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 reinstate the Pandavas and give them half the kingdom.

The leader of the Pandavas is their eldest brother, Yudhisthira.

For eighteen days the battle rages till finally the Pandavas are victorious.

During the contest all five Pandavas lose their sons.

Later he secretly meets the Pandavas and sends them wedding presents.

His next appearance brings him closer still to the Pandavas.

During the Pandavas' final exile in the forest, he urges them to repudiate their banishment and make war.

The Kauravas choose the fighters, the Pandavas Krishna.

Yet special majesty surrounds him and when, thirty-six years after the conflict, a hunter mistakes him for a deer and kills him by shooting him in the right foot, the Pandavas are inconsolable.

The mother of the Pandavas is called Kunti and it is Kunti who is the sister of Krishna's father, Vasudeva.

He is to visit the Kauravas and Pandavas, ascertain the facts, console Krishna's aunt, Kunti, and then return and report.

A little later, as we have already seen, a final attempt on their lives will be made, they will be induced to sleep in a new house, the house will be fired and only by a fortunate chance will the Pandavas escape to the forest and dwell in safety.

These extra marriages, however, by no means end the tally of his consorts, for during a visit to his relatives, the Pandavas, now returned from exile and for the moment safely reinstalled in their kingdom, he sees a lovely girl, Kalindi, wandering in the forest.

With them are their wives and families and Kunti, the mother of the Pandavas, is thus enabled to meet once more her brother, Vasudeva, the father of Krishna.

As life at Dwarka runs its course, Krishna's activities centre more and more on wars with demons and his relations with the Pandavas.

Meanwhile Krishna is carefully maintaining relations with the Pandavas.

We have seen how immediately after the slaying of the tyrant he sends an envoy to inquire after his aunt Kunti, the sister of his father, and mother of the five Pandavas.

During a visit to his court, Arjuna, the brother whose lucky shot won Draupadi for the Pandavas, falls in love with Subhadra, Krishna's sister.

they foregather at the Pandavas' court to assist at the sacrifice.

The Pandavas have once again been driven into exile and the old feud has broken out afresh.

It is Krishna who is actively aiding the Pandavas and the war is only being carried on because of his advice.

The Kauravas, he says, cheated the Pandavas of their kingdom by the game of dice.

It confirms the epic's view of Krishna as a hero and fills in many gaps concerning his life at Dwarka, his relations with the Pandavas, his life as a feudal prince and finally, his death.