Pandavas

The Pandavas (pronounced "PAN-dah-vah") (Arjuna, Yudhistira, Bhima, Nakula, and Sahadeva) are five brothers, demigod warrior princes, and the heroes of the ancient Sanskrit epic Mahabharata poem. The Pandava Quartet revolves around the reincarnations of those five brothers.

History
Arjuna, Yudhistira, and Bhima were born to Queen Kunti, the first wife of King Pandu. Nakula and Sahadeva were born to Queen Madri, the second wife of King Pandu.

When the archery teacher of the Pandavas, guru Dronacharya, assembled the brothers for a session, he tied a wooden fish to a tree branch. He instructed the brothers to shoot an arrow at the fish’s eye, but they could only aim by looking at the reflection of the wooden fish in the water below them. Dronacharya asked Yudhishthira what he saw in the reflection, he responded "The sky, the tree, the fish" but teacher told him not to shoot. Bhima said "The branch of the tree, the fish," but he was asked not to shoot too. Arjuna said "The eye of the fish", only he was allowed to shoot. This act of Arjuna was later redone in a competition and it managed to win the heart of Draupadi. But the virtuous and beautiful princess married all five brothers. It was a rule among the five brothers that you couldn’t barge in on Draupadi’s privacy when she was with her husband-of-the-year.

After the partition of Hastinapur, Arjuna burned down the forest of the demon king, Mayasura, killing his family and friends, minus a snake named Takshaka who fled. But in exchange for their sparing his life, Krishna had Mayasura agree to build the Pandava brothers the most beautiful palace the world had ever seen. It came with illusions that befuddled the mind and heightened the senses. They were so convincing that when an enemy prince (who was also the Pandavas' cousin) came to visit, he fell through a floor tile that was actually water, and he nearly broke his foot jumping into a pool that turned out to be cleverly polished sapphires. This palace was named Maya-Mahal, Palace of Illusions, and became sentient. The eldest Pandava liked to read but had trouble choosing a room, so the palace made sure his bed could float anywhere and books could be brought to him. The youngest liked to admire himself, so it made sure there were plenty of places where he might catch glimpses of his beauty. The second youngest liked the sciences, so the palace made sure there was always an abundance of living things to study. The second eldest liked to test his strength, so it made sure he had challenging arenas. The third eldest liked a little of everything, so it made sure nothing escaped his interest. The wife of the Pandavas, Draupadi, wanted most of all, but the closest the palace could muster was light. The Palace of Illusions was really upset that they left, it ended up in the Kingdom of Death.

One day, Arjuna was called to fight off a bunch of demons. He had to answer the call, because that’s what heroes do. The only problem was, he’d left his special bow and arrow in the dining room where Princess Draupadi was eating with one of his brothers. The penalty for barging in on their privacy was exile. Rather than let innocent people get hurt by demons, Arjuna chose to break the rule, but he had to go into the forest for twelve years. During these years of exile, Arjuna was pulled inside a river where he was performing his rituals. He met Ulupi, one of the serpent queens, who was responsible for this so they could travel together. After offering his rites to the fire in the abode of Kourvaya, Ulupi confesses her love to him, they marry and have a son named Iravan. Pleased by Arjuna, Ulupi grants him a boon that all animals that live under water will obey him and he will be invincible under the water.

Urvashi, the most beautiful of all the apsaras, made romantic advances towards Arjuna when he visited his father, Indra. Arjuna rejected her advances because Urvashi was his own ancestor, the wife of King Pururavas, so respectively called his mother. But Urvashi grew angry and cursed him to lose his manhood for one year. So Arjuna posed as a eunuch, took the name Brihannala, and taught song and dance to the princess of the kingdom of Virata.

At the end of Yudhishthira's life, Dharma Raja took the form of a dog and kept him company. Yudhistira refused to enter heaven without him.

Yudhishthira
Yudhishthira (pronounced "yoo-diss-TEE-ruh") was the son of Dharma Raja, the Hindu god of justice and death. He was the oldest brother, and was known for being noble, just and wise. Everyone went to him for advice. The current reincarnation of Yudhishthira is Yamini Kapoor-Mercado-Lopez. The previous one was a famous judge.

Bhima
Bhima (pronounced "BEE-muh") was the son of Vayu, the Hindu god of wind. Known as Bhima the Strong, he was known for for having a ridiculously large appetite, being superstrong, and also having a temper. The previous reincarnation of Bhima was an Olympic athelete.

Arjuna
Arjuna (pronounced "ar-JOO-nah") was the son of Indra, the Hindu god of storms, thunder and lightning. Known as Arjuna the Triumphant, Arjuna was the most famous out of all the Pandava brothers. He had the most adventures, and was known for his incredible skill with the bow and arrow. The current reincarnation of Arjuna is Aru Shah. The previous one was a senator.

Nakula
Nakula (pronounced "nuh-KOO-luh") the beautiful, twin of Sahadeva, was the son of Nasatya, one of the Ashvins, the twin horsemen Hindu gods who symbolize sunrise and sunset and are considered the gods of medicine and healing. The previous reincarnation of both Nakula and Sahadeva were famous male models who wrote fabulous best-selling self-help books and started the world’s first hot-yoga studios.

Sahadeva
Sahadeva (pronounced "saw-hah-DAY-vuh") the wise, twin of Nakula, was the son of Dasra, one of the Ashvins, the twin horsemen Hindu gods who symbolize sunrise and sunset and are considered the gods of medicine and healing. The previous reincarnation of both Sahadeva and Nakula were famous male models who wrote fabulous best-selling self-help books and started the world’s first hot-yoga studios.

Karna
Karna was the secret Pandava, the others didn’t even know he was their brother until the war had begun.

Trivia

 * The tale of Arjuna and the fish’s eye was about focusing and peeling away distractions one by one until all that was left was the target. Sometimes, he shot the eye of a wooden bird instead of a fish, Duryodhana and in other versions and Dronacharya's son, Ashwattama, are present.