ORIENTAL SERIES.

MAHA-BHARATA. 185
panied him having borne him five sons. The paternity of these
children is attributed to different gods, but Pamfoi acknowledged
them, and they received the patronymic of PaT^ava. Kunti was
the mother of the three elder sons, and Madri of the two younger.
Yudhi-sh/hira (firm in fight), the eldest, was son of Dharma, the
judge of the dead, and is considered a pattern of manly firmness,
justice, and integrity. Bhima or Bhima-sena (the terrible), the
second, was son of Vayu, the god of the wind. He was noted
for his strength, daring, and brute courage ; but he was coarse,
choleric, and given to vaunting. He was such a great eater that
he was called Yn'kodara, c
7
wolf's belly.
Arjuna (the bright or
silvery), the third, was son of Indra, the god of the sky. He is
the most prominent character, if not the hero, of the poem. He
was brave as the bravest, high-minded, generous, tender-hearted,
and chivalric in his notions of honour. Nakula and Saha-deva,
the fourth and fifth sons, were the twin children of Madri by the
Aswinl Kumaras, the twin sons of Surya, the sun. They were
brave, spirited, and amiable, but they do not occupy such prominent
positions as their elder brothers.
Dhnta-rashfra, who reigned at Hastina-pura, was blind. By
his wife Gandhari he had a hundred sons, and one daughter
named DuA-sala. This numerous offspring was owing to a bless-
ing from Vyasa, and was produced in a marvellous way. (See
Gandhari) From their ancestor Kuru these princes were known
as the Kauravas. The eldest of them, Dur-yodhana (hard to
subdue), was their leader, and was a bold, crafty, malicious man,
an embodiment of all that is bad in a prince. While the Pa?^u
princes were yet children, they, on the death of their father,
were brought to Dlmta-rashfra, and presented to him as his
nephews. He took charge of them, showed them great kindness,
and had them educated with his own sons. Differences and dis-
likes soon arose, and the juvenile emulation and rivalry of the
princes ripened into bitter hatred on the part of the Kauravas.
This broke into an open flame when Dhnta-rashfra nominated
Yudhi-shhira as Ms Yuva-raja or heir-apparent. The jealousy
and the opposition of his sons to this act was so great that
Dhnta-rashfra sent the PaTz^avas away to Viiraftavata, where
they dwelt in retirement. While they were living there Dur-
yodhana plotted to destroy his cousins by setting fire to their
house, which he had caused to be made very combustible AH