Devavrata Made Yuva-Raja of Hastinapur Upon his return to Hastinapura, King Shantanu decided to declare Devavrata as the Yuva-Raja — the crown prince and heir apparent to the throne. On the day of the coronation, some ministers, wishing to test the prince’s wisdom, presented him with a few cases and questions related to politics and administration. Devavrata readily agreed. The first case was that of a vassal king accused of instigating rebellion against the Kuru throne. Devavrata investigated and discovered that the unrest had arisen due to unjust taxation — the people were forced to pay even during years of drought and scarcity. He explained before the court that the Kuru kingdom, in protecting its vassals from enemy attack and assisting them in public works, must also ensure that taxes are fair and proportionate to circumstance. Justice, he said, must flow both ways — from ruler to subject and subject to ruler. Next, the assembly put forth a series of intricate questions o...

Kuru dynasty The Kuru dynasty was named after the legendary and illustrious King Kuru, an ancestor of the main characters in the Mahabharata. King Kuru was a renowned and righteous king in the Lunar Dynasty (Chandravansh), born in the lineage of the great Emperor Bharata, after whom India is sometimes called "Bharatavarsha". In the broader sense of the Mahabharata, both the Pandava brothers and their cousins, the hundred sons of Dhritarashtra, are descendants of King Kuru and are therefore technically all Kauravas. However, in common usage, and for the purpose of distinguishing between the two warring factions in the epic, the term "Kauravas" is generally used to refer specifically to the elder line of descendants through King Dhritarashtra, while the five sons of Pandu are referred to as the Pandavas. King Shantanu's Early Life Shantanu was a prominent king of the Kuru Kingdom with his capital at Hastinapura. In his previous birth, Shantanu was Mahābhish...

Story of Mahabharata: Prologue After the righteous reign of Yudhishṭhira, his descendants ruled Hastinapura. But with each generation, dharma — once bright as a steady flame — began to wane. Parīkshit, grandson of Arjuna and son of Abhimanyu, ascended the throne in this twilight of virtue. Brave and learned though he was, humility gave way to pride. One day, while hunting, Parīkshit entered the hermitage of Sage Shamīka. The sage sat in deep meditation and did not rise to greet the king. Angered, Parīkshit placed a dead snake around the sage’s neck in mockery and left. When the sage’s son, Śhringi, heard of this insult, he cursed the king: “Within seven days, the serpent Takshaka shall strike and end your life.” And so it came to pass. Despite every guard and spell, Takshaka entered the palace and bit Parīkshit, reducing him to ashes. When news reached Janamejaya, Parīkshit’s son, his grief hardened into vengeance. He vowed to destroy the entire serpent race. Thus began the...