Neev:
 Hey myth-lovers! Welcome back to Mythical Masala with Neev—the podcast where heroes rise, villains plot, and the drama just keeps getting juicier!

Co-host:
 And speaking of drama—last time we saw the birth of the mighty Pandavas and their hundred rivals, the Kauravas. Oh, and don’t forget that mysterious curse that sent King Pandu into exile…

Neev:
 Exactly! But today, destiny brings Kunti and the five Pandavas back to Hastinapura. Secrets, rivalries, royal training—things are about to heat up!

Co-host:
 Ready or not, the Pandavas are coming home!

Neev:

 The forest had fallen silent.

News had traveled — not by chariots or scrolls — but carried on whispers and winds:
 King Pandu and Queen Madri… were gone.

Co-host:
 Just like that… the forest lost its king and queen.

Neev:
 Back in the ashram, the rishis and sages gathered quickly. The meeting didn’t last long — because no one disagreed.

It was clear: Kunti and her five sons must return to Hastinapura. They were princes, sons of royal blood, and it was time for them to take their rightful place.

The sages themselves accompanied Kunti and the Pandavas on their journey — like a moving forest of wisdom and blessings, guiding the future of the Kuru dynasty back home.

And waiting for them, in the grand palace of Hastinapura, were hearts full of grief.

Co-host:
 Yudhishthira was sixteen then, right?

Neev:
 Yes. Tall, quiet, thoughtful. He led his brothers with calm strength, just like his father.
 And in the palace stood Bhishma, Vidura, King Dhritarashtra, and the aged Queen Mother Satyavati…

Co-host:  …along with Vyasa, the one who had written their destinies and watched them unfold.

When the Pandavas arrived, the sages introduced them — not just with names, but with glowing words of honor:

• Yudhishthira, born of Yama, just and wise
• Bhima, born of Vayu, strong as a tempest
• Arjuna, gifted by Indra, sharp as a lightning strike
• Nakula and Sahadeva, blessed by the Ashwini twins, graceful and brilliant

Co-host:
 That must’ve been such a powerful moment—five boys returning from the wild, and the whole kingdom meeting their future!

Neev:
 Bhishma couldn’t hold back. His heart swelled. He embraced each of them, one by one—hugging them, placing them in his lap, and silently thanking the heavens.

Bhishma:
 “These boys… they are Pandu’s pride. Hastinapura is safe.”

The palace, once mourning, was now filled with new hope. The future of the kingdom had returned.

But the past still needed to be honored. Funeral rites were performed for Pandu and Madri, following sacred customs with fire, flowers, and farewells.

Co-host:
 It must have been especially hard for Yudhishthira—to say goodbye and step into responsibility at the same time.

Neev:
 It was. And watching all of this… was Sage Vyasa.

He turned to Satyavati, the Queen Mother — once the very heart of Hastinapura’s rise — and told her what he saw ahead:

Vyasa:
 “The future holds sorrow, storms, and battles. You have seen enough. It is time to find peace.”

Co-host: So, Satyavati, along with Ambika and Ambalika, chose to leave the palace? The queens of yesterday walked away quietly… to live holy, simple lives in the forest.

Neev:
 Yes. And Hastinapura—now home again to five princes—was about to begin a new chapter.
 One filled with training, friendships… and the first sparks of rivalry.

Neev:
 So now the royal palace of Hastinapura had suddenly gotten a lot more crowded — and a whole lot more interesting!

The hundred Kauravas, sons of Dhritarashtra, were used to having everything to themselves — the palace, the garden, the teachers, the attention…

Co-host:
 … and probably the last laddoo on the plate, too.

Neev:
 For sure! But now, five new kids had shown up: the Pandavas.

They were royal, brave, smart, and worst of all — beloved. The elders loved them, the teachers admired them, and even the people of Hastinapura whispered,
 “These boys might be the future of our kingdom…”

Co-host:
 Yikes. That’s a whole lot of royal side-eye from the Kauravas.

Neev:
 Oh, it got worse.

The kids all trained together, under Kripacharya, the court teacher. They learned archery, sword-fighting, scriptures, and war tactics.

But guess what?

Co-host: Bhima? He was a beast, right?

Neev: Yes! He was huge, strong, and never backed down from a challenge.
 For Bhima, training was like playtime. For the Kauravas… it was more like humiliation.

Co-host:
 Let me guess—he didn’t exactly go easy on them?

Neev:
 Not at all! Bhima would wrestle five at once, arm-wrestle ten more, and still have energy to do backflips. He thought it was all good-natured fun — but the Kauravas, especially Duryodhana, didn’t see it that way.

Cohost: Wasn’t there  The Great Tree Incident.

Neev: Right! One day, Bhima wanted some fruit from a big tree in the royal gardens. He gave it a mighty shake…

Co-host:
 Let me guess… not just fruit came down?

Neev:
 Nope! Turns out, a bunch of Kauravas were hanging out on the branches—and they all tumbled down like overripe mangoes!

Bhima just blinked and said,
 “Well, I did want something sweet to fall…”

Co-host:
 Oooh, that probably didn’t help his popularity rating.

Neev:
 Not. At. All.

Bhima, with his massive strength and playful teasing, became Target #1 in the eyes of Duryodhana and his brothers. But underneath it all?
Co-host:  Envy. Jealousy. Fear.

Neev: Yes! Because Bhima wasn’t just strong — he was unstoppable.

And Duryodhana? He was starting to think…
 “If I want to be king someday, I might have to stop Bhima first.”

Neev:
 Alright myth-lovers… remember how Bhima was tossing Kauravas out of trees without even trying?

Co-host:
 And still thought it was just a fun afternoon workout?

Neev:
 Exactly! But Duryodhana? He wasn’t laughing. His jealousy had reached a boiling point. He realized something dangerous:

“If we fight Bhima fairly… we’re never going to win.”

So he came up with a plan. Not a smart plan. Not a kind plan.

Co-host: A terrible, devious, classic-villain-style plan!

Neev: Duryodhana decided to take the Pandavas on a picnic to the banks of the River Ganga.

Co-host:
 Wait, this isn’t one of those “surprise party” types of picnics, is it?

Neev:
 Nope. More like a “surprise poisoning and river dunk” type.

Duryodhana arranged a feast. Delicious food, cool breeze, shady trees—everything a royal picnic should have.

Except…

He poisoned Bhima’s lunch.

Co-host:
 WHAT?! That’s next-level sibling rivalry.

Neev:
 I know! And it wasn’t just a little poison. It was enough to knock out a hundred people.

Co-host: That too targeting just Bhima?

Neev: Yes! But Bhima? Being Bhima?He ate it all.

Bhima slumped over, unconscious.

Co-host:
 Did anyone notice?

Neev:
 Only Duryodhana and his sneaky gang of brothers. While the other Pandavas were off playing nearby, they tied up the unconscious Bhima…

…and threw him into the Ganga.

Co-host: Oh no! What happened then?

Neev: When the Pandavas came looking for him, the Kauravas said:
 “Oh, Bhima? He got tired and went home after lunch!”

And the Pandavas, ever trusting, believed them.

Co-host:
 So Duryodhana thought the plan had worked?

Neev:
 Oh, he was so pleased with himself. Probably doing a little victory dance in his mind, like—

Duryodhana (Neev, gloating):
 “Goodbye, Bhima! Enjoy your nap… at the bottom of the river!”

Co-host: But Bhima is not exactly so easy to get rid of now, is he?.

Neev:
 So while Duryodhana was up on land doing his best mwahaha villain laugh…

Co-host:
 Let me guess — things were not going according to plan underwater?

Neev:
 Ohhh no. Because guess where Bhima ended up?

Co-host:
 Please say not shark territory.

Neev:
 Worse… snake territory.
 Welcome to Nagaloka—the mysterious, glowing kingdom of the serpents!

In his unconscious state, Bhima sank deeper and deeper into the river until he reached this hidden realm. There, a bunch of snakes gathered around him and…

Co-host:
 Wait, they bit him?! Again?! Poor Bhima can’t catch a break.

Neev :
 Actually… they kind of saved his life. Their venom neutralized the poison Duryodhana gave him.

Co-host:
 Hold up—poison cancels poison?

Neev:
 Apparently, in ancient snake logic… yes. And guess what?
Bhima woke up, broke his ropes, and flung the snakes like he was tossing pillows.

That noise? It caught the attention of Vasuki, the king of snakes.

Co-host:
 Vasuki?! Isn’t he the one from the churning of the ocean story?

Neev:
 Yup! Same powerful serpent king. And get this—he and Bhima are actually related through Bhima’s dad, Vayu, the wind god.

When Vasuki heard how Duryodhana tried to poison Bhima, he was not happy.

Vasuki:
 “This boy is blessed. He must be protected.”

Co-host:
 So what did he do—offer him a snake army?

Neev:
 Even better—eight cups of celestial nectar.

Co-host :
 Ooooh. Fancy.

Neev:
 This nectar would give Bhima the strength of ten thousand elephants.

Co-host:
 TEN. THOUSAND?! Okay, now Duryodhana really messed up.

Neev:
 Bhima drank it all in one go, burped like a champion, and went into a blissful, magical nap.

Meanwhile, back in Hastinapura…

The Pandavas were starting to panic. Bhima had been missing for eight days!

Kunti:
 “My son… Duryodhana has harmed him, I know it!”

Co-host:
 Honestly? Not a bad guess.

Neev:
 But wise old Vidura calmed her down.

Vidura:
 “Do not fear. The Pandavas have long lives. Bhima will return.”

And guess what? On the eighth day, Bhima woke up, stretched like he’d just had the world’s best nap, and sprinted all the way back to the palace.

Neev:
 Tears of joy. Big hugs. Bhima bowed at her feet, then hopped right into her lap like a little boy again.

His brothers gathered around, eager-eyed.

Co-host:
 And I bet Bhima gave them the most dramatic retelling ever.

Neev:
 “So there I was… falling into the water, when BAM! Snake bites! POW! Ropes snapping! SWISH! Nectar chugging!”

Co-host:
 The guy nearly died and still managed to turn it into a superhero origin story.

Neev:
 And just like that… Bhima was back.

Stronger than ever.

And Duryodhana?

Well… let’s just say his plans were about to get a lot more desperate.

Neev:
 After all the drama with poisoning and magical naps in snake kingdoms, the royal kids were finally back to being… well, kids.

One day, the 105 princes — yep, all the Kauravas and Pandavas — were playing with a ball near the forest.

Co-host:
 Wait… 105 kids, one ball?

Neev:
 I know, right? Total chaos. Anyway, just when the game was heating up…

…the ball fell into a deep, dark well.

Co-host:
 Oh no! Classic playground disaster.

Neev:
 The boys tried everything—sticks, ropes, team chanting, probably some royal-level whining too—but nothing worked.

And then… from the shadows of the trees, an effulgent Brahmana appeared.

Co-host:
 Wait, what’s "effulgent"?

Neev:
 It means he was glowing. Like a mystical lightbulb with a beard.

He looked at the kids and said calmly:

Brahmana (wise and mysterious):
 “Shall I help?”

He pulled off his ring, chanted a mantra, and—get this—used a single blade of grass to turn it into an arrow!

Co-host:
 No way. A grass-arrow?

Neev:
 Yup. With perfect precision, he launched it into the well… piercing the ring and the ball in one go.
 Then he used another blade of grass. And another. One by one, he formed a chain of grass-arrows, each piercing the next…

…until he pulled the ball out of the well without touching it.

Co-host:
 Okay, that’s cooler than any party trick I’ve ever seen.

Neev:
 The princes? Stunned. Speechless.
 They ran straight to Bhishma shouting:

Princes:
You have to come see this guy!!”

When Bhishma saw him, he smiled and said:
 “Drona. At last.”

Co-host :
 Wait, wait, wait—Drona? THE legendary weapons master?

Neev:
 The very one. Drona, son of sage Bharadwaja. A master of celestial weapons. And Bhishma knew—if Drona became their teacher, the Pandavas and Kauravas would be trained like no warriors before.

So Bhishma didn’t waste a second. He appointed Drona as the royal guru of Hastinapura.

And it was here, under Drona’s sharp eyes and even sharper arrows, that the princes began their real training.

One student in particular caught Drona’s eye…

Co-host:
 Let me guess—starts with an A and ends with best archer ever?

Neev:
 Yup! Arjuna.
 Focused, determined, and always the first to arrive and the last to leave practice.

Co-host:
 Teacher’s pet much?

Neev (chuckles):
 But for a reason! Arjuna was so dedicated that Drona finally said:

Drona:
 “In this entire world, no archer shall ever equal Arjuna.”

And just like that, the greatest archer of his age had earned his teacher’s blessing.

Neev :
 What a journey, right? From forest funerals to underwater snake kingdoms, and now a master archer in the making… things are heating up in Hastinapura!

Co-host:
 And now that Arjuna’s getting extra attention from Drona… something tells me the jealousy is about to hit a new level.

Neev:
 Exactly! In our next episode, we’ll dive deeper into the gurukul years, new rivalries, an intense test of skill, and the mysterious warrior who arrives uninvited to challenge the Pandavas.

Co-host:
 Oooooh! Is this where… that guy shows up?

Neev:
 Maybe. Maybe not. You’ll have to tune in to find out! 😉

Thanks for listening to Mythical Masala with Neev, where every story comes with a sprinkle of magic and a big scoop of masala!