Not Your Mother's Mahabharata

Long time friend Peter Stein joins us as the Pandavas announce their return through a royal wedding. The Pandavas exile is finally over, although Duryodhana tries to convince them to stay in exile, the Pandavas are not having it as they celebrate the wedding of Arjuna's son Abhinmayu. The Pandavas allies also discuss how to deliver their stance to Hastinapur to let them know firmly that they...

We meet five of the ten forms of Shakti known as the Mahavidyas. Craig Hewitt comes by fresh from seeing Satish tell stories of Shiva and Shakti. A couple internet binges later, Satish has some complementary stories that focus largely on the ten forms of Shakti- stories that seem to be lesser known despite being awesome. S.P. Jayaraj is the creator of the mythic world of Adijari that is the settin...

Jeenee Lee couldn't stay away. She needed to know how the battle played out and who can blame her. After laughing from seeing the eunuch and teenage boy running away from them, the mighty Kaurava army now see the odd pair coming back and waving the Hanuman banner- Arjuna is no longer hiding.  Yet, things have changed drastically. Drona of the Kauravas is seeing the signs of their defeat, but...

We welcome Jeenee Lee for to tell her the exciting story of the Kauravas figuring it out. After not being able to find the Pandavas for most of the year, which means Duryhodan will be obliged to give everything back, he figures out that they've been in the Matsya kingdom the whole time. Now he needs to rout them out by sending his allies to attack the southern side of the kingdom, while he pr...

Alyssa Costopoulos returns for a tale of a chauvinist army picking on the wrong woman, despite some very STRONG evidence that they shouldn't. They're just not the smartest breed. All is going well for the Pandavas and Draupadi while they are in their year of hiding, that is until the general Keechaka returns and sets his sights on Draupadi. Despite her warnings of having five powerful hu...

Christine Mounts joins us for... a Karna mid-redemption story? Every day, after his morning prayers to the Sun god Surya (also his dad though he doesn't know it,) Karna will give anything asked of him to brahmanas. Knowing his intentions to kill his son Arjuna, Indra decides to take advantage of this by disguising himself and asking Karna for his golden skin/armor and earrings that make him i...

Beth Beaty joins us as the Pandavas transition from living in the forests to living in hiding back in civilization. If they are discovered, it's another long twelve years to thirteen exile extension. Our heroes take ordinary jobs that make them elusive to their enemies. Their back stories however to maintain their disguises, we find them...questionable. Good things they've been blessed b...

Marjorie Hakala joins us for the finale to Adi Parva (the book of the forest) The Pandavas are just about done with their twelve years in the forest, but poor big brother Yudhishthira has not been doing as well as he's claimed. Though the family has forgiven him for that terrible day that led to their banishment, he has still not forgiven himself. Days before their twelve years is up, the fou...

The Pandavas are almost done with year 12 of living in exile, but there are still a couple more attempts to knock them down a peg or two. First Duryhodana tries to have a sage arrive at the Pandavas abode at the worst time to get them cursed. Fortunately hope arrives from the most...,well, from the most likely of places actually. Krishna pops in and pops out, staying just long enough to help a sis...

We start off season four by getting right neighborly with Taylor Olesen. After some catch up and necessary banter about what it's been like living in the Twin Cities these past months, we get back to Duryodhan's journey after he has been saved and spared by his enemies the Pandavas. Worst of all, the eldest of the pandavas even wished him well, and best of all, Azure can't stop laug...

Hello friends! We're just getting back from our long trip to India. While we work on some brand new material for you all, we thought we'd return to a love story from a few episodes back. You know, because it's close to Valentine's Day and all.  Look for new episodes in 2 weeks!  -Satish & Azure Yudhishthira is still lamenting over his gambling addiction. Luckily the visitin...

RE-RELEASE (2/3/26) We continue our Krishna Chronicles with Jenny McDougal by telling her about three more avatars of Vishnu. Jenny and Azure try to guess the only animal form that can take on the first invincible demon. We imagine the monstrous form Vishnu takes to deal with the second demon, and Satish tells the more pleasant story of the third invincible demon who is celebrated in Satish's...

RE-RELEASE (1/20/26) Jenny McDougal joins us for part 4 of the Krishna Chronicles. Krishn'a destiny to deal with his tyrannical uncle Kamsa comes a calling.  We tell the story of Krishna and Balarama leaving their old cow herding life behind to return to the nation of his birth, all while Jenny asks the most insightful questions. Support the podcast and join the NYMM community on Patreon.com/...

Satish tells Azure and only Azure, (not counting all our fabulous listeners), a satisfying chapter of the battle between the Kauravas and the Pandavas for our season 3 finale.  Someone has been spying on the Pandavas, except their loyal cousin Krishna knows and has been feeding him information to take back to the Kauravas. It leads to the Kauravas wanting to humiliate the Pandavas, but as always t...

RE-RELEASE Today we were happy to have two guests with us! Mystery author Mindy Mejia and our other good friend, clay artist and yoga teacher Jenna Jo Bodling! Satish really wanted an extra lady at the podcast table to introduce everyone to Draupadi, the dark skinned beauty that every king, prince, warrior and teenage boy wants for themselves - How will the pandavas resolve their desire for one wo...

We dive right in with fellow myth lover, storyteller, and entertainer, Matt Kessan, also known as Reverend Matt from Reverend Matt's Monster Science. First, Shiva finds new love that is also old love, which excites the gods who are desperate for Shiva to have his destiny fulfilling son. They are a little too anxious as it leads to an adventurous 'birth' involving a godly pigeon and...

We meet Aaron King, RPG Game designer and Co host of the Podcast RTFM (Read The F****** Manual), and tell him some of the origin stories that the immortal sixteen year old sage Markandaya tells the Pandavas. We revisit the origin of Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva, and go down the bloodline of Brahma's child Daksha who has grown to despise Shiva and is against his daughter marrying Shiva- even thoug...

The Pandavas are reunited and have decided it's time to face reality, leave the Himalayan sanctuary, and show their enemies the Kauravas that they are still around. However, there are still some adventures to be had and stories to hear before they finish their decent. We are excited to have Duck Washington with us on this adventure as we say good bye to the Rishi Lomasa, and hello to a GIANT...

After the Rishi Agastya swallowed the entire ocean in our last episode, we continue the story from long ago, ignoring that the earth is somehow surviving without most of its water- because we simply don't have the answers. We joyfully welcome Alyssa Costopolous as Satish tells the story of King Sagara who receives a boon from Shiva to have...maybe a couple more children than might be necessar...

We welcome back Evan Kingston to tell him some of the strangest stories yet- and that really is saying something! We meet the great and powerful rishi Agastya whose mightiest power is...digestion?? From his own birth, to the creation of his lady friend out of animals, to his ability to seemingly eat and drink anything!- Azure and Evan are so weirded out that they don't even know if they shoul...

While waiting for the arrival of their brother Arjuna, Bheema and Draupadi discover that the flowers of the heavens have found their way to the Himalayas. Bheema decides to find more for Draupadi, but comes across some demons (as he often does) and also an old and very perplexing monkey. Musician, Trivia Author and Host, and Berry Farmer John McConville makes his NYMM debut. John comes in not know...

The four Pandavas and Draupadi are missing Arjuna, but the time has come to take the extended long route to the Himalayas where Arjuna will join them, but not before doing as Arjuna did a while ago by visiting the holy water sites. Creative and fellow storyteller Aaron Fiskradatz is back to hear of the Pandavas adventure and the stories behind each of the holy water sites. Satish is excited to int...

Yudhishthira is still lamenting over his gambling addiction. Luckily the visiting sage Brihadashva brings some hope to the eldest Pandava by telling him the tale of Nala And Damayanti. Our friend Andy Caranicas joins us to hear the wondrous story of Nala and Damayanti, a prince and princess who are deeply in love with each other despite having never met. To be together they will need to outmaneuve...

Arjuna has learnt warfare from some of the best of the best, and has been god -given some the most terrifying weapons ever to exist for the future Kurukshetra war. Time for a test run...?  Lindsay Ohse  joins us for this epic out of this world battle/massacre. Indra has given his son Arjuna all he has asked for and more. But before Arjuna can return to his family on earth, Indra has a small reques...

The Himalayas were great, but not high enough for Arjuna. We welcome our friend Laura Tanner to tell her the continuation of Arjuna's bold adventure to another realm- some would argue the 'best' realm. Arjuna'a father Indra once again invites Arjuna to the realm of the gods and this time Arjuna says yes! Aside from magical jeweled palaces and magical flying horses of different...