Vyasa
The nominal author of the text, Vyasa also interacts with many of the events in the story, and dispenses advice to the characters.
- Author Avatar: The frame story involves Vyasa dictating the story to Ganesha, and the book's authorship is usually attributed to him. However, Vyasa also is involved with many events in the story, and is technically the grandfather to all the major participants in the story.
- Hermit Guru: Not technically a hermit, but he lives a life of renunciation (thus the horrible smell), and wanders the earth gathering wisdom and dispensing advice to all.
- The Pig-Pen: His appearance and smell are so frightening that when Ambaalika and Ambika, Vichitraviriyan’s wives were ordered to sleep with him, Ambaalika was so frightened that her face turned white, Ambika blindfolded herself in order to go through with it, and both of them escaped and forced a servant to take their place. Vyasa begs his mother Satyavati for one year to clean himself up, but Satyavati insists that the trysts happens now.
Bhishma a.k.a Devavrata
The son of the Kuru King Shantanu and the goddess Ganga, he is the patriarch of the now crumbling Kuru dynasty.
- The Ace: In his younger days. Bhishma was well versed in the Vedas, the Rajadharma Shastras, spirituality, weapons and warfare.
- Celibate Hero: Swore the oath of eternal Brahmacharya to never marry or copulate. It caused problems later on when he needed an heir, so Vyasa took his stead.
- The Dreaded: The Pandavas are at their wits end as Bhishma keeps slaughtering their legions every single day. Eventually, Bhishma asks them to kill him.
- Honor Before Reason: He rashly promised that he would not rule as king and instead obey the occupant of the Kuru throne. He did not take into consideration the character of the king.
- Old Master: One of the best warriors in the war even in his old age, and is essentially undefeatable as he is able to choose the time of his own death. He is over five generations old and kills over 10,000 soldiers and 1000 chariot warriors everyday.
- The Patriarch: He's the unofficial leader of the Kuru dynasty, as he is the legal grandfather to both the Pandavas and the Kauravas, and is respected by everyone for his wisdom.
- Rasputinian Death: When he's finally defeated, he got shot with so many arrows that the arrows jutting out of his body hold him up off the ground. Even then, he's still not dead; he simply chooses to wait out his death until the most auspicious day. He basically lays there in a bed of arrows for several days, because he's that badass.
- Surpassed the Teacher: Parashurama was an ancient sage who had slaughtered millions of warriors with the weapons he obtained from the god Shiva. He trained Bhishma in the use of weapons, but years later he was unable to decisively defeat him.
- World's Best Warrior: Even in his old age, he is so goddamn strong even the Pandavas cannot beat him. Back in his youth, even Parashurama who had slain 21 generations of Kshatriyas couldn't decisively defeat him. Mind you Parashurama was Bhishma's teacher in weapons.
- Wouldn't Hit a Girl: It ends up being his downfall; he refuses to attack women, even a reincarnation of a woman. So when Srikandhi, who is the reincarnation of the woman he rejected to uphold his celibacy oath, comes replacing Khrisna as Arjuna's charioteer, he can't aim at Arjuna's chariot and becomes a sitting duck.
