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Chitrāngada
Chitrāngada ( sa, चित्रांगद, ''citrāngada'') was the king of Kuru Mahajanapada with his capital Hastinapura . He belonged to the Lunar Dynasty of Bharata Tribe He was the elder son of Shantanu and Satyavati, who ascended the throne of Hastinapura after his father's death. Life as a warrior Following the wishes of queen Satyavati, Bhishma had placed Chitrangada on the throne of the kingdom of the Kurus after Shantanu's departure. Chitrangada was a great warrior and defeated many powerful enemies and Asuras. Finally, the king of the Gandharvas, who was his namesake, came to challenge him. A fierce battle took place between the two warriors on the bank of the river Hiranyavati, lasting three years. In the end the king of the Gandharvas defeated the Kuru king and killed him. After having performed the rites of the dead, Bhishma immediately consecrated Chitrangada's younger brother Vichitravirya Vichitravirya ( sa, विचित्रवीर्य, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Satyavati
Satyavati ( sa, सत्यवती, ; also spelled Satyawati) was the queen of the Kuru. She is the wife of king Shantanu of Hastinapura, and the great-grandmother of the Pandava and Kaurava princes (The principal characters of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''). She is also the mother of the seer Vyasa, author of the epic. Her story appears in the ''Mahabharata'', the '' Harivamsa,'' and the ''Devi Bhagavata Purana''. Satyavati is the daughter of a fisherman chieftain, Dasharaja and was brought up as a commoner on the banks of the river Yamuna. Another legend says that she is the biological daughter of the Chedi king Uparichara Vasu (Vasu) and a cursed '' apsara'' (celestial nymph), who was turned into a fish called Adrika. Due to the smell emanating from her body, she was known as ''Matsyagandha'' ("She who smells like fish"), and helped her father, Dasharaja, in his job as ferryman and fisherman. As a young woman, Satyavati met the wandering rishi (sage) Parashara, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vichitravirya
Vichitravirya ( sa, विचित्रवीर्य, translit=Vicitravīrya, lit=Strange potency) is a character in the Mahabharata, where he is featured as a Kuru king. According to the Hindu epic, he is the younger son of Queen Satyavati and King Shantanu, and the de jure grandfather of the Pandavas and the Kauravas. He is also the half-brother of Krishna Dvaipayana Vyasa and Bhishma. Literature Mahabharata Vichitravirya has an elder brother named Chitrāngada, whom his half-brother Bhishma placed on the throne of the kingdom of the Kurus after Shantanu's death; he is a mighty warrior, but the king of the Gandharvas defeats and kills him at the end of a long battle. Thereafter, Bhishma consecrates Vichitravirya, who is still a child, as the new king. When he had reached manhood, Bhishma marries him to Ambika and Ambalika, the beautiful daughters of the king of Kashi. Vichitravirya loves his wives very much, and is adored by them. But after seven years, he falls ill ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shantanu
Shantanu (Sanskrit: शंतनु) is a character in the Mahabharata, described as the ruler of the Kuru Kingdom with his capital at Hastinapura. He was a descendant of the Bharata race, a forebear of the lineage of the Lunar dynasty, and the great-grandfather of the Pandavas and the Kauravas. The ruler was the youngest son of King Pratipa of Hastinapura and had been born during the latter's latter years. His eldest brother, Devapi, had leprosy, and had given up his inheritance to become a hermit. The middle son, Bahlika, (or Vahlika) abandoned his paternal kingdom, and had started living with his maternal uncle in Balkh, subsequently inheriting his kingdom. Shantanu, thus, ascended the throne of Hastinapura. He is best known for being the father of Bhishma (also known as Devavrata), among the mightiest warriors of the epic. Etymology The meaning of the name can be explained by nirukti available in Adi Parva, through which Sri Nityānanda Miśra elaborates its meaning ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mahabharata
The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kurukshetra War and the fates of the Kaurava and the Pāṇḍava princes and their successors. It also contains philosophical and devotional material, such as a discussion of the four "goals of life" or ''puruṣārtha'' (12.161). Among the principal works and stories in the ''Mahābhārata'' are the '' Bhagavad Gita'', the story of Damayanti, the story of Shakuntala, the story of Pururava and Urvashi, the story of Savitri and Satyavan, the story of Kacha and Devayani, the story of Rishyasringa and an abbreviated version of the ''Rāmāyaṇa'', often considered as works in their own right. Traditionally, the authorship of the ''Mahābhārata'' is attributed to Vyāsa. There have been many attempts to unravel its historical growth and c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bhishma
Bhishma (Sanskrit: भीष्म, , ), also known as Pitamaha, Gangaputra, and Devavrata, played an integral role in Mahabharata. He was the supreme commander of the Kaurava forces during the Kurukshetra War mentioned in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. He was the only character who witnessed the entirety of the Mahabharata, beginning from the reign of his father, King Shantanu of the Kuru kingdom. Bhishma was the step-brother of Vyasa, the grandfather of both the Pandavas and the Kauravas. He was a prominent statesman of the Kuru Kingdom. He was born as the elder son of the illustrious King Shantanu and Ganga. Originally named Devavrata, he was made the heir-apparent of his kingdom. However, he ceded his throne for his father's happiness and took the vow of lifelong celibacy. Owing to this selfless decision, he came to be known as Bhishma and was blessed to live as long as he wanted, by his father, Shantanu. He played a major role in the political affairs of the Kuru kingdo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kuru Dynasty
Kuru (Sanskrit: ) was a Vedic Indo-Aryan tribal union in northern Iron Age India, encompassing parts of the modern-day states of Haryana, Delhi, and some parts of western Uttar Pradesh, which appeared in the Middle Vedic period (c. 1200 – c. 900 BCE). The Kuru Kingdom was the first recorded state-level society in the Indian subcontinent. The Kuru kingdom decisively changed the religious heritage of the early Vedic period, arranging their ritual hymns into collections called the Vedas, and developing new rituals which gained their position over Indian civilization as the Srauta rituals, which contributed to the so-called "classical synthesis" or "Hindu synthesis". It became the dominant political and cultural center of the middle Vedic Period during the reigns of Parikshit and Janamejaya, but declined in importance during the late Vedic period (c. 900 – c. 500 BCE) and had become "something of a backwater" by the Mahajanapada period in the 5th century BCE. However, tradit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lunar Dynasty
The Lunar dynasty (IAST: Candravaṃśa) is a legendary principal house of the Kshatriyas varna, or warrior–ruling caste mentioned in the ancient Indian texts. This legendary dynasty was said to be descended from moon-related deities (''Soma'' or ''Lunar''). The Hindu deity Krishna is believed to have been born in the Yaduvamsha branch of the Lunar dynasty. According to the ''Shatapatha Brahmana'', Pururavas was the son of Budha (himself often described as the son of Soma) and the gender-switching deity Ila (born as the daughter of Manu). Pururavas's great-grandson was Yayati, who had five sons named Yadu, Turvasu, Druhyu, Anu, and Puru. These seem to be the names of five Vedic tribes as described in the Vedas. According to the ''Mahabharata'', the dynasty's progenitor Ila ruled from Prayaga, and had a son Shashabindu who ruled in the country of Bahli. The son of Ila and Budha was Pururavas who became the first Chandravamsha emperor of the entirety of the earth. Ila's ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kuru Kingdom
Kuru (Sanskrit: ) was a Vedic Indo-Aryan peoples, Indo-Aryan tribal union in northern Iron Age India, Iron Age India, encompassing parts of the modern-day states of Haryana, Delhi, and some parts of western Uttar Pradesh, which appeared in the Middle Vedic period (c. 1200 – c. 900 BCE). The Kuru Kingdom was the first recorded State (polity), state-level society in the Indian subcontinent. The Kuru kingdom decisively changed the religious heritage of the early Vedic period, arranging their ritual hymns into collections called the Vedas, and developing new rituals which gained their position over Indian civilization as the Śrauta, Srauta rituals, which contributed to the so-called "classical synthesis" or Hinduism#Roots of Hinduism, "Hindu synthesis". It became the dominant political and cultural center of the middle Vedic Period during the reigns of Parikshit and Janamejaya, but declined in importance during the late Vedic period (c. 900 – c. 500 BCE) and had become "somethin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hastinapur
Hastinapur is a city in the Meerut district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. ''Hastinapura'', described in Hindu texts such as the ''Mahabharata'' and the Puranas as the capital of the Kuru Kingdom, is also mentioned in ancient Jain texts. Hastinapur is located on the right bank of the Ganga river. Etymology In Sanskrit, ''Hastinapura'' translates to 'the City of Elephants' from ''Hastina'' (elephant) and ''pura'' (city). Its history dates back to the period of ''Mahabharata''. It is said that the city was named after King Hasti. It is also mentioned in the ''Ramayana'' (2:68), the 13th and 14th verses of which say (translated): History The early archaeological remains of the region belong to Ochre Coloured Pottery culture which was a Bronze Age culture of Ganga Yamuna doab. Around c.1200 BCE the region transformed to an Iron Age culture. The region was occupied by the Painted Grey Ware culture which corresponds to the Vedic Period. In the ''Mahabharata'', Hastinap ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bharatas (tribe)
The Bharatas were an early Vedic tribe that existed in the latter half of the second millennium B.C.E. The earliest mentioned location of the Bharatas was on the first Sarasvati River in southern Afghanistan. Under the tribal king Divodāsa, the Bharatas moved through the Hindu Kush mountains and defeated Śambara. Divodāsa's descendant, Sudās, won the Battle of the Ten Kings against a Puru-led coalition, which set the scene for the initial compilation of hymns of the Rigveda. After the battle, the Bharatas and other Puru clans would eventually form the Kuru Kingdom, which was the first attested state in Indian history. Etymology The name ''Bharata'' is of Indo-Aryan and Indo-Iranian origin, meaning "the ones who carry". History Two Bharatas, Devaśravas Bhārata and Devavāta Bhārata, are mentioned as living near the Āpayā, Sarasvatī and Dṛṣadvatī rivers. Devavāta's son, Sṛñjaya Daivavāta, defeated the Turvaśas, and is mentioned alongside Abhyāvar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hastinapura
Hastinapur is a city in the Meerut district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. ''Hastinapura'', described in Hindu texts such as the ''Mahabharata'' and the Puranas as the capital of the Kuru Kingdom, is also mentioned in ancient Jain texts. Hastinapur is located on the right bank of the Ganga river. Etymology In Sanskrit, ''Hastinapura'' translates to 'the City of Elephants' from ''Hastina'' (elephant) and ''pura'' (city). Its history dates back to the period of ''Mahabharata''. It is said that the city was named after King Hasti. It is also mentioned in the ''Ramayana'' (2:68), the 13th and 14th verses of which say (translated): History The early archaeological remains of the region belong to Ochre Coloured Pottery culture which was a Bronze Age culture of Ganga Yamuna doab. Around c.1200 BCE the region transformed to an Iron Age culture. The region was occupied by the Painted Grey Ware culture which corresponds to the Vedic Period. In the ''Mahabharata'', Hastinap ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kuru (kingdom)
Kuru (Sanskrit: ) was a Vedic Indo-Aryan tribal union in northern Iron Age India, encompassing parts of the modern-day states of Haryana, Delhi, and some parts of western Uttar Pradesh, which appeared in the Middle Vedic period (c. 1200 – c. 900 BCE). The Kuru Kingdom was the first recorded state-level society in the Indian subcontinent. The Kuru kingdom decisively changed the religious heritage of the early Vedic period, arranging their ritual hymns into collections called the Vedas, and developing new rituals which gained their position over Indian civilization as the Srauta rituals, which contributed to the so-called "classical synthesis" or "Hindu synthesis". It became the dominant political and cultural center of the middle Vedic Period during the reigns of Parikshit and Janamejaya, but declined in importance during the late Vedic period (c. 900 – c. 500 BCE) and had become "something of a backwater" by the Mahajanapada period in the 5th century BCE. However, tradit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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