Pāṇḍu

King of Hastināpura; legal father of all five Pandavas. Cursed by Sage Kindama to die if he ever again approached a woman in love — the curse that necessitates the niyoga structure permitting Kuntī and Mādrī to invoke deities for the Pandava conceptions. Dies at Śatasṛṅga when he succumbs to passion for Mādrī; she commits satī on his pyre. The Pandava demigods are all conceived during his exile-with-curse phase; he is legal father by Kuru-house dharma but biologically uninvolved.

Relations

• half sibling: Dhritarashtra
• half sibling: Vidura
• spouse: KuntīMahabharata, Adi Parva 105-113 (primary)
• spouse: MādrīSecond wife; brought to Hastināpura through bride-price (the Madra royal custom).Mahabharata, Adi Parva 113 (primary)

Sources

• existence: Mahabharata, Adi Parva 105-125 (the full Pāṇḍu narrative); Bhāgavata Purāṇa 9.22 (primary)
• parentage: Mahabharata, Adi Parva 105 (son of Vyāsa via niyoga with Ambālikā, the second widow of Vicitravīrya) (primary)