|
Lakshmana (Mahabharata)
Lakshmana (Sanskrit: लक्ष्मण, romanized: ''Lakṣmaṇa'') was a son of Duryodhana, a prominent figure in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. He is described as a valiant warrior and a skilled archer. During the Kurukshetra War, Lakshmana was slain on the thirteenth day of the Kurukshetra War by Abhimanyu, who decapitates him using an arrow. Role in the ''Mahabharata'' The ''Mahabharata'' gives sparse information about Lakshmana, other than his participation in the Kurukshetra War between two rival cousin groupPandavas and Kauravas. Lakshmana fought from the Kaurava side, supporting his father Duryodhana, the leader of the Kauravas. On the second day of the Kurukshetra War, a furious melee ensued between Lakshmana and Abhimanyu, the son of Pandava Arjuna. When Abhimanyu was on the cusp of victory, Duryodhana rushed to his son's aid. On the twelfth day of the war, Lakshmana injured Kshatradeva, the son of warrior Shikhandi. On the thirteenth day of the war, Lakshman ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Duryodhana
Duryodhana (, Help:IPA/Sanskrit, [d̪ʊɾjoːd̪ʱən̪ᵊ], ), 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 Gandhari (Mahabharata), Gandhari of Kuru dynasty. Born through a miraculous manner, his birth is accompanied by ill-omens. Duryodhana grows up in Hastinapur, Hastinapura and later becomes its crown prince. Driven by innate selfishness, jealousy, and hostility towards his cousins—the five Pandava brothers—Duryodhana frequently plots against them, aided by his principal allies: his trickster uncle Shakuni, his loyal friend Karna, his devoted brother Dushasana and his blind and indulgent father Dhritarashtra. Duryodhana's envy culminates in the infamous dice game, where he humiliates Draupadi, the queen of the Pandavas. This incident provokes Bhima, the second Pandava, to vow that he will one day smash Duryodhana's thigh. Later, with the he ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arjuna
Arjuna (, , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, [ɐɾd͡ʒun̪ə]) 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. He is the son of Indra, the king of the Deva (Hinduism), gods, and Kunti, wife of King Pandu of Kuru kingdom, Kuru dynasty—making him a Demigod, divine-born hero. Arjuna is famed for his extraordinary prowess in archery and mastery over Astra (weapon), celestial weapons. Throughout the epic, Arjuna sustains a close friendship with his maternal cousin, Krishna, who serves as his spiritual guide. Arjuna is celebrated for numerous heroic exploits throughout the epic. From childhood, he emerges as an excellent pupil, studying under the warrior-sage Drona. In his youth, Arjuna wins the hand of Draupadi, the princess of the Pañcāla, Panchalas, by excelling in a formidable archery competition. Soon after, he goes on a journey during a period ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Karna
Karna (Sanskrit: कर्ण, IAST: ''Karṇa''), also known as Vasusena, Anga-Raja, Sutaputra and Radheya, is one of the major characters in the Hindu epic ''Mahābhārata''. He is the son of Surya (the Sun deity) and princess Kunti (later the Pandava queen). Kunti was granted the boon to bear a child with desired divine qualities from the gods and without much knowledge, Kunti invoked the sun god to confirm it if it was true indeed. Karna was secretly born to an unmarried Kunti in her teenage years, and fearing outrage and backlash from society over her premarital pregnancy, Kunti had to abandon the newly born Karna adrift in a basket on the Ganges. The basket is discovered floating on the Ganges River. He is adopted and raised by foster ''Suta'' parents named Radha and Adhiratha Nandana of the charioteer and poet profession working for king Dhritarashtra. Karna grows up to be an accomplished warrior of extraordinary abilities, a gifted speaker and becomes a loyal friend of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Subhadra
Subhadra (, ) is a character in the ancient Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. She is a princess from the Yadava clan and the sister of Krishna and Balarama. Subhadra married Arjuna, one of the Pandava brothers and had a son named Abhimanyu. Subhadra is part of the triad of deities worshipped at the Jagannath Temple at Puri, along with Krishna (as Jagannatha) and Balarama (or Balabhadra). One of the chariots in the annual Ratha Yatra is dedicated to her. Etymology and other names The Sanskrit name ''Subhadrā'' is made up of two words: ''su'' and ''bhadrā''. The prefix ''su'' denotes goodness, while ''bhadrā'' is translated as fortune or excellence. The name means 'glorious', 'fortunate', 'splendid', or 'auspicious'. Subhadra is referred to as ''Bhadrā'' (भद्रा), literally 'fortunate', when she is introduced to Arjuna in the ''Mahabharata''. According to the appendix of the ''Mahabharata'', the '' Harivamsa'', her birth name was ''Citrā'' (चित्रा) whi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sasirekha
Sasirekha Parinayam is an Indian Telugu folktale based on oral traditions popular in Telugu States. While it uses characters who appear in the ''Mahabharata'', the story is not present in the epic. The plot concerns the marriage of Sasirekha, called Vatsala in some versions, the daughter of Balarama, to Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna. It echoes the marriage of Arjuna to Subhadra in the ''Mahabharata''. The story is popular in performances, including Tholu bommalata (shadow puppets), Yakshagana, and Kuchipudi. By early 1950s, Surabhi theatre troupes made the folktale popular across Telugu-speaking regions. Plot Sasirekha, the daughter of Balarama and Revathi, shared a deep bond with her childhood friend, Abhimanyu. Keeping in mind Sasirekha and Abhimanyu’s mutual fondness, at a very young age, Subhadra asked her hand in marriage for her son Abhimanyu. This offer was cordially accepted by Balarama and his wife. But very soon Abhimanyu and Sasirekha had to part ways, due to bett ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Balarama
Balarama (, ) is a Hindu god, and the elder brother of Krishna. He is particularly significant in the Jagannath tradition, as one of the triad deities. He is also known as Haladhara, Halayudha, Baladeva, Balabhadra, and Sankarshana. The first two epithets associate him with ''hala'' (''langala'', "plough") from his strong associations with farming and farmers, as the deity who used farm equipment as weapons when needed, and the next two refer to his strength. Originally an agricultural deity, Balarama is mostly described as an incarnation of Shesha, the serpent associated with the deity Vishnu while some Vaishnava traditions regard him as the eighth avatar of Vishnu, with Jayadeva’s Gita Govinda (c.1200) "incorporat ngBalarama into the pantheon" as the ninth of the 10 principal avatars of Vishnu. Balarama's significance in Indian culture has ancient roots. His image in artwork is dated to around the start of the common era, and in coins dated to the second-century BCE ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sasirekha Parinayam
Sasirekha Parinayam is an Indian Telugu folktale based on oral traditions popular in Telugu States. While it uses characters who appear in the ''Mahabharata'', the story is not present in the epic. The plot concerns the marriage of Sasirekha, called Vatsala in some versions, the daughter of Balarama, to Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna. It echoes the marriage of Arjuna to Subhadra in the ''Mahabharata''. The story is popular in performances, including Tholu bommalata (shadow puppets), Yakshagana, and Kuchipudi. By early 1950s, Surabhi theatre troupes made the folktale popular across Telugu-speaking regions. Plot Sasirekha, the daughter of Balarama and Revathi, shared a deep bond with her childhood friend, Abhimanyu. Keeping in mind Sasirekha and Abhimanyu’s mutual fondness, at a very young age, Subhadra asked her hand in marriage for her son Abhimanyu. This offer was cordially accepted by Balarama and his wife. But very soon Abhimanyu and Sasirekha had to part ways, due to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gandhari (Mahabharata)
Gandhari (, ) is a prominent female character in the ancient Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. She is the daughter of King List of characters in the Mahabharata#Subala, Subala, the ruler of Gandhara kingdom, Gandhara, and becomes the wife of Dhritarashtra, the blind king of Kuru kingdom, Kuru Kingdom. In a remarkable act of solidarity, Gandhari blindfolds herself for life upon learning of her husband's blindness, choosing to share his condition. Blessed by the god Shiva and the sage Vyasa, she bears one hundred sons through Miraculous births, miraculous means, collectively known as the Kauravas, with her eldest, Duryodhana, becoming a key antagonist in the epic. Besides her hundred sons, Gandhari also has a daughter, Dushala. Her brother, Shakuni, becomes a central figure in aiding Duryodhana's schemes against his cousins, the Pandavas. Gandhari is portrayed as a woman of great virtue and moral strength, who nonetheless struggles to dissuade her sons from their destructive path. She ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kunti
Kunti (, un̪t̪iː ), also known as Pritha (, ">r̩t̪ʰaː/nowiki>, ), is a prominent female character in the ancient Hindu epic '' Mahabharata''. She is chiefly recognised as the mother of the central characters—the five Pandavas—having given birth to the three eldest, Yudhishthira, Bhima, and Arjuna, while also raising their younger stepbrothers, the twins Nakula and Sahadeva, as her own. She is portrayed as possessing intelligence, beauty and shrewdness. Born to the Yadava chief Shurasena, Pritha was adopted by her childless uncle, Kuntibhoja, and subsequently bestowed with the name Kunti. During her adolescence, she garnered the favour of the sage Durvasa, receiving a divine '' mantra'' which she could use to invoke any god and bear his child. Intrigued and wanting to test its efficiency, she employed this mantra to invoke the sun god Surya, resulting in the birth of her first born son, Karna. Faced with the societal stigma associated with bearing a chi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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, Mahābhārata, where he also plays a prominent role as a character. He is also regarded by the Hindu traditions to be the compiler of the mantras of the Vedas into four texts, as well as the author of the eighteen Puranas, Purāṇas and the Brahma Sutras. Vyasa is regarded by many Hindus as a Avatar, partial incarnation (, ) of Vishnu. He is one of the immortals called the Chiranjivis, held by adherents to still be alive in the current age known as the Kali Yuga. Name "Vyasa" (Vyāsa) means "compiler" or "arranger and also "separation" or "division."Sanskrit Dictionary for Spoken Sanskrit''Vyasa''/ref> Other meanings include "split," "differentiate," or "describe." It is also a title, given to "a holy sage or a pious learned man," and is app ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shikhandi
Shikhandi () is a character in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. Born as the daughter of Drupada, the King of Panchala, Shikhandi becomes male after agreeing to a sex exchange with a yaksha. He is the brother of Draupadi, the female protagonist of the epic, who is the common wife of the Pandavas. Shikhandi, whose natal female identity is sometimes rendered Shikhandini, is the reincarnation of Amba, a princess who was abducted by Bhishma at a svayamvara and later spurned by him. The prince fights in the Kurukshetra War on the side of his brothers-in-law, the Pandavas, and is instrumental in causing the death of Bhishma. He also engages in combat with great warriors like Ashwatthama, Kripa, and Kritavarma. In Javanese wayang tradition, Shikhandi is known as Srikandhi and is born as a male, and changes into a female. She becomes the second wife of the Pandava brother Arjuna, and Sembadra being the first. Legend Previous birth In the majority of the versions of the Mahabha ... [...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] |
