The Complete Family Tree from Brahma to the Pandavas of Mahabharata
Introduction
In the Mahabharata, the great epic of Indian Sanatan history, numerous royal dynasties are mentioned. Among them, the most sacred and glorious lineage, adorned with exceptionally heroic kings, is the ‘Puruvamsha‘.
The Kauravas and Pandavas, who were central to the Mahabharata war, belonged to this great dynasty. Here is the fascinating description of this long lineage, starting from Lord Brahma down to the beginning of the Kali Yuga.
Lord Brahma to King Puru
The Dawn of Creation and the Arrival of Yayati and Puru
Lord Brahma, who is eternal and imperishable, was born from Narayana, the creator of the universe.
To carry forward the work of creation, Brahma created Daksha Prajapati from his right thumb and Sage Marichi from his eyes.
Subsequently, Kashyapa was born as the son of Marichi, and Aditi was born as the daughter of Daksha.
Vivasvata (the Sun) was born to the couple Kashyapa and Aditi.
This Vivasvata had a son named Manu.
Ila was the daughter of Manu, and her son was Pururava.
As the lineage progressed, Pururava begot a son named Ayu, and Ayu begot Nahusha.
This Nahusha was the father of the famous King Yayati.
King Yayati had two wives: Devayani, the daughter of Shukracharya, and Sharmistha, the daughter of Vrishaparva.
Devayani gave birth to two sons, Yadu and Turvashu.
Sharmistha gave birth to three sons, Druhyu, Anu, and Puru.
Among the children of these two wives, the Yadava dynasty became famous through Yadu, while the renowned ‘Puruvamsha‘ was born through Puru.
King Puru to Emperor Bharata
The dutiful wife of King Puru, Princess Kausalya of Kosala kingdom, gave birth to Janamejaya.
Janamejaya‘s wife was Sunanda, and their son was Prachinvan.
Prachinvan‘s wife was Sushtuvaa, and their son was Shayyati.
Shayyati‘s wife was Varangi, the daughter of Trishanku, and their son was Ahampaati.
As the lineage continued, Ahampaati‘s wife Bhanumati, the daughter of Kritavirya, gave birth to Sarvabhauma.
Sarvabhauma‘s wife was Sundari, and their son was Jayatsena.
Jayatsena‘s wife was Sushrava, who gave birth to Aparachina.
Aparachina’s wife was Maryada, and her son was Ruksha.
Ruksha‘s wife was Vamadevi, and their son was also named Ruksha.
Ruksha’s wife was Jvalanti, the daughter of Takshaka, and their son was Antinara.
Antinara married a maiden from the banks of the Sarasvati River and begot a son named Trasu.
Trasu‘s wife was Kalindi, and their son was Ilila.
Ilila‘s son was the celebrated King Dushyanta.
King Dushyanta married Shakuntala, the daughter of Sage Vishvamitra, through a Gandharva marriage and begot Bharata.
It is after this Emperor Bharata that our country is named ‘Bharatavarsha‘.
Emperor Bharata to Vichitravirya
Bharata‘s wife Sunanda, the daughter of the King of Kashi, gave birth to Bhumanyu.
Bhumanyu‘s wife Suparna, the daughter of Dasharhapati, gave birth to Suhotra.
Suhotra‘s wife Jayanti, from the Ikshvaku dynasty, gave birth to Hasti. This Maharaja Hasti was the founder of the famous ‘Hastinapura‘ empire.
Hasti‘s wife Yashodhara, from the Trigarta kingdom, gave birth to Vikunjana.
Vikunjana‘s wife Vande, from the Dasharha region, gave birth to Ajamidha.
Ajamidha‘s wife was Rukshe, and their son was Samvarana.
Samvarana‘s wife was Tapati (the daughter of the Sun god), and their son was King Kuru. It is after him that this dynasty came to be known as ‘Kuruvamsha‘ and this region as ‘Kurukshetra‘.
Kuru‘s wife Shubhangi, from the Dasharha region, gave birth to Viduratha.
Viduratha‘s wife was Sampriya, and their son was Anashvan.
Anashvan‘s wife was Suveshe, and her son was Parikshit.
Parikshit‘s wife Amrita, from the Bahuka kingdom, gave birth to Bhimasena.
Bhimasena‘s wife Sukumari, from the Kekaya kingdom, gave birth to Paryashrava (who was also known by another name, Pratipa).
Pratipa‘s wife was Princess Sunanda. They had three sons: Devapi, Shantanu, and Bahlika.
Among them, Maharaja Shantanu married Goddess Ganga and begot Devavrata.
This Devavrata later became famous as Bhishma Pitamaha in the Mahabharata.
Afterward, Maharaja Shantanu married Satyavati and begot two sons, Chitrangada and Vichitravirya.
Satyavati to Pandavas and Kauravas
Satyavati’s Lineage and the Secret of the Pandavas’ Birth
Before marrying Shantanu, while she was still a maiden, Satyavati had given birth to Vedavyasa from Sage Parashara.
Among the children of Shantanu and Satyavati Chitrangada and Vichitravirya.
Chitrangada was killed by a Gandharva before he could reach youth; therefore, Vichitravirya became the king.
Vichitravirya married Ambika and Ambalika, the daughters of the King of Kashi. However, unfortunately, Vichitravirya passed away before having any children with either of his wives.
Concerned that Shantanu’s lineage should not become extinct, Satyavati remembered her first son, Vedavyasa. When Vyasa appeared, Satyavati explained the situation and requested him to grant children to Ambika and Ambalika for the elevation of the dynasty.
Accordingly, Dhritarashtra, Pandu, and Vidura were born through Sage Vyasa.
Dhritarashtra married Gandhari. By virtue of a divine boon, Gandhari gave birth to a hundred sons, among whom Duryodhana, Dushasana, Vikarna, and Chitrasena were prominent.
On the other hand, King Pandu had two wives, Kunti and Madri.
Once, while King Pandu was hunting in the forest, he unknowingly shot an arrow at a sage who was in an intimate moment with his consort. Before dying, the sage cursed Pandu, saying, “If you approach your wives, you shall die.” Distressed by this, Pandu grieved over having no offspring.
He then permitted Kunti to obtain children from others. Kunti, using the power of a mantra given to her by Sage Durvasa, invoked Yama to get Yudhishthira (Dharmaraya), Vayu to get Bhimasena, and Devendra to get Arjuna as her sons.
When she shared the mantra with Madri, Madri invoked the Ashwini Kumaras and gave birth to twin sons, Nakula and Sahadeva.
Thus, the five Pandavas were born.
One day, overcome by desire, King Pandu approached Madri, and due to the effect of the curse, he passed away. Madri committed Sati on her husband’s funeral pyre.
Incidents in Hastinapura and the Offspring of Draupadi
Arjuna’s Alliances and the Emergence of King Parikshit
The Conclusion of Puruvamsha and the Fruit of Listening to it
In the final stage of the lineage, Shatanika married Vaidehi and begot a son named Ashvamedhadatta.
With this, the sacred lineage of King Puru and the Pandavas comes to a complete close. According to the Mahabharata, whoever listens to or reads this holy history of the Puruvamsha with devotion will be liberated from all their sins.
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