The WORST episodes of Mahabharat
Every episode of Mahabharat ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of Mahabharat!
Mahabharat is a successful Indian television series based on the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata. The 94-episode series originally ran from 1988 to 1990. It was produced by B. R. Chopra and directed by his son, Ravi Chopra.
#1 - Agyatvas in Matsya desh
Season 1 - Episode 56 - Aired 10/22/1989
The Pandavas live incognito and serve King Virat. Yudhishthir becomes a courtier named Kanak. Bheem becomes a cook. Nakul and Sahadev look after cattle and horses. Arjun becomes a eunuch named Brihannala and Draupadi becomes Sairandhir, the handmaiden to the Queen Sudeshna of Virat.
#2 - Arjun gets Devdatta Conch and Gandiv and Bhim gets his Gada
Season 1 - Episode 41 - Aired 7/9/1989
Arjun and Subhadra arrive at Dwarika and are formally married. Arjun later returns to Indraprastha with Subhadra. Draupadi welcomes Subhadra. Yudhishthir seeks Sri Krishna’s advice on performing the Rajsuya Yagna. Krishna approves but explains that Jarasandh, who has imprisoned 86 Kings, would be a constant challenge to Yudhishthir’s Royal Supremacy. Arjun, Bheem, and Sri Krishna eventually go to Magadh and challenge Jarasandh for a combat. Jarasandh chooses to fight with Bheem.
#3 - Krishna defeats Jarasandh and orders building Dwarika
Season 1 - Episode 26 - Aired 3/26/1989
After finishing his education at Sandeepani Gurukul Shri Krishna returns to Mathura. Krishna advises Ugrasen, the king of Mathura, to shift his capital from Mathura to Dwarika. The Heir Apparent to the throne of Hastinapur is to be chosen and Duryodhan is staking his claim while Drona, Vidur and the people of Hastinapur favour Yudhisthir. Bheeshma remains silent as he is bound by his vow to serve the throne which is with Dhritarashtra
#4 - (Krishna Katha) Kalia Vadh
Season 1 - Episode 14 - Aired 1/1/1989
Krishna's divine sports make him the darling of his friends. To everyone's amazement he killed Kalia the Serpent King who lived in the river Yamuna, while retrieving the ball of his friend Sridham from the bottom of the river.
#5 - (Krishna Katha) Kans and The Prophecy
Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/4/1988
In Mathura, King Kans dethrones his father and takes over the Kingdom. He arranges his sister Devki's marriage with his influential friend Vasudev. But when a Sage predicts that her eighth son will be responsible for Kans' death, he imprisons Devki and Vasudev.
#6 - Karna’s curse, Sairandhri rejects Keechak
Season 1 - Episode 57 - Aired 10/29/1989
Karna has assumed the guise of a Brahmin and has become a disciple of Parshuram. Parshuram observes Karna’s resistance to pain and realizes that he is a Kshatriya. In anger, he curses Karna. In Virat, Queen Sudeshna’s brother Keechak professes his love for Draupadi.
#7 - Arjun vows to kill Jayadrath
Season 1 - Episode 83 - Aired 4/29/1990
Arjun kills Susarama the Trigatha Chief and returns to the Pandava camp. He learns about Abhimanyu’s death and discovers that Jayadhrath was the main cause of his son’s death. Arjun vows to kill Jayadhrath before sunset the next day.
#8 - Krishna’s story of one grain of rice
Season 1 - Episode 53 - Aired 10/1/1989
Rishi Durvasa and his followers arrive in the forest to visit the Pandavas. He requests food for himself and his followers and Draupadi is worried for her cooking vessel is empty. Draupadi prays to Lord Krishna and he asks her for something to eat. Draupadi shows him her empty vessel but Krishna, the Soul of the Universe, sees one grain of rice in the vessel, and eats it with pleasure. Durvasa and his followers immediately feel that their hunger has been satisfied. In Indralok, Lord Indra advises Arjun to learn to dance and music from Chitrasen to help him during his 13th year when incognito. Arjun continues to obtain divine weapons and Apsara Urvashi falls in love with him. When Arjun does not reciprocate her love, Apsara Urvashi curses him with impotence.
#9 - (Krishna Katha) Six Infanticides and Birth of Balram and Krishna
Season 1 - Episode 11 - Aired 12/11/1988
Kans personally kills Devki's first six children born in the prison. Devki's seventh "pregnancy" is taken over by Vasudev's second wife who gives birth to Balram. And when the eighth child, Krishna is born, miraculously the prison doors open and Vasudev is able to smuggle out the child and leave him in Gokul with his friend Nand.
#10 - Kauravas and Pandavas' Education
Season 1 - Episode 19 - Aired 2/5/1989
Vyas takes Satyavati, Ambika and Ambalika to Tapovan (forest). Before leaving, Satyavati tells Dhritarashtra to look after the Pandava children. The Kaurava and the Pandava children grow up together. They are educated under Kripacharya. Shakuni instigates Duryodhan against the Pandavas and rivalry develops between the Kauravas and Pandavas.
#11 - Dhritarashtra Tries to Kill Bhim
Season 1 - Episode 93 - Aired 7/8/1990
Duryodhan commands Ashwathama, the new commander-in-chief, to kill the Pandavas. Ashwathama, Kripacharya and Krit Verma arrive at the Pandava camp in the middle of the night as Dhristdyumna and Draupadi's five sons are sleeping. They kill all the sleeping warriors and set fir to the camp. Believing that they have killed the Pandavas, they return to Duryodhan and discover that he has died. They light Duryodhan's pyre, and go to save Vyas's Ashram. The Pandavas find Ashwathama with Sage Vyas and take their revenge.
#12 - (Krishna Katha) Goverdhan, Maharass, and The Invitation
Season 1 - Episode 16 - Aired 1/15/1989
Kans tries to subdue Krishna. He commands two demons to destroy Nandgaon. However, Krishna and Balram, annihilate the evil demons. The episode also covers two major portions of divine sports - one, saving of Nandgaon by lifting the Goverdhan Mountain and the other, "Maharass" in which Shri Krishna creates the illusion among the dancing Gopis, each one of whom thinks that he is dancing with her and her alone. Meanwhile, Kans tricks Vasudev's friend Akrur into inviting to Mathura with the intention of killing him.
#13 - Hidimb vadh and Bhims marriage
Season 1 - Episode 32 - Aired 5/7/1989
After escaping from the tragedy, the Pandavas arrive in a forest and take rest.
#14 - Jarasandh Vadh, Rajsuya Yagnya begins, Shishupal's Story
Season 1 - Episode 42 - Aired 7/16/1989
Bheem and Jarasandh are so equally matched in strength that they fight for nearly fourteen days without rest. When Jarasandh finally shows signs of exhaustion, Krishna prompts Bheem to bring an end to him. After Jarasandh had been destroyed, Jarasandh’s son was crowned King of Magadh.
#15 - Arjun gets curse of impotency from Urvashi
Season 1 - Episode 54 - Aired 10/8/1989
In Indralok, Lord Indra limits Urvashi’s curse on Arjun to one year during which he becomes an eunuch. In Dwaraka, Sri Krishna trains his nephew Abhimanyu in the martial arts. In Hastinapur, Bheeshma, Drona and Vidur worry about the future of their Kingdom, while Duryodhan’s stepbrother, Yuyutsu, foresees the destruction of the Kurus. Arjun returns from Indralok armed with divine weapons. He accompanies Bheem while they rescue Draupadi from Jayadrath, Duryodhan’s brother-in-law.
#16 - Duryodhan Poisons Bheem
Season 1 - Episode 20 - Aired 2/12/1989
Adirath is released from the duties as blind-King Dhritarashtra's assistant. Sanjay takes over from Adirath as Dhritarashtra's assistant. Rivalry between Duryodhan and Bheem develops. Duryodhan plots to poison Bheem. After poisoning Bheem he throws him out in River Ganga. Bheem survives the attempt to kill him and he is returned safely to Kunti and his brothers.
#17 - Murder and Penance
Season 1 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/27/1988
While hunting, Pandu accidentally kills a Sage. To do penance Pandu decides to spend his life in exile and entrusts his Kingdom to Dhritarastra. In time five children - Yudhishtra, Bheem, Arjun, Nakul and Sahadeva, are born to Kunti and Madri. Dhritarastra had a hundred sons from Gandhari, the eldest being Duryodhana.
#18 - Introduction of Kuru Family, Raja Bharat and Raja Shantanu
Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/2/1988
It is an introduction of King Bharata, founder of Bharata race of lunar dynasty. He sows the seed of democratic thinking. Later is story of his successor King Shantanu.
#19 - Arjun breaks chakravyuh to get to Jayadrath
Season 1 - Episode 84 - Aired 5/6/1990
On the battlefield Arjun tells Krishna to take his chariot to Jayadhrath. “There is a wall of Kaurav army between you and Jayadhrath” says Krishna.” I have to break the wall to complete my oath”. Declares Arjun. Krishna is amused. He remarks that members of the Royal House of Bharat are very impulsive. On the slightest pretext they take an oath. Bheeshma bound himself with an oath, and now you have taken an oath”.
#20 - (Krishna Katha) Pootna Vadh and Move To Nandgaon
Season 1 - Episode 12 - Aired 12/18/1988
Unusual celebrations in Gokul make Kans auspicious that Devki's eighth child must be there. Pootna is sent there as a toy seller to kill all the children born in Gokul. When she tries to kill Krishna, she herself is killed. Meanwhile all the people of Gokul, including Krishna's foster parents, shift to Nandgaon.
#21 - Amba, Ambika and Ambalika's Introduction
Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/30/1988
Bhisma action for restoring the image of Hastinapur will lead to his death.
#22 - Abhimanyu’s marriage
Season 1 - Episode 61 - Aired 11/26/1989
After the wedding of Abhimanyu and Uttara, Krishna, the Pandavas, Virat and others meet in Virat’s assembly. They decide to send an emissary to Hastinapur to seek the restoration of Indraprastha. The emissary arrives in Hastinapur. Bheeshma and Vidur favour a peaceful settlement but Duryodhan disagrees. Duryodhan insists that the Pandavas spend 12 more years in exile.
#23 - Bhishma Departs - (The End)
Season 1 - Episode 94 - Aired 7/15/1990
After the mourning period is over, Krishna leads Yudhishthir to the throne. Yudhishthir crowns Bheem the Yuvraj and appoints Vidur as the Prime Minister of Hastinapur. Arjun is made the commander of the army, Nakul is made Arjun's assistant and Sahadev is made the personal protector of the King. After the affairs of the state are in order, Krishna takes the Pandava brothers to Bheeshma. Bheeshma gives them a discourse on Dharma and his soul leaves for the Heavens.
#24 - Kunti, Madri and The Retreat
Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/20/1988
Pandu establishes the supremacy of the Kuru House. During his campaigns he takes another wife, Madri. After the campaigns, Pandu goes to the forest for relaxation with his two queens Kunti and Madri.
#25 - (Krishna Katha) Adolescent Love and Defiance
Season 1 - Episode 15 - Aired 1/8/1989
Krishna grows up to an 11-year-old boy. Now he has given up stealing butter; instead he steals the hearts of the young "Gopis". Radha is one such "Gopi" who has lost her heart to him. Two songs illustrate this beautiful relationship. Also, Krishna encourages the habitants of Nandgaon to stop sending butter, as a levy, to Kans, the ruler of Mathura. Kans feels slighted that someone has defied him.