In the epic
Mahabharata,
Shantanu was a
Kuru king of
Hastinapura. He was a descendant of the
Bharata race, of the lunar dynasty and great-grandfather of the
Pandavas and
Kauravas. He was the youngest son of King Pratipa of Hastinapura and had been born in the latter's old age. The eldest son
Devapi had
leprosy and gave up his inheritance to become a hermit. The middle son
Bahlika (or Vahlika) abandoned his paternal kingdom and started living with his maternal uncle in
Balkh and inherited the kingdom from him. Shantanu became the king of Hastinapura by default.
