Home > Indian History > Indian Puranas > Tale of Mahabharata
Tale of Mahabharata
Mahabharata in Agni Purana has been described by Lord Agni in absolute detail and precision.

Share this Article:

Tale of Mahabharata, Agni PuranaSome of the chapters in Agni Purana have been dedicated to the stories of Mahabharata. The God of Fire has given a genealogy of the sovereigns of the race of the Moon. He has given an account of the birth of the Kurus and Pandavas. Lord Agni has given a detailed account of every incident of Mahabharata. Agni has said in the Purana that making the Pandavas was an instrument of Lord Vishnu to relieve the earth of her burden.

As Lord Agni proceeds with the story he had said that Pandu was the son of Yayati. The story which he had narrated says that Vyasa begot Dhritarashtra on Ambea and Pandu on Amvalika who had become king. Dhritarashtra had begot on Gandhari hundred sons headed by Duryodhana. Agni had said that by an accident enmity had taken place between the Pandavas and the Kurus.

Agni says that Duryodhana had made a wicked stratagem against the Pandavas. He had put the Pandavas into a house of wax and had prepared to put fire on it. The Pandavas however with their mother managed to come out of the burning house. After that they all lived under the guise of ascetics in Ekachakra in the house of a Brahmana after having slain the Rakshasa Vaka. Then Lord Agni goes on saying the story of Draupadi`s Swayamvara whereby Arjuna had won over Draupadi and had received a car and a celestial weapon from the Fire-God.

Then Agni says that the Pandavas had captured a new kingdom and Yudhisthira had performed a Rajasuya sacrifice.

A very important part of the story of Mahabharata is the game of dice where Yudhisthira had staked everything and finally had to go to exile. During their stay in exile a lot of incidents had taken place. Finally the Pandavas had received the counsel of Lord Krishna who had initiated a war against the Kurus on behalf of the Pandavas.

The most important part of the great epic that is the war between the Pandavas and the Kauravas has been vividly described by Lord Agni. The historic war between the two parties had taken pace in the famous field of Kurukshetra. Lord Krishna had inspired Arjuna to fight a hard battle against his consanguineous enemies. The battle had ensued with various results for both the parties. Duryodhana was killed. The five sons of Draupadi were assassinated by Ashvathaman. Finally as the battle ends the survivors left the field. Yudhisthira had obtained advice from Bhisma as to how to be a good king and also finds out the way to salvation. Ultimately Yudhisthira, the eldest Pandava had conferred his crown on the young Parikshit.

But even at this juncture also Lord Agni does not stop. He goes on to say that the story still continues. Dhritarashtra had taken the life of a hermit. Vidura had died. Towards the end of Mahabharata had taken place the annihilation of all the Kauravas and the Jadavas. Even the death of Lord Krishna and Valadeva had taken place towards the end of the story. And as soon as Arjuna had broken the news of Krishna`s death Yudhisthira immediately he was transported to heaven in the car of Indra.

Finally Lord Agni had ended his story saying that one who hears the story of Mahabharta with sincerity is able to reach the heavenly abode.


Share this Article:

Related Articles

More Articles in Indian Puranas


Concept of Naraka in Vishnu Purana
Concept of Naraka has been discussed in the Vishnu Purana in an elaborate manner. It has been said that a person reaches hell if he commits an evil deed and the hell into which he reaches is determined by his actions.
Characters of Markandeya Purana
Markandeya Purana will give an idea about the mythological characters like Markandeya, Demon Mahisha, Dama, King Khaninetra and Khanitra.
Concept of Varna in Narada Purana
Concept of Varna in Narada Purana describes four basic varnas which include Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra. Varna has been classified as per deeds performed by them.
Characters of Padma Purana
Some of the Characters of Padma Purana are Vishnu, Rama, Sita and Shiva.
Characters of Brahma Purana
Brahma Purana will give an idea about the mythological characters like Surya, Vishnu, Shiva, Rama and Parvati.
Characters of Shiva Purana
Shiva Purana will give an idea about the mythological characters like Shiva, Parvati, Vishnu, Brahma and Krishna.
Adhyayas in Agni Purana
Adhyayas in Agni Purana are all encompassing. The chapters have dealt with a variety of subjects related to human lives. A large number of chapters have been dedicated to religious aspects of human life.
Ramayana in Agni Purana
Ramayana in Agni Purana has been described by Lord Agni in a vivid manner.
Puranic Deities of India
Puranic Deities in India are worshipped by the Hindus, they are of immense supremacy and are considered to be almighty.
Indian Puranic Tribes
The existence of Indian Puranic tribes is often mixed with mythology and fiction that depict them as superhuman or sub.
Puranic Texts
Puranic Texts are vital according to Hindu, Jain or Buddhist religion; they describe the history of the Universe.
Puranic Shaivism
Puranic Shaivism established during the Gupta Dynasty. This puranic religion developed and expanded, and was accompanied by the development of Brahmanical forms of worship. The stories of the Puranas spread rapidly through the singers and narrators.
Puranic Sources of ancient Indian history
In defining the ancient Indian history Puranic sources are indeed important.