A path
Krishna and the Pandavas
Krishna is the Pandavas’ cousin. Kunti, their mother, is Vasudeva’s sister. He is also Subhadra’s brother — so Abhimanyu is his nephew — and Arjuna’s charioteer on the field.
Kunti is Pritha, given from Shurasena’s house to Kuntibhoja. Vasudeva is her brother. Krishna is Vasudeva’s eighth child. The Pandavas are therefore his sister’s sons, which is why the embassy to Hastinapura is a family errand as well as a political one.
He will not lift a weapon. He will drive Arjuna. He is in Drupada’s hall when the bow is strung. He is Draupadi’s friend when the sabha fails her. He is the still centre because he is already inside the kula, not because he arrives as a god from elsewhere.
Balarama, the elder brother, teaches both Bhima and Duryodhana and refuses the war. The Yadava answer to Kurukshetra is split: one brother on the chariot, one on pilgrimage.
Source notes
Mahabharata, Adi, Udyoga, Bhishma Parvas, Ganguli. Last reviewed 12 September 2026.