Mahabharat presents the story of Hastinapur, a kingdom ruled by the Kuru clan where the Kaurav and the Pandav brothers compete for its throne. Yudhistir, the eldest Pandav, and Duryodhan, the eldest Kaurav claim to be the next in the line of succession.The Pandavs are the sons of Pandu while Kauravs are the sons of Dhritrashtra. The story begins with Devavrata,the son of Shantanu and Ganga a disciple of Parshuram.He earns the name Bhisma by swearing an oath of celibacy in order to fulfill his father’s wish to marry Satyavati. He also vows serve the throne of Hastinapur and is granted the boon of ‘icchya-mrityu’(the ability to live as long as he does not choose to die).Thus, Bhisma gives up his rightful throne and Satyavati rules the kingdom as the ‘Rajmaata’ (Mother of the King) after her husband’s death. Her son, Vichitravirya, an alcoholic and heavily dependent on Bhisma, cannot rule the kingdom, leading Satyavati to decide that Vichitravirya’s future son must rule the kingdom. As Vichitravirya is incapable of choosing a wife for himself, Bhisma has to do so.
The three princesses of the Salva Kingdom, Amba, Ambika and Ambalika are won over by Bhisma,who takes them to Hastinapur to be married to Vichitravirya. However, Amba had already chosen a groom and demands to be released. She returns to her lover but is spurned for being the rejected wife of another man. Vichitravirya then marries Ambika and Ambalika takes place. When Amba demands justice, she is given the choice to marry Vichitravirya and become the queen of Hastinapur. Instead, she requests that Bhisma marry her as it was he who won her. However, Bhisma refuses, due to his oath of celibacy, resulting in Amba’s anger. Therefore, Lord Shiva grants Amba the boon of rebirth with a memory of the past and the fate to cause Bhisma’s death. Reborn as Shikandi in the Panchal Kingdom, she partakes in Bhisma’s death and fulfills the boon. In Kuntibhoj, Princess Kunti obtains a boon from the sage Durvasa whereby she may invoke any deity and bear his child. Out of curiosity, she tests the boon, calling upon the Sun God and is granted a son named Karna.
However, Kunti, as an unmarried woman, sets Karna afloat on the river Ganga to avoid embarrassment.
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