Kritavarma ( sa, कृतवर्मा, translit=Kṛtavarmā) is a

Yadava The Yadava (literally, descended from Yadu) were an ancient Indian people who believed to be descended from Yadu, a legendary king of Chandravamsha lineage. The community was formed of various clans, being the Abhira, Andhaka, Vrishni, and ...

warrior in

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

. He appears as a minor character in the

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the s ...

, fighting in the Kurukshetra war for the

Kauravas ''Kaurava'' is a Sanskrit term which refers to descendants of Kuru, a legendary king of India who is the ancestor of many of the characters of the epic ''Mahabharata''. Usually, the term is used for the 100 sons of King Dhritarashtra and his w ...

. According to F.E. Pargiter, he was the son of Hṛidika, born in the

Andhaka In Hindu literature, Andhaka (Sanskrit: अन्धक, IAST: Andhaka; lit. "He who darkens") refers to a malevolent asura, whose pride is vanquished by Shiva and Parvati.. His story finds mention in various Hindu texts, including the '' Matsy ...

clan of the

Yadu dynasty Yaduvamsha () or Yādava Vaṃśa is a legendary dynasty featured in Hinduism, a cadet branch of the Chandravamsha dynasty. The dynasty's progenitor was Yadu, the eldest son of Emperor Yayati. Legend Origin In Hindu texts, the king Yaya ...

.Pargiter, F.E. (1972). ''Ancient Indian Historical Tradition'', Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, p.105.

Legend

Syamantaka theft

Kritavarma is said to have encouraged, or in some accounts, participated in the theft of the legendary Syamantaka jewel from King

Satrajit Satrajit (), also rendered Satrajita, is a Yadava king in Hinduism. He is the father of the goddess Satyabhama, Krishna's third wife. He is described to be a great devotee of Surya, the sun god. He is known for his role in the legend of the Syam ...

. Along with his friend

Akrura Akrura () is a Yadu dynasty, Yadava prince in Hinduism, best known for being the uncle of the deity Krishna. The son of Śvaphalka and Gandini, a daughter of the king of Varanasi, Kashi,Garg, pp. 305-306. he is instructed by Kamsa to drive his neph ...

, he is said to have caused Shatadhanva to murder Satrajit, and steal the jewel for himself. Shatadhanva was subsequently slain by Krishna, though he no longer had the jewel, having given it to Akrura and Kritavarma for safekeeping. When a famine broke out in Dvaraka, or in other accounts, due to the discovery of Akrura's possession of the Syamantaka, both Kritavarma and he were summoned to the city to hand over the jewel. In the end, Krishna decided that Akrura should keep the jewel with him.

Kurukshetra war

Kritavarma chose the

Kaurava ''Kaurava'' is a Sanskrit term which refers to descendants of Kuru, a legendary king of India who is the ancestor of many of the characters of the epic ''Mahabharata''. Usually, the term is used for the 100 sons of King Dhritarashtra and his wi ...

side in the Kurukshetra War when his assistance was sought by Duryodhana, promising to lend him one

akshauhini An ''akshauhini'' ( sa, अक्षौहिणी ''akṣauhiṇī'') is described in the Mahabharata (Adi Parva 2.15-23) as a battle formation consisting of 21,870 chariots (Sanskrit ''ratha''); 21,870 elephants (Sanskrit ''gaja''); 65,610 ho ...

. On the first day of the war, he fought a duel with

Satyaki Yuyudhana ( sa, युयुधान, '), better known as Satyaki ( sa, सात्यकि, ), was a powerful Yadava chieftain of Narayani Sena, belonging to the Vrishni clan to which Krishna also belonged. According to the Puranas, he was ...

. As a

maharathi Maharathi may refer to: * Maharathi (warrior) Hindu mythological wars are the wars described in the Hindu texts of ancient India. These wars depicted both mortals of great prowess as well as deities and supernatural beings, often wielding s ...

, was placed at the head of the flying-heron formation that had been set up by Bhishma. He engaged in a number of conflicts throughout the war. He was defeated by Bhima in single combat, and wounded in another bout against Satyaki. He fought a duel against

Dhristadyumna Dhrishtadyumna ( sa, धृष्टद्युम्न, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, the courageous and splendid one) is the son of Drupada—the king of the Panchala kingdom—and the twin brother of Draupadi in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. Dhri ...

, and one against Arjuna, Bhima, and Satyaki. He attacked Abhimanyu, killing his horse. After fainting in a bout against Arjuna, he met Yudhumanyu and Uttamaujas in combat. He defeated

Shikhandi Shikhandi ( sa, शिखण्डी, translit=Śikhaṇḍī) is a character in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. Born as the daughter of Drupada, the King of Panchala, Shikhandi becomes a biological male after agreeing to a sex exchange with a y ...

, Bhima, and

Yudhishthira ''Yudhishthira'' (Sanskrit: युधिष्ठिर, IAST: ''Yudhiṣṭhira'') is the eldest among the five Pandava brothers. He is mentioned in the ancient epic Mahabharata. He was sired by King Pandu of the Kuru Dynasty and his firs ...

on various occasions. He fled the battlefield after the death of Drona. He participated in Ashwatthama's vendetta against the Pandavas by setting fire to their camp while their warriors slept. After the war, he informed

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 ...

regarding the death of his son, Duryodhana, and returned home. He appeared at Yudhishthira's ashvamedha sacrifice.

Yadu massacre

The conflict between Kritavarma and Satyaki in the

Mausala Parva Mausala Parva ( sa, मौसल पर्व, lit=Book of Clubs) is the sixteenth of eighteen books of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. It traditionally has nine chapters.Ganguli, K.M. (1883-1896)Mausala Parva in ''The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwai ...

is the inciting event for the Yadu massacre, that results in the destruction of the majority of the Yadu race at Prabhasa. Inebriated due to the consumption of wine, Satyaki is stated to have mocked the Kshatriya birth of Kritavarma for the immoral murder of the warriors of the Pandava camp while they slept, believing that he would never be forgiven for this act. In retort, Kritavarma accused Satyaki of unheroic conduct when the latter attacked Bhurisharavas when he had laid down his arms. Satyaki countered by reminding him of his unrighteous role in taking the Syamantaka jewel from

. Observing Satyabhama's grief, Satrajit promised her vengeance, and immediately beheaded Kritavarma. The clans of the Bhojas and the Andhakas started to fight each other, beginning the Yadu massacre.

References

External links

Yadu genealogyMahabharata translated by C Rajagopalachari
{{HinduMythology Characters in the Mahabharata