Mahabharata Family Tree: The Kuru Dynasty Explained

Quick answer: The Mahabharata family tree runs from King Shantanu of the Kuru dynasty. His son by the river goddess Ganga was Bhishma. His sons by Satyavati died young, so Satyavati's elder son Vyasa fathered Dhritarashtra, Pandu and Vidura. Dhritarashtra's hundred sons, led by Duryodhana, are the Kauravas; Pandu's five sons are the Pandavas. Arjuna's grandson Parikshit continued the line.

This page follows Vyasa's Mahabharata in the critical edition (Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune). References are book.chapter.verse in that edition. The genealogy is told mainly in the Adi Parva (1.57 to 1.61 and 1.89 to 1.117).

The tree in outline

Shantanu and his sons

King Shantanu, son of Pratipa (1.91.16), married the goddess Ganga. Their eighth son, Devavrata, became Bhishma when he renounced the throne and vowed never to marry, so that Shantanu could marry Satyavati (1.94.90). Shantanu and Satyavati had two sons. Chitrangada was killed by a gandharva of the same name (1.95), and Vichitravirya married the princesses Ambika and Ambalika but died young, without children (1.96).

Vyasa's three sons

Before her marriage, Satyavati had borne a son to the sage Parashara: Krishna Dvaipayana, known as Vyasa. To save the line, Satyavati called on him, and by the custom of niyoga he fathered sons on the two widowed queens (1.99 to 1.100):

• Dhritarashtra, born blind, son of Ambika;
• Pandu, born pale, son of Ambalika;
• Vidura, son of a maidservant, born wise; the text says he was Dharma incarnate (1.100.27 to 28).

So the Kauravas and Pandavas are first cousins. Neither side descends from Shantanu by blood: their grandfather by blood is Vyasa, and their grandmother Satyavati. By law they belonged to Vichitravirya's line, the Kuru line of Shantanu.

The Kauravas

Dhritarashtra married Gandhari, princess of Gandhara; her brother was Shakuni. They had a hundred sons, Duryodhana the eldest and Duhshasana the second, and one daughter, Duhshala, who married Jayadratha, king of Sindhu (1.107 to 1.108). Dhritarashtra also had a son, Yuyutsu, by a vaishya maidservant (1.107.36). Yuyutsu fought on the Pandava side and survived the war. See Duryodhana in the Mahabharata and Shakuni in the Mahabharata.

The Pandavas

Pandu had two wives. Kunti, born Pritha, was the daughter of the Yadava chief Shura and was given in adoption to King Kuntibhoja (1.104.1); she was the sister of Vasudeva, Krishna's father. Madri was the sister of Shalya, king of Madra. Because of a curse, Pandu could not father children, and his sons were born of gods through a mantra Kunti had received (1.114 to 1.115):

Karna was raised by the charioteer Adhiratha and his wife Radha, and learned only before the war that he was Kunti's eldest son. See Karna's story and Kunti in the Mahabharata.

The Pandavas' wives and sons

Draupadi was the common wife of the five brothers, and bore each a son (1.213.72 to 77):

All five were killed by Ashvatthama in the night raid. The brothers had other wives and sons too:

• Bhima and the rakshasi Hidimba: Ghatotkacha.
• Arjuna and the naga princess Ulupi: Iravan; Arjuna and Chitrangada of Manipura: Babhruvahana; Arjuna and Subhadra, Krishna's sister: Abhimanyu.

See Draupadi in the Mahabharata, Bhima and Arjuna.

After the war: Parikshit and Janamejaya

Abhimanyu married Uttara, daughter of King Virata. Their son Parikshit was born dead, struck by Ashvatthama's weapon, and revived by Krishna (14.65 to 14.69). He became king when the Pandavas left on their last journey. His son Janamejaya held the snake sacrifice at which the Mahabharata was first recited (1.54 onward). See Abhimanyu and the chakravyuha.

How the other main characters are related

Frequently asked questions

Were the Pandavas and Kauravas cousins?

Yes. Their fathers, Pandu and Dhritarashtra, were brothers, both sons of Vyasa.

Was Bhishma the Pandavas' grandfather?

Not by blood. Bhishma was the half-brother of Vichitravirya, in whose name Dhritarashtra and Pandu were born, so by law he was the Pandavas' great-uncle. As the eldest of the house they called him pitamaha, grandfather.

Who was Vyasa's mother?

Satyavati, who later married Shantanu (1.99).

How was Krishna related to the Pandavas?

He was their cousin: his father Vasudeva was Kunti's brother.

Who continued the Kuru line after the war?

Parikshit, son of Abhimanyu and grandson of Arjuna, followed by his son Janamejaya.

Related reading

• Mahabharata: The Complete Guide
• Adi Parva summary
• Bhishma in the Mahabharata
• Shakuntala and Dushyanta
• Vidura in the Mahabharata
• Mahabharata FAQ

Sources

1. The Mahabharata, critical edition (Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune, 1933 to 1966); electronic text BORI 1999, via Indology: indology.info/bombay/mahabharata. References are book.chapter.verse in this edition.

Last reviewed: 12 November 2026.