The epic begins with two rival families each possessed of a common ancestor, Kuru, but standing in bitter rivalry to each other.  Kuru is succeeded by his second son, Pandu, and later by Dhritarashtra, his first son but blind.  Pandu has five sons, who are called Pandavas after him, while Dhritarashtra has a hundred sons called Kauravas after Kuru, their common grandfather.  As children the two families grow up at the same court, but almost immediately jealousies arise which are to have a deadly outcome.  Hatred begins when in boyish contests the Pandavas outdo the Kauravas.  The latter resent their arrogance and presently their father, the blind king, is persuaded to approve a plot by which the five Pandavas will be killed.  They are to sleep in a house which during the night will be burnt down.  The plot, however, miscarries.  The house is burnt, but unbeknown to the Kauravas, the five brothers escape and taking with them their mother, Kunti, go for safety to the forest.  Here they wander for a while disguised as Brahmans or priests but reach at last the kingdom of Panchala.  The King of Panchala has a daughter, Draupadi, whose husband is to be chosen by a public archery competition.  Arjuna, one of the five brothers, wins the contest and gains her as bride.  The Pandavas, however, are polyandrous and thus, on being married to one brother, Draupadi is also married to the other four.  At the wedding the Pandavas disclose their identities.  The Kauravas learn that they are still alive and in due course are reconciled.  They reinstate the Pandavas and give them half the kingdom.  Before Arjuna, however, can profit from the truce, he infringes by accident his elder brother’s privacy by stumbling on him while he is with their common wife.  As a consequence he violates a standing agreement and has no alternative but to go into exile for twelve years.  Arjuna leaves the court, visits other lands, acquires a new wife and makes a new alliance.  In other respects, all is well and the two families look forward to many years of peaceful co-existence.

The fates, however, seem determined on their destruction.  The leader of the Pandavas is their eldest brother, Yudhisthira.  He conquers many other lands and is encouraged to claim the title, ‘ruler of the world.’  The claim is made at a great sacrifice accompanied by a feast.  The claim incenses the Kauravas and once again the ancient feud revives.  Themselves expert gamblers, they challenge Yudhisthira to a contest by dice.  Yudhisthira stupidly agrees and wagering first his kingdom, then his brothers and finally his wife, loses all and goes again into exile.  With him go the other Pandavas, including Arjuna who has since returned.  For twelve years they roam the forests, brooding on their fate and planning revenge.  When their exile ends, they at once declare war.  Both sides seek allies, efforts at peacemaking are foiled and the two clash on the battle-field of Kurukshetra.  For eighteen days the battle rages till finally the Pandavas are victorious.  Their success, however, is at an appalling cost.  During the contest all five Pandavas lose their sons.  The hundred sons of their rival, the blind king Dhritarashtra, are dead and with a sense of tragic futility, the epic ends.