Maharaj Pandu and Madri
When Vichitravirya died of having sickness, Bhishma unable to take the throne because of his vow, and Bahlika’s line unwilling to leave Bahlika Kingdom, there was a succession crisis in Hastinapur. Satyavati then invited her son Vyasa to impregnate the queens Ambika and Ambalika under the Niyoga practice. When Vyasa approached Ambalika, she was frightened by his scary appearance, she had become pale in disgust; hence, her son was born pale. Thus Pandu’s name means pale.
Pandu was taught in the fields of archery, politics, administration and religion by Bhishma. He was an excellent archer and Maharathi (warrior).
After death of Pandu & Dhutrashtra’s father, new king for the Hastinapur was to be crowned. Dhritrashtra was elder than Pandu but he was blind & so not elligible to sit on the throne of Hastinapur. So Pandu became the next king of Hastinapur after his father.
Pandu conquered the territories of the Sindhu Kingdom, Kashi, Anga, Trigarta Kingdom, Kalinga, Magadha, etc., and thus re-established their supremacy over all the kings and increased the span of his empire.
He was married to Kunti, the adoptive daughter of Kuntibhoja and the daughter of Shurasena (father of Vasudeva Anakadundubhi and grandfather of Krishna). His second wife was the princess of the Madra kingdom Madri.
Madri was a princess of the Madra kingdom and the second wife of Pandu.
On his way to Hastinapur, King Pandu encountered the army of Shalya, King of Madra. Very soon, Pandu and Shalya became friends and Shalya gave his only sister, Madri to Pandu, as a gift of their friendship. Looking at her beauty, Pandu accepted the lady willingly and took her to Hastinapur.
After marrying Kunti and Madri, Pandu decided to go on a Digvijaya to the east. A Digvijaya is a military campaign. During the reign of the weak king Vichitravirya, many Kuru lands had been robbed and conquered by invaders. Pandu was determined to take them back. He set out with a large army and first conquered the kingdom of Dasarna. After that, he attacked Rajagriha, the capital of the Magadha Kingdom. King Darva of Magadha was very strong, but the brave Pandu killed him in battle and conquered Magadha. Pandu then defeated the kingdoms of Videha, Kasi, Suhma, and Pundra.
Thus, Pandu became the strongest king in Bharatvarsha. Dozens of kings regularly gave him tribute. Pandu then returned to Hastinapura. All of the citizens and royals were happy. Bhishma and Ambalika were especially pleased. Pandu presented all of the riches he had collected. He gave the riches to Bhishma, Satyavati, Ambika, Ambalika, and Vidura. Dhritarashtra also performed 100 Ashwamedha yagnas with all of the wealth.
Now that the kingdom was protected, Pandu would often go on hunting trips.
Madri was innocent but she was having blossom beauty. Pandu was fully attracted towards her & he used to be always with her. Pandu used to take her with him when he used to go for hunting in the forest. Once she saw a glittering deer, she got mesmerised when she saw that deer. She demanded Pandu to bring that deer for her. Pandu blow an arrow on the deer, only to find out that it was Rishi Kindama and his wife who were making love in the form of deer. The dying sage placed a curse on Pandu, since he had not only killed them in the midst of lovemaking, but was not remorseful for his action. King Pandu argued with sage Kindama by misquoting sage Agastya’s ruling on the right of Kshatriyas’ on hunting. Sage Kindama then cursed Pandu, the curse being that were he to approach his wives with the intent of making love, he would die.
Upset and seeking to repent his action, Pandu decided to abandon the royal lifestyle and became an ascetic. Stepping down from kingship, he resolved to do penance. Kunti and Madri were loyal wives. They decided to follow Pandu. The citizens and servants couldn’t bear to see their beloved king leave. Dhritarashtra and Bhishma were taken aback when they heard the news. They mourned for the great king Pandu. Dhritarashtra was then crowned the king. Pandu, Kunti, and Madri went to the Nagasata Mountain. They then crossed the Varishena River and reached Chaitraratha Forest. Thereafter, they crossed the Himalayas and went northwards towards Gandhamadana Mountain. They stayed there for some time with the rishis and siddhas. Afterwards, they turned south and reached Indradyumna Lake. They crossed the Hansakuta Mountain and reached their final destination: Shatashringa Mountain.
There, Pandu practiced severe penance. He gained control over his senses. He became a favorite of the rishis and siddhas who lived there. Pandu was happy in Shatashringa. But there was still one thing troubling him: children. Pandu could never have children because of Kindama Rishi’s curse. He could never continue his dynasty. He expressed his worries to the rishis: “Men are born on this earth with four debts- to their ancestors, gods, rishis, and men. I have fulfilled all but the first: I do not have any children to fulfill my debt to my ancestors. When I die, so will my lineage and ancestors. I must have children, but I can’t!”
“Great king! Throughout spiritual powers, we can see that in the future, you will have children. But you must be patient. There will be a solution,” rishis said.
Birth of Yudhishtria
At that time, Pandu and his wives received the news of Gandhari’s pregnancy. Pandu was agitated. He approached Kunti and said, “I was born from Veda Vyasa and Ambalika. Veda Vyasa wasn’t my father, but he birthed me. Similarly, I cannot have children. You must have children with a Brahmin to continue my lineage.”
“Please don’t say that. I can’t do that; I will only obtain a son from you. When I was young, Durvasa Rishi came to my father’s house. I was given the job of serving him. Durvasa was pleased with me and gave me a mantra. With this mantra, I can summon any god who will bless me with a child. This way, we can have children. Tell me, which god should I summon?”
“Summon Lord Yama, the god of dharma. He will give us a righteous child,” Pandu urged.
Kunti summoned Yama, who impregnated her. Soon, a beautiful child was born. At that time, a heavenly voice said, “This son will always follow dharma. He will be a great king and will be called Yudhishthira.“
Birth of the Strong Bhima
Pandu then wanted a strong son. He told Kunti to summon Vayu, the god of wind. Accordingly, Kunti had a son with Vayu. When he was a born, a heavenly voice said, “This son will be the strongest of them all!” He was named Bhima, and he was truly was strong. When he was born, he was lying in Kunti’s lap. Suddenly, Kunti stood up and he fell down. As soon as he fell down, the entire surface was destroyed. Kunti and Pandu were shocked. On that same day, Dhritarashtra and Gandhari had a son named Duryodhana.
Birth of the Invincible Arjuna
Next, Pandu wanted an invincible, god-like son. He wanted to father a supreme son who would be the greatest man alive. He pondered over this and decided to propitiate Indra, the king of the gods. “Indra is the king of the gods. He will give me an invincible son,” Pandu thought. Thus, Pandu began penance to please Indra. After one year, Indra appeared before him and said, “I will give you an invincible son. He will destroy all the evil in this world.”
Subsequently, Pandu approached Kunti and told her to summon Indra. Arjuna, the son of Indra, was born. At that time, a heavenly voice once again said, “He will be the greatest warrior alive. He will perform three great yagnas. This Arjuna will conquer all of the kingdoms of Bharatvarsha. He will be equal to Vishnu and Parshuram.” All of the gods, rishis, apsaras, gandharvas, and other heavenly beings appeared to visit the great Arjuna.
Birth of Nakul and Sahadev
Pandu had given birth to three great sons, but he was greedy. He wanted even more children. He once again approached Kunti. However, she said, “Why are saying this? You know that it is not right to have more than three sons. Do not become greedy and unrighteous!”
Madri asks for Children
While Kunti and Pandu were rejoicing, Madri looked sad. She told Pandu, “Although I am older than Kunti, I have always been regarded as inferior. Kunti has three powerful sons. Gandhari has given birth to 100 sons. I also want sons. Please tell Kunti to help me have sons as well. I find it awkward to talk to her, so can you tell her?”
“I suspect that you were upset for this reason. Kunti will definitely agree. I will go ask her right now” Pandu said.
Kunti readily agreed. She gave the mantra to Madri, who summoned the two Ashvins. She then gave birth to twin sons named Nakula and Sahadeva. When they were born, a heavenly voice said, “These beautiful, brave sons will be energetic, handsome, and prosperous.”
Pandu then asked Kunti to once again give Madri the mantra. But Kunti refused, saying, “I gave her the mantra to use once. But she deceived me. She invoked two gods at a time and had two sons. If I give her the mantra again, she may have more sons than me.”
These five children (viz. Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, Sahadeva) were known as the 5 Pandavas. They grew up in the Shatashringa valley. As foretold, their skills were amazing. They were respectful to their parents and were always in reverence to the sages.
One fateful day, Pandu desired Madri and the memory of the curse briefly eluded him. Death struck Pandu immediately. Madri, filled with remorse.
Kunti and the Pandavas arrived there immediately. Madri told Kunti to leave the children and come alone. Kunti lamented, “You knew about the curse. Why did you do this! Why didn’t you stop him!”
“I tried to stop him, but I couldn’t. It was as if he wanted to make his destiny come true!” Madri wailed.
Thereafter, the Brahmins performed Pandu’s funeral and last rites. During the funeral, Madri committed “sati” (she jumped into the fire and died). Afterwards, Kunti and the Pandavas went to Hastinapura.