ABSTRACT
Queen KuntI has been given the boon of a night visit in successive years by six gods of her choice. By them she has six sons who are thus half-brothers. Five of them are adopted by her husband King PaDqu, and thus called PaDqavas. The eldest, Yudhi~thira, is to inherit the kingdom. The next two are the fierce Bhlma, and Arjuna who becomes a master archer, and later the disciple in the Glta. The last two PaDqavas play no part in the Glta. The other infant, who will be the heroic KarDa, is abandoned, but found and adopted by a charioteer. This is an important point.
