Listen Now

Abhimanyu's death leaves the Pandava brothers heartbroken. Yudhistir loses his will to fight. Vyasa tries to console and lift their spirits. When Arjun receives the news, he is devastated and vows to avenge his son's death, failing which he'd self-immolate and kill himself. Find us on: Twitter: @MahabharatAudio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MahabharataPodcast Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mahabharata See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On the thirteenth day of the battle, Drona arranged his forces in the Chakra Vyuha ( or Wheel) formation. Only Arjun knew the secret technique to penetrate the Chakra Vyuha. With Arjun far away fighting the Samsaptaks, the Pandavas were in trouble. Abhimanyu, the teenage son of Arjun, told his uncles that he knew how to break open and enter the Chakra Vyuha but he didn't know the technique to get out of it. The Pandavas assured, if he could help break the formation, they would ensure his safe exit. Abhimanyu agreed and raced towards the Chakra Vyuha, but will he be able to come out safe? Listen to this exciting episode and find out. Find us on: Twitter: @MahabharatAudio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MahabharataPodcast Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mahabharata See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dron's failure to capture Yudhistir frustrates Duryodhan. Trigarta King Susharma, his brothers and allies vow to draw away Arjun from the main action and kill him. But when the war begins on the twelfth day, Arjun destroys them mercilessly. King Bhagadatta, riding his huge elephant, attacks Arjun with his Vaishnavastra, a weapon that no mortal can survive. Krishna once again rises to the occasion and saves his beloved friend. Dron tries his best to capture Yudhistir, but fails again. Listen to the details of the twelfth day's battle of the Kurukshetra war on this exciting episode. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On the eleventh day morning, Karna visits the great Kaurava patriarch Bhishma lying on a bed of arrows to seek his blessings. Meanwhile in the Kaurava camp, Duryodhan is in a fix to select his new commander-in chief. After deliberation with his advisors and especially Karna, he appoints Dronacharya as the commander in chief to lead the Kaurava army in the battle. Dron, pleased by Duryodhan's trust and honor, promises to capture Yudhistir alive and bring him to Duryodhan in chains. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Bhishma lying on a bed of arrows Yudhistir and his brothers beg Bhishma for his life. Bhishma obliges by giving them the only strategy that can kill him. Arjun, with a heavy heart, follows his instructions. He uses Sikhandi as his shield and attacks Bhishma on the tenth day of the war. Bhishma stops fighting and allows his body to be riddled with Arjun's arrows. Listen to this dramatic episode that marks a turning point in the Kurukshetra war.If you like this podcast, please consider supporting us on Patreon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Bhishma in battle On day nine of the Kurukshetra war, Bhishma unleashed his fury like never before. The Pandavas suffered severe losses and realized that if Bhishma continued his rampage in this form, nobody could prevent their defeat. Arjun, on whom the Pandavas depended the most, failed to restrain the ferocious old man. Yudhistir now has no other option but to ask from his grandfather the unthinkable gift – his life. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ghatotkach The Kurukshetra battle continues for the seventh and eighth day. Pandavas clearly have an upper hand. Bhishma, Drona, Kripacharya all try their best but Arjun, Bheem and the other Pandava warriors seem indomitable.  Iravan, son of Arjun, fights valiantly but falls in battle. Angered at the death of his cousin, Ghatotkach the demon son of Bheem, launches a ferocious attack and is about to annihilate the Kaurava army by the end of day eight. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Bhagadatta on his elephant on the Kurukshetra battlefield As the great battle of Kurukshetra continues, both the Pandavas and the Kauravas suffer huge losses. Great warriors are killed. Thousands of soldiers lost their lives. Bhurisraba kills ten sons of Satyaki. Bhagadatta mounts his elephant and almost kills Bheem. Ghatotkach engage in a ferocious  battle with Bhagadatta. In the camp, Bhishma keeps trying to bring some sense into Duryodhan, while the blind King Dhritarashtra laments alone in the palace of Hastinapur. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Krishna attacks Bhishma The Kurukshetra war rages on. Bheem was unstoppable on the second day. He wrecked havoc on the Kaurava army and none of the Kaurava generals succeeded in controlling him.  On the third day, Duryodhan was almost killed by Bheem. Duryodhan's insults enraged Bhishma and he unleashed his fury on the battlefield like never before. Arjun failed to stop him. Noticing Arjun's lack of will to fight Bhishma, Krishna himself jumped into the battlefield to kill Bhishma. Ashamed, Arjun pleaded Krishna to restrain himself and not break his promise. Krishna agreed. Then the Kaurava army witnessed the real prowess of Arjun as he went all out against the Kaurava army  with his super weapons and killed thousands of enemy soldiers. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Yudhistir and his brothers seek blessings from Bhisma. After Krishna returns with Arjuna to the Panadava formation,  Yudhistir dismounts from his chariot and walks towards the Kaurava army to seek blessings from his gurus. Bhisma, Dron, Kripa, and Salya wish them victory. Then, with the blowing of the conch shells, the battle begins. The Pandavas and the Kauravas clash with all their might. Bhisma, Salya cause havoc in the Pandava enemy. The day ends in favor of the Kauravas with the Pandavas suffering severe losses including two of their top generals. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Arjun listens to the enlightening words from Krishna. On the first day of the war, Krishna drives Arjuna's chariot to the middle of the battlefield of Kurukshetra. Watching Bhishma, Drona, Kripa and many of his relatives and friends assembled on the Kaurava side as his opponent, Arjuna is struck by an overwhelming sense of grief and despair. How could he kill the people whom he had loved, respected and grew up with? Arjun felt his strength being sapped off his body. He puts down his bow and declines to fight. Krishna then enlightens and inspires Arjuna with great words of wisdom that is now known to the world as the Bhagabad Gita. Listen to this great episode by clicking the player below. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Vyasa gives Sanjay the power of distant vision. The huge armies of the Kauravas and the Pandavas assemble on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. Bhisma vows to kill 10,000 Pandava soldiers a day. Arjun assures Yudhistir of victory. The Kaurava and the Pandava generals meet and decide on the rules of engagement. Rishi Vyasa visits Dhritarashtra and gives Sanjaya the special power of distant vision, enabling him to watch the battle from the palace of Hastinapur and narrate the details to the blind king. Just before the battle begins, Arjun asks Krishna to take his chariot to the middle of the battlefield so that he could see whom he'd have to kill in this battle.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sikhandi, Amba, Bhisma The war of Kurukshetra is imminent. The Kauravas and the Pandavas prepare to engage in the battlefield. The day before the war, the Kaurava generals meet to formulate their strategy. Bhisma, tells Duryodhan and his men, that although he is obliged to fight the war on behalf of the throne, he has some conditions of his own. And one of these conditions is that he'd never fight Sikhandi, the son of King Drupad. If Sikhandi ever attacked him, he'd put down his bow and accept whatever weapon SIkhandi hurls at him. Curious, Duryodhan asks why he'd impose such an odd condition. Bhishma then narrates the tale of Sikhandi and explains why he took such a vow. Click the link below and listen to the amazing tale of Sikhandi. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Karna and Kunti With the war looming large, Kunti is scared for her sons. Although the Pandava brothers are strong and powerful, they are not invincible. The Kauravas have great warriors like Bhishma, Dron, Kripa and Karna, and with their combined might, they have the capability of destroying the Pandavas. And of all the Kaurava warriors, Karna is the most dangerous. With his superiors skills and a wide range of powerful weapons at his disposal, Karna alone can destroy hers sons, thought Kunti. Besides, Karna has made it his mission to kill Arjun. Kunti thought, the only way to stop Karna might be to reveal his true identity. Kunti decides to pay Karna a visit. To know the outcome of this meeting, listen to the episode by clicking the link below. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Karna and Krishna After failing to negotiate a peace deal with the Kauravas, Krishna tries a different route. He knew, if by some means he could convince Karna to switch his allegiance to the Pandavas, Duryodhan would give up his ambition to win the battle and hence the throne of Hastinapur.  With this motive in mind, Krishna visits Karna and reveals Karna's true identity.  Krishna then asks an overwhelmed Karna to join the Pandavas  and thus prevent the impending war. Karna is tempted but his loyalty to Duryodhan takes precedence in his decision making. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Duryodhana tries to imprison Krishna Krishna arrives at the Hastinapur palace with his peace proposal. However, his reconciliatory words falls into deaf ears. Duryodhan ignores Krishna's proposal and claims he has done nothing wrong. Dhritarashtra makes a feeble attempt to convince Duryodhan, but fails. Duryodhan and his brothers try to attack Krishna and imprison him. However, Duryodhan was not prepared for the shock he was about to experience. Listen to this exciting episode by clicking the player below. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Krishna, the emissary When Sanjay visited the Pandavas with the peace proposal from Dhritarashtra, Yudhistir  asked for only five villages for the five brothers. But Duryodhan denied. He said, he wouldn't give the Pandavas even a spec of soil one could lift on a needle point. The Pandavas sought the help of their friend, philosopher and guide, Krishna.  Krishna agreed to give one last effort to broker a peace deal with the Kauravas. He decided to visit Hastinapur and try to talk some sense into Dhritarashtra and Duryodhan. But will he succeed in preventing the war? Listen to the rest by clicking the player below. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sanjay negotiates with the Pandavas The Kauravas and the Pandavas prepare for war while the diplomatic efforts to avoid it takes its own course. Dhritarashtra sends his trusted emissary Sanjay to dissuade the Pandavas from a bloody war. Yudhistir asks for five small villages for the five brothers. Duryodhan denies the request and declares. without a fight he wouldn't give the Pandavas even a spec of land one could lift on a needle tip. Listen to this dramatic episode by clicking the player below. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Duryodhan and Arjun seeks Krishna's support After Abhimanyu and Uttara's wedding, the Pandavas get busy planning to claim back their Kingdom. They knew, Duryodhan wouldn't give back their due without a fight. They begin to seek alliances of powerful kings. To fight the Kauravas they need a large and strong army. Duryodhan doesn't sit idle either. He doubles his efforts to reinforce his military might. Both the parties prepare to fight the ultimate battle which now seems inevitable. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Draupadi and the Pandavas King Virat was ecstatic to know that his son Uttar has defeated the indomitable Kauravas and won back their cattle. But Yudhistir's lack of enthusiasm and unabashed praise for the eunuch charioteer Brihannala enraged him. However, his rage turned to humility when he discovered that he has been hosting the mighty Pandavas in his castle for the last one year. Enthralled, he offered his daughter's hand in marriage to Arjun's son Abhimanyu. The Pandavs agreed. While the marriage ceremony took place, Yudhistir was engrossed in another thought. As per the agreement with Duryodhan, the Pandavas have completed their twelve years in exile followed by one year in hiding. Now the time has come to claim back the throne of Indraprastha. The question remains, will Duryodhan keep his promise and give back their kingdom in peace?  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.