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Sharmishtha
Sharmishtha () is a princess appearing in Hindu scriptures. She is described to be the daughter of the daitya king Vrishaparvan. She becomes the second wife of Yayati, due to which she becomes an ancestor of the Pandavas and the Kauravas. She is featured as a friend of Devayani, for whom she later becomes a servant. Her story is told by Vaisampayana in the Adi Parva of the Mahabharata. Legend Quarrel Sharmishtha is the daughter of Vrishaparvan, the daitya king, for whom the acharya Shukra is an adviser. She is a friend of Devayani, the daughter of Shukra. One day, the two go for a bath in a brook in a forest, accompanied by their retinue of maids, leaving their clothes on the bank of the stream. While they bathe, Indra manifests himself as a wind, blowing their garments off the banks. In their hurry to retrieve their clothes, the two women donned each other's clothes. A quarrel ensues between the friends, and insults are exchanged regarding each other's fathers. In the ensu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yayati
Yayati () is an emperor in Hindu tradition. He is described to be a Chandravamsha king. He is regarded to be the progenitor of the races of the Yadavas and the Pandavas. According to the Harivamsa, Yayati is the son of King Nahusha, and his wife, Virajas, the daughter of Pitris, and have five brothers: Yati, Samyati, Ayati, Viyati, and Kriti. Yayati had conquered the whole world and was the '' Chakravarti'' ("Universal Monarch" or "World Emperor"). He married Devayani, the daughter of Shukra, and also took Sharmishtha, daughter of king Vrishaparvan, and the maid of Devayani, as his mistress. Upon hearing of his relationship with Sharmishtha, Devayani complained to her father, who in turn cursed Yayati to old age in the prime of life, but later allowed him to exchange it with his son, Puru. His story finds mention in the ''Mahabharata's'' Adi Parva, as well as in the ''Bhagavata Purana'' and the Matsya Purana. Genealogy and early life Brahma's son was Atri, a ''Bra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Devyani
Devayani () is a character in Hindu literature. She is described to be the daughter of Shukra, the acharya (preceptor) of the asuras, and his wife Jayanti, the daughter of Indra. She marries King Yayati, and gives birth to two sons — Yadu and Turvasu. Legend Infatuation with Kacha Kacha is described to be the handsome son of Brihaspati. He is sent by the devas to Shukra's ashrama (spiritual hermitage) to learn about the ''Mṛtasañjīvanī vidyā'' mantra, the knowledge that allows one to restore life after death. Shukra accepts him as his student, and the latter accepts the task of offering him a thousand years of service. Devayani is infatuated by the youth, and the two become an inseparable couple. The asuras, however, are suspicious of Kacha's intentions, guessing correctly that he wished to know the secret of the life-restoring mantra. They murder him on two different occasions: They kill him when he is deep within the forest and feed him to the wolves, and po ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vrishparva
The ''Mahabharata'' is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India composed by Veda Vyasa. At its heart lies the epic struggle between the Pandavas and the Kauravas. The central characters include the five Pandava brothers—Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva—along with their wife Draupadi. On the opposing side, the hundred Kaurava brothers are led by the elder brother, Duryodhana. However, the ''Mahabharata'' is richly populated with other notable figures including Krishna, Bhishma, Drona, Karna, Kunti, Dushasana, Kripa, Dhritrashtra, Gandhari, Shakuni, Ashwatthama, Balarama, Subhadra, Vyasa, Abhimanyu, Pandu, Satyavati and Amba. The ''Mahabharata'' manuscripts exist in numerous versions, wherein the specifics and details of major characters and episodes vary, often significantly. Except for the sections containing the ''Bhagavad Gita'' which is remarkably consistent between the numerous manuscripts, the rest of the epic exists in many versions. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
King Puru
Puru () is a legendary king in Hinduism. He is the youngest son of King Yayati and Sharmishtha, and one of ancestors of the Pandavas and the Kauravas. King Puru marries Kausalya, and is succeeded by his son, Janamejeya. Legend Bhagavata Purana In the nineteenth chapter of book nine of the Bhagavata Purana, Puru is described as having four brothers; Yadu, Turvasu, Druhyu, and Anu. He exchanges his youth for the old age of his father Yayati when the latter gets cursed by Shukracharya, allowing his father to enjoy his youth for a thousand years. Afterwards, Yayati takes back his curse and makes Puru his heir, though he is the youngest of them all. His successor is Práchinvat; his son is Pravíra; his son is Manasyu. Mahabharata In the Mahabharata's Adi Parva, he is said to have inherited his kingdom in the Gangetic plain. He is said to have three mighty heroes as sons by his wife Pauṣṭi; Pravīra, Īśvara, and Raudrāśva. Pravira succeeded Puru, and was in turn succeede ... [...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 composed by Veda Vyasa. At its heart lies the epic struggle between the Pandavas and the Kauravas. The central characters include the five Pandava brothers—Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva—along with their wife Draupadi. On the opposing side, the hundred Kaurava brothers are led by the elder brother, Duryodhana. However, the ''Mahabharata'' is richly populated with other notable figures including Krishna, Bhishma, Drona, Karna, Kunti, Dushasana, Kripa, Dhritrashtra, Gandhari, Shakuni, Ashwatthama, Balarama, Subhadra, Vyasa, Abhimanyu, Pandu, Satyavati and Amba. The ''Mahabharata'' manuscripts exist in numerous versions, wherein the specifics and details of major characters and episodes vary, often significantly. Except for the sections containing the ''Bhagavad Gita'' which is remarkably consistent between the numerous manuscripts, the rest of the epic exists in many versions. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Puru (Hinduism)
Puru () is a legendary king in Hinduism. He is the youngest son of King Yayati and Sharmishtha, and one of ancestors of the Pandavas and the Kauravas. King Puru marries Kausalya, and is succeeded by his son, Janamejeya. Legend Bhagavata Purana In the nineteenth chapter of book nine of the Bhagavata Purana, Puru is described as having four brothers; Yadu, Turvasu, Druhyu, and Anu. He exchanges his youth for the old age of his father Yayati when the latter gets cursed by Shukracharya, allowing his father to enjoy his youth for a thousand years. Afterwards, Yayati takes back his curse and makes Puru his heir, though he is the youngest of them all. His successor is Práchinvat; his son is Pravíra; his son is Manasyu. Mahabharata In the Mahabharata's Adi Parva, he is said to have inherited his kingdom in the Gangetic plain. He is said to have three mighty heroes as sons by his wife Pauṣṭi; Pravīra, Īśvara, and Raudrāśva. Pravira succeeded Puru, and was in turn succeeded ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Adi Parva
The Adi Parva ("Book of the Beginning") is the first of the eighteen ''parvas'' (books) of the Indian epic ''Mahabharata''. "Ādi" (wiktionary:आदि#Sanskrit, आदि) in Sanskrit means "first". Adi Parva traditionally has 19 parts and 236 ''adhyayas'' (chapters). The Textual criticism, critical edition of Adi Parva has 19 parts and 225 chapters. Adi Parva describes how the epic came to be recited by Ugrasrava Sauti to the assembled rishis at the Naimisha Forest after first having been narrated at the ''sarpasatra'' of Janamejaya II, Janamejaya by Vaishampayana at Taxila. It includes an outline of contents from the eighteen books, along with the book's significance. The history of the Bhāratas and the Bhrigus are described. The main part of the work covers the birth and early life of the Mahabharata#Kuru family tree, princes of the Kuru Kingdom and the persecution of the Pandavas by Dhritarashtra. Structure and chapters The Adi Parva consists of 19 ''upa-parvas'' (parts, l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Daitya
The daityas () are a race of asuras in Hindu mythology, descended from Kashyapa and his wife, Diti. Prominent members of this race include Hiranyaksha, Hiranyakashipu, and Mahabali, all of whom overran the earth, and required three of Vishnu's avataras to be vanquished. Literature The Manusmṛiti classifies the daityas as good, while placing them at a lower level than the devas: The origin and noteworthy members of this race are specified in the Harivamsha Purana: List of daityas Some of the notable daityas mentioned in Hindu mythology include: *Hiranyaksha – First son of Kashyapa and Diti *Hiranyakashipu – Second son of Kashyapa and Diti * Holikā – First daughter of Kashyapa and Diti * Andhakāsura – Son of Hiraṇyākṣa (Born from the sweat of Śiva) * Prahlāda – Son of Hiraṇyakaśipu * Virocana – Son of Prahlāda, father of Mahābalī * Devamba – Mother of Mahābalī * Mahābalī – Son of Virocana * Bāṇāsura – Son of Mahābalī *Uṣ� ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Matsya Purana
The ''Matsya Purana'' (IAST: Matsya Purāṇa) is one of the eighteen major Puranas (Mahapurana), and among the oldest and better preserved in the Puranic genre of Sanskrit literature in Hinduism. The text is a Vaishnavism text named after the half-human and half-fish avatar of Vishnu. However, the text has been called by the 19th-century Sanskrit scholar Horace Hayman Wilson, "although a Shaivism (Shiva-related) work, it is not exclusively so"; the text has also been referred to one that simultaneously praises various Hindu gods and goddesses. The ''Matsya Purana'' has survived into the modern era in many versions, varying in the details but almost all of the published versions have 291 chapters, except the Tamil language version, written in Grantha script, which has 172 chapters. The text is notable for providing one of earliest known definition of a Purana genre of literature. A history written with five characteristics is called a Purana, states ''Matsya Purana'', otherwise ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pandava
The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, aɳɖɐʋᵊ IAST: Pāṇḍava) is a group name referring to the five legendary brothers, Yudhishtira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva, who are central figures of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. They are acknowledged as the sons of Pandu, the King of Kuru, but were fathered by different '' Devas'' (gods) due to Pandu's cursed inability to naturally sire children. In the epic, the Pandavas married Draupadi, the princess of Panchala, and founded the city of Indraprastha after the Kuru Kingdom was split to avoid succession disputes. After the split, the other part of the kingdom was ruled by their cousins, the Kauravas. However, the Pandavas lost their kingdom to Duryodhana (eldest and king of the Kauravas) when Yudhishthira gambled it away during a game of dice. The bet Yudhishtira agreed to was that the Pandavas would hand the kingdom over to the Kauravas and go into exile for 12 followed by an year in hiding. After this ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 wife Gandhari. Duryodhana, Dushasana, Vikarna and Chitrasena are the most popular among the brothers. They also had a sister named Dussala and a half-brother named Yuyutsu. Etymology The term ''Kauravas'' is used in the ''Mahabharata'' with two meanings , *The wider meaning is used to represent all the descendants of Kuru. This meaning, which includes the Pandava brothers, is often used in the earlier parts of popular renditions of the ''Mahabharata''. *The narrower but more common meaning is used to represent the elder line of the descendants of Kuru. This restricts it to the children of King Dhritarashtra, excluding the children of his younger brother, Pandu, whose children form the Pandava line. The rest of this article deals ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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] |
