The Mahabharata War was the largest in ancient India. It involved almost all the kingdoms from the present-day region of India and kingdoms from Afghanistan, Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Tibet, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka. 

The estimated total number of warriors who participated in the war was around 4.8 million. Despite such massive participation, there were exceptions. Many important warriors chose not to fight or join in the war. Here are their stories