Who survived the Kurukshetra war?
All Indians are aware of the Mahabharatha and the Kurukshetra war. For all those who do not know and my foreign brothers, let me take the previlige of explaining about the background. It was written by the sage Veda Vyasa with his scribe as Ganesha, a major god in Hinduism. The Mahabharatha is said to be the longest epic in the world.
The Pandavas (5 brothers) and Kauravas (100 brothers and a sister- Dusshala) are sons of Pandu and Dhritharashtra respectively. With hunger of power, the Kauravas develop a hatred towards their brothers and in a game and forced to spend 12 years in exile and an year of incognito and even after the successful completion of the two, they participate in a test, a fight between good and evil, righteous and unrighteous. It was the Kurukshetra war that lasted 18 days.
The Pandavas had 7 Akshauhinis fighting on their side while the Kauravas had 11 Akshauhinis. Even though there was such a huge difference, Lord Krishna was on the Pandavas' side. The Kauravas had great warriors fighting including Bhishma Pitamaha, Dronacharya, Karna, Kripacharya, Duryodhana, Shalya, Shakuni, Aswatthama, Dussasana, Jayadratha, etc.
The Pandavas had themselves (Yudhisthira, Bheema, Arjuna, Nakula, Sahadeva), Krishna as the charioteer of Arjuna, Virat, Drupada, Sikhandin, Dhrishtadyumna (as commander), Uttara, Abhimamyu, etc on their sides.
The following 12 are the warriors who remained alive even after such a blood-shed.
The Pandvas :
Yudhisthira, the gift to Kunti by Yama, the ruler of hell. He was a righteous man. Kanku Bhattu in Virata's court, Matsya kingdom during incognito. His weakness was gambling. As he was the eldest of the Pandavas, he is generally the leader of the other four of them.
Bheema, the gift of Vayu, Wind god. Strong, tall, fat, and powerful, with great appetite and a great food lover. Husband of Hidimbi, and father of Ghatotkacha, who are both demons. He took the name of Vallala, chief chef in King Virat's kingdom. He swore to and killed many of the Kauravas, including the most important, Duryodhana, and Dussasana in the Kurukshetra war.
Arjuna, Indra's (king of demigods) son., considered as the hero of the epic is a great archer with amazing skills, is the favourite pupil of his teacher, Dronacharya (who would later die in the war). He is the best friend of Lord Krishna, which is why he is the charioteer. He is said to have very few equals in archery including Karna, and Ekalavya [whose thumb was taken as Guru Dakshina (fee in orthodox Indian Culture to teachers) by Dronacharya]. He was given a sermon, the Bhagavad Gita (The holy scripture of Hindus) by Krishna. He took the name, Brihannala, a dance teacher. His son Abhimanyu was killed in the battle in the Padma Vyuha (Lotus Formation) which could be unlocked by only a few of whom Arjuna is one. The five brothers had a common wife, Draupadi, who was originally married to Arjuna.
Nakula and Sahadeva, gifts by Ashwini Twins (God of Dawn and Dusk) to Madri, the second wife of Pandu, father of the Pandavas. Took the names Granthika, and Tantripala taking care of horses and cows respectively in Virat's Palace. Nakula and Sahadeva are said to be the most beautiful, and scholarly respectively.
Satyaki (Saathyaki) :
He is also known as Yuyudhana. He was a member of the Vrishni Clan of the Yadava dynasty in which Krishna belonged. Though Krishna promised the rest of Vrishni Clan to the Kauravas, Satyaki fought for the Pandavas. He is sometimes called as Krishna's brother. He helped the Pandavas by defending several of them from warriors like Drona. He gets his name from hid father's, Satyaka. He, in the Mausala parva killed Kritavarma (also a Yadava), who fought on the Kauravas' side. The reason will be explained when Kritavarma will be discussed. This led to the killing of all the Yadavas.
Kritavarma :
Krishna :
The chief leader and mentor of the Pandavas and the Yadavas, the prime incarnation of Lord Vishnu, the preserver among the Hindu Trinity (the other two Brahma and Shiva). He is the saviour of the Earth in the Dwapara Yuga (the third of the Mahayuga Chakra, the first two being Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga and the present being Kali Yuga).
Yuyutsu :
Vrishakethu :
He was one of the sons of Karna (Radheya), Duryodhana's best friend, Kunti's son (though not a Pandava) ; and his wives, Vrushali, and Supriya. He had eight brothers,Vrishasena, Chitrasena, Satyasena, Sushena, Shatrunjaya, Dvipata, Banasena, Prasena, all of who died in war. Vrishakethu was on the Kauravas' side.
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*For more information:
http://imywishmylife.blogspot.in/2015/11/places-with-hindu-mythological-etymology.html
http://imywishmylife.blogspot.in/2015/11/ruminations-of-aswatthama.html
http://imywishmylife.blogspot.in/2015/06/frontiers-of-epics.html
Yudhisthira, the gift to Kunti by Yama, the ruler of hell. He was a righteous man. Kanku Bhattu in Virata's court, Matsya kingdom during incognito. His weakness was gambling. As he was the eldest of the Pandavas, he is generally the leader of the other four of them.
Bheema, the gift of Vayu, Wind god. Strong, tall, fat, and powerful, with great appetite and a great food lover. Husband of Hidimbi, and father of Ghatotkacha, who are both demons. He took the name of Vallala, chief chef in King Virat's kingdom. He swore to and killed many of the Kauravas, including the most important, Duryodhana, and Dussasana in the Kurukshetra war.
Arjuna, Indra's (king of demigods) son., considered as the hero of the epic is a great archer with amazing skills, is the favourite pupil of his teacher, Dronacharya (who would later die in the war). He is the best friend of Lord Krishna, which is why he is the charioteer. He is said to have very few equals in archery including Karna, and Ekalavya [whose thumb was taken as Guru Dakshina (fee in orthodox Indian Culture to teachers) by Dronacharya]. He was given a sermon, the Bhagavad Gita (The holy scripture of Hindus) by Krishna. He took the name, Brihannala, a dance teacher. His son Abhimanyu was killed in the battle in the Padma Vyuha (Lotus Formation) which could be unlocked by only a few of whom Arjuna is one. The five brothers had a common wife, Draupadi, who was originally married to Arjuna.
Nakula and Sahadeva, gifts by Ashwini Twins (God of Dawn and Dusk) to Madri, the second wife of Pandu, father of the Pandavas. Took the names Granthika, and Tantripala taking care of horses and cows respectively in Virat's Palace. Nakula and Sahadeva are said to be the most beautiful, and scholarly respectively.
Satyaki (Saathyaki) :
He is also known as Yuyudhana. He was a member of the Vrishni Clan of the Yadava dynasty in which Krishna belonged. Though Krishna promised the rest of Vrishni Clan to the Kauravas, Satyaki fought for the Pandavas. He is sometimes called as Krishna's brother. He helped the Pandavas by defending several of them from warriors like Drona. He gets his name from hid father's, Satyaka. He, in the Mausala parva killed Kritavarma (also a Yadava), who fought on the Kauravas' side. The reason will be explained when Kritavarma will be discussed. This led to the killing of all the Yadavas.
Kritavarma :
He was the enemy of Krishna due to a previous episode with Satraajit, Sathyabhama's (one of the wives of Krishna) and a conflict related to the Syamantaka Jewel. After 18 days of war, in the night, the survivors of Kaurava army, Kritavarma, Kripacharya, and Aswatthama massacred the remnants of the Pandava army including the sons of Draupadi (Shruthavindya, Sutasoma, Sruthakirti, Satanika, and Sruthakarma), Dhrishtadyumna, and Shikhandin (brothers of Draupadi who caused deaths of Drona and Bhishma respectively) as mentioned in the Sauptika Parva (The Mahabharatha is divided into 18 parts called Parvas). Later, due to a curse by Gandhari, the mother of the Kauravas, a conflict started within the Yadavas as mentioned in the Mausala Parva. He was killed by Satyaki and this death increased the fights between the parties of Yadavas supporting Pandavas and Kauravas.
Krishna :
The chief leader and mentor of the Pandavas and the Yadavas, the prime incarnation of Lord Vishnu, the preserver among the Hindu Trinity (the other two Brahma and Shiva). He is the saviour of the Earth in the Dwapara Yuga (the third of the Mahayuga Chakra, the first two being Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga and the present being Kali Yuga).
Yuyutsu :
Of the 101 Kauravas, 99 brothers and Dusshala were born to Gandhari and the other child was Yuyutsu, born to Sukhada, a maid. He did not like the idea of trying to cheat their cousins and didn't Duryodhana's idea. In the first day of war, when Dharmaraja (Yudhisthira) offered a position on his side, Yuyutsu shifted. His Moral values are praised. He is sometimes considered an equivalent to Vibhishana (who joins the side of Rama, not liking his brother, Ravana's ideas) of Ramayana (an epic whose protagonist was Vishnu's previous incarnation Rama, of Treta Yuga).
Aswatthama :
He was the son of Guru Dronacharya and his wife Kripi, who was the sister of Kripacharya. He didn't like Arjuna, but what angers him the most is his father's death. His father had been a very strong opponent, whose very could help Pandavas a lot. So Yudhisthira with a high volume announces that Drona's son, Aswatthama had been killed, but with a low volume says that the killed Aswatthama was not a tall, handsome boy, but an elephant by Bheema. Not knowing the second portion of what he had spoken, Drona left his weapons to meditate and Arjuna shot him and Dhrishtadhyumna chopped off his head. Aswatthama became even more angry when Duryodhana was killed by Bheema on the last day of war. Keeping this in his mind, he led Kripacharya and Kritavarma to the Pandava Camp and started the Midnight massacre about which we have already discussed. Aswatthama had the Narayanastara with him and he was a Chiranjeevi. Krishna cursed that he would roam forever on the earth like a ghost.
Kripacharya :
He was an immortal and was the son of Sharadvan (Gautama muni's son) and a nymph, Janapadi. His sister was Kripacharya. He was the military teacher for the Pandava and Kaurava princes and after the war, he was the teacher of King Parikshit, son of Abhimanyu, and grandson of Arjuna.Aswatthama :
He was the son of Guru Dronacharya and his wife Kripi, who was the sister of Kripacharya. He didn't like Arjuna, but what angers him the most is his father's death. His father had been a very strong opponent, whose very could help Pandavas a lot. So Yudhisthira with a high volume announces that Drona's son, Aswatthama had been killed, but with a low volume says that the killed Aswatthama was not a tall, handsome boy, but an elephant by Bheema. Not knowing the second portion of what he had spoken, Drona left his weapons to meditate and Arjuna shot him and Dhrishtadhyumna chopped off his head. Aswatthama became even more angry when Duryodhana was killed by Bheema on the last day of war. Keeping this in his mind, he led Kripacharya and Kritavarma to the Pandava Camp and started the Midnight massacre about which we have already discussed. Aswatthama had the Narayanastara with him and he was a Chiranjeevi. Krishna cursed that he would roam forever on the earth like a ghost.
Kripacharya :
Vrishakethu :
He was one of the sons of Karna (Radheya), Duryodhana's best friend, Kunti's son (though not a Pandava) ; and his wives, Vrushali, and Supriya. He had eight brothers,Vrishasena, Chitrasena, Satyasena, Sushena, Shatrunjaya, Dvipata, Banasena, Prasena, all of who died in war. Vrishakethu was on the Kauravas' side.
*For more information:
http://imywishmylife.blogspot.in/2015/11/places-with-hindu-mythological-etymology.html
http://imywishmylife.blogspot.in/2015/11/ruminations-of-aswatthama.html
http://imywishmylife.blogspot.in/2015/06/frontiers-of-epics.html
