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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] |
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] |
Vyasa
Krishna Dvaipayana ( sa, कृष्णद्वैपायन, Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana), better known as Vyasa (; sa, व्यासः, Vyāsaḥ, compiler) or Vedavyasa (वेदव्यासः, ''Veda-vyāsaḥ'', "the one who classified the Vedas"), is a revered sage portrayed in most Hindu traditions. He is traditionally regarded as the author of the ''Mahabharata.'' He is also regarded by many Hindus as the compiler of a number of significant scriptures. As a partial incarnation, Amsa Avatar (aṃśa-avatāra) of Vishnu, he is also regarded by tradition as the compiler of the mantras'' of the Vedas'' into four Vedas, as well as the author of the eighteen ''Puranas'' and the Brahma Sutras. He is one of the seven Chiranjeevis. Name Vyasa's birth name is ''Krishna Dvaipayana'', which possibly refers to his dark complexion and birthplace, although he is more commonly known as "Veda Vyasa" (''Veda Vyāsa'') as he has compiled the single, eternal ''Veda'' into fou ... [...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] |
Characters In The Mahabharata
The ''Mahabharata'' is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India; it was composed by the sage Vyasa. The most important characters of ''Mahabharata'' can be said to include: Krishna; the Pandavas Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva, along with their wife Draupadi; and the Kauravas (who were a hundred brothers), led by the eldest brother, Duryodhana. The most important other characters include Bhishma, Karna, Dronacharya, Shakuni, Dhritrashtra, Gandhari and Kunti. Some pivotal additional characters include Balarama, Subhadra, Vidura, Abhimanyu, Kripacharya, Pandu, Satyavati, Ashwatthama, and Amba. Deities who play a significant role in the epic include Vishnu, Brahma, Shiva, Ganga, Indra, Surya and Yama. This list mentions notable characters and may also contain characters appearing in regional stories and folklores related to ''Mahabharata''. A Abhimanyu Abhimanyu was the son of third Pandava prince Arjuna and Yadava princess S ... [...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] |
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] |
Ambika (Mahabharata)
Ambika () is a princess featured in the Mahabharata. The daughter of Kashya, the King of Kingdom of Kashi, Kashi, she is abducted by Bhishma during her svayamvara, and becomes the wife of Vichitravirya, the King of Hastinapur, Hastinapura. Legend Along with her sisters, Amba (Mahabharata), Amba and Ambalika, Ambika was taken by force by Bhishma from their swayamvara, svayamvara, the latter having challenged and defeated the assembled royalty. He presented them to his step-mother, Satyavati, for marriage to Vichitravirya. While Amba expressed her desire not to marry him as she was in love with a king named Salva, Ambika and Ambalika married Vichitravirya, and spent seven years in their husband's company. Vichitravirya was afflicted with tuberculosis, and subsequently died from the disease. After Vichitravirya's death, he left behind no heirs. His mother Satyavati sent for her first born, the rishi Vyasa. She asked him to sire children with the widowed queens of Vichitravirya ac ... [...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] |
Uparichara Vasu
Uparichara Vasu () is a king featured in Hindu literature, a member of the Chandravamsha (Lunar dynasty). The son of Kruti, he rules over the kingdom of Chedi. He is described to be a friend of Indra and a great devotee of Vishnu in the Puranas. His legend is also described in the Mahabharata. Legend Puranas The Skanda Purana and the Vayu Purana state that Uparichara Vasu is a king so pious that he is able to ride his chariot across the sky. When there is a dispute that arises between the devas and the sages about the interpretation of the term 'Aja' in a Vedic injunction that prescribed for a sacrificial offering, they decide to go to Uparichara Vasu for arbitration. The sages state that such a sacrifice must be performed using grains, and the devas insist that such a sacrifice must be performed using animals such as goats. The king rules in favour of the devas. The sages, angry that the king had advocated against ahimsa, cursed him to fall towards the netherworld. He is sav ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chedi Kingdom
Chedi ( sa, चेदी) was a kingdom which fell roughly in the Bundelkhand division of Madhya Pradesh regions to the south of river Yamuna along the river Ken. Its capital city was called Suktimati in Sanskrit. According to the Mahabharata, the Chedi Kingdom was ruled by Shishupala, an ally of Jarasandha of Magadha and Duryodhana of Kuru. He was a rival of Vasudeva Krishna who was his uncle's son. He was killed by Vasudeva Krishna during the Rajasuya sacrifice of the Pandava king Yudhishthira. Bhima's wife was from Chedi. Prominent Chedis during the Kurukshetra War included Damaghosha, Shishupala, Dhrishtaketu, Suketu, Sarabha, Bhima's wife, Nakula's wife Karenumati, Dhrishtaketu's sons. Other Chedis included King Uparichara Vasu, his children, King Suvahu, King Sahaja. It was ruled during early periods by ''Paurava'' kings and later by Yadava kings in the central part of the country. Puranic History The Chedi clan and kingdom was founded by Chidi, the son of Vidarb ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dhritarashtra
Dhritarashtra ( sa, धृतराष्ट्र, ISO-15919: Dhr̥tarāṣṭra) was a Kuru king, and the father of the Kauravas in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. He was the King of the Kuru Kingdom, with its capital at Hastinapura. He was born to Vichitravirya's first wife, Ambika. Dhritarashtra was born blind. He fathered one hundred sons and one daughter, Dushala, by his wife, Gandhari and a son, Yuyutsu, by his wife's maid. These children, including the eldest son Duryodhana, but not including Yuyutsu and Dushala, came to be known as the Kauravas. Etymology and historicity ''Dhṛtarāṣṭra'' means "He who supports/bears the nation" A historical Kuru King named Dhritarashtra Vaichitravirya is mentioned in the '' Kāṭhaka Saṃhitā'' of the Yajurveda ( 1200–900 BCE) as a descendant of the Rigvedic-era King Sudas of the Bharatas. His cattle was reportedly destroyed as a result of the conflict with the ''vrātya'' ascetics; however, this Vedic mention does ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Niyoga
Niyoga ( sa, नियोग) was an ancient Hindu practice. According to the Agni Purana, it referred to a system or custom that permitted either the husband or the wife who had no child by their spouse to procreate a child with another man or a woman. It became extinct after the Vedic period. Clauses There were various clauses associated with this process: #The woman would agree to this only for the sake of rightfully having a child but not sexual pleasure. #The child thus born would be considered the child of the husband-wife and not that of the appointed man. #The appointed man would not seek any paternal relationship or attachment to this child in the future. #To avoid misuse, a man was allowed a maximum of three times in his lifetime to be appointed in such a way. #The act will be seen as that of Dharma and while doing so, the man and the wife will have only Dharma in their mind and neither passion nor lust. The man will do it as a help to the woman in the name of God, whe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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