Yudhishthira

Son of Dharma, heir apparent

Yudhishthira was born in the forest to Kunti after she called on Dharma, the god of justice, since Pandu was under a curse. After Pandu's death the boy came to Hastinapura with his mother and brothers and trained under Kripa and Drona. Dhritarashtra, pressed by the people, named him heir apparent, and Duryodhana answered with the house of lac at Varanavata. Vidura warned Yudhishthira in a coded language, and the family escaped through a tunnel. After the marriage to Draupadi the kingdom was split. Yudhishthira ruled from Indraprastha and was crowned emperor at the Rajasuya.

The dice and the forest

Invited to play dice at Hastinapura, he could not refuse a challenge. Against Shakuni, who threw for Duryodhana, he lost his wealth, his kingdom, each of his brothers, himself, and finally Draupadi. Her question, whether a man who had already lost himself could stake her, was never answered. A second game sent the Pandavas into twelve years of forest exile and a thirteenth year in hiding.

At a lake in Dvaitavana a yaksha killed his four brothers and then questioned him. Yudhishthira answered every riddle, and when offered one brother back he chose Nakula, so that Madri would have a living son as well as Kunti. The yaksha was Dharma. Yudhishthira spent the hidden year at Virata's court as Kanka, the king's dice companion.

A war he did not want

Before the war he said he would accept five villages. At Kurukshetra he walked unarmed across the field to ask Bhishma, Drona, Kripa and Shalya for their blessing. His great compromise came when Drona could not be beaten. Yudhishthira told his teacher that Ashwatthama was dead, adding "the elephant" too softly to be heard. His chariot, which had always run a little above the earth, touched the ground. On the last day he killed Shalya with a spear.

Crown, grief and the mountain

Crowned at Hastinapura, he learned from Kunti that Karna had been their eldest brother, and he never fully recovered from it. Years later, after Krishna's death, he gave the throne to Parikshit and walked north with his brothers, Draupadi and a stray dog. One by one the others fell on the mountain. At heaven's gate he would not board Indra's chariot without the dog, and the dog became Dharma. In heaven he saw Duryodhana honoured and chose to stay in hell with his brothers. The hell was an illusion, a last test and the price of his one lie.

The gambler who would not lie

Readers still ask how the man of dharma could stake his own wife. His greatness is patience and fairness more than courage, and the epic lets that virtue fail badly before it is vindicated.