Ambalika () is a princess featured 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 ...
. The youngest daughter of Kashya, the King of
Kashi, and Kausalya, she is abducted by
Bhishma during her
svayamvara ceremony, and becomes the wife of
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 ...
, the King of
Hastinapura.
Legend
Along with her sisters,
Amba and
Ambika
Ambika may refer to:
Mythology
* Ambika (goddess), an avatar of the Hindu goddesses Durga, Parvati, and Shakti
* Ambika (Jainism), a Jain Yakshini goddess
* Ambika (Mahabharata), the wife of Vichitravirya was also the mother of Dhritarashtra, ...
, Ambalika was taken by force by
Bhishma during their
svayamvara, the latter having challenged and defeated the assembled royalty. He presented them to
Satyavati for marriage to Vichitravirya. Ambalika and her sister spent seven years in their husband's company. Vichitravirya was afflicted with
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...
, and died from the disease.
After Vichitravirya's death, since he left no heirs, his mother Satyavati sent for her first born, the sage
Vyasa
Krishna Dvaipayana ( sa, कृष्णद्वैपायन, Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana), better known as Vyasa (; sa, व्यासः, Vyāsaḥ, compiler) or Vedavyasa (वेदव्यासः, ''Veda-vyāsaḥ'', "the one who cl ...
. She asked him to father children with the widowed queens of Vichitravirya, according to the prevalent custom of
niyoga. Vyasa had come from years of intense meditation and as a result, he looked tremendously unkempt. When he approached
Ambika
Ambika may refer to:
Mythology
* Ambika (goddess), an avatar of the Hindu goddesses Durga, Parvati, and Shakti
* Ambika (Jainism), a Jain Yakshini goddess
* Ambika (Mahabharata), the wife of Vichitravirya was also the mother of Dhritarashtra, ...
, she closed her eyes in fear. As a result, the blind
Dhritrashtra
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 wa ...
was born. When he approached Ambalika, she turned pale in fear. Her son
Pandu, the result of the ''
niyoga'', was born with a pale appearance.
After the death of Pandu, Ambalika accompanied her mother-in-law Satyavati, and sister Ambika, to the forest, and spent the rest of her days in spiritual retreat.
References
External links
KMG ''Mahabharata''
{{HinduMythology
Characters in the Mahabharata