List of epic Mahabharata characters names (Glossary)

List of epic Mahabharata characters names (Glossary)

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Just before going to “List of epic Mahabharata characters names (Glossary)“, let us know a brief, basic and very important information.

Mahabharata is the greatest epic the mankind has ever known.

Even Lord Sri Krishna gives highest priority to Mahabharata, than any other epics of Hindu Sanatana Dharma including the Vedas, Ramayana etc.

Mahabharata means = Maha + Bharata = Great + Bharata (India).

This means, Bharata (India) is the greatest epic (grantha / divine book) the mankind has ever known and witnessed.

In Mahabharata we can see the most divine people and similarly we can see the most heinous people on earth.

Sri Krishna doesn’t differentiates anyone. But for him, Dharma is the most important factor.

He stays where Dharma exists and supports him / her.

Similarly he always stays away from people who are against Dharma.

Dharma means Bhagavan Sri Krishna, likewise, Bhagavan Sri Krishna means Dharma.

List of Mahabharata character names (Mahabharata Glossary) are as given below:

Abhimanyu : Son of Arjuna and Subhadra who was married to Uttara, daughter of King Virata.

Acharya : Teacher or Guru. In Sansrit Acharya means a teacher or Guru.

Achyuta : A synonym of Sri Krishna. Achyuta means, someone who can’t be defeated at all.

Adhiratha : Karna’s foster-father. His wife name is Radha (Karna’s foster name).

Agastya : A great sage whose life-story the Pandavas learnt while on pilgrimage to holy places is wife Lopamudra was equally a great sage in her own right.

Agnihotra : A sacrifice to God Agni. From this process the surname Agnihotri came into existence.

Airavata : Indra’s elephant (White colored elephant which stays in Svarga Loka with Lord Indra).

Ajatashatru : Having no enemy, friend of all born things, an epithet of Yudhishthira.

Akshayapatra : A wonderful vessel given to Yudhishthira by the Sun god which held a never-failing supply of food.

Alambasa : A Rakshasa friend of Duryodhana who had joined his forces but Satyaki compelled him to flee from the battlefield.

Amrita : Ambrosia, the food of the gods, which makes the partaker immortal.

Amba : She is the eldest daughter of the King of Kashi called Kashya and also she is the sister of Ambika and Ambalika.

Amba was abducted by Devavrata (Bhishma) and holds him responsible for her misfortune.  Thus, her only goal in life becomes Bhishma’s destruction and thus, she is reborn as Shikhandini / Shikhandi.

But more interestingly, in her original avatar she is the wife of a Vasu (वसु) called Dyau. Here Dyau was again reborn as Bhishma during the Mahabharata period.

Ambalika : She was the is the daughter of the King of Kashi called Kashya and sister of Amba and Ambika.

Ambalika is the wife of Vichitravirya, the King of Hastinapur. She was also the mother of the King Pandu (Pandavas father), step mother of Dhritarashtra and grand mother of Pandavas.

Ambika : She was the daughter of the King of Kashi called Kashya and sister of Amba and Ambalika

Ambika was the wife of Vichitravirya, the king of Hastinapura. She was also the mother of Dhritarashtra (Duryodhana father) and stepmother of Pandu and grandmother to the Kauravas.

Anga : Mlechchha kings, a Kaurava supporter.

Arani : An upper and a lower piece of wood used for producing fire by attrition.

Artha (Wealth) : one of the objects of human life, the others being Dharma, (righteous- ness), Kama (satisfaction of desires), Moksha (spiritual salvation).

Arshi : She is the Shakuni’s wife and the queen of Gandhara and also the mother of Uluka.

Arshi is also known as Arsh and Charulata. Arshi brothers Keturaja and Ketusena were killed by Drupada on the 11th day of the war. She was very close to her sister-in-law, Gandhari Devi.

Arundhati : Wife of Maharshi Vashishtha.

Ashtavakra : A towering scholar while still in his teens.

Asita : A sage who held that gambling was ruinous and should be avoided by all wise people.

Asmaka : A Kaurava warrior who attacked Abhimanyu.

Astra : A missile charged with power by a holy incantation.

Aswamedha Yajna : A sacrifice, where horse is involved. A divine will be moved all over the world during this Yajna.

Aswatthama : Son of Dronacharya and last supreme commander of the Kaurava force.

Avantini : She is the wife of King Shalya and also the mother of Madranjaya, Rukmangada, and Rukmanaratha. She was the princess of Avanti.

Bahlika, Dasharna, : States the kings of which were Kalinga, Magadha, friendly to the Pandavas, Matsya, Panchala, Salva

Bakasura : A voracious, cruel and terribly strong Rakshasa or demon who lived in a cave near the city of Ekachakrapura whom Bhima killed to the great relief of the citizens.

Baladeva : Balarama, elder brother of Sri Krishna.

Balarama : An avatar or incarnation of Sri Adi Shesha the thousand-hooded serpent on which Lord Mahavishnu reclines in Vaikuntha.

Balarama : Elder brother of Sri Krishna. He is an avatar of Lord Adishesha Naga (Bed of Lord Sri Vishnu).

Bhanumati : She is the wife of Duryodhana mainly appears in the folk tales (Not mentioned in the epic Mahabharata). 

Bhanumati is described as the princess of Kalinga Kingdom and was the daughter of Chitrangada. She was abducted by Duryodhana with the help of his friend Karna.

Both Duryodhana and Bhanumati were the parents of Lakshmana Kumara (son), and Lakshmanaa (Lakshmanā) (daughter).

Bhagadatta : King of Pragjyotisha, a Kaurava ally.

Bhagawan : Form of address to Gods and great rishis, example- Bhagawan Sri Krishna, Narada, Vyasa.

Bharadwaja : A rishi, father of Yavakrida.

Bharata : Son of Kaikeyi and King Dashratha, stepbrother of Rama, who was exceptionally devoted to and loved Rama.

Bhadra : She was the wife of Vasudeva (वसुदेव) (Vasudeva had 13 wives in total). Bhadra’s children were Upanidhi, Gada, and others.

Bhima : The second Pandava brother who excelled in physical prowess as he was born of the wind-god.

Bhishma : The old grandsire to whose care were committed the five Pandavas by the rishis when the eldest Yudhishthira attained the age of sixteen for their proper upbringing including:

mastery of the Vedas, Vedanta and various arts especially those pertaining to the Kshatriyas.

Later he intervened but without success to bring about peace and understanding between the Kauravas and the Pandavas who ruled separately from Hastinapura and Indraprastha respectively.

He was the eighth child of King Shantanu and Ganga.

Appointed supreme commander of the Kaurava armies.

Bhishmaka : King of Vidarbha, father of Rukmini and Rukma. Because of this name Rukmini is also called as Bhaishmi (भैष्मि / bhaiṣmi – Daughter of Bhishmaka).

Bhojas : A branch of the Yadava clan belonging to Krishna’s tribe.

Bhuminjaya : Another name of prince Uttara son of Virata who had proceeded to fight the Kaurava armies, with Brihannala (Arjuna) as his charioteer.

Bibhatsu : One of Arjuna’s name meaning a hater of unworthy acts.

Brahma : Creator of the universe.

Brahmacharin : A religious student, unmarried, who lives with his spiritual guide, devoted to study and service.

Brahmacharya : Celibacy, chastity; the stage of life of Vedic study in which chastity and service are essential.

Brahmastra : A divine weapon, irresistible, one given by Lord Brahma himself.

Brihadashwa : A great sage who visited the Pandavas in their forest hermitage and reminded them of King Nala of Nishadha.

King Nala also lost his kingdom in the game of dice and who deserted his wife Damayanti because of a curse but ultimately regained both.

Brihadratha : Commander of three regiments reigned over Magadha and attained celebrity as a great hero, married the twin daughters of the Raja of Kashi.

His two wives ate each half of a mango given by sage Kausika and begot half a child each.

A Rakshasi named Jara recovered the two portions from a dustbin wherein they were thrown.

And when they accidentally came together, they became a chubby baby.

Thus she presented to the king, saying it was his child, which later became known as Jarasandha.

Brihadyumna : A King, a disciple of sage Raibhya.

Brihannala : Name assumed by Arjuna while living at Virata’s court in incognito.

Brihatbala : A daring warrior who charged at Abhimanyu caught in the Kaurava army’s net.

Burisrwas : One of the powerful kings on the side of the Kauravas.

Chala : A Kaurava warrior.

Chandala : A person of a degraded caste, whose conduct was much below standard and whose cause pollution.

Charachitra : A son of King Dhritarashtra who perished in the war

Chavadi : Place of public assembly of the village. It is the property of the entire community.

In it all public business is transacted, and it serves also as the village club the headquarters of the village police and guest house for travellers.

Chekitana : Head of one division of the Pandava army.

Chitra : A son of Dhritarashtra killed in the war.

Chitraksha : One of the many sons of King Dhritarashtra who fell in the war

Chitrangada : Elder son of Shantanu born of Matsyagandhi (Satyavati) who succeeded his father on the throne of Hastinapura.

Chitrasena : A Kaurava warrior.

Chitrasena : King of the Gandharvas who prevented the Kauravas from putting up their camp near the pond where he himself had encamped.

Chitravarma : A brother of Duryodhana who was killed in the war

Chitrāngadā : She was the warrior princess of Manipura. Chitrāngadā was an avatar of Sri Sachi Devi, the consort of Lord Sri Indra Deva.

Chitrāngadā was the only heir of King Chitravahana and one of Arjuna’s consorts (Arjuna is an avatar of Lord Sri Indra Deva).

Chitrāngadā had a great warrior son named Babhruvahana. Later, Babhruvahana unknowingly killed his father Arjuna, but was revived by Ulupi, Chitrāngadā’s friend, and Arjuna’s another consort.

Chitrayudha : A Kaurava prince who laid down his life in the war.

Darshana : A country whose king attacked Bhagadatta’s elephant in an effort to save Bhima.

Daruka : Sri Krishna’s charioteer (Sarathi).

Dasharatha : King of Ayodhya and Rama’s father.

Devadatta : Name of Arjuna’s conch.

Devaki : Mother of Sri Krishna. Because of this name Devaki, Lord Krishna is also known as ‘Devaki Nandana‘ (Son of Devaki).

Devata : A sage who condemned the game of dice as an evil form of gambling and declared it unfit as entertainment for good people, as it usually offered scope for deceit and dishonesty.

Devavrata : The eighth child of Shantanu and Ganga Devi who in time mastered the art yielding arms.

And learned the Vedas and Vedanta as also the sciences known to Sukra was crowned Yuvaraja (heir apparent), but later vowed to celibacy and was known as Bhishma.

Devayani : The beautiful daughter of Shukracharya, preceptor of the demons, who fell in love with Kacha, son of Brihaspati, preceptor of the Devas.

Devendra : King of the Gods (Sri Indra Deva). Devendra = Deva + Indra = Indra (King) among all the Devatas (Demigods).

Damayanti : She appears in the Vana Parva of the epic Mahabharata. Damayanti was a princess of the Vidarbha Kingdom, who married King Nala of the Nishadha Kingdom.

Devika : She was the daughter of Govasena, the King of the Sivi Kingdom, and the second consort of Yudhishthira. They both got married in a self choice ceremony and had a son named Yaudheya.

Dhananjaya : One of the names of Arjuna. One who has own over wealth is called as Dhananjaya.

Dhanusaksha : A great sage whom Medhavi, son of sage Baladhi, once insulted.

He took the form of a bull and butted at that mountain and broke it to pieces. Then Medhavi fell down dead.

Dharma : Righteous course of conduct. Dharma is one part of the great Sanatana Dharma.

Dharmagranthi : Assumed named of Nakula at Virata’s court.

Dharmananda :The delighted of Dharma, a name of Yudhishthira, the son of Dharma or Yama.

Dharmaputra : The son of Yama, epithet of Yudhishthira.

Dharmavyadha : He possessed the secret of good life and lived in the city of Mithila. He was a meat-seller.

Dhartarashtras : Sons of Dhritarashtra. Duryodhana is also called as Dhartatashtra.

Dhaumya : Preceptor of the Pandavas, who accompanied them during their exile to the Kurijangala forest, singing Sama hymns addressed to Yama, Lord of Death.

Dhrishtadyumna : Supreme commander of the Pandava forces eldest brother of Draupadi.

Dhrishtaketu : A kinsman of the Pandavas.

Dhritarashtra : Elder son of Vichitravirya and Ambika, born blind, father of Duryodhana.

Draupadi : Daughter of King Drupada, King of Panchala. She married all the five Pandavas though Arjuna had won her in the Swayamvara, because of the vow that they would share everything in common.

Drona : Son of a Brahmana named Bharadwaja. Drona (Dronacharya) is an avatar of Brihaspati.

Drona married a sister of Kripa (Kripacharya) and a son Aswatthama was born to them.

Drona learnt military art from Lord Sri Parasurama, the avatar of Lord Sri Vishnu.

Later he became the instructor to of the Kaurava and Pandava princes in the use of arms.

Drupada : King of Panchala, father of Draupadi who became the wife of the Pandavas.

Dushasana : Duryodhana’s brother who dragged Draupadi to the hall of assembly pulling her by her hair.

Dushasana in his earlier life was born as the son of Ravana called Meghanath (Indrajeeta).

Durdhara : A son of Dhritarashtra killed by Bhima in the war.

Durjaya : A brother of Duryodhana who was sent to attack Bhima, to save Karna’s life but lost his own.

Durmarsha : A son of Dhritarashtra killed by Bhima.

Durmata : A son of Dhritarashtra who got killed by Bhima.

Durmukha : A chariot-borne warrior on the Kaurava side.

Durvasa : A sage known for his anger who visited the Kauravas. He is an avatar of Lord Shiva.

Durvishaha : A warrior fighting on the Kaurava side.

Dushkarma : A warrior belonging to the Kaurava side.

Dussaha : A son of Dhritarashtra killed by Bhima.

Dushala : She is the daughter of Dhritarashtra and Gandhari and the only sister of the 100 Kaurava brothers including Duryodhana and Dushasana. She is the wife of Jayadratha.

Dwaitayana : A forest where the Kaurava, cows were being bred and housed.

Ganga Devi (Goddess) : In the epic Mahabharata, Goddess Sri Ganga Devi was the first wife of Shantanu and also the mother of Devavrata (Bhishma).

When Goddess Sri Ganga Devi met King Shantanu for the first time, King Shantanu asked her to become his consort.

Goddess Sri Ganga Devi agreed on the condition that he will never ask her a single question. Later, she gave birth to 8 children, who were Vasus (वसु) reborn as mortals due to a curse in their earlier life.

Ganapati : Amanuensis of Vvasa who agreed to write down without pause or hesitation the story of the Mahabharata dictated by Vyasa.

Gandhari : Dhritarashtra’s wife and queen mother of the Kauravas. Mother of 101 children including 100 sons and 1 daughter.

Among the 100 sons, Duryodhana and Dushasana were the most prominent. Duryodhana is the avatar of Kali (Kali of Kali Yuga) and Dushasana in his earlier life was Indrajit (Ravana’s eldest son).

Gandharvas : A class of celestial beings regarded as specialists in music.

Gandiva : Arjuna’s most potent bow.

Gangadwara : A place where sage Agastya and his wife performed penance.

Ghatotkacha : Son of Bhima from demoness Hidimba.

Ghritachi : She is an Apsara. In the epic Mahabharata, Ghritachi appeared in Adi Parva. Maharishi Bharadwaja and Ghritachi are the parents of Drona (Dronacharya).

Govinda : One of the epithets of Sri Krishna and Vishnu; it means a cow-keeper and refers to Krishna’s occupation in Gokula, the colony of cowherds.

Guru : Revered preceptor, teacher.

Halayudha : Plough-weaponed, an epithet of Balarama who wielded a plough as his weapon.

Hamsa, Hidimbaka, Kamsa : Allies of King Jarasandha; the last married the two daughters of Jarasandha. Also Krishna’s step-uncle whom Krishna killed.

Hanuman : Wise and learned monkey devotee of Sri Rama, who possessed extraordinary powers of discrimination and wisdom and who searched and found Sita in her confinement in Lanka.

Hastinapura : Capital city of the Kauravas.

Hiḍimbī (Hiḍimbā) : She was a Rakshasi (demoness) in the epic Mahabharata. Hiḍimbī (Hiḍimbā), along with her brother, Hidimba, tried to eat the Pandavas, when Pandavas were in forest.

But when Hiḍimbī (Hiḍimbā) met the mighty Bhima, she fell in love with him and told them the Hidimba’s plan.

Thus later, the powerful Bhima killed Hidimba, while Hiḍimbī (Hiḍimbā) married Bhima and gave birth to super Gigantic Ghatotkacha.

Hrishikesha : Lord Sri Krishna another name.

Ilā : Ilā in Mahabharata was such kind of person, who could easily change gender.

As a woman, Ilā married Budha (Planet Mercury), son of Lord Sri Chandra Deva, and had a son named Pururava (Pururavas) (पुरुरवस्). Pururavas’ descendants founded the Chandravansh (Chandravamsha) (Lunar Dynasty.

Ilvala : This demon and his brother Vatapi hated brahmanas implacably.

Ilvala would invite a brahman to a feast at which he would serve the meat of the goat into which his brother had turned he.

After the brahmin had partaken of the feast he would call his brother out who would rend his way back to life, tearing the belly of the guest.

Indra : King of the Gods. He abode name is called as Svarga Loka.

Indrajit : Son of Ravana, King of Lanka, who conquered Indra, the Lord of Gods and who was killed by Rama’s brother Lakshmana.

Indrakila : A mountain Arjuna passed on his way to the Himalayas to practise austerities to acquire powerful new weapons from Lord Mahadeva.

Indrasena : A kinsman of the Pandavas.

Iravan : Arjuna’s son by a Naga wife who fell in the battle on the eighth day.

Jambavati : She is third wife of Lord Sri Krishna (First is Nagnajiti Devi, second is Rukmini Devi). Jambavati Devi is the only daughter of the bear-king Jambavan (of Ramayana fame).

Lord Sri Krishna married Jambavati, when he defeated Jambavan to retrieve the stolen Syamantaka Mani (a jewel).

Jambavati Devi is an avatar of Goddess Sri Tulasi Devi (The consort of Lord Sri Vishnu). She is one among the Ashta Bharyas (Eight divine consorts) of Lord Sri Krishna.

Jalasura : A demon killed by Bhima.

Janaka : King of Mithila, a great Rajarishi; father of Sita, wife of Sri Rama.

Janamejaya : A king who conducted a great sacrifice for the well being of the human race.

Janardana : A name of Sri Krishna

Janapadi : She was an Apsara. Both Janpadi and Shardavan (Son of Maharishi Gautama) are the parents of Kripa (Kripacharya) and Kripi.

Jarasandha : Mighty king of Magadha of whose prowess all Kshatriyas were afraid.

Killed by Bhima in a thirteen-day non-stop physical combat: with Sri Krishna and Arjuna as witnesses.

Jarita, Laputa : Female companions of a saranga bird, who was a rishi named Mandapala in his previous birth when he was refused admission to heaven be cause he was childless.

Jaya : A son of King Dhritarashtra who was killed by Bhima in the war.

Jayadratha : A warrior on the side of Kauravas who closed the breach effected by Abhimanyu in the Chakravyuha military formation by Dronacharya and trapped him inside.

Jayatsena : A kinsman of the Pandavas.

Jayatsena : A warrior fighting on the side of Kauravas.

Jnana : Knowledge of the eternal and real

Kacha : Grandson of sage Angiras and son of Brihaspati, who went to seek knowledge under Sukracharya as a brahmacharin.

Devayani, the preceptor’s lovely   daughter, fell in love with him.

The Asuras (demons) suspecting him of wanting to steal the secret of reviving the dead, killed him a number of times.

But due to Devayani’s love for him, her father brought him back to life every time he was killed.

Ultimately the secret was learnt by the devas who then succeeded in defeating the asuras.

Kagola : A disciple of the great sage and teacher of Vedanta, Uddalaka.

Kadru : She is the daughter of Daksha Prajapati and the consort of the divine Maharishi Kashyapa.

Kadru was the mother of thousand Nāgas (Serpents). Once Kadru cursed her few children (Nāgas / Serpents) for not obeying her to be burnt in the snake sacrifice.

Kambojas : Enemies of the Kauravas whom Karna had defeated.

Kamsa : Maternal Uncle of Sri Krishna and son of Ugrasena, also son-in-law of Jarasandha, whom Sri Krishna killed.

Kanika : Minister of Shakuni, the maternal uncle (maama) of Duryodhana.

Kanka : Assumed name of Yudhishthira at Virata’s court.

Karna : A matchless warrior, son of the Sun god and Kunti. Disciple of Lord Sri Parashurama.

Also son of Radha, his foster-mother, and was known as Radheya.

Kartavirya : A great warrior who defeated Ravana, King of Lanka.

Kartikeya : Commander of the armies of the devas.

Kausikam : A sage who learnt from Dharmavyadha the secret of Dharma, of performing one’s duty.

Kekaya : A brave warrior on the Pandava side into whose chariot Bhima got during the fighting on the sixth day.

Keshava : One of the names of Sri Krishna. He is the one who killed as demon named Keshi.

Karenumati : She was the daughter of Chedi King Shishupala, and sister of his successor Dhrishtaketu.

Karenumati was the wife of Nakula (one of the Pandavas) and begot a son named Niramitra. Niramitra succeeded his father Nakula to the throne of the Northern Madra Kingdom.

Ketama : Another chief whose head was cut off by Drona.

Khandavaprastha : The ancient capital from where the ancestors of Pandavas, Nahusha and Yayati ruled.

The Pandavas rebuilt the ruined city and erected palaces and forts and renamed it Indraprastha.

Kichaka : Sudeshna’s brother, commander-in-chief of Virata’s army, who made advances to Sairandhri (Draupadi).

He was invited to meet her at night at the ladies dancing hall and was met instead by Valala (Bhima) dressed up as a female who killed him (Kichaka).

Krauncha : Curlew-heron (A type of Crane).

Krauncha-Vyuha : military formation on a pattern supposed to resemble a heron with outstretched beak and spreading wings.

In ancient Indian practice, armies were arrayed for battle in formations of definite patterns

Each of which had a name such as Chakra, or Kurma or Krauncha, or Makara according to a real or fancied resemblance.

Kripacharya : Aswatthama’s uncle who advocated a combined assault on Arjuna in battle as against Karna’s boast that he could take him on single-handed.

Kripi : She is the sister of Kripacharya. Kripi and her brother Kripacharya were adopted by the Rajguru of King Shantanu.

Kripi parents were Sharadvan and Janapadi. She married Dronacharya, who was poor at that time. When they wanted a powerful son, they prayed to Lord Shiva, and a son named Ashwatthama was born.

Krishna-Dwaipayana : Sage Sri Veda Vyasa Ji. (He is an avatar of Bhagavan Sri Vishnu).

Kritavarma : A notable Yadava warrior fighting on the side of Kaurava forces.

Kshatradharma : A great warrior on the side of Pandavas.

Kuchasthala : A city where Krishna stayed the night on his way to the court of Dhritarashtra.

Kumbhakarna : Brother of Ravana, King of Lanka, who was asleep most of the time because of the curse of Brahma.

Kundinapura : Capital of Vidarbha.

Kunti : She was the daughter of Sura and was known as Pritha.

She was given in adoption to the king’s childless cousin Kuntibhoja and was named Kunti after her adoptive father.

Sage Durvasa, whom she had served while he was a guest at her father’s house, gave her a divine mantra which when repeated would give her a son from any god whom she would call upon.

Out of childish curiosity, she invoked the Sun god by repeating the Mantra and then she gave birth to a son born with divine armor and earrings.

Ashamed, she placed the child in a sealed box and set it afloat on a river.

The box was picked up by a childless charioteer and brought up as his own and became known as Karna.

Later, Kunti chose Pandu as her husband at a Swayamvara.

Kunti-Madri : Queens of King Pandu who gave birth to three and two sons known as the Pandavas in the forest where he spent many years for having committed some sin.

The sons were known as Yudhishthira, Bhima. Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva.

Kurma : Lord Sri Vishnu’s avatar called Lord Sri Kurma (Tortoise).

Lakshmana : Younger step-brother of Rama and son of Sumitra and King Dasaratha.

Duryodhana’s gallant young son also bore this name.

Lakshmanā : In the Srimad Bhagavat Purana, Lakshmanaa (Lakshmanā) is also known as Lakshana and is the daughter of Duryodhana.

Lakshmanā is the wife of Samba, son of Lord Sri Krishna and Jambavati Devi.

Lomasa : A brahmana sage who advised the Pandavas to reduce their retinue while repairing to the forest.

Those unable to bear the hardships of exile were free to go to the court of Dhritarashtra or Drupada, king of Panchala.

He accompanied Yudhishthira on his wanderings.

Lopamudra : Daughter of the king of Vidarbha who married the sage Agastya.

Lord Narayana : Refuge of men; Mahavishnu.

Madhava : One of the names of Krishna. It means the Lord of Lakshmi. Madhava is the husband of Madhavi (Another name of Lakshmi Devi)

Madhusudana : Another name of Krishna, the slayer of the asura Madhu.

Mahavishnu : Lord of the Universe who took human birth in order to wrest his kingdom from Emperor Bali for the salvation of the world.

Lord Vishnu also took birth as Rama, son of Dasharatha, to kill Ravana, King of Lanka.

Mahendra : A King who had attained heaven. Another name of Mahendra is Lord Indra.

Mālini : She was maid of Sri Draupadi Devi. She married to a Kshatriya soldier called as Pralanksena.

Mālini had a son named Nakusha. Nakusha was Bodyguard of Drupada (Draupadi’s father). Mālini husband and son were killed by Dronacharya before Drupada’s death on the 15th day of war.

Maitreya : A sage who visited the court of Dhritarashtra, expressed sorrow at the Pandava’s plight, advised Duryodhana not to injure the Pandavas for his own good.

Madira : She was the wife of Vasudeva (वसुदेव) (Vasudeva had 13 wives in total). Madira’s children were Nanda, Upananda, Kritaka, and others.

Mānasa : In the great epic Mahabharata, she is a Naga Goddess and is the wife of Jaratkaru.

Both Mānasa  and Jaratkaru had a son named Ashtika, who saved the serpents including Takshaka from Sarpa Satra organised by King Janamejaya (Son of Parikshit) to avenge his father’s death.

Manasarovar : A sacred lake in the Himalayas. This river was created from the head of Lord Sri Brahma and thus the name Manasarovar.

Mandavya : A sage wrongly punished by the king by being impaled as the chief of robbers.

Earlier robbers clandestinely hidden their stolen goods in a corner of his hermitage when he was in deep contemplation.

Lord Dharma gave him this punishment for having tortured birds and bees in his childhood.

At this Mandavya cursed Dharma who was born as Vidura, the wise, to the servant maid of Ambalika, wife of King Vichitravirya, who offered her to Sage Vyasa in place of Ambalika.

Mantra : An incantation with words of power. Usually these are the verses of the great Vedas.

Maricha : A character in the Ramayan, uncle of Ravana who transformed him self into a golden deer at the behest of Ravana to entice Sita.

Marisha : Shurasena got married to a Nāga (or serpent) woman named Marisha. She bore all of his children and was the cause for Vasuki’s boon to Bhima.

Bacause of this, the Surasena Kingdom or Mahajanpada and the Yadava sect of Surasenas were named. She was the mother of Kunti and Vasudeva (वसुदेव) as well.

Markandeya : A sage who told Yudhishthira the story of a brahmana, Kaushika.

Marutta : A king of the Ikshwaku dynasty whose sacrifice was performed by Samvarta in defiance of Indra and Brihaspati.

Matali : Charioteer of Indra who took Arjuna to the kingdom of gods.

Medhavi : Son of Sage Baladhi who desired that his son should live as long as a certain mountain lasted.

Meru : An ancient mountain. Becoming jealous of Meru, the Vindya began to grow very high obstructing the sun, the moon and the planets.

Agastya whom the Vindhya mountain respected asked it to stop growing until he crossed it on his way to the south and returned to the north again.

But he did not return at all, having settled in the south.

Menaka : Menaka was one of the most beautiful Apsara. Once was was sent by Lord Sri Indra Deva to fill Maharishi Vishwamitra with desire and also to destroy his tapas (penance).

Upon seeing Menaka, Maharishi Vishwamitra was filled with desire and from them, Shakuntala, mother of great king Bharat (Bharata) (भरत), was born.

Nahusha : A mighty king who was made king of the gods because Indra had disappeared due to his killing Vritra through sin and deceit.

Nakula : Fourth brother of the Pandavas. In this earlier life during Treta Yuga (Ramayana period), Nakula was born as Vivida.

Nala : King of Nishadha who lost his kingdom in a game of dice and deserted his wife Damayanti because of a curse.

Nala is an avatar of Lord Sri Vishwakarna, the architect of the Devatas (Demigods).

Nandini : Maharishi Vashishtha’s divinely beautiful cow.

Nara : Lord Adishesha Naga’s (Bed of Lord Sri Vishnu) another name with Lord Narayana. (Nara Narayana fame.)

Narada : The sage who suddenly appeared before Dhritarashtra and Vidura.

As the latter was describing the departure of the Pandavas to the forest and uttered a prophecy that –

after fourteen years the Kauravas would be extinct as a result of Duryodhana’s crimes and vanished as suddenly.

Narayana : Sri Krishna or Krishna; Vishnu.

Narayanas : Krishna’s kinsmen.

Narayanasrama : A charming forest where the Pandavas had halted during their wanderings.

Nishada : An aboriginal hunter or fisherman: a man of low or degraded tribe in general, a lower caste.

Nishadha : A country where Indra, Lord of the gods had lived once disguised as a brahmana.

Padmavati : Queen Padmavati was the wife of Ugrasena (Grandfather of Lord Sri Krishna). Queen Padmavati was the mother of demon King Kamsa.

Palasha : Butea frondosa, “flame of the forest”.

Panchajanya : Name of Lord Sri Krishna’s shankha (conch).

Panchali : Another name of Queen Draupadi Devi. She married all the five Pandavas and she is the daughter of King Drupada and sister of Dhrishtadyumna.

Panchalya : A son of King Drupada who died in the war.

Pandu : Second son of Vichitravirya and Ambalika.

He succeeded to the throne of Hastinapura on his father’s death, as his elder brother Dhritarashtra was born blind, father of the Pandavas.

Parashara : A great sage, father of Bhagavan Sri Veda Vvasa Ji.

Paravasu : Son of Raibhva and elder brother of Arvavasu whose wife was violated by Yavakrida, who was killed with a spear by a fiend for his sin.

Parikshit : Son of Abhimanyu and grandson of the Pandavas who was crowned king after the holocaust claimed the Kauravas and the Pandavas.

Partha : Another name of Arjuna. Earlier Kunti Devi was known as Pritha and thus the name Partha. Partha means, son of Prithu.

Parvati : Consort of Lord Shiva. Rukmini prayed to her for saving her from the cruel Sisupala king of Chedi, as she had set her heart on marrying the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna.

Paurava : A Kaurava hero.

Parishrami : Parishrama was the chief maid of the Queen Ambika. Parishrami was sent by Queen Ambika and Ambalika to Maharishi Vedavyasa for Niyoga. From them the great Chief Minister, Vidura was born.

Phalguna : Arjuna (One among the five Pandavas).

Pitamaha : Literally grandfather, which however carried no imputation of senile infirmity but denotes the status of the pater familias.

Prabha : She is also called as Indumati and she was the daughter of Asura (Demon) Svarbhanu.

This Svarbhanu later became Rahu and Ketu during the Samudra Manthan period. Prabha married to Ayu, son of Pururavas of Chandravansh (Chandravamsha) (Lunar Dynasty), and had a son named Nahusha.

Prabhasa : The Vasu who seized Vasishtha’s divine cow.

Pradyumna : Sri Krishna’s son. He is an avatar of Lord Kama Deva.

Pratikhami : Duryodhana’s charioteer.

Prishati : She is the wife of King Drupada and was also the mother of Shikhandini and Satyajit.

After Drupada performed a yajna (fire sacrifice) to obtain a powerful son, Prishati was asked by the Rishis to consume the sacrificial offering to conceive a son.

But, Prishati had applied makeup on her face and requested the sages to wait till she had a bath and washed her mouth.

Thus, Rishis criticized Prishati’s unwanted request and poured the offering into the flames of the yajna, from which Dhrishtadhyumna and Draupadi Devi emerged.

Pritha : Mother of Karna. Later she was give the name Kunti before her marriage. With this name Arjuna is also called as Parthasarathi.

Purushottama : An epithet of Sri Krishna. It is one of the names of Vishnu and means the Supreme Being.

Pundarikaksha : Sri Krishna, the lotus-eyed one.

Purochana : An architect who built a beautiful wax palace named “Sivam” in Varanavata.

Purumitra : A Kaurava warrior

Radheya : Son of Radha, a name of Karna, who as a foundling was brought up as a son by Radha, the wife of the Charioteer Adhiratha.

Radha : She is the foster mother of the warrior Karna. Radha is the wife of Adhiratha, the charioteer of Bhishma.

Radha also bore a son named Shon. Karna was found near a river side by Radha and Adhiratha and they adopted Karna as their own. Thus, Karna is known as Radheya (Son of Radha).

Raibhya : A sage whose hermitage was situated on the banks of the Ganga.

The Pandavas during their wanderings visited it. This ghat was very holy.

Bharata, son of Dasaratha bathed here.

Indra was cleansed of his sin of killing Vritra unfairly by bathing in this ghat. Sanatkumar became one with God.

Aditi, mother of the gods, prayed here to be blessed with a son.

Rajasuya : A sacrifice performed by a king to be entitled to assume the title of “Emperor”.

Ravana : King of Lanka who abducted Sita, the beautiful wife of Ramachandra.

Rishabha : The second note of the Indian gamut. (Shadja, rishabha, gandhara, madhyama, panchama, daivata, nishada -sa, ri, ga, ma, pa, dha, ni.)

Revati : In the epic Mahabharata, Revati is the daughter of King Kakudmi and consort of Balarama, the elder brother of Lord Sri Krishna.

Rishyasringa : Son of sage Vibhandaka, who had grown up seeing no mortal except his father.

The king of Anga, which was afflicted with a dire famine, to bring rain and plenty, invited him.

Romapada : King of Anga which was once visited by a great drought.

Rohini : Rohini is the wife of Vasudeva (वसुदेव) (Vasudeva had 13 wives in total) and mother of Balarama.

After Vasudeva (वसुदेव) and Devaki were released by Lord Sri Krishna, she started living with them.

After the death of Vasudeva (वसुदेव) in the Yadu massacre, all the 13 wives of Vasudeva (वसुदेव) cremate themselves on Vasudeva’s pyre. This was the love of that time between a husband and a wife.

Rudra : One of the names of Lord Shiva.

Rudra dance : Shiva’s cosmic dance of destruction.

Rukma : Heir apparent to the throne of Vidarbha. When defeated by Balarama and Krishna he established a new city Bhojakata, ashamed to return to Kundinapura, the capital of Vidarbha, and ruled over it.

Rukmini : She is the chief Queen and Consort of Lord Sri Krishna. She is an avatar of Goddess Sri Lakshmi Devi and was the daughter of King Bhishmaka and also the sister of Rukmi and also the Princess of Vidarbha.

Sachi Devi : Wife of Lord Sri Indra Deva, king of the gods on whom Nahusha’s evil eye fell. She was also known as Indrani (Consort of Lord Sri Indra Deva).

She was also known as Indrani (Consort of Lord Sri Indra Deva).

Sahadeva : Youngest of the Pandava princes who offered the first honors to Krishna at the Rajasuya sacrifices.

Saibya : A ruler friendly to the Pandavas.

Saindhava : Jayadratha (Brother-in-law of Duryodhana) and husband of Dushala.

Sairandhri : Originally she is the Sri Draupadi Devi. Later became a maid servant or female attendant employed in royal female apartments when in incognito exile along with five Pandavas in Virata Kingdom.

Sarama : According to the epic Mahabharata, Sarama was a celestial female dog.

Janamejaya (King Parikshit son) and his brothers beat one of her sons, when the dog arrives at an occasion of sacrifice. This angers Sarama, and she curses the princes and Janamejaya that evil may happen to them.

Shakuni : He played dice on behalf of the Kauravas and succeeded in defeating the Pandavas by a stratagem.

As a result the latter had to go and live in the forest for thirteen years.

According to the conditions of the game, the thirteenth and last year of exile was to be spent incognito.

If discovered by anyone they were again to repair to the forests for a like term.

He was considered to be the evil genius, who beguiled Duryodhana to take to evil ways.

Shikhandi : She was born as a baby girl, named Shikhandini to the King Drupada, the king of Panchala.

Later Shikhandini changed her sex and took the name Shikhandi. He fought in the Kurukshetra war supporting the Pandavas along with his father Drupada and brother Dhristadyumna. He was Amba in previous birth.

Shakuntala : She is wife of the King Dushyanta and the mother of Emperor Bharata (Bharat) (भरत).

Shakuntala is the daughter of Maharishi Vishwamitra and an Apsara Menaka. Shakuntala is the foster daughter of Rishi Kanva.

Sharmishtha : She was an Asura Princess and a spouse of King Yayati, an ancestor of Shantanu.

Salva : Friend of Sisupala, who besieged Dwaraka Sri Krishna’s kingdom to avenge Sisupala’s death at the latter’s hand.

Salya : Ruler of Madra Desha and brother of Madri and uncle of the Pandavas who because of having received hospitality from Duryodhana went over to his side.

Samba : A Yadava youngster dressed as a woman who gave birth to a mace, as foretold by rishis.

Samsaptaka : One who has taken a vow to conquer or die, and never to retreat.

The Samsaptakas were suicide-squads, vowed to some desperate deed of daring.

Samvarta : Brihaspati’s younger brother, a person of great learning.

Sanga : Son of Virata. When king Virata was wounded, he had to get into Sanga’s chariot, having lost his chariot, horses and charioteer.

Sanjaya : The narrator who tells blind Dhritarashtra the progress of the war from day to day.

He told the king that a victim of adverse fate would first become perverted and loses his sense of right and wrong.

Time would destroy his reason and drive him to his own destruction.

Sankula Yuddha : A melee, confused fight, a soldiers battle as distinguished from the combats of heroes.

Shantanu : King of Hastinapura, father of Bhishma. He is an avatar of Lord Sri Varuna Deva.

Sanyasin : One who has renounced the world and its concerns.

Sarasana : One of the Kaurava brothers who died in the war.

Sarmishtha : Princes and daughter of king Vrishaparva who got angry with Devayani and slapped and pushed her into a dry well.

Satanika : Virata’s son whose bead was severed by Drona.

Satyabhama : She is the fourth Consort of the Lord Sri Krishna, but the second most prominent Queen and Consort of Lord Sri Krishna.

Satyabhama is believed to be an amsha (part) avatar of Bhumī Devī, but full avatar of Goddess Sri Lakshmi Devi.

Satyabhama aided Lord Sri Krishna in defeating the demon King Narakasura. Later once Satyabhama visited the Pandavas during their forest exile and had a chat with Draupadi Devi regarding the womanhood.

Satyajit : A Panchala prince, a hero who stood by Yudhishthira to prevent his being taken prisoner by Drona,

while Arjuna was away answering a challenge by the Samsaptakas (the Trigartas).

Satyaki : A Yadava warrior, friend of Krishna and the Pandavas who advocated collecting their forces and defeating the unrighteous Duryodhana.

Satyavati : A fisherman’s daughter who possessed uncommon beauty,

and emanated a divinely sweet fragrance and king Shantanu became enamored of her, married her and made her his queen.

Satyavrata : Warrior on the Kaurava side.

Savitri : In the epic Mahabharata, Savitri and Satyavan are characters appearing in the Vana Parva.

Savitri was a Princess born by the boon of Savitru (Lord Sri Surya Deva). Savitri marries Satyavan, a Prince who is destined to die at very young age.

Savitri, although knowing that Satyavan will die at a young age, married Satyavan. The later part of the story is about how Savitri’s love and wit saves her husband Satyavan from Lord Sri Yama, the god of death.

Saugandhika : A plant that produced a very beautiful and fragrant flower that Bhima went to get for Draupadi.

Savyasachin : Ambidexter, one who can use both hands with equal facility and effect.

A name of Arjuna who could use his bow with the same skill with either hands.

Shanta : Wife of sage Rishyashringa. Only daughter of King Dasharatha of Ramayana fame.

Sikhandin : A girl turned man, warrior on the Pandava side who restored order among scattered, subdued soldiers, Drupada’s son.

Simhanada : A lion-note or roar; a deep roar of defiance or triumph which warriors were wont to utter to inspire confidence in their friends, of terror in their enemies.

Sini : One of the suitors to Devaki’s hand. A kinsman of the Kauravas.

Shishupala : King of Chedi. Died at the hands of Krishna at the time of Dharmaputra’s Rajasuya sacrifice.

Somadutta : One of the suitors to Devaki’s hand. A kinsman of the Kauravas.

Sri Rama : Also known as Rama, Ramachandra or Sri Rama.

Hanuman tells Bhima how he was deeply thrilled when he happened to touch Rama’s body.

This king of Ayodhya was banished to the forest for fourteen years, killed Ravana the king of Lanka who abducted his wife, Sita.

Srinjayas : Pandava supporters.

Srutayu, Astutayu : Two brothers fighting on the Kaurava side attacked Arjuna but were killed.

Srutayudha : A Kaurava warrior whose mace hurled at Krishna rebounded fiercely, killing Srutayudha himself.

Her mother Parnasa had obtained that gift from Varuna who had specified that the mace should not be used against one who does not fight, else it would kill the person who hurls it.

Subahu : King of Kulinda in the Himalayas, ally of the Kauravas.

Sughada : She was the chief maid of Gandhari Devi. Sughada was the mother of Yuyutsu.

When Gandhari was pregnant for much more than nine months, Dhritrashtra was fearful about his heir and thus impregnated the maid Sudhada.

Later Gandhari gave birth to the 100 Kaurava sons and one daughter called Dushala.

Sulabha : She is the wife of Vidura, the half-brother of King Dhritarashtra and King Pandu. Sulabha was a great devotee of Lord Sri Krishna.

Once when Lord Sri Krishna visited Hastinapura as an emissary of Pandavas, he had not accepted Duryodhana’s request to stay in his palace, but instead he chose to stay at Vidura’s home and accepted a simple meal there.

Sulabha was enchanted by Lord Sri Krishna glowing face. In absence of her husband, she offered him peels of banana instead of the fruit. And Lord Sri Krishna ate them respecting her devotion.

Subhadra : Wife of Arjuna, sister of Lord Sri Krishna & Balarama and mother of Abhimanyu. In her earlier life Subhadra was born as Trijata, the daughter of Vibhishana during Ramayana period.

Sudakshina : A warrior on the Kaurava side.

Sudarshana : A warrior on the Kaurava army.

Sudarshana : Bhagavan Sri Krishna’s disc.

Sudeshna : Queen of King Virata whom Sairandhri (Draupadi) served. Pandavas spent the incongnito exile in Virata Kingdom for an year.

Sudeshna was the mother of Uttara (Uttara Kumara), Uttarā, Shveta and Shankha. She had a younger brother named Kichaka and a brother-in-law named Sahtanika.

Sugriva : Monkey-king, friend of Sri Rama, and brother of mighty Vali whom Sri Rama killed.

Sujata : Daughter of Sage Uddalaka and wife of Kagola, his disciple who had virtue and devotion but not much of erudition, mother of Ashtavakra.

Suka : A sage, son of Vyasa, who related the Srimad Bhagavata to King Parikshit, grandson of Arjuna. He is an avatar of Lord Shiva.

Sumitra : Abhimanyu’s charioteer.

Supratika : Name of King Bhagadatta’s elephant.

Susarma : King of Trigarta, a supporter of the Kauravas who backed the proposal to invade Matsya, Virata’s country.

Suvarna : A soldier on the Kaurava side.

Svaha : She is the daughter of Daksha Prajapati and the consort of Lord Sri Agni Deva. In the Vana Parva of the epic Mahabharata, Maharishi Markandeya narrated her story to the Pandavas.

Shveta : A son of King Virata who fell in battle to Bhishma’s arrow.

Swarga : The heaven of Indra where mortals after death enjoy the results of their good deeds on earth.

Tapati : Tapati (Tapti) is a river Goddess. Tapati (Tapti) is daughter of Lord Sri Surya Deva (Sun God) and his consort Chhaya Devi.

Tapati (Tapti) married Samvarana and had a child named, Kuru. King Kuru is an ancestor of Shantanu.

Tantripala : Assumed name of Sahadeva at Virata’s court.

Tara : She is the Goddess of felicity. Tara is the consort of Brihaspati (Planet Jupiter), a Guru of Devatas (Demigods).

Tilottama : In the great epic Mahabharata, Tilottama is described to have been created by the Devatas (Demigods) Engineer and Architect Vishwakarma, at Lord Sri Brahma Deva’s instructions, by taking the best quality of everything as the ingredients.

Tilottama was responsible for bringing about the mutual destruction of the Asuras, Sunda and Upasunda.

Even the Devatas (Demigods) like Lord Sri Indra Deva are described to be enamored by the divine Tilottama.

Tilottama story was told by Devarishi Narada to the Pandavas, as he wanted to tell them how a woman can lead to rivalry between brothers.

Uddalaka : A great sage and teacher of Vedanta.

Umadevi : Wife of Lord Shiva. Thus Lord Shiva is also called as Umesha (Umesh) or Umapati, the husband of Goddess Sri Uma Devi (Parvati Devi).

Unchhavritti : The life of a mendicant, begging his food.

Upachitra : One of King Dhritarashtra’s sons who perished in the war.

Upaplavya : A place in Matsya Kingdom, where the Pandavas settled after their exile of thirteen years.

Urvashi : An apsara in Lord Sri Indra Deva’s court, whose amorous overtures Arjuna declined.

She is the daughter of Lord Sri Narayana (Vishnu). She is born from the Uru (thigh) of Lord Sri Narayana (Vishnu) and thus the name Urvashi.

Usha : She is the daughter of Demon (Rakshasa) Banasura. Banasura was a powerful King of Sonitpura and a devotee of Lord Shiva. Later Usha was married to Aniruddha, grandson of Lord Sri Krishna.

Uttarā (Uttarā Kumari) : Uttarā or Uttarā  Kumari is the daughter of King Virata, at whose court the Pandavas spent a year in concealment during their incognito exile.

Arjuna as Brihannala in incognito exile teaches the dance to Uttarā or Uttarā  Kumari.

Uttarā or Uttarā  Kumari was sister of Prince Uttara. She was wife of Abhimanyu and mother of Parikshit.

Ulupi : She is the daughter of Kauravya, the king of Nāgas (Serpents). Ulupi was among the four wives of Arjuna. Ulupi and Arjuna had a son named Iravan.

Vaisampayana : Chief disciple of sage Vyasa who revealed the epic for the benefit humanity.

Vaishnava : A sacrifice performed by Duryodhana in the forest. Yayati, Mandhata,   Bharata and others also performed it.

Vaishnava mantra : An invocation which endows a missile with some of the irresistible power of Vishnu.

Vajrayudha : The weapon with which Indra killed Visvarupa on suspicion because his mother belonged to the asura tribe of daityas.

Valala : Assumed name of Bhima when, he worked as a cook at Virata’s court.

Valandhara : She was the Princess of the Kashi Kingdom and daughter of King Devesha and the wife of Bhima (A Pandava).

Both Valandhara and Bhima had a son named Sarvaga, who became the King of Kashi after the Kurukshetra War.

Vapusthama : She is the Princess of Kashi, the granddaughter of King Sarvaga and great-granddaughter of Bhima.

Vapusthama was married to Arjuna’s great-grandson Janamejaya, and bore him 2 sons – Shatanika and Sankukarna.

Vali : Monkey-king, brother of Sugriva.

Vanaprastha : The third stage of the dvija’s life, when he is required to relinquish worldly responsibilities to his heirs and retires to the woods with his wife for an anchorite’s life.

Vandi : Court poet of Mithila who on being defeated by Sage Ashtavakra in debate drowned himself in the ocean and went to the abode of Varuna.

Varanavata : A forest in which the Pandavas were asked to stay in a wax-house which was to be set on fire at midnight in order to kill the Pandavas while they were asleep.

Vasundhara : She is the queen of Manipura and the mother of Chitrangada (Arjuna consort).

Vasundhara was also the grandmother of Babruvahana (Arjuna and Chitrangada son). Her husband was King Chitravahana.

Vashishtha : A sage who had cursed the eight Vasus to be born in the world of men as sons of Ganga and Shantanu.

Ganga threw her seven children in to the river with a smiling face.

Vasudeva : An epithet of Krishna. It means both son of Vasudeva and the supreme spirit that pervades the universe.

Vasudhana : Another warrior who perished in the battle on the Twelfth Day.

Vedavyasa : Bhagavan Sri Veda Vyasa, author of the Mahabharata (An avatar of Bhagavan Sri Vishnu).

Vichitravirya : Younger son of Shantanu who succeeded King Chitrangada on the throne of Hastinapura.

He had two sons, Dhritarashtra and Pandu.

Vikarna : A son of Dhritarashtra who declared the staking of Draupadi illegal, as Yudhishthira himself was a slave and had lost all his rights.

Therefore the Kauravas had not won Draupadi legally, he held.

Vinda, Anuvinda : Two brothers kings of Avanti, great soldiers whom were on the Kaurava side, they suffered defeat at the hands of Yudhamanyu.

Virata : King of Matsya, the country which was suggested by Bhima to live in incognito during the thirteenth year of their exile.

Vishoka : Bhima’s charioteer. He is the son of Lord Krishna and Kubja (Trivakra)

Visvarupa : Name of Twashta’s son who became the preceptor of the gods, Brihaspati having left when insulted by Indra.

Vishwarupa : All-pervading, all-including form. See the description in the Bhagavad Gita chapter eleven.

Vishvahini : Her husband is Kauravya. Both Vishvahini and Kauravya are the parents of Ulupi (Arjuna consort) and are grandparents of Iravan (Ulupi and Arjuna son).

Vivimsati : A Kaurava hero.

Vijaya : In the epic Mahabharata, Vijaya was the daughter of king Dyutimata of Madra and wife of Sahadeva (One of the Pandava).

Both Sahadeva and Vijaya got married in a self choice ceremony.  They had a son named Suhotra.

After the Kurukshetra War, Vijaya and Suhotra lived in Madra, when Sahadeva was appointed as the king of Madra Kingdom.

Vinata : She was the mother of Aruna and Lord Sri Garuda Deva. Both Aruna and Garuda belong to the birds lineage.

Vinata was also the daughter of Daksha Prajapati and consort of Maharishi Kashyapa.

Aruna is the charioteer of Lord Sri Surya Deva and Lord Sri Garuda Deva is the mount of Lord Sri Vishnu.

Vriddhakshatra : King of the Sindhus, father of Jayadratha into whose lap his son Jayadratha’s head was caused to fall by Arjuna after cutting off Jayadratha’s head.

Vrika : A Panchala prince who fell in battle.

Vrikodara : Wolf-bellied, an epithet of Bhima, denoting his slimness of waist and insatiable hunger.

Vrisha, Achala : Sakuni’s brothers.

Vrishasena : A warrior on the Kaurava side.

Vrishnis, Kekayas : Tribals who were devoted to the Pandavas, who with Sri Krishna visited the Pandavas in their exile.

Vritra : Son of Twashta who was defeated by Indra’s weapons Vajrayudha.

He was born out of his father’s sacrificial flames and became Indra’s mortal enemy.

Vyasa : Compiler of the Vedas, son of sage Parasara.

Vyuha : Battle arrays.

Yajna : A divine sacrifice.

Yaksha : A class of demi-gods, subjects of Kubera, the god of wealth.

Yama : God of death. God of dharma, whose son was Yudhishthira.

It is he whose questions Yudhishthira answered correctly whereupon his dead brothers were brought back to life on the banks of the enchanted pool.

Yamuna : Goddess Sri Yamuna Devi or Yami is the river Goddess of life. She is daughter of Lord Sri Surya Deva and Saranyu as well as the twin sister of Lord Sri Yama Deva.

In the epic Mahabharata, Yamuna appears as Kalindi, one of the Lord Sri Krishna’s ashta bharyas (eight divine wives).

Yashoda : Yashoda is the wife of Nanda Maharaj. Both Yashoda and Nanda Maharaj are the foster parents of Lord Sri Krishna.

Yavakrida : Son of Sage Bharadwaja who was bent upon mastering the Vedas.

Yayati : Emperor of the Bharata race who rescued Devayani from the well into which she had been thrown by Sarmishtha.

He later married both Devayani and Sarmishtha. One of the ancestors of the Pandavas who became prematurely old due to Sukracharya’s curse.

Yogmaya (Yogamaya) : She is also called as Vindhyavasini and she is an avatar of Goddess Sri Durga Devi.

Yogmaya (Yogamaya) is the the daughter of Yashoda Devi and Nanda Maharaj, the foster parents of Lord Sri Krishna.

Lord Sri Krishna and Yogmaya (Yogamaya) were exchanged by their parents to save Lord Sri Krishna from Kamsa.

Yudhamanyu : A prince supporting the Pandavas.

Yuyudhana : Another name of Satyaki.

Yuyutsu : A noble son of Dhritarashtra who bent his head in shame and sorrow when Yudhishthira lost Draupadi.

He also disapproved of the unfair way in which Abhimanyu was killed.

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NAMASTE!

Sri Gurubhyo Namaha

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Sri Krishnaarpanamastu