''Bhadra'' is a

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

word meaning 'good', 'fortune' or 'auspicious'. It is also the name of many men, women and objects in

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

Male Figures

King of Chedi

Bhadra was a king of

Chedi Kingdom Chedi () was a realm, kingdom which fell roughly in the Bundelkhand division of Madhya Pradesh regions to the south of river Yamuna along the river Ken River, Ken. Its capital city was called Suktimati in Sanskrit. According to the Mahabharat ...

who participated in the

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 thr ...

from the side of the

Pandavas The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, aɳɖɐʋᵊ IAST: Pāṇḍava) is a group name referring to the five legendary brothers, Yudhishtira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva, who are central figures of the Hindu epic ''Mahabhara ...

. He was killed by the warrior

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 ...

Grandson of Manu

The first man

Svayambhuva Manu Svayambhuva Manu () is the first of the fourteen Manus, the first man of a Yuga in Hindu cosmogony. He is the manasaputra (mind-born son) of Brahma and husband of Shatarupa, the first woman.Shatarupa Shatarupa () is the daughter of the creator deity, Brahma. According to '' Brahma Purana'', Shatarupa is regarded as the first woman to be created by Brahma, marrying Manu, the first man. Their descendants are called ''manushya'', the Sanskri ...

had a daughter named Shraddha. Bhadra was one of her twelve sons.

Yaksha

Bhadra was also the name of a

Yaksha The Yakshas (, , ) in Mythology are a broad class of nature spirits, usually benevolent, but sometimes mischievous or capricious, connected with water, fertility, trees, the forest, treasure and wilderness. They appear in Hindu, Jain and Bud ...

who served their king,

Kubera Kubera (, ) also known as Kuvera, Kuber and Kuberan, is the god of wealth, and the god-king of the semi-divine yakshas in Hinduism. He is regarded as Guardians of the directions, the regent of the north (''Dikpala''), and a protector of the ...

. Due to a curse of sage Gautama, he was born as a lion.

Krishna's son

The god

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

married the river goddess Kalindi and had 10 sons. Bhadra was one of them.

Sage

Bhadra was a renowned

Maharishi Maharishi (, ) is a Sanskrit word used for members of the highest order of ancient Indian sages, popularly known in India as "seers", i.e., those who engage in research to understand and experience nature, divinity, and the divine context of exis ...

. He was the son of Pramati and the father of Upamanyu.

Female figures

Bhadrakali

Bhadrā or Bhadrakālī is one of the fierce forms of the supreme goddess

Devi ''Devī'' (; ) is the Sanskrit word for 'goddess'; the masculine form is Deva (Hinduism), ''deva''. ''Devi'' and ''deva'' mean 'heavenly, divine, anything of excellence', and are also gender-specific terms for a deity in Hinduism. The concept ...

Kubera's wife

Kubera and his wife presenting gifts to sat

Bhadrā is the queen of Yakshas. She was the first wife of

, the god of wealth. She is also known by the names Yakshi, Chhavi, Riddhi, Manorama, Nidhi, Sahadevi and Kuberi. Bhadrā and Kubera had three sons named Nalakuvara, Manigriva and Mayuraja, and a daughter named

Minakshi Meenakshi (, ; also spelled as Minakshi; also known as , and ) is a Hindu goddess. She is the tutelary deity of Madurai and is considered a form of the goddess Parvati. She is the divine consort of Sundareśvarar, a form of Shiva and the si ...

Chandra's daughter

Bhadrā was also the name of a daughter of

Chandra Chandra (), also known as Soma (), is the Hindu god of the Moon, and is associated with the night, plants and vegetation. He is one of the Navagraha (nine planets of Hinduism) and Dikpala (guardians of the directions). Etymology and other ...

(alias Soma), the moon god. She once did penance to gain the sage Utathya as her husband. Seeing this, sage

Atri Atri or Attri is a Vedic sage, who is credited with composing numerous shlokas to Agni, Indra, and other Vedic deities of Hinduism. Atri is one of the Saptarishi (seven great Vedic sages) in the Hindu tradition, and the one most mentioned in ...

, her grandfather, got her married to Utathya. The god of the seas,

Varuna Varuna (; , ) is a Hindu god. He is one of the earliest deities in pantheon, whose role underwent a significant transformation from the Vedic to the Puranic periods. In the early Vedic era, Varuna is seen as the god-sovereign, ruling the sky ...

, became enamoured of her and eloped with her from Utathya's hermitage and hid her inside the sea. Despite attempts by the sage

Narada Narada (, ), or Narada Muni, is a sage-divinity, famous in Hinduism, Hindu traditions as a travelling musician and storyteller, who carries news and enlightening wisdom. He is one of the Manasputra, mind-created children of Brahma, the creator ...

to make him return Bhadrā, Varuna refused to give her, causing an enraged Utathya to drink up the entire sea. Seeing the sage's divine powers, Varuna submitted himself to him and returned Bhadrā back. The sage was pleased to get her back, and released both the world and Varuna from their sufferings.

Krishna's wife

Bhadrā is one of the Ashtabharya, the eight principal queen-consorts of Hindu god Krishna. The Vishnu Purana and the Harivamsa refer to her as 'the daughter of Dhrishtaketu' or 'the princess of Kekeya'.

Vasudeva's wife

Krishna's father

Vasudeva Vasudeva (; Sanskrit: वसुदेव ), also called Anakadundubhi (''anakas'' and ''dundubhis'' both refer to ''drums'', after the musicians who played these instruments at the time of his birth), is the father of the Hindu deities Krishna ( ...

also had a wife named Bhadrā. She died on the funeral pyre of her husband.

Wife of Vyushitashva

Bhadrā was a beautiful princess, who was the daughter of King Kakshivan. She married King Vyushitashva of Puru dynasty. After his untimely death, she lamented over his body. The spirit of her husband appeared in the sky and blessed her with six sons.

Princess of Vishala

Bhadrā was a princess of Vishala who once did penance to married King Karusha. Shishupala, a king, disguised himself as Karusha and married her.

Notes

References

{{HinduMythology Hindu goddesses Salakapurusa