Ambika () is the queen of Kuru Kingdom in the Hindu epic

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 ...

. The second daughter of Kashya, the King of Kashi and Kausalya, she is abducted by

Bhishma Bhishma (), also known as Pitamaha, Gangaputra, and Devavrata, is a central figure in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. He was a statesman and military commander of the ancient Kuru Kingdom. Renowned for his wisdom, valor, and unwavering principles, ...

during her

svayamvara ''Svayaṃvara'' ( ) is a matrimonial tradition in ancient Indian society where a bride, usually from '' Kṣatriya'' (warrior) caste, selects her husband from a group of assembled suitors either by her own choice or a public contest between her ...

, and becomes the wife of

Vichitravirya Vichitravirya () is a figure in the Mahabharata, where he is featured as a Kuru king. According to the Hindu epic, he is the youngest son of Queen Satyavati and King Shantanu, and the de jure grandfather of the Pandavas and the Kauravas. He i ...

, the King of

Hastinapur Hastinapur is a city in the Meerut district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. ''Hastinapura'' is described as the capital of the Kuru Kingdom in Hindu texts such as the ''Mahabharata'' and the Puranas; it is also mentioned in ancient Jain ...

a. Ambika is the mother of

Dhritarashtra Dhritarashtra () was a ruler of the ancient Kuru kingdom, featured as a central character in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. He is also attested in the ''Yajurveda'', where he is acknowledged as the son of King Vichitravirya. According to th ...

and the grandmother of

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 ...

Legend

Along with her sisters,

Amba Amba or AMBA may refer to: Title * Amba Hor, alternative name for Abhor and Mehraela, Christian martyrs * Amba Sada, also known as Psote, Christian bishop and martyr in Upper Egypt Given name * Amba, the traditional first name given to the first ...

and Ambalika, Ambika was taken by force by

from their

, the latter having challenged and defeated the assembled royalty. He presented them to his step-mother,

Satyavati Satyavati (, ; also spelled Satyawati) was the queen of the Kuru Kingdom in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. Satyavati is married to king Shantanu of Hastinapura, and is a great-grandmother of the Pandava and Kaurava princes. She is also the m ...

, for marriage to Vichitravirya. While Amba expressed her desire not to marry him as she was in love with a king named Salva, Ambika and Ambalika married Vichitravirya, and spent seven years in their husband's company. Vichitravirya was afflicted with

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

, and subsequently died from the disease. After Vichitravirya's death, he left behind no heirs. His mother Satyavati sent for her first born, the

rishi In Indian religions, a ''rishi'' ( ) is an accomplished and enlightened person. They find mention in various Vedic texts. Rishis are believed to have composed hymns of the Vedas. The Post-Vedic tradition of Hinduism regards the rishis as "gre ...

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� ...

. She asked him to sire children with the widowed queens of Vichitravirya according to the prevalent custom of

Niyoga Niyoga () was a Hinduism, Hindu practice, primarily followed during the ancient period, in the Indian subcontinent. Niyoga permitted widows or wives, who had no child by their husband, to procreate with another man. The purpose of niyoga was to e ...

. Vyasa had come from years of intense meditation, and as a result, looked tremendously unkempt. When he approached Ambika, she closed her eyes in fear. As a result, the blind

Dhritrashtra Dhritarashtra () was a ruler of the ancient Kuru kingdom, featured as a central character in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. He is also attested in the ''Yajurveda'', where he is acknowledged as the son of King Vichitravirya. According to th ...

was born from their union. When he approached Ambalika, she turned pale in fear. Her son

Pandu Pandu () was the king of Kuru kingdom, with capital at Hastinapur in the epic '' Mahabharata''. He was the foster-father of the five Pandavas, who are the central characters of the epic. Pandu was born pale, to Vichitravirya's second wife ...

, the result of their union, was born with a pale appearance. After the death of Pandu, Ambika accompanied her mother-in-law Satyavati, and sister Ambalika to the forest, and spent the rest of her days in spiritual retreat.

In popular culture

*In B. R. Chopra's 1988 series ''

Mahabharat The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the '' Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kurukshetra War, a war of succes ...

'', Ambika was portrayed by Meena Chakrabarty. * In the 2013

Star Plus StarPlus is an Indian Hindi-language general entertainment pay television channel owned by JioStar, a joint venture between Viacom18 and Disney India. Its programming consists of family dramas, romantic comedies, youth-oriented reali ...

's series ''

'' (2013), Ambika was portrayed by

Aparna Dixit Aparna Dixit (born 20 October 1991) is an Indian television actress who appears predominantly in Hindi cinema. She is best known for playing Purvi in Sony Pal's '' Yeh Dil Sun Raha Hai'', Devika in Life OK's '' Kalash – Ek Vishwaas'', Bani in ...

References

External links

KMG ''Mahabharata''
{{HinduMythology Characters in the Mahabharata