To whom did the women of Vrindavan offer prayers? Durga
How did Krishna get the name Murari? Murari literally means: - Enemy of Mura. Krishna killed Mura, a demon, in a battle.
What was the name of Nanda's wife?Yashoda.
Who was the wife of Bharata (of the Raghu dynasty)? Mandavi, Sita's cousin.
Who saved Takshaka from Janamejaya's sarpa-satra? SageAstika.
Of which kingdom was Jayadratha, the king? Sindhu.
In addition to Jarasandha's army, what was the army the Yadavas had to face? Kalayavana's army.
Why did Shiva bum Kamadeva? Because he disturbed the serenity of Shiva's mind.
What was the name of Jambavati's father? Jambavan.
Who killed Satrajit? Shatadhanwa.
According to tradition what time was Krishna bom? After midnight, when the star Rohini was on the ascendent, in the month of Shravana, on the day of Ashtami.
Who sent Akrura to Hastinapura to enquire about the Pandavas? Krishna.
How many times did Jarasandha attack Mathura? Eighteen.
Where did Krishna say, "I will be born again and again when there is decline of Dharma"? Kurukshetra.
Who was the tutor of Abhimanyu? After his initial training from Arjuna, Abhhnanyu was tutored by Pradyumna.
Who carried puva (Pohe i.e. beaten rice) to Krishna? And in return what did Krishna give to him? Sudama. Krishna built a palace for him and filled that palace with wealth and gifts.
What was the name of the crane that picked Krishna and swallowed him? Bakasura.
What did Krishna do to free himself from the crane? He created unbearable heat and the crane spat him out.
What was the name of Savitri's father? Ashwapati.
Who was the charioteer of Indra? Matali.
What is the main philosophy of Gita? Work for work's sake and not for any gain.
What strategy did Krishna suggest to Arjuna to defeat Drona? They made DronaTielieve that his son, Ashwatthama had been killed. This led Drona to lay down his weapons thus enabling Dhrishtadyumna to kill him.
What was the musical instrument dear to Krishna? Flute.
When did Kamsa free Vasudeva and Devaki? After the birth of their eighth child.
Below which tree did Krishna usually play the flute? Kadamba.
On which day of the battle of Kurukshetra did Krishna take up Sudarshan Chakra to slay Bhishma? Ninth day.
Who was the father of Snakuni? Subala.
When Kaliya coiled his body around Krishna, what did Krishna do? Krishna made his body swell.
What are the four Vedas? Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharvaveda.
What constitutes Vedic literature? The four Vedas mentioned above. Each of these four has four divisions: First come the Samhitas, then come Brahmana - a treatise relating to prayer and sacrificial ceremony. Next come the Aranyakas, forest texts meant for the forest-dwelling hermit. They are appendices to the Brahmanas. Fourth is Upanishads - appendices to Aranyakas. Together they constitute Vedic literature.
How many sala trees does Rama pierce with one arrow? Seven.
How did Kalayavana die? Muchukunda opened his eyes. And when his gaze fell on Kalayavana he turned into ashes.
Durvasa goes with his disciples to the place where the Pandavas were living. How does Krishna help Draupadi serve food to so many? Krishna visits the place and says that he is hungry. There is no food in the vessel, but Krishna sees a leaf and eats it. This makes Durvasa and his disciples feel they have eaten a full meal.
In which forest did the Pandavas spend most of their days during the exile? In Kamyaka forest.
From where did Krishna get the Parijata tree? Devaloka (Indra's palace).
Who were the parents of Aniruddha? Pradyumna (son of Krishna) and Rukmavafi.
Who was instrumental in kidnapping Aniruddha? Usha, daughter of Banasura.
From whom did Krishna get the earrings of Aditi? Narakasura. Krishna killed him in battle and got back the earrings.
When Dushshasana was pulling and removing the sari of Draupadi who made her sari endless? Krishna.
Both Duryodhana and Arjuna had gone to seek Krishna's help. Whom did Krishna give the first choice? Arjuna, since Krishna had seen him before seeing Duryodhana.
Why was Jarasandha angry at Krishna? Because Krishna had killed the husbands of his two daughters.
When Sugriva brought Sita's jewellery from the cave what did Lakshmana say? "I do not recognize the bracelet and earring, but I know these anklets for I worshipped her feet alone."
How did Jambavan encourage Hanuman to jump across die ocean to Lanka? By narrating Hanuman's acts of strength and bravery in his early life.
How was Krishna related to Abhimanyu? Abhimanyu was his nephew (sister's son).
Why did Arjuna take the vow that he would kill Jayadratha before sunset the next day? Because Jayadratha had prevented the Pandavas from entering the Chakravyuha (the wheel formation of the army). This enabled the Kauravas to kill Abhimanyu who had breached the Chakravyuha all alone.
When did Varuna give the Sudarshana Chakra to Krishna? At Agni's request Varuna gave the Sudarshana Chakra to Krishna to help him in the burning of the Khandava forest. (According to another version Vishwakarma gave the weapon to Vishnu).
Name the fabulous city constructed by Vishwakarma on top of the mountain Trikuta? Lanka.
When Duryodhana crowns Karna as the king of Anga, what does he say? Kama asks, "What can I do in return for the honour bestowed on me?" Duryodhana replied, "Your staunch friendship."
It was once suspected that Krishna was a thief. What was he accused of stealing? Syamantaka gem.
Who had given the Syamantaka gem to Satrajit? Surya.
When Dhritarashtra met the Pandavas, how did he try to kill Bhima? By holding him close to his chest and crushing him. Krishna, however, had placed a statue of Bhima in front of him.
Who killed Prasena, the brother of Satrajit? A lion.
To which deity did Rukmini pray? Goddess Parvati.
Who kidnapped Pradyumna when he was just ten years old? Shambara.
Which was the vehicle used by Krishna when he went with Satyabhama to give battle to Narakasura? Garuda.
What is the name of the serpent on which Vishnu rests? Maha Shesha.
Who leaves Sita near the ashram of Valmiki? Lakshmana.
Who was the mother of Shatrughna? Sumitra.
When Yudhishthira goes away to the forest to lead a peaceful life whom does he crown as the King? Parikshit.
What food did Shabari offer Rama? Berries.
Who was the son of Parikshit? Janamejaya.
Why did Janamejaya conduct the Sarpasatra (Yajna to annihilate sarpas/nagas)? A sarpa (serpent) had killed his father, Parikshit. To avenge his death Janamejaya performed the sarpa-satra (Yajna) to bring about total annihilation of the race of nagas (sarpas).
What was the name of the place ruled by Sugriva? Kishkindha.
Who taught Arjuna singing and dancing? Chitrasena taught dance and music to Arjuna when Arjuna went to Devaloka.
Who taught Uttara to dance? Aijuna.
Who brought back to life the dead child of Uttara? Krishna.
In the game of dice whom did Yudhishthira lose first: Draupadi or himself? Himself.
Where did Bhima meet Hanuman? Gandhamadana.
What are the names by which Kamadhenu is referred as? Surabhi and also Nandini.
How did Parvati create Ganesha? Parvati created Ganesha from the saffron paste on her body.
Who was the father of Veda Vyasa? Sage Parashara.
What was the name of India's son? Jayanta.
How was the beginning of any battle signalled in the days of the Mahabharata? By blowing conches.
Where was the hermitage of Sage Bharadwaja? At Prayag (modern Allahabad).
Why did Sati burn herself? Her husband, Shiva, had been insulted and abused by her father.
Why is Arjuna referred to as Kapidhwaja? Because on his flag was the image of Hanuman. Kapidhwaja literally means monkey (kapi) banner (dhwaja).
Why did Nanda and the cowherds decide to move away from Gokul and settle down in Vrindavan? The mysterious happenings in Gokul in which Krishna, the beloved son of their leader had been involved, made them shift to a safer place.
What was the feat performed by Dronacharya, which impressed the Kuru princes? He took a blade of grass and threw it with force at the Vishti in the well. Then he threw the second blade of grass which got attached to the first one. He kept on doing it till he could reach out to the top one and pulled it out. Vishti-Danda was an ancient form of the game which is called Gilli-Danda.
When Duryodhana, Shakuni and Kama wanted to arrest Krishna, what did he do? He showed his Vishwarupa.
When Jarasandha heard from his daughters about the killing of Kamsa, what vow did he take? "I will not rest till I wipe out the entire race of the Yadavas."
When the Devas, Danavas and Manavas went to Brahma to know the secret of happiness what did he say? "Da": - The suras thought that by "Da" Brahma meant "Damyata" (meaning, exercise self-control), the asuras thought by "Da" Brahma meant "Dayadhwam" (be merciful) and the humans thought by "Da" Brahma meant "Dadhatu" (give).
Who was the mother of Veda Vyasa? Satyavati.
Kubera the lord of wealth ruled his kingdom from this fabulously wealthy city. What was the name of the city? Alakapuri.
When Rama was in exile, Bharata ruled over Ayodhya in his brother's name. Name the village from where he ruled as Rama's deputy. Nandigrama.
After abducting Sita, Ravana kept her confined in the Ashoka grove. Among the rakshasis who guarded her, only two were friendly to her. Name them. Sarama and Trijata.
Who was the Commander-in-Chief of the Pandavas during the battle of Kurukshetra? Dhrishtadyumna.
Who were the stepbrothers of Bhishma? Chitrangada and Vichitravirya.
Who was the sage who cursed Vali that his head would blow up if he ever entered Rishyamooka again? Rishi Matanga.
What is the origin of the word Varanasi? The name Varanasi originated from two rivers "Varana" and "Asi".
Which was the capital of Videha? Mithila. King Janaka ruled over the kingdom of Videha.
What was the colour of Indra's elephant, Airavata? White.
Who tried to win over Kama to the Pandava's side? Krishna and Kunti.
Who was the brother of Maricha who was killed by Rama? Subahu.
What was the name of Sage Rishyashringa's wife? Shanta.
Who was the twin brother of Lakshmana? Shatrughna.
What was the name of the kingdom ruled by Nala? Nishadha.
Why did Sage Agastya drink the water of the ocean? Because the evil Kalakeyas had hidden at the bottom of the ocean. Agastya drank the water so that the devas (suras) could destroy them.
Why does Sugriva request Rama to pierce any of the Sala trees with his arrow? He wanted to assure himself that Rama was more powerful than Vali.
Who killed the demon Kalanemi? Hanuman.
When did the Pandavas come to know that Kama was their brother? After the battle of Kurukshetra when obsequies were to be offered to the dead ones, Kunti tells everyone that Kama was her son.
Shwetaketu was very proud of his knowledge. What did his father, Uddalaka, do to help his son get rid of the pride? And what was the reply given by Shwetaketu? Uddalaka called his son to his side and asked, "By studying all about the things you can see, hear and understand, you think you are knowledgeable. But have you learnt about that which you cannot see and hear." To this Shwetaketu replied "No, father! I do not know anything about that."
To whom did the Pushpaka-vimana originally belong? Kubera.
How many tusks did Airavata have? Four.
How much land was Duryodhana prepared to give to the Pandavas? Nothing. Not even a needlepoint of land.
Why did Ravana ask the rakshasis to escort Sita to thebattlefield? To see the unconscious Rama.
Who was the warrior who was said to have been born to kill Drona? Dhristadyumna.
What was the name of the tree present in Indraloka that had the power of providing any object asked of it? Kalpavriksha.
From where did King Sagara rule? Ayodhya.
Who was the mother of the Devas? Aditi.
Where did the Pandavas live soon after the completion of their period of staying incognito? At Upaplavya in Virata's kingdom.
What were the four boons granted by Yama to Savitri?
a. The sight of her blind father-in-law to be restored,
b. The kingdom of her father-in-law to be restored c. 100 sons to be born to her father so that the family line could be continued
d. 100 sons to be born to her of Satyavan.
Who was the chief minister of Ravana who was killed by Vibhishana in the battle against Sri Rama? Prahasta.
Who were the two wives of Pandu? Kunti and Madri.
How did Krishna get the name Damodara? Dama means rope. Udara means abdomen. When Krishna was yet a child, he was tied to a mortar with a rope. He dragged the mortar and tried to pass through the space between two trees. The mortar got stuck and when Krishna tugged at the rope the trees got uprooted and Krishna became free.
On the bank of which river is Panchavati? Godavari.
According to the Puranas where is the abode of Shiva? Mount Kailasa.
What was Kama's bow called? Vijaya.
What was the name of the mountain that was used to churn the Ocean of Milk? Mandara.
With what words did Gandhari bless Duryodhana during the battle of Kurukshetra? Victory is where Dharma is. (Yato dharmastato jaya).
Where did Duryodhana hide towards the end of the eighteenth day of the battle of Kurukshetra? Inside a lake.
Who accompanies the Pandavas and Draupadi on their journey to Swarga? Yama in the guise of a dog.
What is the name of Ganesha's brother? Karttikeya.
Drona imparted the knowledge of the 'Brahma Shiras' to Arjuna. What was the incident that pleased Drona to such an extent that he did so? Once while bathing in the Ganga, Drona encountered a crocodile that bit into his legs and held on to it. Of all the disciples who were with him only Arjuna moved forward and killed the crocodile. This pleased Drona.
What are the four stages of a man's life, according to tradition? Brahmacharya, Grahasthya, Vanaprastha, and Sanyasa.
According to the Vana Parva five people could be considered as a person's guru. Who are they? Father, Mother, Agni, Atman and Guru.
Who were Indra's parents? Kashyapa and Aditi.
Who created the rift between Sunda and Upasunda? Tilottama.
Who gave the akshayapatra to Yudhishthira? Surya.
Anjalikavedha was an art by which the practitioner could subdue an elephant. Who among the Pandavas had mastered this art? Bhima.
After Sri Rama had captured Lanka, who was the Asura who led Sita to him? Avindhya.
What is the meaning of Pundarikaksha? Lotus eyed.
Ekalavya cut the thumb of his right hand as the guru dakshina for Drona. What did Arjuna, Drona's favourite pupil, offer as a guru dakshina? Arjuna defeated Drupada, the king of Panchala and brought him bound to Drona.
Who killed Tataka? Rama.
Who killed Akampana in the battle at Lanka? Hanuman.
Veda Vyasa wrote the Mahabharata. His son was also erudite and was responsible for spreading the knowledge of the Mahabharata. What was his name? Shuka.
What was in the possession of Indravarma, the king of Malava that helped in the slaying of Drona in the battle of Kurukshetra? An elephant named Ashwatthama. Bhima killed this elephant and announced that Ashwatthama was dead. At this Drona lay down his arms and was slayed.
Marichi, Angiras, Atri, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu and Vasishtha are the sons of Brahma. What are tiiey called collectively? Saptarshis (Seven rishis).
What was the name of Sage Atri's wife? Anasuya.
What was the vehicle of the Asnwini Kumars? Donkey.
In whose ashram did Shakuntala grow up? The ashram of Kanva.
King Bali was the grandson of an ardent devotee of Vishnu. Who was his grandfather? Prahlada.
Chyavana was an old and blind sage. By whom was his youth and eyesight restored? Ashwini Kumar(s).
Parikshit was living in a closely guarded tower. How could a serpent bite him? Takshaka entered a fruit in the shape of a worm and this was taken to the king by a Naga in the guise of a Brahmin.
Why did Balarama choose to remain neutral in the battle of Kurukshetra? Though Duryodhana sought Balarama's help he refused to side with the Kauravas saying that he could not forsake Krishna.
Who was known for his bad temper among the rishis? Durvasa.
After he was crowned king, from whom did Yudhishthira seek instructions in state craft? From Bhishma, who was lying on a bed of arrows.
On whose side did Bhagadatta fight in the battle of Kurukshetra? On the side of the Kauravas.
During the Pandava's exile why did Bhima go to the Gandhamadana Mountain? To get the Saugandhika flowers for Draupadi.
Who was the Nishada King who rowed Rama, Ska and Lakshmana across the river Ganga when they were on their way into the forests? Guha.
How did Kama's slaying of Ghatotkacha help the Pandavas? Karna used the Shakti to kill Ghatotkacha. This was the weapon Karna could use only once. Therefore he had reserved it against Arjuna. Since Karna used it against Ghatotkacha, Arjuna was saved.