List of Epic Mahabharata female character names
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Just before going to “List of Epic Mahabharata female character names | Female character names in Mahabharata“, 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 that person who is with Dharma.
Similarly he always stays away from people who are against Dharma. Dharma means Lord Sri Krishna, likewise, Lord Sri Krishna means Dharma.
List of Mahabharata character names (Mahabharata Glossary) are as given below:
Arundhati : Wife of Maharshi Vasishtha. Arundhati is the eighth among the nine daughters of Kardama (father) and Devahuti (mother).
Jara : Brihadratha, a 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 (demoness) 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.
Devaki : Mother of Sri Krishna. Because of this name Devaki, Lord Krishna is also known as ‘Devaki Nandana‘ (Son of Devaki).
Devayani : The beautiful daughter of Shukracharya, preceptor of the demons, who fell in love with Kacha, son of Brihaspati, preceptor of the Devas.
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.
Gandhari : She is Dhritarashtra’s wife and 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).
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.
Kripi : She is the sister of Kripacharya. Kripi and her brother Kripacharya were adopted by the Rajguru of King Shantanu.
Kripi parents were Saradvan 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.
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.
Lopamudra : Daughter of the king of Vidarbha who married the sage Agastya.
Nandini : Maharishi Vasishtha’s divinely beautiful cow.
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.
Parvati : Consort of Lord Shiva. Rukmini prayed to her for saving her from the cruel Shisupala king of Chedi, as she had set her heart on marrying the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna.
Pritha : Mother of Karna. Later she was give the name Kunti before her marriage. With this name Arjuna is also called as Parthasarathi.
Sachidevi : 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).
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.
Sarmishtha : Princes and daughter of King Vrishaparva who got angry with Devayani and slapped and pushed her into a dry well.
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 of Hastinavati.
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.
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.
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.
Sujata : Daughter of Sage Uddalaka and wife of Kagola, his disciple who had virtue and devotion but not much of erudition, mother of Ashtavakra.
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).
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.
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.
Parishrami : Parishrama was the chief maid of the Queen Ambika. Parishrami was sent by Queen Ambika and Ambalika to Lord (Sage) Sri Vedavyasa for Niyoga.
From them the great Chief Minister, Vidura was born.
Avantini : She is the wife of King Shalya and also the mother of Madranjaya, Rukmangada, and Rukmanaratha. She was the princess of Avanti.
Bhadra : She was the wife of Vasudeva (वसुदेव) (Vasudeva had 13 wives in total). Bhadra’s children were Upanidhi, Gada, and others.
Madira : She was the wife of Vasudeva (वसुदेव) (Vasudeva had 13 wives in total). Madira’s children were Nanda, Upananda, Kritaka, and others.
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.
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.
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.
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 (daughter).
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.
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.
Ganga Devi (Goddess) : In the epic Mahabharata, Goddess Sri Ganga Devi was the first wife of King 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 a condition that he will never ask her a single question. Later, she gave birth to 8 children, who were Vasu (वसु) reborn as mortals due to a curse in their earlier life.
Ghritachi : She is an Apsara. In the epic Mahabharata, Ghritachi appeared in Adi Parva. Maharishi Bharadwaja and Ghritachi are the parents of Drona (Dronacharya).
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.
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.
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.
Janapadi : She was an Apsara. Both Janpadi and Shardavan (Son of Maharishi Gautama) are the parents of Kripa (Kripacharya) and Kripi.
Kadru : She is the daughter of Daksha Prajapati and one of the thirteen consorts 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.
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.
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).
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.
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 Mahabharata war.
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.
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.
Because 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.
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.
Padmavati : Queen Padmavati was the wife of Ugrasena (Grandfather of Lord Sri Krishna). Queen Padmavati was the mother of demon King Kamsa.
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.
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.
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).
Revati : In the epic Mahabharata, Revati is the daughter of King Kakudmi and consort of Balarama, the elder brother of Lord Sri Krishna.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Shikhandi (Shikhandini) : 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.
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.
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.
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.
Tara : She is the Goddess of felicity. Tara is the consort of Brihaspati (Planet Jupiter), a Guru of Devatas (Demigods).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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