Pushkara
Pushkara () is a character in the ancient Indian epic, the Mahabharata, known primarily for his role in the episode of ''Nala and Damayanti''. He is the younger brother of King Nala of Nishadha and serves as a pivotal antagonist during a key episode of Nala’s life. Scheming with the gandharva Kali, he defeates Nala in a manipulated game of dice, robbing him of his kingdom and riches. Nala later defeats him in a rematch, and is restored as the king. Despite his actions and lust for Nala's wife, Damayanti, Pushkara is forgiven, and the brothers make their peace with each other. Biography Pushkara is born to Virasena and is the younger brother of Nala. Twelve years after the marriage of Nala and Damayanti, Nala becomes spiritually defiled, which allows the malevolent spirit Kali to enter and possess him. In this corrupted state, Pushkara chemes with Kali and challenges Nala to a game of dice. Unknown to Nala, Dvāpara, an ally of Kali, has entered the dice themselves, ensuring ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Nala
Nala () is a legendary king of ancient Nishadha kingdom and the central protagonist of the '' Nalopakhyana'', a sub-narrative within the Indian epic '' Mahabharata'', found in its third book, '' Vana Parva'' (Book of the Forest). He is renowned for his valor, wisdom, and exceptional skill in charioteering. His story revolves around his love for Damayanti, the princess of Vidarbha, and his struggle to reclaim his lost fortune. According to ''Nalopakhyana'', despite his virtues, Nala falls victim to a curse from the malicious deity Kali, who influences him to lose his kingdom in a game of dice against his brother Pushkara. Forced into exile, he abandons Damayanti in the forest, believing she would suffer less without him. Wandering in disguise under the name Bahuka after being transformed by a serpent’s bite, Nala takes service as a charioteer in the court of King Rituparna of Ayodhya, where he acquires new skills in gambling and horsemanship. Meanwhile, Damayanti devis ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Nala And Damayanti
''Nala and Damayanti'', also known as ''Nalopakhyana'' (Sanskrit title: नलोपाख्यान ''Nalopākhyāna'', i.e., "Episode of Nala"), is an episode from the Culture of India, Indian epic ''Mahabharata''. It is about King Nala and his wife Damayanti: Nala loses his kingdom in a game of dice and has to go into exile with his faithful wife Damayanti in the forest, where he leaves her. Separated from each other, the two have many adventures before they are finally reunited and Nala regains his kingdom. ''Nala and Damayanti'' is one of the best-known and most popular episodes of the ''Mahabharata''. It has found a wide reception in India and is also regarded in the West as one of the most valuable works of Indian literature. Content The ''Mahabharata'', a huge work of over 100,000 double verses, contains a large number of side episodes, some of which are nested within one another, in addition to the main story, which tells of the battle between the Pandavas and Kaurav ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Damayanti
Damayanti () is a heroine in ancient Indian literature, primarily known for her role in the episode of ''Nala and Damayanti, Nalopakhyana'', which is embedded within the ''Vana Parva'' (the third book) of the epic ''Mahabharata'' (c. 400 BCE – 400 CE). She is celebrated for her beauty, intelligence, unwavering love, and steadfast devotion to her husband, Nala (Mahabharata), Nala, the king of Nishadha Kingdom, Nishadha kingdom. Damayanti is the princess of ancient Vidarbha Kingdom and the daughter of King Bhima. She falls in love with Nala after hearing about his virtues from a Hamsa (bird), divine swan. She chooses him in a swayamvara (self-choice ceremony), even rejecting gods who had disguised themselves as Nala. Their happiness is short-lived when Nala, influenced by the malicious deity Kali (demon), Kali, loses his kingdom in a game of dice and is forced into exile. Overcome with despair and shame, he abandons Damayanti in the forest. Undeterred, she endures great hardships ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Kali (asura)
Kali ( Devanāgari: , IAST: ', with both vowels short; from a root ', 'suffer, hurt, startle, confuse') is the personification of sin which presides over the Kaliyuga, the present era characterized by moral decline and disorder in Hinduism. His origins and role in the cosmic cycle are detailed in various ancient texts, including the ''Mahābhārata'' and '' Bhāgavata Purāṇa''. According to the ''Mahābhārata'', Kali is a sinister deva-gandharva, born as the fifteenth son of the proginator sage Kashyapa and Muni. As the lord of the Kaliyuga, Kali exerts his influence by promoting sinful acts, confined by King Parikshit to five domains: gambling, drinking, prostitution, murder, and gold. His narrative intertwines with figures like Nala, whom he possessed and tormented, and Duryodhana, considered his incarnation in the ''Mahābhārata''. Later Puranic texts reinterpret his origins, making him more fearsome and powerful, as well as associating him with personifications of m ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Mahabharata
The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kurukshetra War, a war of succession between two groups of princely cousins, the Kauravas and the Pandava, Pāṇḍavas. It also contains Hindu philosophy, 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 (sage), Kacha and Devayani, the story of Rishyasringa and an Ramopakhyana, abbreviated version of the ''Rāmāyaṇa'', often considered as works in their own right. Traditionally, the authorship of the ''Mahābhārata'' is attributed to Vyasa, Vy ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Nishadha Kingdom
The Nishadha (IAST: Niṣadha) was a tribe of ancient India that lived in a country of the same name. History Veerasena was a king of the Nishadha kingdom, and the father of Nala. Nala, the son of Veerasena, became the king after his father. He was the husband of Damayanti, and their story is told in the Mahabharata. Their story is also told in Shriharsha's sanskrit epic named Naishadha Charita. See also * ''Nala and Damayanti ''Nala and Damayanti'', also known as ''Nalopakhyana'' (Sanskrit title: नलोपाख्यान ''Nalopākhyāna'', i.e., "Episode of Nala"), is an episode from the Culture of India, Indian epic ''Mahabharata''. It is about King Nala and h ...'' References External links The Naishadha-charitaEnglish translation by K. K. Handiqui roofread(includes glossary) Indo-Aryan peoples {{India-stub ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Gandharva
A ''gandharva'' () is a member of a class of celestial beings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, whose males are divine performers such as musicians and singers, and the females are divine dancers. In Hinduism, they are regarded to be the celestial demigods who serve as the musicians of the devas. It is also a term for skilled singers in Indian classical music. In Buddhism, this term also refers to a being in the intermediate state (between death and rebirth). In Hinduism In Hinduism, the gandharvas () are a class of minor deities who serve as divine musicians in Hindu mythology. The term gandharva is present in Vedic sources (including in the Rigveda) as a singular deity. According to Oberlies, "In mandala I, IX and X the gandharva is presented as a celestial being (dwelling near the Sun / in the heavenly waters) which watches over the Soma (apparently) for the benefit of the gods and the sacrificers." The gandharva also "receives the Soma from the ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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John Dowson
John Dowson M.R.A.S.(1820–1881) was a British indologist. A noted scholar of Hinduism, he taught in India for much of his life. His book ''Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology'' remains one of the most comprehensive and authoritative works on the topic. Life He was born at Uxbridge, and studied Eastern languages under his uncle Edwin Norris, whom he assisted for some years at the Royal Asiatic Society. He subsequently became a tutor at the East India Company College. In 1855, he was made professor of Hindustani both at University College, London, and at the Staff College, Sandhurst, a post he held till 1877. He died 23 August 1881. Works Dowson's duties as professor suggested his ''Grammar of the Urdu or Hindustani Language'' (1862), and he also translated one of the tracts of the ''Ikhwānu-s-Safa'', or Brotherhood of Purity. His major work was '' The History of India, as Told by Its Own Historians. The Muhammadan Period'', which he edited from the papers of Henry Mier ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |