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TheMahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India composed byVeda Vyasa. At its heart lies the epic struggle between thePandavas and theKauravas. The central characters include the five Pandava brothers—Yudhishthira,Bhima,Arjuna,Nakula, andSahadeva—along with their wifeDraupadi. On the opposing side, the hundredKaurava brothers are led by the elder brother,Duryodhana. However, theMahabharata is richly populated with other notable figures includingKrishna,Bhishma,Drona,Karna,Kunti,Dushasana,Kripa,Dhritrashtra,Gandhari,Shakuni,Ashwatthama,Balarama,Subhadra,Vyasa,Abhimanyu,Pandu,Satyavati andAmba.
TheMahabharata manuscripts exist in numerous versions, wherein the specifics and details of major characters and episodes vary, often significantly. Except for the sections containing theBhagavad Gita which is remarkably consistent between the numerous manuscripts, the rest of the epic exists in many versions.[1] The differences between the Northern and Southern recensions are particularly significant, with the Southern manuscripts more profuse and longer.[2] The manuscripts found in theNorth andSouth India have "great divergence" in details, though the thematic essence is similar.[3] Scholars have attempted to construct acritical edition, relying mostly on a study of the Bombay edition, the Poona edition, the Calcutta edition and the south Indian editions of theMahabharata manuscripts. The most accepted version is one prepared by scholars led by Vishnu Sukthankar at theBhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, preserved at theKyoto University, theCambridge University and various Indian universities.[4][5]
This list follows theCritical Edition of the Mahabharata, but may have characters exclusive to a particular recension.[note 1]
Adhiratha was the foster-father of Karna. According to theBhagavata Purana, Adhiratha was descended fromYayati and therefore was related toKrishna. He was also the descendant ofRomapada,[6] the king ofAnga and brother-in-law ofDasharatha's descendant Shighra, king ofAyodhya. His wife was Radha and their biological sons were Shatrunjaya and Chitrasena.
Adrika was anapsara, who was cursed to become a fish and only to be liberated when she gives birth to a human. Adrika, as a fish, lived in the riverYamuna. Once she came in contact with the semen ofUparichara and impregnated herself. After 10 months, somefishermen caught her, cut open her womb and found two children—Matsyagandha andMatsya. After the incident, Adrika was liberated from her curse and returned to heaven.[7][page needed]
Alambusha was aRakshasa. In theKurukshetra War, he fought from the Kaurava side. During the war, he defeatedIravan, son of Pandava princeArjuna. Later on the 14th day of Kurukshetra war, Alambusha was killed by Bhima's son,Ghatotkacha.[8]
He was a demon and friend of another demon named Alambusha. He and Alambusha were killed byBhima's demon sonGhatotkacha during the Night war on the fourteenth day of the war.
The chief maid ofAmbika was sent by Ambika and Ambalika to MaharishiVyasa. From their union,Vidura was born.
Amitaujas is the mighty warrior ofPanchala Kingdom. He was the maharatha on the side of Pandavas.[9]
A king ofMadra and the father of Savitri
Ayu or Ayus was an ancestor of Shantanu. He was a sonPururavas and his apsara wife,Urvashi. He married Prabha, an asura princess (daughter of Swarbhanu). He was succeeded by his sonNahusha.[10]
Ayoda Dhaumya/ Dhaumya was a sage of Avanti. He had three disciples namelyAruni of Panchal,Upamanyu and Veda. He even accompanied the Pandavas into the forest of Kurujangala during their exile. He sang songs ofSama Veda referring toYama.
Balandhara, sometimes also written as Valandhara, was the princess of theKashi Kingdom, daughter of King Devesha and wife ofBhima. They both had a son Sarvaga, who became the King of Kashi after theKurukshetra War. Sarvaga's granddaughter Vapusthama marriedJanamejaya, the great-grandson ofArjuna, and bore him two sons – Shatanika and Sahashranika.[11]
He was a son ofKarna. He was an excellent Mace-wielder. On the 16th day of the war, Banasena was fighting withBhima and later killed.[12]
Bhadra and Madira were 3rd and 4th wives ofVasudeva. They were the daughters of Giribhanu/Sumukha and Padmavati/Pataladevi, and elder sisters ofYashoda. Bhadra's sons were Upanidhi, Gada and Keshi. Madira's sons were Nanda, Upananda, Kritaka and Shura. They cremated themselves with Vasudeva.
Bhadrakali is the fierce form of Devi. To destroy Daksha yajna, She appeared with Veerabhadra. She also mentioned in Shalya Parva, when she was the one of followers ofKartikeya.[13][14]
In the Vana Parva of the epic, sageMarkandeya narrated the story ofNala andDamayanti. Bhima was the king of Vidarbha and the father ofDamayanti.
A sage who councels Yudhishthira during his exile, narratesNalopakhyana and blesses Yudhishthira with skill in dicing.
Chandravarma Kamboja is the firstKamboja king mentioned by name in theMahābhārata.[15][16][17][18] He appears to have been an ancient very powerful and renowned (vikhyaat) ruler of the Kambojas. He finds mention in the Adiparva section of theepicMahābhārata, where he is stated to be an Asura or ademonic ruler.[19][20][21]
Chekitana was the son ofKekaya kingDhrishtaketu and Queen Shrutakirti, aYadava. He was the leader ofAndhaka sect ofYadavas. Chekitana was described to be a valorous warrior, who fought with warriors likeSusharma,Kripacharya andDronacharya. He also rescuedNakula from the clutches ofDuryodhana. On the 18th day, he was killed by Duryodhana.
Chitra and Chitrasena were brothers and the two kings of the Abhisara Kingdom. Both of them sided with the Kauravas in the Kurukshetra War. Chitra was killed byPrativindhya on the 16th day, whereas Chitrasena was killed byShrutakarma on the same day.
Chitrangada was a Gandharva, who was jealous of Shantanu's sonChitrāngada, for sharing a name. One day, the Gandharva challenged the prince and killed him.
Chitrāngada was the king of the Kalinga kingdom. In theShanti Parva of the epic,Narada narrated that Chitrangada's daughter (Bhanumati) with Kaurava Duryodhana. After him,Srutayudha became the king of Kalinga as he had no son. Possibly, his wife was Chandramudra.
He was the king ofManipura or Manalura and the father ofChitrangadaa. He was also the grandfather ofBabruvahana.
Danda and Dandadhara is the two princes ofMagadha Kingdom. They fought the side of Kauravas and killed byArjuna during Kurukshetra war.[22][23]
Darada is the king of Bahlika Kingdom. Shushipala eulogized him when he was born the earth was cleaved because of his weight.
Dasharaja was the fisherman chieftain of Hastinapura and the father ofSatyavati. He was the one who asked Satyavati's heir to be the ruler of Hastinapura, due to whichBhishma took a vow of celibacy and a vow not to rule Hastinapura. He is a great-great-grandfather of the Pandavas and the Kauravas.
Devika was the daughter of Govasena, the king of the Sivi Kingdom of Shaivya tribe, and the second wife ofYudhishthira they got married in a self choice ceremony. They had a son called Yaudheya.
Dhrishtaketu was the ruler ofKekeya, and his wife was Shrutakirti, a Yadava who was the daughter ofShurasena. Many of Dhrishtaketu's sons participated in the Kurukshetra War, participating on both sides. Vrihadkshatra and Chekitana were two of his notable sons. Dhrishtaketu's daughter Bhadra was married to Krishna, who bore him many sons.
Durmasena was the son ofDushasana. He helped his father many times in the Kurukshetra war. He was also present inside the Chakra Vyuha on the thirteenth day of the war. He was deprived of his chariot by Abhimanyu and saved by Ashwatthama by cutting Abhimanyu's arrow in mid air. After that, Durmasena killed brutally injuredAbhimanyu in a mace duel. On 14th day, Durmasena was brutally killed by Draupadi's sons, theDraupadeyas, in revenge for Abhimanyu.
Goddess Durga is also mentioned in the Mahabharata. InVirata Parva and Bhishma Parva of the epic, she was eulogized byYudhishthira andArjuna.[24][25]
The chief maid of Gandhari was the mother ofYuyutsu. When Gandhari was pregnant for more than nine months, Dhritrashtra, in fear that there would be no heir, impregnated the maid. Later Gandhari gave birth to the 100 Kauravas and Sughada gave birth to Yuyutsu.
UnlikeRamayana, Hanuman does not have a large role inMahabharata. He appears during the exile of Pandavas. In the story,Bhima, Hanuman's celestial brother, performed a penance to gain more strength. Hanuman wanted to test Bhima and appeared as a normal monkey in front of him. The monkey asked Bhima to lift his tail if he believed in his strength. But, Bhima was not able to lift the tail. Later, he realised who the monkey was and apologized.[26] Hanuman taught battle-skills to Bheema for some time.
A king ofAyodhya, contemporary toYayati, and one of the husbands ofMadhavi with whom he had a son named Vasumanas.
Hayagriva was a horse headed avatar of Vishnu. He incarnated to slay the demons named Madhu and Kaitabha and brings the Vedas to Brahma.[27]
In the epic, Indra appears numerous times. He is son ofKashyapa andAditi. He is the spiritual father ofArjuna. He was the reason for the separation ofUrvashi andPururavas. During his temporary absence,Nahusha took his place as the king. He is called byKunti afterDharmaraj and Vayu. Later in the epic, he is shown protecting Takshaka's forest from Arjuna. ThePandavas named their capital,Indraprastha, after him. During the exile of Pandavas, Arjuna came to meet him. During the Kurukshetra war, he took the indestructible armor and earrings fromKarna and gave him a powerful weapon. These were some of his appearances in the epic.
Janapadi is anApsara, who once roamed in the forests. One day, upon seeing her, Shardavan, son ofGautama Maharishi discharged his seed. From his seed,Kripa andKripi were born.
Jara was a demoness. When King Brihadratha's queen threw away their half-born child, Jara joined the two halves. The child was namedJarasandha.
According to the Vana Parva of Mahabharata, Jatasura was a demon. He attacked the Pandavas in there exile. Then Bhima killed him.
Kalaratri is the seventh among the Navadurgas. She is stated in Sauptika Parva. When she appears to thePandava soldiers in dreams, she appears amidst the fighting during an attack byDrona's sonAshwatthama.[28]
Kalki is the final incarnation of the preserver deity,Vishnu. He is stated inVana Parva of the epic, to incarnate at the end of theKali Yuga and protect dharma, by destroying the sinners andMlecchas.[29][30]
Kanika was a sage ofHastinapur. He acted as a counselor toDhritarashtra. WhenYudhisthira was announced the crown prince, Dhritarashtra became sad for his sons were deceived. And at this time Kanika was summoned to counsel the king, who advised Dhritarashtra not to resort to fight but remove his foes secretly. Unethical methods may also be adopted for killing a foe, was his advice. Then he narrated a story of a jackal, who deceived his companions (tiger, mongoose, wolf, and mouse) by tricking them. Influenced by his counsels Dhritarashtra exiled the Pandavas to Varanavata and constructed the house of lac.[31]
Karenumati was the daughter of king ofChedi, eitherShishupala or his sonDhrishtaketu. She was the wife ofPandavaNakula and begot him a son, Nirumitra.
Adhiratha andRadha, the adoptive parents ofKarna, had some biological children. Karna's adoptive brothers were killed during theKurukshetra War.[32]
In the originalMahabharata, there are some mentions of Karna's wives. Their names are not revealed, but it is described that they belonged to Suta (charioteer) community.[32]
Karna's sons wereVrishasena,Vrishaketu,Banasena, Chitrasena, Satyasena, Sushena, Shatrunjaya, Dvipata, and Prasena. All except for Vrishaketu were killed in the war.
The names of the 100 Kauravas are:
He was the father ofUlupi and grandfather ofIravan.
Kratha is the Kshatriya king and the reincarnation ofRahu. He fought the side of Kauravas and killed by a Kulinda king during Kurukshetra war.[33]
Kripi was the sister ofKripa. She and her brother were adopted by theRajguru of KingShantanu. Her actual parents were Saradvan and Janapadi. She marriedDronacharya, who was poor at that time. When they wanted a powerful son, they prayed to Shiva, and a son namedAshwathama was born.
In Mahabharata,Kunti-Bhoja (orKuntibhoja) was the cousin ofShurasena and adoptive father ofKunti. He was the ruler of theKunti Kingdom. Kunti was a daughter of KingShurasena but was later given to Kuntibhoja since he was devoid of children.[34] Kuntibhoja raised her as his own daughter and loved her.[35] She was very beautiful and intelligent and later marriedPandu.[36] When Kunti was a young girl, the sageDurvasa visited Kuntibhoja one day and sought his hospitality. The king entrusted the sage to Kunti's care and tasked Kunti with the responsibility of serving the sage and meeting all his needs during his stay with them.[37] Eventually, the sage was gratified. Before departing, he rewarded Kunti by teaching herAtharvavedamantras which enabled her to invoke anygod of her choice to beget children by them.[38] His son Visharada succeeded him who was killed byDuryodhana on the eighth day.
Kuru is the name of the ancestor of the clan of the Kurus in theMahabharata. He was the son ofSamvarana and ofTapati, the daughter of the Sun.[39]
In the literature, Kuru is an ancestor ofPandu and his descendants, thePandavas, and also ofDhritarashtra and his descendants, theKauravas. This latter name derived as apatronym from "Kuru", is only used for the descendants of Dhritarashtra.[40]
King Kuru had two wives named Shubhangi and Vahini. He had a son named Viduratha with Shubhangi, and five sons with Vahini, named Ashvavat, Abhishyat, Citraratha, Muni, and Janamejaya.[41][42] Due to his merits and great ascetic practices the region "Kurujangal" was named after him. It has also been known asKurukshetra since ancient Vedic times.[43]
Manimat or Maniman is the king who was the rebirth of Vritra, the son of Danayu. He fought the side of Pandavas and killed byBhurishravas in the Kurukshetra war.[44]
Niramitra was the son ofNakula and his wifeKarenumati.[45][46]
Padmavati, mentioned inShalya Parva of the epic, is one of the followers of Kartikeya.[14]
He is the king ofPandya Kingdom. He came to help thePandavas with an army and also an maharathi on the side of Pandavas.
Paurava is a king and the rebirth of Asura Sarabha. He fought the side ofKauravas and was killed by Arjuna during Kurukshetra war.
Prabha, sometimes called Indumati, was the daughter of AsuraSvarbhanu, who later becameRahu andKetu. She marriedAyu, son ofPururavas oflunar dynasty, and had a son namedNahusha.
Prativindhya was the son ofYudhishthira andDraupadi. He was the eldest brother amongDraupadeyas.
Prishati (lit. daughter-in-law of Prishata) is the chief-queen of KingDrupada and the mother ofShikhandini,Dhrishtadhyumna andDraupadi. After Drupada performed ayajna (fire-sacrifice) to obtain a powerful son, she was asked by the sages to consume the sacrificial offering to conceive a child. However, Prishati had perfumed saffron in her mouth and requested the sages to wait till she had a bath and washed her mouth. The sages criticised her untimely request and poured the offering into the flames of the yajna, from which Dhrishtadhyumna and Draupadi emerged. Overwhelmed by their arrival, Prishati requested the sages to declare her as the mother of Dhrishtadyumna and Draupadi.[47]
Purochana was the builder of theLakshagraha. However, he, along with his wife and her sons, perished in the fire. He was the royal chief architect in Hastinapura. He was a friend of Shakuni and Duryodhana. Purochana built the Lakshagraha palace and burnt it. He was killed by Bhima in the Lakshagraha palace. Purochana had a wife and many sons. In his last life, Purochana had been Prahasta, Ravana's uncle and commander-in-chief of his army. Shakuni and Duryodhana made another plan to kill the Pandavas. Shakuni told Purochana to build a really beautiful palace in Varnavrata out of only materials that can catch and spread fire easily. Purochana quickly did as Shakuni had said. Purochana called the palace Lakshagraha. It was made out of materials such as wax and twigs.After some time, Shakuni convinced the Pandavas and Kunti to visit Lakshagraha. Purochana and his wife welcomed the Pandavas and Kunti grandly. After 10 days, during the night, Purochana set fire on the palace. The Pandavas woke up and realized that this had been another one of Duryodhana and Shakuni's evil schemes. Bhima got really mad. While Purochana and his sons and wife were trying to escape, Bhima killed all of them, including Purochana. The Pandavas barely managed to escape the fire.
Radha was thefoster mother ofKarna, one of the central characters in theHindu epicMahabharata. She was the wife ofAdhiratha, the charioteer ofBhishma. Radha also bore a son namedShon. The youngKunti used amantra to beget a son from the Sun godSurya. Afraid of the taint of being an unwed mother, she placed the baby in a basket and set him afloat a river. The child later known as Karna was found and adopted by Radha and Adiratha, who raised Karna as their own. Karna is known by the matronymicRadheya. Karna, once he knows from Krishna and Kunti about his birth secret, having done so much harm to his brothers Pandavas, was in no position to abandon Duryodhana.[48]
TheMahabharata also contains an abridged retelling of theRamayana, known asRamopakhyana. Therefore,Rama,Sita,Lakshmana,Ravana and othercharacters of theRamayana also appear in theMahabharata.
Rochamana was Kshatriya king of Aswamedha kingdom. He was a warrior on the side ofPandavas and killed by Karna in the Kurukshetra war.
Ruru was a rishi (sage) of the epicMahabharata. He was the son of Pramati and Ghritachi, the celestial dancer and a descendant of Bhrigu. Ruru married Pramadvara, foster-daughter of sage Sthulakesha. He was the father of Sunaka.
He was son of KingSrutayudha and Queen Sakrayani ofKalinga. He was theyuvaraja (crown prince) of Kalinga. He was killed byBhima on the second day of war along with many soldiers, and two generals, Satya and Satyadeva.
Samudrasena is a king. Once, Bhima defeated Samudrasena and his son, Chandrasena, during his war of conquest. In the Kurukshetra War, he fought on the side of the Pandavas and was killed by the Kaurava army.[49]
Shamika is a sage featured in the epic. One day, while hunting, Parikshit had wounded a deer, but lost it in the woods. Searching for it, fatigued, he asked the meditating Shamika about the deer. The sage did not answer as he was observing the vow of silence. This angered the king, who placed a dead snake on Shamika's shoulder. Sringin, the son of Shamika, enraged by this act, cursed Parikshit to be killed byTakshaka (snake) within seven days.
Satyajit was one of the ten sons of KingDrupada of Panchala.[50]
Savitri is the consort of Brahma, who blesses King Ashvapati with adaughter named in the goddess's honour.
Senavindu, also called as Senabindu, is a king and the rebirth of the asura Tuhunda. Arjuna twice defeated this king during hisdigvijaya. He is stated by Drupada as one of the kings who could be summoned to the cause of the Pandavas in the Kurukshetra War. He was killed by the Kauravas in the war.
Shalva was the king of theShalva kingdom. He andAmba, the princess of Kashi, fell in love, and Amba decided to choose him during her svayamvara. However,Bhishma won the princesses for his brother Vichitravirya. When Amba told Bhishma about her love, he sent her with honour to Shalva. But Shalva rejected her and told her that he would not be able marry her as she had been won by Bhishma.
Shalya's three sons were Madranjaya, Rukmanagada, and Rukmanaratha. Madranjaya was the eldest than other two with a gap of 10 years. Rukmanagada and Rukmanaratha were twins. Madranjaya was killed on 2nd day of war byVirata and other two were killed byAbhimanyu inside the chakravyuha on 13th day.
Shankha was third son of KingVirata. He was killed byBhishma on the very first day of the war.
Shatanika was the son ofNakula andDraupadi. He was the third brother among theDraupadeyas.
Shaunaka headed the sages during their conclave at his twelve-year sacrifice, whereUgrashravas Sauti recited theMahabharata.
The four sons ofChedi KingShishupala were Dhrishtaketu, Mahipala, Suketu, Sarabha. They had a sister namedKarenumati who was younger than Dhrishtaketu but elder than other three. Dhrishtaketu succeeded the throne of Chedi after Shishupala's death. Dhrishtaketu was killed by Drona on 6th day of war and other three were killed by Shakuni's son Vrikasura.
Shrutakarma was the son ofArjuna andDraupadi. He was the youngest brother among theDraupadeyas.
Shrutasena was the son ofSahadeva andDraupadi. He was the fourth brother amongDraupadeyas.
Shukra is the son of sageBhrigu and his wifeKavyamata. After the devas killed his mother (who was later revived), Shukra developed a deep hatred towards the devas and became the guru of the asuras. He had a daughter namedDevayani, who was married to the kingYayati. But Yayati had an affair with Devayani's maid,Sharmishtha. This led Shukra to curse Yayati to lose his youth.
He was the second son ofVirata, also called Shvetavarman. He was killed on the first day of the war byBhishma.
Shvetaki was a king who performed numerous yajnas. He is the reason of the destruction of the Khandava forest (Khandava Dahana).[51]
Shreniman was a king. He ruled the Kumaradesa.Nakula defeated him during his digvijaya. In the Kurukshetra War, he fought on the side of the Pandavas and was killed by Drona.
Subala was the father ofShakuni andGandhari. He was the King of Gandhara and he was the husband of Sudharma.
Sunaka was the son of Sage Ruru and Pramadvara. This royal sage was a member of Yudhishthira's assembly. He received a sword from King Harivamsha and presented it to the king Ushinara.[52][53]
Surya, the Sun god, was the first god called byKunti using the mantra given by the sageDurvasa to obtain a child. She did it out of curiosity and gave birth toKarna, who was born with indestructible armour and earrings. During that time, as she was not married, she had to abandon the child. Later in the epic, Surya gave theAkshaya Patra toYudhishthira.
Susharma was the king of the Trigarta Kingdom. He supported the Kauravas in the war. He was a friend of Duryodhana. He was killed by Arjuna on the fourteenth day of the war.
Sutasoma was the son of Bhima and Draupadi. He was the second brother among the Draupadeyas.
A king ofBhojas, contemporary toYayati, and one of the husbands ofMadhavi with whom he had a son namedShibi
He was the son ofAniruddha. Vajra was crowned as the King ofIndraprastha on the request of Krishna by thePandavas after theYadava fratricide just before thePandavas' journey to Mount Sumeru.
Vapusthama was the princess ofKashi, present day Benaras, the daughter of Subarnavarma, the granddaughter of King Sarvaga and great-granddaughter ofBhima, the secondPandava. Vapusthama was married toArjuna's great-grandsonJanamejaya, and bore him two sons – Shatanika and Sankukarna.
Varaha is the boar-incarnation, stated inVana Parva of the epic, when he rescued Bhumi during theMahapralaya (great-flood).[54]
Vayu deva is the god of wind. He is son of Aditi and Kashyapa. In the epic, he is the spiritual father ofHanuman and the Pandava,Bhima. He was the second god called byKunti after her marriage using a mantra as her husband could not conceive due to a curse.
Veerabhadra was the fierce god who incarnated from Shiva to destroy Daksha's yajna. He is also stated in Shanti Parva of the epic Mahabharata.[13]
The wife ofVidura, the half-brother of KingDhritarashtra and the Prime Minister ofHastinapur. She was also a chaste woman of supreme order. She too had a high degree of devotion and abdication. WhenKrishna visitedHastinapur as an emissary ofPandavas, he had not acceptedDuryodhana's request to stay in his palace but instead he chose to stay atVidura's home and accepted a simple meal there. She is named Sulabha in later versions of the Mahabharata.[55][56][57] Sulabha was a great devotee ofKrishna. One day he came to her home for a surprise meal. She was enchanted by his glowing face. In absence of her husband, she offered him peels of banana instead of the fruit. And he ate them respecting herbhakti note.[57]
In theHindu epicMahabharat, Vijaya was the daughter of kingDyutimata of Madra (Bahalika) and wife ofSahadeva. They got married in aself choice ceremony. Vijaya wasNakula's maternal uncle's daughter. They had a sonSuhotra.[45] After the Kurukshetra War, Vijaya lived in Madra.
Vishoka was the charioteer of Pandava Bhima during the Kurukshetra War.
He was former king ofSinghu Kingdom. He was father ofJayadratha and Vijayadratha. He later became a rishi. WhenArjuna beheaded his son Jayadratha, his head came on his lap while he was doing tapa and when he stood up and Jayadratha's head blasted, killing Vridhakshtra.
In the epic, the death godYama—often identified with the god Dharma—is the spiritual father ofYudhishthira. He was the first god invoked byKunti after her marriage using a mantra as herhusband could not conceive. Yama also appeared in the tale ofSavitri and Satyavan. In the story, he tried to take Satyavan's soul during his predestined time of death, but Savitri was able to persuade the deity to let her husband live. Dharma, later in the epic, appears testing Yudhishthira by taking form of a yaksha. When the Pandavas and Draupadi departed to heaven, he accompanied them by taking the form of a dog and was the only survivor left, along with Yudhishthira. In the end, he showed his true form to Yudhishthira.
Yaudheya was the son of Yudhishthira and Devika, and the grandson of Govasena, who was the king ofSivi Kingdom. Yaudheya succeeded his grandfather after his death in theKurukshetra War.
According to theMatsya Purana, Yaudheya is also the name of the eldest son ofPrativindhya and his first wife Subala, however he does not succeed Yudhishthira to the throne of Hastinapura as he inherits his maternal kingdom.
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