| Ambalika | |
|---|---|
| Mahabharata character | |
| Information | |
| Gender | Female |
| Position | Kuru Queen |
| Family | Parents
|
| Spouse | Vichitravirya |
| Children | Pandu |
| Home | Kashi |
Ambalika (Sanskrit:अम्बालिका,romanized: Ambālikā) is the queen ofKuru kingdom in the Hindu epicMahabharata. The youngest daughter of Kashya, the King ofKashi and Kausalya,[1] Ambalika is abducted byBhishma during hersvayamvara ceremony, and becomes the wife ofVichitravirya, the King ofHastinapura. She is the mother ofPandu and the grandmother ofPandavas.[2]
Along with her sisters,Amba andAmbika, Ambalika was taken by force byBhishma during theirsvayamvara, the latter having challenged and defeated the assembled royalty. He presented them toSatyavati for marriage to Vichitravirya.[3] Ambalika and her sister spent seven years in their husband's company. Vichitravirya was afflicted withtuberculosis, and died from the disease.[4][5]
After Vichitravirya's death, since he left no heirs, his mother Satyavati sent for her first born, the sageVyasa. She asked him to father children with the widowed queens of Vichitravirya, according to the prevalent custom ofniyoga. Vyasa had come from years of intense meditation, and as a result, he looked tremendously unkempt. When he approachedAmbika, she closed her eyes in fear. As a result, the blindDhritrashtra was born. When he approached Ambalika, she turned pale in fear. Her sonPandu, as the result of theniyoga, was born with a pale appearance.[6][7]
Her son Pandu was married toKunti andMadri. She is the grandmother ofPandavas –Yudhishthira,Bhima,Arjuna,Nakula andSahadeva, who were the central characters of the epic.[8][9]
After the death of Pandu, Ambalika accompanied her mother-in-law Satyavati, and sister Ambika, to the forest, and spent the rest of her days in spiritual retreat.[10]
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