Characters in the Mahabharata

Shiva (; , , , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , [mɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh], ) and Hara (, ), is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hinduism.

Krishna (; Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is widely revered among Hindu divinities. Krishna's birthday is celebrated every year by Hindus on Krishna Janmashtami according to the lunisolar Hindu calendar, which falls in late August or early September of the Gregorian calendar.

Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (maryāda puruṣottama), Rama is the male protagonist of the Hindu epic Ramayana. His birth is celebrated every year on Rama Navami, which falls on the ninth day of the bright half (Shukla Paksha) of the lunar cycle of Chaitra (March–April), the first month in the Hindu calendar.

Indra (; , ) is the Vedic god of weather, considered the king of the devas and svarga in Hinduism. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war.

Hanuman (; , ), also known as Maruti, Bajrangabali, and Anjaneya, is a deity in Hinduism, revered as a divine vanara, and a devoted companion of the deity Rama. Central to the Ramayana, Hanuman is celebrated for his unwavering devotion to Rama and is considered a chiranjivi. He is traditionally believed to be the spiritual offspring of the wind deity Vayu, who is said to have played a significant role in his birth. In Shaiva tradition, he is regarded as an incarnation of Shiva, while in most of the Vaishnava traditions he is the son and incarnation of Vayu. His tales are recounted not only in

Vyasa (; , ) is a rishi (sage) with a prominent role in most Hindu traditions. He is also known as Veda Vyasa (, ) or Krishna Dvaipayana (, ). Traditionally regarded as the author of the epic Mahābhārata, Vyasa also plays a prominent role as a character. He is also regarded by the Hindu traditions to be the compiler of the mantras of the Vedas into four texts, as well as the author of the eighteen Purāṇas and the Brahma Sutras.

Arjuna (, ) is one of the central characters of the ancient Hindu epic Mahabharata. He is the third oldest of the five Pandava brothers and is widely recognised as the most distinguished among them. He is the son of Indra, the king of the gods, and Kunti, wife of King Pandu of Kuru dynasty—making him a divine-born hero. Arjuna is famed for his extraordinary prowess in archery and mastery over celestial weapons.He is the Strongest warrior of the era according to Vyasa, Krishna, Parshurama etc .Throughout the epic, Arjuna sustains a close friendship with his maternal cousin, Krishna, who serves

Surya ( ; , ) is the Sun as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smarta tradition, all of whom are considered as equivalent deities in the Panchayatana puja and a means to realise Brahman. Throughout Indian literature, Surya has been given multiple epitaphs such as Ravi, Vaivasvat, Bhāskara, etc. Furthermore, Surya has been described through aspects of itself which are identified as the Ādityas; including Savitr, Pushan, Mārtanda, Bhaga, etc.

Draupadi (), also referred to as Krishnā, Panchali and Yajnaseni, is one of the central characters of the ancient Sanskrit epic, the Mahabharata (c. 400 BCE – 400 CE). Born from a yajna (fire sacrifice) conducted by King Drupada of Panchala, she is the princess of the Panchala Kingdom and the common wife of the five Pandava brothers—Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva—in a polyandrous marriage sanctioned by divine prophecy and narratives of her previous lives. Attested as a partial incarnation of the goddess Shri, Draupadi initially serves as the queen of Indraprastha, overseeing

Vayu (; ), also known as Vata () and Pavana (), is the Hindu god of the winds as well as the divine messenger of the gods. In the Vedic scriptures, Vayu is an important deity and is closely associated with Indra, the king of gods. He is mentioned to be born from the breath of Supreme Being Vishvapurusha and also the first one to drink Soma. The Upanishads praise him as Prana or 'life breath of the world'. In the later Hindu scriptures, he is described as a dikpala (one of the guardians of the direction), who looks over the north-west direction. The Hindu epics describe him as the father of the

Parashurama (), also referred to as Ram Jamadagnya, Ram Bhargav and Viraram, is the sixth avatar among the Dashavatara of the preserver god Vishnu in Hinduism. Hindu tradition holds him to be the destroyer of evil on Earth. He liberates the Mother Earth from felons, ill-behaved men, extremists, demons and those blind with pride. He is described as one of the Chiranjivi (Immortals), who will appear at the end of the Kali Yuga to be the guru of Vishnu's tenth and last incarnation, Kalki.

The Yakshas (, , ) are a broad class of nature spirits, usually benevolent, but sometimes mischievous or capricious, connected with water, fertility, trees, the forest, treasure and wilderness. They appear in Hindu, Jain and Buddhist texts, as well as ancient and medieval era temples of South Asia and Southeast Asia as guardian deities. The feminine form of the word is or Yakshini (, ; ).

goddess personifying the river Ganges in Hinduism

Bhima (, ), also known as Bhimasena (, ), is a hero and one of the most prominent characters in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. As the second of the five Pandava brothers, Bhima was born to Kunti—the wife of King Pandu—fathered by Vayu, the wind god, which bestowed upon him superhuman strength from birth. His rivalry with the Kauravas, especially Duryodhana, defined much of his life, with this tension ultimately erupting in the Kurukshetra War, where Bhima killed all hundred Kaurava brothers.

Kunti (, ), also known as Pritha (, ), is a prominent character in the Mahabharata, an ancient Sanskrit epic poem. A princess of the Vrishni dynasty, she becomes the wife of Pandu, king of the Kuru Kingdom, and is chiefly known as the mother of the five Pandavas—having given birth to the three eldest, Yudhishthira, Bhima, and Arjuna—and raising their younger stepbrothers, Nakula and Sahadeva, as her own.

Yudhishthira (), also known as Dharmaputra () and Dharmaraja (), was the eldest among the five Pandavas, and is also one of the central characters of the ancient Hindu epic Mahabharata. He was the king of Indraprastha and later the King of the Kuru kingdom in the epic.

Karna (Sanskrit: कर्णः, IAST: Karṇa), also known as Vasusena, Anga-Raja, Sutaputra and Radheya, is one of the major characters in the Hindu epic Mahābhārata. He is the spiritual son of Surya (the solar deity) and princess Kunti (later the Pandava queen). His birth occurred after Kunti invoked a divine boon to test its power in her youth; fearing societal stigma over her premarital motherhood, she is forced to abandon the infant in a basket on the Ganges. He is discovered and fostered by Radha and Adhiratha Nandana, the sūta (charioteer) of King Dhritarashtra. Karna grows up to be an accomplish

Balarama (, ) is a Hindu god, and the elder brother of Krishna. He is particularly significant in the Jagannath tradition, as one of the triad deities. He is also known as Haladhara, Halayudha, Baladeva, Balabhadra, and Sankarshana.

Bhishma (), also known as Pitāmaha, Gangāputra, and Devavrata, is a central figure in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. He was a statesman and military commander of the ancient Kuru kingdom. Renowned for his wisdom, valor, skill in battle and unwavering principles, Bhishma served as the supreme commander of the Kaurava forces during the first ten days of the Kurukshetra War until his fall.

The Ashvins (, ), also known as the Ashvini Kumaras and Asvinau, are Vedic twin gods, namely Nāsatya () and Dasra (). They are associated with medicine, health, healing, sciences, and the twilight. In the Rigveda, they are described as youthful divine twin horsemen, travelling in a chariot drawn by horses that are never weary, and portrayed as guardian deities that safeguard and rescue people by aiding them in various situations.

thumb|Kaurava army (left) faces the Pandavas. A 17th–18th century painting from Mewar, [[Rajasthan.]]

Vishvakarma or Vishvakarman (, ) is a craftsman deity and the divine architect of the devas in contemporary Hinduism. In the early texts, the craftsman deity was known as Tvastar and the word "Vishvakarma" was originally used as an epithet for any powerful deity. However, in many later traditions, Vishvakarma became the name of the craftsman god.

Pandu () is a character in the ancient Hindu epic Mahabharata. He was the king of the Kuru kingdom, with capital at Hastinapur. He was the acknowledged-father of the five Pandavas, who are the central characters of the epic.

Duryodhana (, ), also known as Suyodhana, is the primary antagonist of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. He is the eldest of the Kauravas, the hundred sons of King Dhritarashtra and Queen Gandhari of Kuru dynasty. Born through a miraculous manner, his birth is accompanied by ill-omens. Duryodhana grows up in Hastinapura and later becomes its crown prince. Driven by innate selfishness, jealousy, and hostility towards his cousins—the five Pandava brothers—Duryodhana frequently plots against them, aided by his principal allies: his trickster uncle Shakuni, his loyal friend Karna, his devoted brother Du

Urvashi (, ) is the most prominent apsara mentioned in the Hindu scriptures like the Vedas, the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata, as well as the Puranas. She is regarded as the most beautiful of all the apsaras, and an expert dancer.

Shakuntala () is a heroine in ancient Indian literature, best known for her portrayal in the ancient Sanskrit play Abhijnanashakuntalam (The Recognition of Shakuntala), written by the classical poet Kalidasa in the 4th or 5th century AD. Her story, however, originates in the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata (c. 400 BC - 400 AD), where she appears in the Adi Parva ("The Book of Beginnings"). In both narratives, Shakuntala is the daughter of the sage Vishvamitra and the celestial nymph Menaka. Abandoned at birth, she is raised by the sage Kanva in a forest hermitage. She later falls in love with King

Gandhari (, ) is a major character in the ancient Hindu epic Mahabharata. She is introduced as a princess of the Gandhara Kingdom and later becomes the queen of the Kuru Kingdom. The daughter of King Subala, her marriage is arranged with Dhritarashtra, the blind king of Kuru, and in a symbolic gesture of solidarity, she voluntarily blindfolds herself for life. Through miraculous intervention, she becomes the mother of the one hundred sons collectively known as the Kauravas, the eldest of whom, Duryodhana, serves as one of the principal antagonists of the narrative.

Madri (, ), also known as Madravati (, ), is a legendary character in the Mahabharata, an ancient Sanskrit epic poem. She is the princess from the Madra Kingdom and becomes the second wife of Pandu, the king of the Kuru Kingdom. She is the mother of the twins Nakula and Sahadeva, the youngest of the five Pandava brothers.

Abhimanyu (, ) is a character in the ancient Hindu epic Mahābhārata. He was a young and valiant warrior of the Kuru lineage, born to Arjuna—the third Pandava brother—and Subhadra—a Vrishni princess. He was also one of the few individuals, along with his father, who knew the technique to enter the Chakravyuha, a powerful military formation. Abhimanyu was raised by his maternal family in Dvārakā because the Pandavas had been exiled for thirteen years by their cousins, the Kauravas. After his father's return, his marriage was arranged with Uttarā, the princess of the Matsya Kingdom.

Budha () is the Sanskrit word for the planet Mercury, personified as the god of intelligence.

Shantanu (, ) is a character in the ancient Hindu epic Mahabharata. He was the King of Kuru kingdom with his capital at Hastinapura. He was a descendant of the Bharata race, a forebear of the lineage of the Chandravamsha, the father of Bhishma and the great-grandfather of the Pandavas and the Kauravas.

Manasa () is a Hindu goddess of snakes. She is worshipped mainly in Bihar, Odisha, Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Assam and other parts of northeastern India, chiefly for the prevention and cure of snakebite, and also for fertility and prosperity. In Hindu texts, Manasa is the daughter of sage Kashyapa, sister of Vasuki—king of Nāgas (serpents)—and wife of sage Jaratkaru. She is the mother of the sage Astika.

Ghatotkacha (, ; ) is a character in the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata. His name comes from the fact that he was bald (utkacha) and his head was shaped like a ghatam, or a pot. He is the son of the Pandava Bhima and the rakshasi Hidimbi.

Dhritarashtra () was a ruler of the ancient Kuru kingdom, featured as a central character in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. He is also attested in the Yajurveda, where he is acknowledged as the son of King Vichitravirya.

Ashvatthama (, , also spelt as Ashwatthama and Ashvatthaman) is one of the major characters in the ancient Hindu epic Mahabharata. He is the son of Drona, the royal preceptor to the Kuru princes—the Pandavas and the Kauravas. Ashvatthama is a close companion of Duryodhana, the leader of the Kauravas, and receives military training alongside the Kuru princes under the tutelage of his father.

Droṇa (, ), also referred to as Dronacharya (, ), is a major character of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. He initially serves as the royal preceptor of the Kauravas and the Pandavas of the Kuru dynasty, and later emerges as one of the epic’s principal counsellors and warriors.

Sahadeva () was the youngest of the five Pandava brothers in the ancient Indian epic, the Mahabharata. He and his twin brother Nakula were the sons of Madri, one of the wives of the Pandava patriarch Pandu, and Ashvini Kumaras, the divine twin physicians of the gods, whom she invoked to beget her sons due to Pandu's inability to progenate. Sahadeva is renowned for his wisdom, knowledge of astrology, and skill in swordsmanship.

Nakula () is a major character in the ancient Indian epic, the Mahabharata. He is the elder twin brother of Sahadeva and the fourth of the five Pandava brothers. He is the son of twin physician gods, Ashvins, and Madri, the second wife of King Pandu of Kuru dynasty. In the epic, Nakula is described as the most handsome man of his lineage, and was renowned for his skill in swordsmanship and horse keeping.

Shakuni (, , ) is one of the antagonists of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. He was the prince of the kingdom of Gandhara when introduced, later becoming its king after the death of his father, Subala. He was the brother of Gandhari and the maternal uncle of the Kauravas.

Satyavati (, ; also spelled Satyawati) is a character in the ancient Hindu epic Mahabharata. She was the queen of the Kuru kingdom, married to king Shantanu of Hastinapura, and is a great-grandmother of the Pandava and Kaurava princes. She is also the mother of the seer Vyasa, author of the epic. Her story appears in the Mahabharata, the Harivamsa, and the Devi Bhagavata Purana.

Vasudeva (; Sanskrit: वसुदेव ), also called Anakadundubhi (anakas and dundubhis both refer to drums, after the musicians who played these instruments at the time of his birth), is the father of the Hindu deities Vāsudeva-Krishna, Balarama, and Subhadra. He was a king of the Vrishnis. His sister Kunti was married to Pandu and elder brother Samudravijaya is father of Neminath.

River goddess of life in Hinduism

Subhadra () is a figure in Hindu tradition, particularly revered in Vaishnavism as the sister of the deities Krishna and Balarama. She is mentioned in ancient Hindu scriptures, including the epic Mahabharata and the Bhagavata Purana. A princess of the Vrishni clan and the daughter of Vasudeva, Subhadra married the Pandava prince Arjuna and became the mother of Abhimanyu.

Jarasandha () is a king featured in the Sanatan (Hindu) scriptures. He is the powerful monarch of Magadha, and enemy of Krishna in Mahabharata. He is the son of the king Brihadratha, the founder of the Barhadratha dynasty of Magadha. According to scriptures, the descendants of Brihadratha ruled Magadha for 2600 years followed by Pradyota Dynasty and the Haryanka dynasty. He is mentioned in the Mahabharata and the Vayu Purana. He is also mentioned as the ninth pratinarayana in the Jain text Harivamsa Purana.The Capital City Of Jarasandha Mentioned in Mahābhārata was Girivraja , Which Many Schol

legendary Emperor of ancient India

Rukmini (, ) is a Hindu goddess and the first queen of Krishna. She is described as the chief of Krishna's wives in Dvaraka. Rukmini is revered as the avatar of Lakshmi and is venerated primarily in Warkari, and Haridasa tradition, and additionally in Sri Vaishnavism.

Bharadvaja (, ; also spelled Bharadwaja) was one of the revered Vedic sages (maharishi) in Ancient India. He was a renowned scholar, economist, grammarian and a physician. He is one of the Saptarshis (seven great sages or Maharṣis).

Kamsa (, ) was the tyrant ruler of the Vrishni kingdom, with its capital at Mathura. He is variously described in Hindu literature as either a human or an asura; The Puranas describe him as an asura, while the Harivamśa describes him as an asura reborn in the body of a man. His royal house was called Bhoja; thus, another of his names was Bhojapati. He was the cousin of Devaki, the mother of the deity Krishna; Krishna ultimately fulfilled a prophecy by slaying Kamsa.

Kripa (, ), also known as Kripacharya (, ), is a figure in Hindu legends. According to the epic Mahabharata, he was a council member of Kuru kingdom and a teacher of the Pandava and Kaurava princes. He is also a teacher of many warriors mentioned in the Mahabharata, including Karna.

Menaka ( ) is a prominent apsara (celestial nymph) in Hindu mythology, celebrated as one of the most beautiful dancers in the court of Indra, the king of the gods. She is often portrayed as an archetypal seductress, frequently dispatched by the gods to disrupt the penance of sages whose growing spiritual power threatens the celestial order.

Devaki (Sanskrit: देवकी, IAST: Devakī) is a character in Hindu literature, most noted for being the mother of the god Krishna. She is one of the seven daughters of Devapa or Devaka, a king of the Yadu dynasty, and has four brothers. She is one of the wives of Vasudeva. Her cousin is Kamsa, the king of Mathura, a cruel tyrant who had been told by Narada that he had been an asura killed by Vishnu in his previous life (Kalanemi), exacerbating his wickedness. According to popular tradition, Devaki is considered to be an incarnation of Aditi, a mother goddess who was the daughter of Daksha and the

Damayanti () is a heroine in ancient Indian literature, primarily known for her role in the episode of Nalopakhyana, which is embedded within the Vana Parva (the third book) of the epic Mahabharata (c. 400 BCE – 400 CE). She is celebrated for her beauty, intelligence, unwavering love, and steadfast devotion to her husband, Nala, the king of Nishadha kingdom.

character of Mahabharata

Yayati () is an emperor in Hindu tradition. He is described to be a Chandravamsha king. He is regarded to be the progenitor of the races of the Yadavas and the Pandavas.

Vidura () is a major character in the ancient Hindu epic Mahabharata (c. 400 BCE — 400 CE). He is described as the prime minister of the Kuru kingdom and is the paternal uncle of both the Pandavas and the Kauravas.

Vichitravirya () is a figure in the Mahabharata, where he is featured as a Kuru king.

In Hindu scriptures, Durvasa (, lit."difficult to live with"), also known as Durvasas (), is a legendary rishi (sage). He is the son of Anasuya and Atri. According to some Puranas, Durvasa is a partial avatar of Shiva, known for his irrascibility and short tempered behaviour. Wherever he goes, he is received with great reverence by humans and devas alike.

Parīkṣit (, ) was a Kuru king who reigned during the Middle Vedic period (12th–9th centuries BCE). Along with his son and successor, Janamejaya, he played a decisive role in the consolidation of the Kuru state, the arrangement of Vedic hymns into collections, and the development of the orthodox srauta ritual, transforming the Kuru realm into the dominant political and cultural center of northern Iron Age India. He also appears as a figure in later legends and traditions. According to the legendary accounts in Mahabharata and the Puranas, he succeeded his granduncle Yudhishthira to the throne o

Maya () or Mayāsura (), also called Maya Danava, is a figure in Hindu history, described as the king of the Danavas, a race of beings descending from Kashyapa and his wife Danu. He is known for his architectural expertise, credited with creating the Mayasabha (Hall of Illusions) for the Pandavas and Tripura (Three cities) for the sons of Tarakasura. In the Ramayana, he is mentioned as the father-in-law of Ravana. He is presented as an architect of Maya (the illusory material reality). In the Surya Siddhanta 1.02, Mayāsura is described as a Daitya who received divine astronomical knowledge from

Hiḍimbī (Sanskrit: ), is a character in the Mahabharata, one of the two great Sanskrit epics of ancient India. She is introduced as a man-eating Rakshasi (demoness) and the sister of Hidimba, a powerful demon who ruled a forested region. In the narrative, Hidimbi is tasked by her brother to deceive the Pandava brothers—the main characters of the epic—but instead falls in love with Bhima, second of the five Pandava brothers. She exposes the scheme, leading to Hidimba's death at the hands of Bhima. Afterwards, Hidimbi marries Bhima and becomes the mother of Ghatotkacha, who plays an important ro