ascetics. Vidura perished in a forest fire and ascended to heaven. Krishna destroyed the Yadavas using a curse as a pretext. He installed Vajra as king before discarding his mortal body at Prabhasa. The sea submerged Dvaraka after Krishna’s departure.
Arjuna performed the funeral rites of the Yadavas. Shepherds attacked and abducted Krishna’s wives. Arjuna, weakened due to a curse, failed to protect them. Vyasa consoled him. Arjuna realized his strength lay in Krishna’s presence. He returned to Hastinapura and informed Yudhishthira. Without Krishna, his weapons lost their power.
Yudhishthira installed Parikshit as king. He renounced the world with Draupadi and his brothers, chanting the 108 names of Hari. Draupadi, Sahadeva, Nakula, Arjuna, and Bhima fell on the journey. Yudhishthira, saddened, continued alone.
Indra took Yudhishthira to heaven in his chariot. Yudhishthira saw Duryodhana, the Kauravas, Vasudeva, and his loved ones. He felt joy.
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Without Krishna, Mahabharata is incomplete. So the summary of Lord Krishna’s life is given below-
Krishna’s Lineage and Birth
Brahma was born from the lotus in Vishnu’s navel. Atri was born from Brahma. Soma was born from Atri. Pururavas was born from Soma. Ayu was born from Pururavas. Nahuṣa was born from Ayu. Yayati was born from Nahuṣa. Yayati had two wives. Devayani gave birth to Yadu and Turvasu. Sarmiṣṭhā gave birth to Druhyu, Anu, and Puru. The Yadavas descended from Yadu. Vasudeva was an important Yadava.
Krishna was born to Vasudeva and Devaki. He came to remove oppression on Earth. The six sons of Hiraṇyakaśipu were reborn as Devaki’s children. Kamsa killed them. Vishnu transferred Devaki’s seventh child to Rohini’s womb. That child was Balarama. Krishna was born on the eighth day of the dark fortnight. He first appeared in his divine four-armed form. Then, he took the form of a human baby. Vasudeva carried him to Yashoda’s house. He exchanged Krishna with Yashoda’s newborn daughter.
Kamsa heard the baby’s cries and rushed to kill her. He threw her on a stone slab, but she rose into the sky. She revealed that Krishna was already born. She transformed into Durga and vanished. Kamsa became furious. He ordered all newborns to be killed. He also sent demons like Putana to kill Krishna.
Krishna’s Childhood and Adventures
Vasudeva entrusted Krishna and Balarama to Nanda and Yashoda. They grew up in Gokula among the cowherds. Yashoda once tied Krishna to a mortar to stop his mischief. Krishna crawled between two trees and uprooted them. He also kicked a cart and overturned it. He sucked the life out of the demon Putana. He defeated the serpent Kaliya in the Yamuna River.
Krishna killed the demon Dhenuka, who had taken the form of an ass. He also killed the bull demon Ariṣṭa and the horse demon Keśi. Indra became angry when Krishna stopped a festival in his honor. He sent heavy rains. Krishna lifted Govardhana Hill to protect the people. Indra realized his mistake and worshipped Krishna. He also gave him peacock feathers.
Akrura later took Krishna and Balarama to Mathura. Krishna killed Kamsa’s royal washerman and took his clothes. He met a garland-maker and blessed him. He straightened a hunchbacked woman who gave him sandal paste. He killed the elephant demon Kuvalayāpīḍa. He then entered the wrestling arena. Krishna killed the wrestlers Chāṇūra and Muṣṭika. He finally killed Kamsa and freed Vasudeva and Devaki.
Krishna in Mathura and Dvaraka
Krishna made Vasudeva the ruler of the Yadavas. Kamsa’s widows, Asti and Prapti, sought revenge. Their father, Jarāsandha, attacked Mathura many times. Krishna and Balarama later left Mathura and moved to Dvaraka. Krishna defeated and killed the demon Narakāsura. He rescued and married 16,000 princesses. He also married eight queens, including Rukmini.
Krishna brought the celestial Parijata tree for Satyabhama. He learned the use of weapons from Sage Sandipani. He rescued Sandipani’s son by defeating the demon Pañcajana. He killed the demon Kālayavana using a clever trick. He also met the king Muchukunda. Krishna’s son, Samba, was born to Jāmbavatī. Many other sons were born to his other wives.
Pradyumna, Krishna’s son with Rukmini, was kidnapped by the demon Śambara. The demon threw him into the ocean. A fish swallowed him. A fisherman later caught the fish and took it to Śambara. Śambara’s maid, Māyāvatī, found the baby inside the fish. She raised him and told him about his true identity. Pradyumna grew up, killed Śambara, and returned to Krishna with Māyāvatī.
Aniruddha and the Battle with Bāṇa
Aniruddha, Krishna’s grandson, was the husband of Ūṣā. Ūṣā was the daughter of Bāṇa. She saw Aniruddha in a dream and fell in love with him. Her friend Citraleḵhā helped her bring Aniruddha to her palace. Bāṇa’s guards caught them. Aniruddha fought bravely but was captured. Krishna, Balarama, and Pradyumna came to rescue him.
Bāṇa was a devotee of Shiva. Krishna fought a great battle against Shiva’s army. He defeated Nandi, Vinayaka, and Skanda. Shiva used his yawning power, but Krishna countered it. Krishna cut off Bāṇa’s thousand arms. Shiva then requested protection for Bāṇa. Krishna spared him but took Aniruddha back to Dvaraka.
