Nakula was one of the twins born to Pandu and his second wife Madri. He was the fourth Pandava after Yudhisthir, Bhima and Arjun. He was an expertise with swords and was a maharatha (a warrior capable of contending with ten thousand other warriors). According to the myths, Nakula had a special ability of looking after horses and cows. Nakula was described as being extremely attractive. He was also observant and had a watchful eye on his elder brother Bhima who was highly mischievous.

Though Nakula is supposed to be the son of Pandu and Madri, he was begotten by one of the Ashwin twins through a mantra uttered by Madri given by Kunti (first wife of Pandu). After the death of Madri, Nakula and his brother were handed over to Kunti. Kunti brought up both Nakula and Sahadev with equal love and virtuousness. Besides Draupadi, Nakula married a princess of Chedi named Karenumati.

Before the Rajasuya sacrifice- that was to ensure that Yudhisthir would become the greatest emperor of the world in order to instill Dharma in the world, Nakula conquered the western regions of Bharata.

In the end, after handing over the kingdom to Arjuna`s grandson Parikhshit, Yudhisthir along with his brothers and wife Draupadi set out for pilgrimage to Vaikunta. On their way to Himalayas, Nakula along with other brothers breathed his last.