Dhristhaketu Dhrishtaketu, the king of Chedi, was the elder son of King Shishupala. During the time of Dhrishtaketu, Suktimati was the capital of Chedi. Dhrishtaketu was an army-general in the army of Pandavas in Kurukshetra War. He was the leader of the army of the Chedis, the Kashis, and the Karushas. He was a…
Dhrishtadyumna Dhrishtadyumna (Sanskrit: धृष्टद्द्युम्न, dhṛṣṭadyumna, lit. he who is courageous and splendorous), also known as Draupada (Sanskrit: द्रौपद, lit. son of Drupada), was the son of Drupada and brother of Draupadi and Shikhandi. He was the commander of the Pandava army during the Kurukshetra War. Dhrishtadyumna killed Drona, the royal guru, when he was meditating which was against the rules of engagement. Birth The king…
Drupada Drupada (Sanskrit: द्रुपद, lit. firm-footed or pillar), also known as Yajnasena (Sanskrit: यज्ञसेन, lit. father of Draupadi), was the son of King Prishata and was the Panchala king. His capital was known as Kampilya. Conflict with Drona Drupada, son of King Prishata, and Drona study together under the tutelage of Rishi Bhardwaja, Drona’s father. They become great friends and Drupada assures…
Duryodhana Duryodhana (Sanskrit: दुर्योधन, literally means Dur= Extremely hard Yodhana= Yudh/Fight; the one with whom the fight is extremely hard) also known as Suyodhana, was the eldest of the Kauravas, the hundred sons of blind king Dhritarashtra and Gandhari. Being the first born son of the blind king, he was the crown…
Drona Droṇa (Sanskrit: द्रोण, Droṇa) was royal preceptor to the Kauravas and Pandavas; an avatar of Brihaspati. He was the son of rishi Bharadwaja and a descendant of sage Angirasa. He was a master of advanced military arts, including the divine weapons or Astras. Since Droṇa was not born from a womb, but from a vessel made of leaf, he was…
Devaki Devaki (देवकी) is the daughter of Devaka, sister of Kansa, wife of Vasudeva Anakadundubhi and biological mother of Balarama, Krishna and Subhadra. After the marriage ceremony, Kansa volunteered to escort the newly-weds to Mathura and drove their chariot. A celestial voice proclaimed that “The eighth child of this Devaki that you are ferrying shall become your death!” Angered,…
DraupadiDraupadi (Sanskrit: द्रौपदी) is one of the most important female characters in the Hindu epic, Mahabharata. According to the epic, she is the daughter of Drupada, King of Panchala.Draupadi is considered as one of the Panch-Kanyas or Five Virgins.Like other epic characters, Draupadi is referred to by multiple names in the Mahabharata. Her names are as follows:Draupadī – (Sanskrit: द्रौपदी) –…
Click on the links below for a Kannada Yakshagana Talamaddale rendering of “Durvasa” in 7 parts:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8wttGr5EW4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IAjSltjmXI&t=4shttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IAjSltjmXI&t=4shttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xi00fiSphtM&t=11shttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Zl4XjOSRR0https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNKy2h8D6dwhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDP_5lwLlG4 DurvasaDurvasa (Sanskrit: दुर्वासा) also known as Durvasas (Sanskrit: दुर्वासस्), was an ancient Rishi, the son of Atri and Anasuya. He is known for his short temper. Hence, wherever he went, he was received with great reverence from humans and devas alike.According to local…
DaityasThe Daityas (Sanskrit: दैत्य) are a clan or race of Asura as are the Danavas. Daityas were the children of Diti and the sage Kashyapa. They fought against the Devas because they were jealous of their Deva half-brothers. Manu Smriti (XII – 48) classifies Daityas as ones possessing the quality of goodness but places them at a level lower than Devas: “Hermits, ascetics, Brahmanas,…
Deva Deva (Sanskrit: देव, Devá) means “heavenly, divine, anything of excellence”, and is also one of the terms for a deity in Hinduism. Deva is masculine, and the related feminine equivalent is Devi. In the earliest Vedic literature, all supernatural beings are called Asuras. The concepts and legends evolve in ancient Indian literature, and by the late Vedic period, benevolent supernatural…