The Characters of Mahaabhaarata
V. Vemuri, Pleasanton, CA
The Mahaabhaarata is India's, the World's, greatest epic. It is said to be more than twice as long as Homer's Greek epics, the Illiad and the Odessy combined. It has about 1,00,000 slokas (equivalent to English couplets) composed in Sanskrit by the legendary poet Vyasa. The central theme of the epic is a dynastic war for the succession to the throne of Hastinaapura, a place not too far from modern Delhi. It is on this battlefield, Krishna taught Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna.
Although Bhagavad Gita, or Gita for short, received world-wide attention and appreciation as a great work, the story of Mahaabhaarata did not fare as well, especially in the West. This is not due to a lack of translations. Many Indians and non-Indians did translate Mahaabhaarata into English. Many more, retold the story in many of world's languages. Yet, the sheer size of the book and the vast array of characters intimidates even the most earnest. Due to these factors, Mahaabhaarata remained very much within the confines of the Indian subcontinent.
Although Peter Brook's stage adaptation as well as the subsequent 9-hour film, both with their international cast, succeeded in bringing the epic to inter-national attention, many Indians felt it did a disservice to the epic.
The purpose of this little writeup is not to retell the story, but to present the essence of Mahaabhaarata as a cast of characters and their inter-relationships. Only those characters that are important to the main flow of the story are listed here. The reader is assumed to have some basic familiarity with the theme and story of Mahaabhaarata. The characters are arranged in alphabetical order along with a one or two-sentence description.
THE CAST OF CHARACTERS
Aastika, Son of the hermit Jaratkaaru and his Naga wife, Maanasaa Devi (Vasuki's sister). Successfully persuaded King Janamejaya to stop the Naga Sacrifice.
Abhimanyu, The only son of Arjuna and Subhadra. Died in the Lotus Formation in the Great War at the age of 16. His posthumous child, Parikshit inherits the throne.
Adhiratha, The charioteer who adopted Karna. Husband of Raadha. He found infant Karna floating in a basket in a river.
Amba, Eldest princess of Kaasi. Bhishma refuses to marry her. In a later life becomes Shikhandin and was instrumental for Bhishma's death in the Great War.
Ambika, Second princess of Kaasi. Senior wife of Vichitraveerya, the son of King Santanu and Satyavathi. Mother of King Dhritaraastra.
Ambalika, Third princess of Kaasi. Junior wife of Vichitraveerya. Mother of King Paandu.
Apsaras, Divine ladies who adorn the court of the devine king, Indra
Arjuna, Extra-marital son of Kunti (with Indra) and Paandu. Third of the Paandavas. The great archer.
Aswatthaama, Son of Drona and Kripi. One of the few who survived the Great War.
Balaraama, Krishna's elder brother. Son of Vasudeva and Renuka. One of the few who refused to participate in the Great War.
Barbarika, Ghatotkacha's son. Krishna killed him with his discus during the Great War.
Bharatas, the dynastic name of the Kauravas and Pandavas
Bhima, (1) Son of Kunti (with Vayu, the Wind god) and Paandu. Second of the Paandavas.
Bhima, (2) Vidarbha's king is also called Bhima sometimes, although Bhishmaka is the name more widely used.
Bhishma, Son of King Santanu and river godess Ganga. The Grand Old Man of the epic, Mahaabhaarata. Devavrata, by taking his Great Vow of (not of celibacy as is popularly believed, but of not having children) in order to facilitate the marriage of Satyavathi to his father, became Bhishma.
Bhishmaka, King of Vidarbha. Father of Rukmini. Father-in-law of Krishna.
Brahma, the Creator. One of the Gods of Hindu trinity.
Brihannala, Name assumed by Arjuna in Virata's court during their year-long Tour Incognito after spending 12 years in the forest.
Chitraangada, First son and heir of King Santanu and Satyavathi. Killed by a wild animal and had no role in the story.
Chitraratha, Gandharva chief who imprisoned the Kauravas at a skirmish near the Dwaitavana lake.
Devavrata, Given name of Bhishma. Eldest son of Santanu (and river goddess Ganga). This name was superceded by the title Bhisha, which means the one who took the Terrible Vow.
Devayaani, Daughter of Sukracharya. Wife of Yayaati and Mother of Puru. Grand matriarch of the Bharata's, to whom the Paandavas and Kauravas belong.
Dharmaraja, Title of Yudhisthira.
Dhristadyumna, Drupada's son who was born out of the fire. Becomes the cause of Drona's death in the Great War.
Dhritaraashtra, First (blind) son of Vichitravirya and Ambika (with Vyasa). Pandu's older brother.
Draupadi, King Drupada's fire-born daughter. Wife of the five Paandavas.
Drona, Preceptor at arms to the Bharatas (Kauravas and Pandavas). Son of Bharadwaaja and an Apsara.
Drupada, King of Paanchala. Father of Draupadi and Dhristadyumna.
Duhsala, Dhritarashtra's only daughter and the last child. Wife of Jayadhradha.
Duhssasana, Younger brother of Duryodhana. He is the one who dragged Draupadi into the Kaurava court by grabbing her hair. He also attempted to disrobe Draupadi in the full Kaurava court.
Duryodhana, Dhritarashtra's eldest son. Died at the hands of Bhima in the Great War.
Gandhaari, Queen of Dhritarashtra. Sister of Sakuni. She voluntarily covered her eyes as a gesture to her husband's blindness.
Granthika, Name assumed by Nakula in Virata's court. One of the twin Pandavas.
Janamejaya, Son of King Parikshita. Conducted Sarpa Yaaga, the Snake Sacrifice to avenge the death of his father by Takskaka's bite. The story of Mahaabhaarata was first narrated (by Vyaasa) during this Yaaga or sacrifice.
Jayadradha, King of Sindh. Husband of Duhsala. Brother-in-law of Duryodhana. By unfairly killing Abhimanyu, he invited Arjuna's wrath.
Kanka, Name assumed by Yudhishtira in Virata's court.
Karna, Extra-marital (eldest) son of Kunti (with Surya). Radha (different from Krishna's consort Radha), wife of charioteer Adirahta, raised him. The secret of Karna's birth is known only to a handful of characters (Krishna, Kunti, Bhishma, Drona, Dhritarastra and Vidura). None of these were willing to reveal this secret, each for their own reason.
Kashyapa, The brahmin who had the power to save Parikshita from the forthcoming snakebite, but was bribed by Takshaka from interfering.
Keechaka, Commander-in-chief of the Virata army. Sudeshna's brother; Invited the wrath of Bhima by his advances toward Draupadi during Pandava's year incognito in the forest.
Kripa, Preceptor to the Kauravas and Pandavas before Drona's arrival.
Kripi, Drona's wife. Kripa's twin sister.
Krishna, Incarnation of Lord Vishnu, one of the Gods of Hindu
trinity. Chief of the Yaadavas. Charioteer to Arjuna during the Great War.
Preacher of the Bhagavad Gita.
Kritavarman, Kinsman of Krishna and a Bhoja King. Fought on the side of Kauravas.
Kunti, Mother of Karna as well as the three elder Pandavas (Yudhistira, Bhima and Arjuna). Paandu's senior wife. Adopted daughter of King Kuntibhoja.
Nakula, One of the twin Pandavas. Son of Madri (with the Aswini twins)
and King Paandu.
Naarada, He told the story of Mahaabhaarata to the Devas. Son of the creator Brahma.
Madri, Mother of the twin Pandavas (Nakula and Sahadeva). Pandu's junior wife. Sister of Salya.
Maya, the Asura architect who came out running when Arjuna and Krishna burned the Khandava forest. Later he built a magnificient palace, the Maya Sabha, for Yudhishtira.
Paandu, Second (leukodermic) son of Vichitravirya and Ambalika (with Vyasa). Younger brother of Dhritaraastra.
Paraasara, the sage who (with the fisher girl Satyavathi) fathered Vyasa.
Parikshita, Posthumous son of Abhimanyu and Uttara. Janamejaya's father. Kali Yuga started in the year of his accession to throne. Krishna died in the same year. This year is believed to be 3138 B. C.
Prathikaami, Charioteer of Duryodhana. First went (unsuccessfully) to bring Draupadi to the Kaurava court after the Pandavas were defeated in the Game of Dice.
Pratipa, Bhishma's grandfather. Santanu's father.
Puru, Son of Yayaati (and Devayaani). He exchanged his youth for the old age of his father.
Sahadeva, One of the twins (and the youngest) Pandavas. Nakula's brother.
Sairandri, (lit.) hair dresser. Name assumed by Draupadi in Viraata's court.
Sakuni, Gandhari's brother. Uncle of the Kaurava gang. Master at the game of dice. He cheated Yudhistira at the game.
Salwa, the heart-throb of Amba. Later, Salwa refused to marry Amba after hearing that Bhishma picked her up in a battle with the king of Kaasi.
Salya, King of Madra. Brother of Queen Madri. Charioteer for Karna during the Great Battle. He discouraged Karna at every move in the battle and made him lose his confidence.
Sanjaya, Dhritaraashtra's charioteer and aide. He narrated the events of the Great War in real-time as the war progressed.
Santanu, King Pratipa's second son. River godess Ganga's husband. Bhishma's father.
Satyaki, a kinsman of Krishna.
Satyavathi, Vyaasa's mother. Subsequently, King Santanu's second wife. The girl, found in a fish's belly, was fathered by the sperm of King Uparichara of Chedi. The mother of Satyavathi is uncertain.
Saunaka, Who listened to the story, of Mahaabhaarata, told by Suta at the Naimisha Forest.
Shiva, One of the gods of Hindu trinity. He reveals the mighty Paasupata weapon to Arjuna with which Arjuna slays Karna in the Great War.
Shringi, The boy who cursed Parikshita to die of a snake bite.
Subhadra, Krishna's sister. Arjuna's junior wife. Abhimanyu's mother.
Sudeshna, Wife of King Viraata. Sister of Kichaka.
Suka, Son of Vyasa. He retold the story to the Gandharvas, the Rakshasas and the Yakshas.
Sukracharya, Devayaani's father. Guru of the Raakshasa clan. Indeed all Indians, in a way, are the descendents of this man.
Sura, Grandfather of Krishna. Cousin of Kuntibhoja. Birth father of Kunti (a.k.a. Pritha before the adoption).
Susarma, King of Trigarta. He attacked Viraata's cows on the southern flank so Kaurava's could attack from the north. This mini war, called the Uttara Gograhana, is a preview of the Great War.
Soota, He narrated the Vaisampaayana version to Saunaka and other sages who assembled in the Naimisa forest.
Takshaka, the Naga (serpent) king who killed Parikshita.
Tantripaala, Name assumed by Sahadeva in Viraata's court.
Ugrasena, a Yadava king.
Uparichara, Father of Satyavathi. King of Chedi
Urvasi, An Apsaras.
Uttara Kumara, King Viraata's son.
Uttaraah, King Viraata's daughter. Abhimanyu's wife. Parikshita's mother.
Vaasudeva, (lit) Vasudeva's son; Krishna.
Vaisampaayana, Chief disciple of Vyasa; He told the story to Janamejaya.
Valala, Name assumed by Bhima in Viraata's court (Vallabha?)
Vasudeva, Father of Balaraama (with Renuka) and Krishna (with Devaki)
Vichitravirya, Second son of King Santanu and fisher-girl Satyavathi; Legal father of Dhritarashtra and Pandu.
Vidura, Son of a palace girl (in the palace of Satyavathi) with Vyasa. Pandu's younger brother. One of the few who did not participate in the Great War.
Vikarna, Son of Dhritarashtra; the only Kaurava who objected to the disrobing of Draupadi in the Kaurava court.
Viraata, King of Matsya, Father of Uttara and Uttaraah. Sheltered the Pandavas during their term incognito.
Vyasa, The son of the sage Paraasara and fishergirl Satyavathi. The poet who composed The Mahaabhaarata and sang it on the occassion of King Janamejaya's Snake Sacrifice, in the presence of sage Narada and his pricipal disciple, Vaisampaayana. Krishna, Bhishma and Vyasa are the three pillars on which the entire story of Mahaabhaarata rests.
Yasoda, Lady who raised Krishna, although Devaki gave birth to Him.
Yayaati, an ancestor of Bharatas. Husband of Devayani. Father of Puru.
Yudhishthira, Son of Kunti (with Dharma) and Pandu. Eldest of the Pandavas (a.k.a. Dharmaraja).
Yuyutsu, Dhritarashtra's son by a palace girl. Born on the same day but only minutes after Duryodhana.