What is going on in this picture?
Arjuna completing the challenge at Draupadi’s svayamvara
Which Pandava spent years in tapas to obtain divine weapons?
Arjuna
What was the condition of the 13th year of exile?
They must be in disguise or they will go back for 12 more years.
How was Bheeshma defeated?
Arjuna stood behind Shikhandi and shot so many arrows that he fell
When performing the final rites of all the warriors, Kunti reveals that the Pandavas had one older brother who died. Who was it?
Karna
What was the purpose of the Wax Palace?
For Duryodhana to kill the Pandavas and become king
When he was searching for flowers for Draupadi, who blocked Bheema’s path?
Lord Hanuman
In their 13th year of exile, what was Bheema’s disguise?
A cook + wrestler
Which Pandava warrior’s death by unfair means marked the turning point of the war, after which the Kauravas never won a single day of battle?
Abhimanyu
Due to the patient efforts of Yudhishthira, who became a reformed man after the Mahabharata war?
A- Ashwatthama, B- Dhritarasthra, C – Vidura, D – Shakuni
B- Dhritarasthra
Which of the following did Duryodhana try to do?
A – Wrestle Arjuna, B – Poison Bheema, C – Kidnap Sahadeva, D – Rob Yudhishthira
B – Poison Bheema
What can we learn from Ashtavakra’s wisdom?
Don’t judge someone by their age or appearance
What is going on in this picture?
Yudhishthira is answering the questions of Lord Yama (disguised as a crane/yaksha)
Sage Parashurama and a brahmin cursed Karna, which caused his death in the war. Name at least one of these curses.
1. He will forget his divine astras when he needs them most (Sage Parashurama)
2. He will be killed when he is helpless and his chariot is stuck in the mud.
On the Pandavas’ journey to heaven, Yudhishthira was the only one to reach the end, but initially refused to go to heaven. Why?
He would not abandon the dog that followed him.
Why did Bheeshma vow that he would not take the throne of Hastinapura?
So that his father Shantanu could marry the fisherwoman Satyavati
What vice caused King Nahusha to fall from heaven and be cursed to become a python?
The power caused his arrogance and he kicked Sage Agastya in impatience
How did Krishna satisfy the hunger of Sage Durvasa and all his disciples?
He found a grain of rice and was satiated by it. As Bhagavan, when Lord Krishna was full, then all of the sages & disciples found that they were also feeling full.
Angry at his father’s death, Ashwatthama released the Narayana astra, which rained arrows down on the Pandava army. How did the Pandavas survive?
They dropped their weapons – the astra did not affect anyone who did not oppose it.
After the Mahabharata war, who did Yudhishthira learn the duties of a king from? Hint: this teaching includes the Vishnu Sahasranama.
A- Bheeshma, B- Vyasa, C- Kunti, D- Krishna
A- Bheeshma
How was the kingdom divided between the Pandavas and the Kauravas?
Kauravas got Hastinapura, Pandavas got the arid Khandavaprastha (“half” area-wise) and turned it into Indraprastha
In a story told to the Pandavas during their exile, a butcher teaches a lesson to a sage (Vyadha Gita). What does he say?
The action you do (e.g. being a butcher) matters less than the attitude you do it with.
When Duryodhana went to taunt the Pandavas in exile, he was captured by the gandharvas. Why did Yudhishthira rescue him?
Any of the following:
1. Internally the cousins may have conflicts, but against outsiders they must help each other.
2. Innocent attendants/etc. in Duryodhana's retinue were captured and would suffer too.
3. By doing nothing, they would be letting someone else punish Duryodhana on their behalf.
Verse 6 of Gita Dhyanam:
"The river of battle with Bheeshma and Drona as its banks; with Jayadratha as its waters; with the king of Gandhara as the blue water-lily; Shalya as the shark; Kropa as the current; Karna as the breaker; Ashvatthama and Vikarna as the terrible crocodiles; Duryodhana as the whirlpool – was crossed over by the Pandavas with Keshava as the ferry-man."
Who is the king of Gandhara and Shalya, and why were they supporting the Kauravas? Partial credit if instead, you identify one of the other warriors.
Shakuni and the Pandava's Uncle (tricked into promising Duryodhana his help)
During Yudhishthira’s Ashwamedha Yajna, a mongoose comes and declares that this is not as good as the brahmin family’s yajna. What was the brahmin family’s sacrifice?
They gave up their food to a stranger/guest in the middle of a famine.