Arjuna battles with Chitra Sena to rescue Duryodhana

Duryodhan plans to visit the Pandavas during their exile and humiliate them. But he gets embroiled in a battle with the Gandharvas and is captured by the Gandharva King Chitrasena. At the request of their brother Yudhistir, Arjuna and Bheem fights the Gandharvas and rescues Duryodhan and his family. Humiliated by this magnanimous gesture of the Pandavas, Duryodhan returns to Hastinapur.

Listen to this episode which marks a turning point in the story of Mahabharata.

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Rishi Kaushik and the Bird

When asked to talk about the virtues of a woman, Rishi Markandeya tells Yudhistira how a housewife advised Rishi Kaushik about the ways of life and led Kaushik to meet the butcher of Mithila to learn about Dharma. We also hear Draupadi advise Krishna’s wife Satyavama about how a woman should treat her husband and gain his loyalty.

Listen to the episode from the player below. You may also subscribe to the podcast, The Stories of Mahabharata.

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Matsya saves Manu from the great deluge

Rishi Markandeya visits the Pandavas and tells them several stories from his vast experience. He narrates the story of the Matsya, Manu and the great deluge. He tells them about the celestial cycles of creation and destruction, and how the demons Madhu and Kaitava was slain by Lord Vishnu. Listen to these tales of Mahabharata in this exciting episode.

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Arjuna Fights the Demons

Arjuna returns from Indra’s palace in the heavens back to his brothers and his wife Draupadi in the Gandhamadan mountains. He tells them the stories of his conquests against the Nibata Kabacha demons and the demonesses Paulam and Kalaka’s army.  Next  we hear the fascinating story of how the mighty prince Bheema was about to be devoured by King Nahusha in the form of a giant snake. Nahusha asks Yudhistira,  who is a true Brahmin? Only the right answer from Yudhistira would save Bheema’s life.

Listen to the enchanting episode with flying airships, incredible weapons and deep philosophical thoughts by clicking the player below.

And please don’t forget to share your thoughts.

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Bheema meets Hanuman

Draupadi asks Bheema to fetch her the divine lotus.  Bheema, eager to please his wife, embarks on a journey to find the precious gift. On his way, he meets an old and frail little monkey. Little did he know, it was his brother the mighty lord Hanuman.

Listen to this delightful story which connects the two great epics of India, Ramayana, and Mahabharata.

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PARAMBRATA CHATTOPADHYAY

Parambrata Chattopadhyay is one of the busiest film actors in Bengal today. Noted as an actor of the alternative cinema, Parambrata has demonstrated his talent not only in Bengali films but also in the mainstream Hindi film industry. His performances in Kahani, Chotushkon, Apur Panchali, Kadambari and many others have made him a household name. Hailing from a family of filmmakers, film writers and critics, Parambrata is also a filmmaker. I got an opportunity to grab some time with him during his visit to New Jersey to screen one of his recent films, Kadambari. An engaging conversationalist, Parambrata discusses candidly his approach to cinema acting and filmmaking in this 20-minute long chat session. I hope you like it.

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Rshi Ashtavakra

The young Rishi Ashtavakra was born crooked at eight parts of his body. The deformity was caused because of his father’s curse. But later Ashtavakra saves his father from his ill fortune. Listen to this story and the stories of how lord Vishnu slays the demon Narakasura and later saves the earth by taking the form of a boar or a Varaha.

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King Ushinara

In this episode of the Stories of Mahabharata, Rishi Lomasha tells the Pandavas two exciting stories. In the first story, he tells the story of Rishi Chyavan who regained his youth with the help of the celestial physicians the Ashwini Kumar twins. The second story narrates the tale of King Ushinara who was willing to give his body and life to save a little dove who took his refuge.

Listen to these intriguing stories by clicking the player below. Let us know how you like them.

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Parashurama kills Kartavirya

According to the Hindu scriptures, Lord Vishnu appeared on earth nine times to purge the earth of evil (his 10th appearance is yet to happen). Parashurama was the sixth incarnation. In this episode, Rishi Lomasha tells the Pandavas the story of Parashurama and how he passed his father Rishi Jamadagni’s cruel test and later killed the evil King KartyaVirya who had a thousand arms. Parashurama later went on to cleanse the earth of the evil Kshatriyas for twenty-one times before retiring to his hermitage in the Mahendra Mountains.

Listen to this chilling podcast episode using the player below. You may also subscribe to the episodes on your smartphone or laptop from iTunes.

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