The complex political and romantic saga of King Yayati, Devayani (the proud daughter of the Asura guru), and Sharmishtha (the Asura princess). Their turbulent relationships led to the birth of the Yadava and Kuru dynasties.

The defining moment of the Kuru dynasty. Prince Devavrata makes an unimaginable sacrifice of his birthright and personal happiness so his father can marry the fisher-princess Satyavati, forever changing the course of history.

Following the early deaths of Shantanu's sons, Bhishma abducts three princesses from Kashi to secure heirs for the Kuru dynasty. His actions lead to a great battle, a tragic marriage, and the beginning of a lifelong vendetta.

Facing the extinction of the Kuru dynasty, Queen Satyavati makes a desperate decision to summon her ascetic son, Sage Vyasa. His intervention results in the births of Dhritarashtra, Pandu, and Vidura, setting the stage for the great war.

King Pandu, the greatest warrior of his age, conquers the world and retires to the forests of the Himalayas with his two queens. But a single arrow, loosed at a mating deer in a sun-dappled clearing, shatters his destiny forever. The dying animal reveals itself as a sage, and its curse transforms the mighty king into a broken ascetic who can never again touch his own wives.

On the sacred heights of Mount Shatashringa, the cursed King Pandu begs his wife Kunti to use her divine mantra to summon the gods. One by one, Dharma, Vayu, and Indra descend to father sons of extraordinary power. Meanwhile, in the palace of Hastinapura, Gandhari gives birth to her children in the most grotesque manner imaginable--a mass of iron flesh, divided by Vyasa into 101 pots of ghee, from which emerge the 100 Kauravas and the seeds of the great war.

During their harsh exile, the Pandavas chase a magical deer, leading to a deadly encounter at a crystalline lake guarded by a divine Yaksha. When four brothers die of thirst and pride, Yudhishthira must face a profound test of wisdom to save them.

While wandering in the mystical Gandhamadana mountains to fetch a celestial flower for Draupadi, Bhima's path is blocked by an old, sickly monkey. What begins as a display of arrogance ends in a humbling revelation of divine brotherhood.

To prepare for the inevitable war, Arjuna embarks on a perilous journey to the Himalayas to perform severe penance. After a fierce battle with Lord Shiva himself, Arjuna ascends to the celestial city of Indraloka to receive the ultimate weapons of the gods.

On the fifteenth day of the great war, the invincible Dronacharya unleashes the devastating Brahmastra. Knowing the guru can only be defeated if he lays down his arms in grief, Krishna forces Yudhishthira, the embodiment of truth, to utter a deceptive half-lie.