Dvaitavana (), also called the Dvaita forest, is a legendary forest featured in the

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 Kuru ...

. It includes the Dvaita lake within its boundaries. The forest is described as lying south of the

Kamyaka forest Kamyakavana (), also referred to as the Kamyaka forest, is a legendary forest featured in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. It is described to be located on the banks of the river Sarasvati. The Pandavas are described to have spent a period of their exil ...

on the banks of the

Sarasvati River The Sarasvati River () is a Apotheosis, deified myth, mythological Rigvedic rivers, river first mentioned in the Rigveda and later in Vedas, Vedic and post-Vedic texts. It played an important role in the Historical Vedic religion, Vedic religio ...

, placing it on the southwestern outskirts of the Kuru Kingdom.

Etymology

According to the

Shatapatha Brahmana The Shatapatha Brahmana (, , abbreviated to 'SB') is a commentary on the Yajurveda, Śukla Yajurveda. It is attributed to the Vedic sage Yajnavalkya. Described as the most complete, systematic, and important of the Brahmanas (commentaries on the ...

, Dvaitavana is named after a ruler of the

Matsya kingdom Matsya () was a Vedic kingdom and later became a part of sixteen Mahajanapadas, which also appears in Hindu Epic literature. The capital of Matsya was at Viratanagari (present-day Bairat, in Rajasthan) which is said to have been named after ...

named Dhvasan Dvaitavana. This king is described to have offered fourteen horses in tribute to the deity

Indra Indra (; ) is the Hindu god of weather, considered the king of the Deva (Hinduism), Devas and Svarga in Hinduism. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes Indra is the m ...

after his victory in his

ashvamedha The Ashvamedha () was a horse sacrifice ritual followed by the Śrauta tradition of Vedic religion. It was used by ancient Indian kings to prove their imperial sovereignty: a horse accompanied by the king's warriors would be released to wander ...

ceremony beside this lake, which was named in his honour.

Literature

Mahabharata

Yudhishthira Yudhishthira (Sanskrit: युधिष्ठिर, ud̪ʱiʂʈʰiɾᵊ IAST: ''Yudhiṣṭhira''), also known as Dharmaputra, is the eldest among the five Pandavas, and is also one of the central characters of the ancient Indian epic ''Ma ...

asked his brothers for suggestions regarding a forested region where they could spend their twelve years of exile.

Arjuna Arjuna (, , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, �ɾd͡ʒun̪ə is one of the central characters of the ancient Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. He is the third of the five Pandava brothers, and is widely regarded as the most important and renowned among them. ...

suggested the Dvaitavana, referring to the presence of a lake within its woods as well as a population of ascetics and sages. Arriving at the forest, Yudhishthira observed that it was replete with flowers, birds, and other wildlife such as deer and elephants. Locating a settlement of holy men, he decided that they would dwell with them, along the banks of the Sarasvati. The sages

Markandeya Markandeya () is a rishi (sage) featured in Hindu literature. He is the son of the sage Mrikanda and his wife, Manasvini. The Markandeya Purana (one of the eighteen Mahāpurāṇas in Hinduism), attributed to the sage, comprises a dialogue ...

and Vaka visited the hermitage of the brothers. When

Draupadi Draupadi (), also referred to as Krishnā, Panchali and Yajnaseni, is the central heroine of the Indian epic poetry, ancient Indian epic ''Mahabharata''. In the epic, she is the princess of Panchala Kingdom, who later becomes the empress of K ...

and

Bhima Bhima (, ), also known as Bhimasena (, ), is a hero and one of the most prominent characters in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. As the second of the five Pandava brothers, Bhima was born to Kunti—the wife of King Pandu—fathered by Vayu, the ...

expressed their anguish to Yudhishthira regarding his apathy to their state, he counselled caution and discussed the nature of

dharma Dharma (; , ) is a key concept in various Indian religions. The term ''dharma'' does not have a single, clear Untranslatability, translation and conveys a multifaceted idea. Etymologically, it comes from the Sanskrit ''dhr-'', meaning ''to hold ...

. The sage

Vyasa Vyasa (; , ) or Veda Vyasa (, ), also known as Krishna Dvaipayana Veda Vyasa (, ''Vedavyāsa''), is a ''rishi'' (sage) with a prominent role in most Hindu traditions. He is traditionally regarded as the author of the epic Mahabharata, Mah� ...

visited the brothers in the forest and enlightened

regarding the means of gaining a number of celestial weapons to empower their side. The sage suggested that the Pandavas reside elsewhere while Arjuna was away on his quest, citing the depletion of flora and fauna in the forest. Accordingly, the Pandavas moved to the Kamyaka forest. After their pilgrimage and the return of Arjuna from the northern

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than list of h ...

, the Pandavas lived in the Dvaitavana for the second time. During this period, the prince

Duryodhana Duryodhana (, Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ̪ʊɾjoːd̪ʱən̪ᵊ ), also known as Suyodhana, is the primary antagonist in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata.'' He is the eldest of the Kaurava, Kauravas, the hundred sons of King Dhritarashtra and Queen Gan ...

visited the Dvaitavana to taunt his cousins, under the pretence of inspecting the cattle-stations of 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 ...

in the vicinity. However, while his men were setting up camp, he was attacked by the

gandharvas 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 ...

under the command of Chitrasena, and had to be rescued by the Pandavas. Owing to the decline of the deer population, the Pandavas again moved to Kamyaka forest, but returned to Dvaitavana for the third and final time during their twelfth year of exile. The brothers dismissed their followers away, and are described to have found great joy, exploring the banks of the Sarasvati. Following this period, they departed for the Matsya kingdom to spend their last year of exile anonymously.{{Cite book , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xtbs4GDI_fsC&dq=Dvaitavana+Sarasvati&pg=PT216 , title=The Mahabharata: Volume 3 , date=2015-06-01 , publisher=Penguin UK , isbn=978-81-8475-293-9 , pages=216 , language=en

References

Places in Hindu mythology Places in the Mahabharata