Hindu Deities and Epics

Arjuna's chariot bore Hanuman on its banner (flag) throughout the Kurukshetra war. This was because Hanuman had appeared before Arjuna disguised as a small monkey and asked to ride on his flag, blessing him with victory. The presence of Hanuman symbolized Arjuna's devotion and divine protection. While Bhima was also a devotee of Hanuman (his brother), it was Arjuna's chariot that carried Hanuman's image on the flag.

Yudhishthira's chariot, which had been floating above the ground due to his righteousness, came down to earth after he spoke the half-lie about Ashwattama's death. The deception was that Ashwattama the elephant was killed (not Ashwattama, Drona's son), but Yudhishthira let Drona believe it was his son. This intentional ambiguity in his words was the one major stain on his truthfulness, causing his chariot to lose its divine elevation.

The Lakshagraha (house of lac) incident, where Duryodhana tried to kill the Pandavas in a palace made of wax (lac), took place at Varanavata. Duryodhana built this palace with highly flammable materials and planned to set it on fire. However, Vidura had warned the Pandavas, and they escaped through a tunnel before the fire.

The sage Maitreya cursed Duryodhana that he would die when his thigh was broken by Bhima. This curse was significant because Duryodhana had previously shown disrespect to Maitreya. During the Kurukshetra war, Bhima fulfilled this curse by striking Duryodhana's thigh with his mace, which led to Duryodhana's death - a violation of the rules of mace combat.

Bhishma means 'the terrible one' or 'the dreadful one' (from Sanskrit 'bhishma'). His original name was Devavrata, but he earned the name Bhishma after taking the terrible vow of celibacy and lifelong loyalty to his father's throne.

Duryodhana conspired to kill the Pandavas by building the House of Lac in Varanavata, a palace made of highly flammable materials including wax, lac, and oil. The plan was to set the structure on fire while the Pandavas slept, with Vidura warning them of the plot. The Pandavas escaped through a secret tunnel, while others believed they perished in the fire.

Sage Maitreya cursed Duryodhana after the latter insulted him, stating he would die when Bhima broke his thigh. This curse directly foreshadows Duryodhana's death in the Kurukshetra war, where Bhima fulfills it by smashing his thigh with his mace.

Arjuna's chariot bore the flag of Hanuman, which was given to him by his brother Bhima who had met Hanuman during their exile. This divine presence symbolized Hanuman's blessing and protection to Arjuna throughout the battle.

Yudhishthira's chariot was suspended above the earth due to his truthfulness. When he reluctantly lied about Ashwatthama's death (referring to the elephant named Ashwatthama, not Drona's son), his chariot immediately descended to earth, symbolizing the loss of divine protection.

After the Kurukshetra war ended, Dhritarashtra, in a gesture of reconciliation, embraced Bhima. However, Krishna knew of Dhritarashtra's lingering anger and strength, so he placed an iron statue in Bhima's place. Dhritarashtra crushed the iron statue in his hug, thinking it was Bhima, which would have killed Bhima if Krishna hadn't intervened.

Arjuna's father was Indra, the King of Gods. Kunti invoked Indra through a mantra to conceive Arjuna, making Indra his divine father. Vayu was Bhima's father, and the twins had Ashwini Kumaras as their fathers.

Emperor Janmejaya, son of Parikshit, performed the massive Sarpa Satra sacrifice to annihilate all snakes as revenge for his father's death by snakebite from Takshak. The ritual was eventually stopped by the sage Astika through his knowledge and persuasion.

According to Hindu tradition, Lord Rama was born during the Treta Yuga, the second of the four Yugas in the cosmic cycle. The Yugas are Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga, Dvapara Yuga, and Kali Yuga in that order. Rama's story is central to events of the Treta Yuga.