Ulupi (), also known as Uluchi and Ulupika, is a character the
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
epic ''
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 ...
''. She is a
Naga princess, the daughter of the
king
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
Kauravya, and is among the four wives of
Arjuna. She also finds a mention in the ''
Vishnu Purana'' and the ''
Bhagavata Purana''.
Ulupi is said to have met and married Arjuna when he was in exile, and with whom she bore his son
Iravan. She played a major part in the upbringing of
Babruvahana, Arjuna's son with
Chitrangada. She is also credited with redeeming Arjuna from the curse of the
Vasus by restoring his life after he was slain in a battle by Babruvahana.
Etymology and form
Little is said about Ulupi in the ''Mahabharata''. Ulupi is known by numerous names in the ''Mahabharata''—Bhujagātmajā, Bhujagendrakanyakā, Bhujagottamā Kauravī, Kauravyaduhitā, Kauravyakulanandinī, Pannaganandinī, Pannagasutā, Pannagātmajā, Pannageśvarakanyā, Pannagī, and Uragātmajā.
Ulupi is described as a mythical form of a ''Nāgakanyā'' (
Nāga
The Nagas (IAST: ''nāga''; Devanāgarī: नाग) are a divine, or semi-divine, race of half-human, half-serpent beings that reside in the netherworld (Patala), and can occasionally take human or part-human form, or are so depicted in art. ...
princess), half-maiden and half-serpent.
Michael Mott
Michael Charles Alston Mott (8 December 1930 – 11 October 2019) was a British-born American author. He produced eleven poetry collections, four novels and a renowned biography of Thomas Merton.
Life and career
Mott was born in London in Decem ...
in his ''Caverns, Cauldrons, and Concealed Creatures'' described Ulupi as "partly reptilian" – the portion below the waist resembles that of a snake or a crocodile.
Early life
Ulupi was the daughter of the
Naga King Kauravya. Her father ruled the underwater kingdom of serpents in the
Ganga river. She was a well-trained warrior.
Marriage with Arjuna
Arjuna, the third
Pandava brother, was exiled from
Indraprastha, the capital city of the kingdom, to go on a twelve-year pilgrimage as a penance for violating the terms of his marriage to
Draupadi, the brothers' common wife. Accompanied by
Brahmins
Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests ( purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru ...
, Arjuna went to the
north eastern region of present-day India.
One day, when Arjuna was bathing in the
Ganga river to perform his rituals, the Naga princess Ulupi, grasps him and pulls him into the river. She holds him with her hands and forces him to travel under her will. They finally end up in an underwater kingdom, the abode of Kauravya. Arjuna comes across a sacrificial fire there and offers his rites to the fire.
Agni is pleased with Arjuna's unhesitating offering of oblations.
Still smiling, Arjuna enquires Ulupi about her background, to which she responds thus:
Arjuna, however, declines her proposal citing his celibacy on his pilgrimage. Ulupi argues that his celibacy is limited only to
Draupadi, Arjuna's first wife. Convinced by her argument, Arjuna marries her, spending the night in the mansion of the Naga and rose with the sun in the morning. Later, a son named
Iravan was born to them. Pleased by Arjuna, Ulupi grants him a boon that every amphibious creature shall, without doubt, be capable of being vanquished by him.
Ulupi loses her son Iravan in the
Kurukshetra War, where he is sacrificed to Kali for the victory of the pandavas.
Redeeming Arjuna from the curse
The
Vasus,
Bhishma's brothers, cursed Arjuna after he killed Bhishma through treachery in the Kurukshetra War.
When Ulupi heard of the curse, she sought the help of her father, Kauravya. Her father went to the river goddess
Ganga, Bhishma's mother, and requested her for a relief from the curse. Upon hearing him, Ganga said that Arjuna would be killed by his own son,
Babruvahana—Arjuna's son through
Chitrangada—and brought back to life when Ulupi placed a gem called
Nagamani on his chest.
Following her father's advice, Ulupi instigates Babruvāhana to fight Arjuna. When Arjuna goes to
Manipur
Manipur () ( mni, Kangleipak) is a state in Northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It also borders two regions of ...
with the horse intended for the
Ashvamedha sacrifice,
the king Babruvahana, as directed by Ulupi, challenges Arjuna to a duel. In the fierce battle that took place between them, both are mangled by the other's arrows. Finally, Arjuna is mortally wounded and is killed by his son when he shoots a powerful arrow at him. Chitrangada rushes to the spot and abuses Ulupi for instigating Babruvahana to fight Arjuna. Repenting of his deed, Babruvahana is determined to kill himself, but is promptly stopped by Ulupi. She goes to her kingdom and brings the Nagamani. When she places the Nagamani on Arjuna's chest, his life is restored, thus relieving him of the Vasus' curse. When brought back to his life, Arjuna becomes happy to see Ulupi, Chitrangada, and Babruvahana. He takes all of them to
Hastinapura.
Retirement of the Pandavas
Upon the onset of the
Kali Yuga, the
Pandavas along with
Draupadi retired and left the throne to their only heir Arjuna's grandson,
Parikshit. Giving up all their belongings and ties, they made their final journey of pilgrimage to the Himalayas, accompanied by a dog. Ulupi went back to her kingdom in the Ganga river.
References
Bibliography
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{{Mahabharata
Characters in the Mahabharata
Nāgas