Snippets of Information - Epics
Mahabaratham - Characters - A
*Abhimanyu
He was the son of Arjuna and Lord Krishna's sister Subhadra. He
was initially trained by Arjuna, but after the Pandavas left to the
forest, Subhadra and Abhimanyu lived in Dvaraka (Dvaarakaa) and he was
trained in warfare by his uncles Balarama and Krishna.
He was married to Uttarā, the princess of the Matsya Kingdom. He was
aware of the means to enter the Chakravyuham but did not know the way
out. On the 13th day of the war, he entered the Chakravyuh and
fought valiantly. He was simultaneously and unfairly attacked by
the six (also mentioned as 7) maharathis - Duryodhana, Dushasana,
Dronacharya, Kripacharya, Karna and Shakuni. He lost his chariot but
continued to fight using his chariot wheel. Dushashana's son, Drumasena
or Durdharshana (In most versions of the Mahabharata, Dushashana's son
is not given a proper name and is referred to only as Duhsasana's son)
used his mace to crush Abhimanyu's skull. Abhimanyu died as a
great hero at the age of sixteen on the 13th day of the war. His wife
Uttara was pregnant at the time of the war and their son Parikshit
succeeded his granduncle Yudhishthira to the throne of Hastinapura.
* Achoda
A divine being called Achoda had been cursed to take birth on earth. She was born as Satyavati.
* Adiratha (Radheya)Adiratha (Radheya) and his wife Radha
adopted the child left in a basket to drift in the river Ganga by young
princess Kunti as their own son and named him Karna.
* Adrika
An apsaras who had been cursed and changed into a fish by Lord Brahma.
After swallowing the seed of king Vasu by accident she had borne twins -
Satyavati and her brother Matsya ...Read more
* Amba, Ambika and Ambalika
They were the daughters of Kashya, the King of Kashi and Kausalya ...Read more
* Ashta (Asta) Vasus
The eight Vasus mentioned in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad are Agni, Prithvi, Vayu, Antariksha, Aditya, Dyaus, Soma and Nakstrani.
By the time of the Mahabharata, their names were replaced by Anala, Dhara, Anila, Aha, Pratyusha, Prabhasa, Soma and Dhruva.
Although the names are different, in their essential meaning both the
lists point to the same divinities. Anala is an epithet of Agni. Dhara
is water. Anila is the earth. Aha is Vayu. Pratyusha is Aditya, the Sun.
Prabhasa is Dyus, the dawn. Soma is the moon, Chandrama and Nakshatrani
is Dhruva, the Pole Star. Symbolically, the eight Vasus represent the
elemental forces and processes of Nature and the beings, namely earth,
water, fire, air, light, weather, day, dawn, pole star, sun, moon,
movement, support, transformation, digestion and so on.
Source: Gods of Hinduism, the Eight Vasus by Jayaram V, hinduwebsite.com
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