Subhadra is a Hindu goddess mentioned in the ancient Hindu scriptures like the Mahabharata and the Bhagavata Purana. She is described as the favourite child of Vasudeva and the younger sister of deities Krishna and Balarama. According to the Mahabharata, Arjuna—one of the Pandava brothers married with whom they had son Abhimanyu.

The Rajasuya is associated with the consecration of a king is prescribed as a means to establish a king's sovereignty. It is described in the Taittiriya corpus, including Apastamba Srauta Sutra It involves soma pressing, a chariot drive, the king shooting arrows from his bow, and a brief "cattle raid". The newly anointed king seizes cattle belonging to his relative, and then gives part of his property to that relative. There is a telling of the tale of Shunahshepa, a boy who was nearly sacrificed to Varuna on behalf of the sonless king Harishchandra.

Draupadi’s disrobing is one of the most pivotal incidents in the Mahabharata. It is the event that launches the Mahabharata story into the woods, stripping the Pandavas of all their wealth and status. It is also the one episode that sows the first seeds of the Mahabharata war.

During the Kurukshetra War, Abhimanyu fought for the Pandavas. On the thirteenth day of the war, the mightiest Kaurava warriors came together and formed the Chakravyuha to trap the Pandavas, Arjuna having been enticed to another side of the battlefield. The young Abhimanyu was able to break through the circle, but Jayadratha prevented the others from following him through the breach, and Abhimanyu found himself facing the Kaurava warriors all by himself.