Yudhishthira

Yudhishthira (Sanskrit: युधिष्ठिर, romanized: Yudhiṣṭhira, lit. 'one who is steady in battle'), also known as Dharmaputra (lit. 'Son of Dharma') and Dharmaraja (lit. 'King of Dharma'), was the eldest among the five Pandavas, and is also one of the central characters of the ancient Hindu epic Mahabharata. He was the king of Indraprastha and later the King of the Kuru kingdom in the epic. Yudhishthira was the son of Kunti, the first wife of King Pandu, fathered by the personification of Dharma, due to a curse preventing Pandu from having children. Yudhishthira held a strong belief in dharma (morals and virtues) and was chosen as the crown prince of Kuru. However, after the Lakshagriha incident, he was presumed dead and his cousin Duryodhana was appointed as the new heir. The kingdom was split in half due to a succession dispute between Yudhishthira and Duryodhana. Yudhishthira received the barren half (Khandavprastha), which he later transformed into the magnificent city of Indraprastha. Yudhishthira and his brothers, the Pandavas (lit. 'Descendants of Pandu'), had a polyandrous marriage with Draupadi, the princess of Panchala, who became the empress of Indraprastha. After Yudhishthira performed the Rajasuya Yagna, he was invited to play a game of dice by his jealous cousin, Duryodhana and his uncle, Shakuni. Shakuni, a master at the game, represented Duryodhana against Yudhishthira and manipulated him into gambling his kingdom, wealth, the freedom of his brothers, Draupadi, and even himself. After the game, the Pandavas and Draupadi were sent into exile for thirteen years, with the last year requiring them to live incognito. If they were recognized during the 13th year, they would have to go to the forest for another twelve years. During his exile, Yudhisthira was tested by his divine father Yama. During the last year of the exile, known as...