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Yudhamanyu
Uttamauja () and Yudhamanyu () are two brothers from the Panchala kingdom featured in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. In some versions of the epic, they were the sons of Panchala king Drupada and thus the brothers of Draupadi. During the Kurukshetra War, they became the bodyguards of Arjuna and fought a battle against Duryodhana. Legend The names of Uttamaujas and his brother Yudhamanyu are princes of Panchala. Once, Uttamaujas and his brother Yudhamanyu while Duryodhana was giving a list of twenty great and important charioteers ( Maharathis) that were taking part in the war on behalf of the PandavasSloka no. 6 of Srimad Bhagavat Gita –First Chapter According to the Mahabharata, they were brothers and princes from the royal clan of the Panchalas. The name of the king of Southern Panchala, at that time, was Drupada. Their role and duties are mentioned at various places in the Mahabharata. Both were engaged as body guards of Arjuna initially. Yudhamanyu was deployed as the p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Drupada
Drupada (), also known as Yajnasena (, ), is the king of the southern part of Panchala Kingdom, in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. He is the father of Draupadi, the epic's lead female character. In the Kurukshetra War as the head of 1 akshauhini army, Drupada fought from the side of his sons-in-law, the Pandavas, and was killed by his childhood friend and rival, Drona. Early life and family According to the ''Mahabharata'', Drupada is the son of Prishata, the king of Panchala Kingdom and his birth name was Yajnasena. Some Puranic scriptures provide a contradictory genealogy, according to which Drupada is the son of Somaka and Prishata is Somaka’s great grandfather.Puranic Encyclopedia: a comprehensive dictionary with special reference to the epic and Puranic literature, Vettam Mani, Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi, 1975251/ref> Drupada's early life is narrated in the ''Adi Parva'' of the epic, according to which he goes to the hermitage of the sage Bharadvaja for education ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ashwatthama
Ashvatthama (, , also spelt as Ashwatthama and Ashvatthaman) is a character in the ancient Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. He is the son of Drona, the royal preceptor to the Kuru princes—the Pandavas and the Kauravas. Ashvatthama is a close companion of Duryodhana, the leader of the Kauravas, and receives military training alongside the Kuru princes under the tutelage of his father. Favoured by his father, Ashvatthama is entrusted with the knowledge of several celestial weapons, including the Narayanastra and the Brahmashirastra. During the Kurukshetra War between the Pandavas and the Kauravas, he fights on the side of the Kauravas and emerges as one of the three surviving warriors from their faction by the war’s conclusion. On the night following the eighteenth day of battle, after the war has formally concluded, Ashvatthama launches a night raid on the Pandava camp. He kills Dhrishtadyumnathe commander-in-chief of the Pandava army, who beheaded Drona during the warand ... [...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] |
Kripa
Kripa (, ), also known as Kripacharya (, ), is a figure in Hindu mythology. According to the epic '' Mahabharata'', he was a council member of Kuru Kingdom and a teacher of the Pandava and Kaurava princes. Born to warrior-sage Sharadvan and ''apsara'' Janapadi in an extraordinary manner, Kripa and his twin-sister Kripi were adopted by King Shantanu of Kuru Kingdom. Kripa was trained by his birth father and became a great archer like him. Later in the epic, he fought on the Kauravas's side against the Pandavas in the Kurukshetra war and was among the three survivors on the Kaurava side, along with Ashwatthama and Kritavarma. Kripa is a '' chiranjivi'', an immortal being destined to live until the end of the '' Kali Yuga'', the last '' yuga'' (age). According to some texts, he will also become one of the '' Saptarishi''—the seven revered sages—in the next ''Manvantara'', which is a cyclic period of time in Hindu cosmology. Names The Sanskrit word Kripa ('' Kṛpa'') ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kritavarma
Kritavarma (, ) is a warrior from the Yaduvamsha in Hindu mythology. He appears as a minor character in the Mahabharata, fighting in the Kurukshetra war for the Kauravas. According to F.E. Pargiter, he was the son of Hṛidika, born in the Andhaka clan of the Yadu dynasty.Pargiter, F.E. (1972). ''Ancient Indian Historical Tradition'', Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, p.105. Legend Syamantaka theft Kritavarma is said to have encouraged, or in some accounts, participated in the theft of the legendary Syamantaka jewel from King Satrajit. Along with his friend Akrura, he is said to have caused Shatadhanva to murder Satrajit, and steal the jewel for himself. Shatadhanva was subsequently slain by Krishna, though he no longer had the jewel, having given it to Akrura and Kritavarma for safekeeping. When a famine broke out in Dvaraka, or in other accounts, due to the discovery of Akrura's possession of the Syamantaka, both Kritavarma and he were summoned to the city to hand over the j ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kurukshetra War
The Kurukshetra War (), also called the Mahabharata War, is a war described in the Hindu Indian epic poetry, epic poem ''Mahabharata'', arising from a dynastic struggle between two groups of cousins, the Kauravas and the Pandavas, for the throne of Hastinapura. The war is used as the context for the dialogues of the ''Bhagavad Gita. Background The ''Mahābhārata'' is an account of the life and deeds of several generations of a ruling dynasty called the Kuru (Hindu mythology), Kuru clan. Central to the epic is an account of a war that took place between two rival families belonging to this clan. Kurukshetra (literally "Kshetram, Region of the Kurus"), also known as Dharmakshetra (the "Region of Dharma"), was the battleground on which the Kurukshetra War was fought. The first ''Mahābhārata'' says that this site was chosen because a sin committed on land was forgiven because of the land's sanctity. The events of the war make up more than a quarter of the ''Mahabharata''. The ... [...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] |
Drona
Droṇa (, ), also referred to as Dronacharya (, ), is a major character of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. In the epic, he serves as the royal preceptor of the Kauravas and the Pandavas. He is one of the primary counsellors and warriors featured in the epic. Drona is the son of the sage Bharadvaja, and a descendant of the sage Angirasa. Despite being master of advanced military arts and the divine weapons known as astras, Drona initially chooses a life of poverty until he is humiliated by his friend Drupada, the king of Panchala. With the help of his students, he captures Drupada and takes away half of the kingdom. Drona serves as the second commander-in-chief of the Kaurava army, from the 11th day to the 15th day. The acharya fails four times in capturing Yudhishthira (the 11th day, 12th day, 14th day, and the 14th night). He was beheaded by Dhrishtadyumna—his student and son of Drupada—when he meditates to release his soul on the battlefield. Etymology Drona's name ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kurukshetra
Kurukshetra () is a city and administrative headquarters of Kurukshetra district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is also known as Dharmakshetra ("Realm of duty") and as the "Land of the Bhagavad Gita". Legends According to the Puranas, Kurukshetra is a region named after King Kuru, the ancestor of Kauravas and Pandavas in the Kuru kingdom, as depicted in epic ''Mahabharata''. The Kurukshetra War of the ''Mahabharata'' is believed to have taken place here. Thaneswar, whose urban area is merged with Kurukshetra, is a pilgrimage site with many locations attributed to ''Mahabharata''. In the Vedas, Kurukshetra is described not as a city but as a region (" kshetra" means "region" in Sanskrit). The boundaries of Kurukshetra correspond roughly to the central and western parts of the state of Haryana and Punjab. According to the Taittiriya Aranyaka 5.1.1., the Kurukshetra region is south of Turghna (Srughna/Sugh in Sirhind, Punjab), north of Khandava (Delhi and Mewat regi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gada (weapon)
The gada (Sanskrit: गदा ''gadā'', Kannada: ''ಗದೆ'', Telugu: ''గద'', Tamil: ''கதை'', Malay: ''gedak'', Old Tagalog: ''batuta'') is a mallet or blunt mace from the Indian subcontinent. Made either of wood or metal, it consists essentially of a spherical head mounted on a shaft, with a spike on the top. Outside India, the gada was also adopted in Southeast Asia, where it is still used in silat. The weapon might have Indo-Iranian origins, Old Persian also uses the word ''gadā'' to mean club, as seen in the etymology of Pasargadae. The gada is the main weapon of the Hindu God Hanuman. Known for his strength, Hanuman is traditionally worshipped by wrestlers in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Vishnu also carries a gada named Kaumodaki in one of his four hands. In the epic ''Mahabharata'', the fighters Balarama, Duryodhana, Bhima, Karna, Shalya, Jarasandha and others were said to be masters of the gada. Gada-yuddha The martial art of wieldin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Panchala (Mahabharata)
Panchala () was an ancient kingdom of northern India, located in the Ganges-Yamuna Doab of the Upper Gangetic plain which is identified as Kanyakubja or region around Kannauj. During Late Vedic times (c. 1100–500 BCE), it was one of the most powerful states of ancient India, closely allied with the Kuru Kingdom. By the c. 5th century BCE, it had become an oligarchic confederacy, considered one of the ''solasa'' (sixteen) mahajanapadas (major states) of the Indian subcontinent. After being absorbed into the Mauryan Empire (322–185 BCE), Panchala regained its independence until it was annexed by the Gupta Empire in the 4th century CE. Location The Pañcāla state was located to the west of the Gomti river, and the north of the Chambal River. Its western neighbours were the Sūrasenas and the Yakṛllomas, while in the north-west it was separated from the Gaṅgā and the Kurus by dense forests. The northern boundaries of Pañcāla were the forests around the regio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
