At the end of the epic, during the Pandavas' journey in the Himalayas to enter svarga (heaven), Sahadeva was the second to fall, following Draupadi, due to his excessive pride in his wisdom.

[4] Sahadeva was one of the five brothers born to Pandu, a member of the illustrious Lunar dynasty lineage and the heir of the throne of Kuru.

Consequently, Sahadeva and his brothers were born through a sacred mantra bestowed upon Pandu's first wife Kunti by the revered sage Durvasa during her maidenhood.

[4] According to the Adi Parva ('First Book') of the Mahabharata, upon Pandu's behest, Kunti had used her boon three times to invoke celestial gods and gave birth to her three children—Yudhishthira, Bhima and Arjuna.

Madri, upon seeking divine assistance, invoked the twin celestial deities of health, the Asvins, and bore two sons—Nakula and Sahadeva—who were extolled to be unparalleled in earthly beauty.

However, her co-wife, Kunti, fearing that Madri might surpass her in offspring, beseeched the king not to command her further, accepting this as her granted boon.

However he was orphaned after Pandu, who had a curse inflicted upon him by Kindama, attempted to engage in love making with Madri, resulting in his demise.

Following this, Madri entrusted her children to Kunti, and followed him to his death by performing the ancient practice of sati, immolating herself on her husband’s funeral pyre.

Kunti raised the twins alongside her own sons in Hastinapura, the capital of Kuru which was being ruled under Pandu's elder brother Dhritarashtra.

[11] Sahadeva and Nakula, along with the other princes, were instructed in the gurukula for by Kripa and Drona in warfare and use of weapons such as bow and arrows and martial art.

At the end, Sahadeva alone also acquired the knowledge of Neeti Sastra (Essence of Statesmanship), astronomy and astrology, economics, and civil administration from Brihaspati, guru of the Devas during a two years travel through southern India.

Later, Duryodhana—the eldest son of Dhritarashtra and leader of hundred Kaurava brothers—plotted to burn the Pandavas alive by constructing Lakshagriha, a lac palace, in Varanavata.

Kunti, his mother, insisted that this newfound fortune be shared with his brothers, as they had always collectively faced life's challenges in the past.

According to the story narrated in the Vishnu Parva of the text, she was the daughter of the Yadava leader Bhanu, son of Krishna and Satyabhama.

It is true that Bhanumati was rescued by the combined effort of Krishna, Arjuna and Pradyumna and wed Sahadeva on the suggestion of the divine-sage Narada.

The Adi Parva narrates that after the Svayamvara ceremony of Draupadi, news of the Pandavas' survival and alliance with Drupada of Panchala reached Hastinapura.

King Dhritarashtra, influenced by the wise counsel of Vidura, Bhishma, and Drona, acknowledged the Pandavas’ right to the throne and decided to share the kingdom to avoid conflict.

The Pandavas accepted the proposal and transformed Khandavaprastha into the magnificent city of Indraprastha, which became a thriving center of culture and commerce.

The epic states that Yudhishthira desired to perform the Rajasuya sacrifice not for personal power but to establish dharma (morals, virtues and righteousness) and defend it across the world.

Some of them are as under:[16] The Sabha Parva further narrates that after the brothers successfully returned from their campaign, the venue and other aspects related to the conduct of the Rajasuya was elaborately done under the stewardship of Bhishma.

[4] When Bhishma ordained that Krishna deserved the honour of the first sacred arghya of the Yajna due to his divine attributes and contributions in establishing dharma, King Shishupala of Chedi opposed this.

Arjuna scattered sands to symbolize the countless arrows he would let loose in battle, Bhima walked with his hands outstretched to indicate to people that no one could equal him, and Yudhishthira had covered his face.

Suddenly, when Bhima was away from the camp on a hunting trip, Jatasura assumed the form of a demonic rakshasa and forcibly abducted Yudhishthira, Nakula, Sahadeva, and Draupadi, with the objective of seizing their weapons.

The day after Draupadi's entrance into Virata's palace as Sairandhri, 'an expert maid', in the name of Malini, employed by Queen Sudeshna, Sahadeva made his way into the city dressed as a cowherd.

Sahadeva replied saying that he was a Vaisya, Arishtinemi by name, and was earlier in the employment of Kuru King Yudhishthira, the eldest of the five sons of Pandu and had tended to eight hundred thousand cattle and that people used to call him 'Tatripala' (Pandavas however called him Jayadbala), and that he knew the present, the past and the future of all kine (cows) living within ten yojanas (12–15 kilometres (7.5–9.3 mi)).

He also told the king the means by which kine population could be multiplied in a short time, and that he liked the work of taming, milking and breeding cattle.

Yudhishthira assumed the identity of game entertainer to the king and called himself Kanka, Bhima was the cook Ballava, Arjuna taught dance and music as eunuch Brihannala and dressed as a woman, and Nakula tended horses as Granthika.[relevant?]

In Virata's kingdom, the Pandavas in disguise had a very hilarious but entertaining time but also a mini war erupted when Duryodhana was trying to locate them so that he could send them back to exile again, which ultimately revealed their identity at the end of the Agnyatavasa period of one year.

During the preparation of the war, Sahadeva suggested King Virata to be appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Pandava army, though Yudhishthira and Arjuna later opted Dhrishtadyumna for the post.

Giving up all their belongings and ties, the Pandavas, accompanied by a dog, made their final journey of pilgrimage to the Himalayas seeking heaven.