Bharathi199
Active Member
Author's note: Based on the English translation of the original Mahabharatha by Kisari Mohan Ganguli.
If you look at the serials and shows that come on TV based on the Mahabharatha, the Pandavas, Duryodhana, Dushashana and Karna are all shown to be more or less in the same age group. In fact, there are shows where you have a princess who wants to marry Karna but Arjuna wants to marry her too. The impression we get is that all three must have been of similar age then. Well, according to the storyline of the epic, this is not possible at all and there must have been quite an age gap (Maybe 15 to 20 years) between Arjuna and Karna. This means that any princess who wanted to marry Karna also might have been much older than Arjuna.
The exact age difference between Karna and the Pandavas or Kauravas is not mentioned in the epic but:
She is wondering what to do now when Vyasa comes there and divides the ball of flesh into parts and places them in a hundred and one closed jars. In time, Duryodhana is born first from these parts of the ball of flesh and then over a month’s time after his birth, all the others are born too.
Duryodhana and Bhima are born on the same day. Arjuna is born at least a year later and then the twins, Nakul and Sahadeva are born to Madri, a year later.
Adi Parva- Sambhava Parva:
"O king, after all the children were born the Rishis dwelling on the mountain of a hundred peaks uttering blessings on them and affectionately performing the first rites of birth, bestowed appellations on them. The eldest of Kunti's children was called Yudhishthira, the second Bhimasena, and the third Arjuna, and of Madri's sons, the first-born of the twins was called Nakula and the next Sahadeva. And those foremost sons born at an interval of one year after one another, looked like an embodied period of five years. And king Pandu, beholding his children of celestial beauty and of super-abundant energy, great strength and prowess, and of largeness of soul, rejoiced exceedingly. And the children became great favourites of the Rishis, as also of their wives, dwelling on the mountain of a hundred peaks.
If you look at the serials and shows that come on TV based on the Mahabharatha, the Pandavas, Duryodhana, Dushashana and Karna are all shown to be more or less in the same age group. In fact, there are shows where you have a princess who wants to marry Karna but Arjuna wants to marry her too. The impression we get is that all three must have been of similar age then. Well, according to the storyline of the epic, this is not possible at all and there must have been quite an age gap (Maybe 15 to 20 years) between Arjuna and Karna. This means that any princess who wanted to marry Karna also might have been much older than Arjuna.
The exact age difference between Karna and the Pandavas or Kauravas is not mentioned in the epic but:
- Kunti was a child when Karna was born
- She grew into a young woman, then got married to Pandu
- Pandu then married Madri
- Then Pandu went away to expand the kingdom
- He came back after a few years
- With the money he brought, Dhritrashtra performed many sacrifices
- Then Pandu retired to the forest with Kunti/ Madri
- While enjoying their life in the forest, Pandu killed Rishi Kindama and got cursed
- The three decide to give up the kingdom and become ascetics
- They travel to many places, cross mountains
- Then Kunti tells Pandu about the boon she has and she calls Dharmaraja
She is wondering what to do now when Vyasa comes there and divides the ball of flesh into parts and places them in a hundred and one closed jars. In time, Duryodhana is born first from these parts of the ball of flesh and then over a month’s time after his birth, all the others are born too.
Duryodhana and Bhima are born on the same day. Arjuna is born at least a year later and then the twins, Nakul and Sahadeva are born to Madri, a year later.
Adi Parva- Sambhava Parva:
"O king, after all the children were born the Rishis dwelling on the mountain of a hundred peaks uttering blessings on them and affectionately performing the first rites of birth, bestowed appellations on them. The eldest of Kunti's children was called Yudhishthira, the second Bhimasena, and the third Arjuna, and of Madri's sons, the first-born of the twins was called Nakula and the next Sahadeva. And those foremost sons born at an interval of one year after one another, looked like an embodied period of five years. And king Pandu, beholding his children of celestial beauty and of super-abundant energy, great strength and prowess, and of largeness of soul, rejoiced exceedingly. And the children became great favourites of the Rishis, as also of their wives, dwelling on the mountain of a hundred peaks.
