''Kaurava'' is a
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion ...
term which refers to descendants of
Kuru
Kuru may refer to:
Anthropology and history
* Kuru (disease), a type of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy associated with the cannibalistic funeral practices of the Fore people
* Kuru (mythology), part of Meithei mythology
* Kuru Kingdom, ...
, a legendary king of India who is the ancestor of many of the characters of the epic ''
Mahabharata
The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the '' Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the K ...
''. Usually, the term is used for the 100 sons of King
Dhritarashtra and his wife
Gandhari.
Duryodhana
Duryodhana ( sa, दुर्योधन, ) also known as Suyodhana, is the primary antagonist in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata.'' He was the eldest of the Kauravas, the hundred sons of the blind king Dhritarashtra and his queen Gandhari. Bei ...
,
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
The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, IAST: Pāṇḍava) refers to the five legendary brothers— Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva—who are the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. They are acknowledge ...
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
In the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata'', Pandu ( sa, पाण्डु, Pāṇḍu, pale) was a king of the Kuru Kingdom. He was the foster-father of the five Pandava brothers, who were the boons bestowed upon his wife Kunti by a number of deitie ...
, whose children form the Pandava line.
The rest of this article deals with the Kaurava in the narrower sense, that is, the children of Dhritarashtra by
Gandhari. When referring to these children, a more specific term is also used – (
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion ...
: धार्तराष्ट्र), a derivative of Dhritarashtra.
Birth of Kauravas
After
Gandhari was married to
Dhritarashtra, she wrapped a cloth over her eyes and vowed to share the darkness that her husband lived in. Once Sage Krishna Dwaipayana
Vyasa
Krishna Dvaipayana ( sa, कृष्णद्वैपायन, Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana), better known as Vyasa (; sa, व्यासः, Vyāsaḥ, compiler) or Vedavyasa (वेदव्यासः, ''Veda-vyāsaḥ'', "the one who cl ...
came to visit Gandhari in
Hastinapur
Hastinapur is a city in the Meerut district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. ''Hastinapura'', described in Hindu texts such as the ''Mahabharata'' and the Puranas as the capital of the Kuru Kingdom, is also mentioned in ancient Jain texts. ...
and she took great care of the comforts of the great saint and saw that he had a pleasant stay in
Hastinapur
Hastinapur is a city in the Meerut district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. ''Hastinapura'', described in Hindu texts such as the ''Mahabharata'' and the Puranas as the capital of the Kuru Kingdom, is also mentioned in ancient Jain texts. ...
. The saint was pleased with Gandhari and granted her a boon. Gandhari wished for one hundred sons who would be as powerful as her husband. Dwaipayan
Vyasa
Krishna Dvaipayana ( sa, कृष्णद्वैपायन, Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana), better known as Vyasa (; sa, व्यासः, Vyāsaḥ, compiler) or Vedavyasa (वेदव्यासः, ''Veda-vyāsaḥ'', "the one who cl ...
granted her the boon and in due course of time, Gandhari found herself to be pregnant. But two years passed and still, the baby was not born. Meanwhile,
Kunti
Kunti ( sa, कुन्ती, ), named at birth as Pritha ( sa, पृथा, ), is one of the prominent characters of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. She is best known as the mother of the Pandavas and Karna, the main protagonists of the epi ...
received a son from
Yama
Yama (Devanagari: यम) or Yamarāja (यमराज), is a deity of death, dharma, the south direction, and the underworld who predominantly features in Hindu and Buddhist religion, belonging to an early stratum of Rigvedic Hindu deities. ...
whom she called
Yudhishthira
''Yudhishthira'' ( Sanskrit: युधिष्ठिर, IAST: ''Yudhiṣṭhira'') is the eldest among the five Pandava brothers. He is mentioned in the ancient epic Mahabharata. He was sired by King Pandu of the Kuru Dynasty and his fir ...
. After two years of pregnancy, Gandhari gave birth to a hard piece of lifeless flesh that was not a baby at all. Gandhari was devastated as she had expected a hundred sons according to the blessing of Rishi
Vyasa
Krishna Dvaipayana ( sa, कृष्णद्वैपायन, Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana), better known as Vyasa (; sa, व्यासः, Vyāsaḥ, compiler) or Vedavyasa (वेदव्यासः, ''Veda-vyāsaḥ'', "the one who cl ...
. She was about to throw away the piece of flesh while Rishi
Vyasa
Krishna Dvaipayana ( sa, कृष्णद्वैपायन, Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana), better known as Vyasa (; sa, व्यासः, Vyāsaḥ, compiler) or Vedavyasa (वेदव्यासः, ''Veda-vyāsaḥ'', "the one who cl ...
appeared and told her that his blessings could not have been in vain and asked Gandhari to arrange for one hundred jars to be filled with
ghee
Ghee is a type of clarified butter, originating from India. It is commonly used in India for cooking, as a traditional medicine, and for religious rituals.
Description
Ghee is typically prepared by simmering butter, which is churned from ...
. He told Gandhari that he would cut the piece of flesh into a hundred pieces and place them in the jars, which would then develop into the one hundred sons that she so desired. Gandhari told
Vyasa
Krishna Dvaipayana ( sa, कृष्णद्वैपायन, Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana), better known as Vyasa (; sa, व्यासः, Vyāsaḥ, compiler) or Vedavyasa (वेदव्यासः, ''Veda-vyāsaḥ'', "the one who cl ...
then that she also wanted to have a daughter.
Vyasa
Krishna Dvaipayana ( sa, कृष्णद्वैपायन, Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana), better known as Vyasa (; sa, व्यासः, Vyāsaḥ, compiler) or Vedavyasa (वेदव्यासः, ''Veda-vyāsaḥ'', "the one who cl ...
agreed, cut the piece of flesh into one hundred and one-pieces, and placed them each into a jar. After two more years of patient waiting the jars were ready to be opened and were kept in a cave.
Bhima
In Hindu epic Mahabharata, Bhima ( sa, भीम, ) is the second among the five Pandavas. The '' Mahabharata'' relates many events that portray the might of Bhima. Bhima was born when Vayu, the wind god, granted a son to Kunti and Pandu. ...
was born on the same day on which
Duryodhana
Duryodhana ( sa, दुर्योधन, ) also known as Suyodhana, is the primary antagonist in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata.'' He was the eldest of the Kauravas, the hundred sons of the blind king Dhritarashtra and his queen Gandhari. Bei ...
was born thus making them of the same age.
Arjuna
Arjuna (Sanskrit: अर्जुन, ), also known as Partha and Dhananjaya, is a character in several ancient Hindu texts, and specifically one of the major characters of the Indian epic Mahabharata. In the epic, he is the third among Panda ...
,
Nakula
In the Hindu epic Mahabharata, ''Nakula'' (Sanskrit: नकुल) was fourth of the five Pandava brothers. Nakula and Sahadeva were twins blessed to Madri, by Ashwini Kumaras, the divine physicians. Their parents Pandu and Madri - died e ...
, and
Sahadeva
Sahadeva ( Sanskrit: सहदेव) was the youngest of the Pandava brothers, the five principal protagonists of the epic '' Mahabharata''. He and his twin brother, Nakula, were blessed to King Pandu and Queen Madri by invoking the twin god ...
were born after
Duryodhana
Duryodhana ( sa, दुर्योधन, ) also known as Suyodhana, is the primary antagonist in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata.'' He was the eldest of the Kauravas, the hundred sons of the blind king Dhritarashtra and his queen Gandhari. Bei ...
was born.
Children of Dhritarashtra
The children of
Dhritarashtra by
Gandhari are also referred by a more specific and frequently encountered term - , a derivative of (Dhritarashtra).
According to the epic, Gandhari wanted a hundred sons and
Vyasa
Krishna Dvaipayana ( sa, कृष्णद्वैपायन, Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana), better known as Vyasa (; sa, व्यासः, Vyāsaḥ, compiler) or Vedavyasa (वेदव्यासः, ''Veda-vyāsaḥ'', "the one who cl ...
granted her a boon that she would have these. Another version says that she was unable to have any children for a long time and she eventually became pregnant but did not deliver for two years, after which she gave birth to a lump of flesh.
Vyasa
Krishna Dvaipayana ( sa, कृष्णद्वैपायन, Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana), better known as Vyasa (; sa, व्यासः, Vyāsaḥ, compiler) or Vedavyasa (वेदव्यासः, ''Veda-vyāsaḥ'', "the one who cl ...
cut this lump into a hundred and one-pieces and these eventually developed into a hundred boys and one girl.
The birth of these children is relevant to the dispute over the succession of the kingdom's throne. It attributes the late birth of
Duryodhana
Duryodhana ( sa, दुर्योधन, ) also known as Suyodhana, is the primary antagonist in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata.'' He was the eldest of the Kauravas, the hundred sons of the blind king Dhritarashtra and his queen Gandhari. Bei ...
, the eldest son of
Dhritarashtra, despite his father's early marriage and legitimizes the case for his cousin
Yudhishthira
''Yudhishthira'' ( Sanskrit: युधिष्ठिर, IAST: ''Yudhiṣṭhira'') is the eldest among the five Pandava brothers. He is mentioned in the ancient epic Mahabharata. He was sired by King Pandu of the Kuru Dynasty and his fir ...
to claim the throne, since he could claim to be the eldest of his generation. All the sons of
Dhritarashtra (excluding
Yuyutsu) were killed in the
Battle of Kurukshetra.
Names of the Kauravas
The Mahabharata notes the names of all Kauravas, of which only Duryodhana, Dushasana, Vikarna and Chitrasena play a significant role. The Kauravas also had a half-brother, Yuyutsu, and a sister,
Duhsala.
# Duryodhana
# Dushasana
# Vikarna
# Chitrasena
# Upachitran
# Suvarma
# Dussaha
# Jalagandha
# Sama
# Saha
# Vindha
# Anuvindha
# Durdharsha
# Subahu
# Dushpradarshan
# Durmarshan
# Durmukha
# Dushkarna
# karna
# Salan
# Sathwa
# Sulochan
# Chithra
# Chitraksha
# Charuchithra
# Sarasana
# Durmada
# Durviga
# Vivitsu
# Viktana
# Urnanabha
# Sunabha
# Nanda
# Upananda
# Chitravarma
# Suvarma
# Durvimochan
# Ayobahu
# Mahabahu
# Chitranga
# Chitrakundala
# Bhimvega
# Bhimba
# Balaki
# Balvardhana
# Ugrayudha
# Sushena
# Kundhadhara
# Mahodara
# Chithrayudha
# Nishangi
# Pashi
# Vridaraka
# Dridhavarma
# Dridhakshatra
# Somakirti
# Anudara
# Dridasandha
# Jarasangha
# Sathyasandha
# Sadas
# Suvak
# Ugrasarva
# Ugrasena
# Senani
# Dushparajai
# Aparajit
# Kundusai
# Vishalaksha
# Duradhara
# Dridhahastha
# Suhastha
# Vatvega
# Suvarcha
# Aadiyaketu
# Bahvasi
# Nagaadat
# Agrayayi
# Kavachi
# Kradhan
# Kundi
# Kundadhara
# Dhanurdhara
# Bhimaratha
# Virabahi
# Alolupa
# Abhaya
# Raudrakarma
# Dhridarathasraya
# Anaghrushya
# Kundhabhedi
# Viravi
# Chitrakundala
# Dirghlochan
# Pramati
# Veeryavan
# Dirgharoma
# Dirghabhu
# Kundashi
# Virjasa
Marriages and children of Kauravas
All the 100 Kauravas were mentioned to have wives in the
Adi Parva The ''Adi Parva'' or ''The Book of the Beginning'' is the first of eighteen books of the Mahabharata. "Adi" ( आदि, Ādi) is a Sanskrit word that means "first".
Adi Parva traditionally has 19 parts and 236 adhyayas (chapters). The critical edi ...
.
Some of them had children -
Duryodhana
Duryodhana ( sa, दुर्योधन, ) also known as Suyodhana, is the primary antagonist in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata.'' He was the eldest of the Kauravas, the hundred sons of the blind king Dhritarashtra and his queen Gandhari. Bei ...
was mentioned to have a Kalinga princess as his wife, named in folklores as Mayuri. They had 3 children - a son
Laxman Kumara and two daughters named Lakshmana and one unnamed daughter. Lakshman Kumar participated in the
Kurukshetra War
The Kurukshetra War ( sa, कुरुक्षेत्र युद्ध ), also called the Mahabharata War, is a war described in the ''Mahabharata ( sa, महाभारत )''. The conflict arose from a dynastic succession struggle be ...
and killed
Shikhandi's son Kshatradeva on the 12th day of the war. He is killed by
Abhimanyu
Abhimanyu is a legendary warrior from the ancient Hindu history ''Mahabharata''. He was born to the third Pandava prince Arjuna and the Yadu princess Subhadra, who was Krishna's younger sister. The ''Sambhava Parva'' of the Adi Parva states ...
on the 13th day of the War.
Lakshmana was said to have married
Krishna
Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is on ...
's son
Samba
Samba (), also known as samba urbano carioca (''urban Carioca samba'') or simply samba carioca (''Carioca samba''), is a Brazilian music genre that originated in the Afro-Brazilian communities of Rio de Janeiro in the early 20th century. Havi ...
, and they had a son Ushneek. Dushasana was also said to have two sons, who killed
Abhimanyu
Abhimanyu is a legendary warrior from the ancient Hindu history ''Mahabharata''. He was born to the third Pandava prince Arjuna and the Yadu princess Subhadra, who was Krishna's younger sister. The ''Sambhava Parva'' of the Adi Parva states ...
in the war. Dushasana's first son was ultimately killed by
Shrutasena in the War. Dushasan's second son was killed by Abhimanyu and Dushasan also had an unnamed daughter. Chitrasena's son was said to have been killed by
Shrutakarma in the
Kurukshetra War
The Kurukshetra War ( sa, कुरुक्षेत्र युद्ध ), also called the Mahabharata War, is a war described in the ''Mahabharata ( sa, महाभारत )''. The conflict arose from a dynastic succession struggle be ...
. Chitrasena also had an unnamed daughter. However, it was mentioned that all these sons of the Kauravas were killed by the sons of the Pandavas.
In literature
Harivamsa Purana (8th century CE) narrates the Jain version of their story.
In popular culture
The term Kaurava is used as the name of a
fictional planetary system in the 2008
real-time strategy
Real-time strategy (RTS) is a subgenre of strategy video games that do not progress incrementally in turns, but allow all players to play simultaneously, in "real time". By contrast, in turn-based strategy (TBS) games, players take turns to p ...
video game ''
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Soulstorm'', as well as the names of the system's planets.
See also
*
Kuru Kingdom
Reference
Sources
*
External links
Persons and Stories from Mahabharata
{{Mahabharata
Characters in the Mahabharata
Kingdoms of the Puru clan