You won't be surprised that Krishna pays a visit to the Pandavas in exile. Despite his encouraging words, Draupadi is dismayed and rebukes Yudhishthira harshly, as does Bhima.
Arjuna, meanwhile, goes on another series of solo adventures. The first time he went out on his own was because of the exile imposed when he violated Draupadi's private time with Yudhishthira; this time, he will go out on his own to acquire the weapons the Pandavas will need at the end of their exile when they will, once again, have to face the jealous Duryodhana and his brothers. Arjuna is the son of the god Indra, but the god Shiva will also play a very important role in his life
Remember that Indra is Arjuna's father? In this next adventure, Arjuna will go to Swarga, Indra's heavenly abode, and there he will meet Urvashi. The consequences of this encounter will affect his life profoundly in the future!
With this episode, you will now return to Draupadi and the four Pandava brothers in exile who now embark on a journey to the Himalayas. They miss Arjuna and, finally, he rejoins them.
You might remember that at the end of the Ramayana, Hanuman remained on earth and was to remain on earth for as long as Rama's story was told... which means he is still here with us now! He was also on earth at the time of the events of the Mahabharata, and in this episode you will see his encounter with Bhima, who is Hanuman's half-brother: they are both sons of Vayu, the wind god.
Duryodhana's jealousy has not abated, and in this episode he will be humiliated in front of the Pandavas once again. Karna continues to be loyal to Duryodhana, and he now vows that he will kill Arjuna in the battle that will follow the end of the Pandavas' exile.
When Karna was born, his body was clad in golden armor and he had earrings that were a token of invincibility. Indra, Arjuna's father, is anxious to protect him from Karna, so Surya warns Karna that Indra will try to take his celestial armor and earrings. Indra does indeed manage to take these from Karna, but Karna will get something in return.
Life in exile is dangerous enough for kshatriyas, but of course it is far worse for a woman, especially a woman unguarded, as you saw in the Ramayana. Like Sita, Draupadi faces terrible danger in the forest.
As you may recall, the final year of the Pandavas' exile must be spent in hiding. The five brothers and Draupadi go to the court of King Virata, and they each enter into his service. Arjuna's disguise is one that fulfills the curse put upon him by Urvashi: he will become the eunuch Brihannala, a dancing teacher.
Remember when Draupadi was dragged into the assembly hall, and none of her husbands could intervene to help her? It will happen again now: the brother of Queen Sudeshna, Prince Kichaka, tries to rape Draupadi. and her husbands cannot even acknowledge her openly. In secret, though, Bhima defends Draupadi, and she will claim that the deed was done by her husband who is an immortal gandharva.
When Duryodhana and his allies attack King Virata and steal his cattle, the Pandavas will come to his defense — much to the surprise of the king and of his son, Prince Uttara. Be careful with the names here: Uttara ("Uttaruh") is the masculine form of the name, and Uttarā ("Uttarah") is the feminine form. Virata has a son name Uttara, and his daughter is named Uttarā.
Now that the Pandavas' exile is over, war with the Kauravas seems inevitable, especially after the terrible vows of vengeance sworn by the Pandava brothers. Krishna nevertheless attempts to avoid war and make peace between the factions
The relationship between Krishna and Arjuna is very intense, and that will become even more clear in this episode when, given a choice between Krishna alone and the whole army of Dwaraka, Arjuna is glad just to have Krishna by his side.
Krishna has acted as a peace broker before, and he will try once again. This time he will even manifest himself in his divine form as Vishnu, specifically, in the Vishvarupa, the All-Form. He will do the same again in an even more famous scene at the Battle of Kurukshetra, urging Arjuna to fight.
Karna's situation is both fascinating and tragic: as the war with the Pandavas draws near, he still does not know that they are his brothers. That, however, is about to change: Krishna reveals to Karna the secret of his birth and tells him to go to the Pandavas in peace, assuring him that they will not only accept him but regard him as their elder brother.
The battle forces assemble, fighting either for Duryodhana and the Kauravas or for Yudhishthira and the Pandavas. You will see characters returning from earlier in the epic, such as Bhima's demon son Ghatotkacha (remember his marriage to Hidimbi in the forest, before he became Draupadi's husband?), and you will also meet new characters, such as Duryodhana's half-brother Yuyutsu, son of King Dhritarashtra and a woman belonging to the vaishya caste
The Bhagavad-Gita, or "Lord's Song," is the most famous part of the Mahabharata. When the battle is about to begin, Arjuna looks at the opposing side and sees his relatives and his gurus, and he despairs, but Krishna persuades him to fight. The reading here comes from the first two chapters of the Gita
As the battle begins, Bhishma is the general of the Kaurava forces but, he does not feel the same loyalty to Duryodhana that Karna does, and he warns Duryodhana of the doom that awaits them.
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