Bhagavad Gita · Mahabharata Codex

The Pandavas

पाण्डव · pāṇḍava

The five sons of Pandu: Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva

Five brothers, one wife, one claim to a kingdom, and thirteen years of waiting.

The Pandavas are the five sons of King Pandu, born to his queens Kunti and Madri by five gods. They grew up alongside their hundred cousins, the Kauravas, and were hated by them for being better at everything. Cheated of their kingdom at dice, they spent twelve years in the forest and one in hiding. They have come to Kurukshetra with seven armies to take back what is theirs.