Nakula
| Nakula | |
|---|---|
Kauravas (paternal cousins) |
Nakula (
He shared the common wife,
Etymology and other names
In Sanskrit, the word nakula means "mongoose" or "mongoose-colored."[2]
Nakula and his brother Sahadeva are both also referred to in the epic as Āśvineya, Aśvinīsuta and Aśvisuta because they are the sons of the
Birth and early years
Due to
In his childhood, Nakula mastered his skills in fencing and knife throwing under his father Pandu and a hermit named Suka at the Satasringa ashram. Later, Pandu lost his life when he attempted to make love with his wife, Madri. She committed suicide. Thus, Nakula along with his brothers moved to
Nakula greatly improved his archery and swordplay skills under the tutelage of
Skills
- Horse-keeping: Nakula's deep understanding of horse breeding and training is documented in the Mahabharata after the death of Narakasura by Krishna. In a conversation with Virata, Nakula claimed to know the art of treating all illnesses of horses. He was also a highly skilled charioteer.[8][9]
- Ayurveda: Being a son of the physicians,
- Swordsman: Nakula was a brilliant swordsman and he showed his skills of a sword while killing the sons of Kurukshetra war.
Marriage and Children
When the Pandavas and their mother, Kunti were in hiding after the event of Lakshagriha, Arjuna won Draupadi's hand in marriage. Nakula married her along with his brothers and had a son, Shatanika who was killed by Ashwatthama in the Kurukshetra War.
He also married
Rajasuya conquests
Nakula was sent west by
Exile
Yudhishthira's loss in the game of dice meant that all
Role in the Kurukshetra War
Nakula desired
As a warrior, Nakula slew prominent war-heroes on the enemy side. The flag of Nakula's chariot bore the image of a red deer with a golden back.[16] His conch, which was blown among others at the start of the war, was named Sughosha.[17] Nakula was the leader of one of the seven Akshahuni.
On the 1st day of the war, Nakula defeated
On the 11th day, Nakula defeated Shalya, destroying his chariot.
On the 13th day, his advance into
On the night of the 14th day, he vanquished Shakuni.
On the 15th day, he was defeated by Duryodhana in a one-on-one duel.
On the 16th day, he was defeated and spared by Karna.[18] On the 18th day, he killed Karna's sons Chitrasena, Satyasena and Sushena.
Later life and death
After the war, Yudhishthira appointed Nakula as the King of Northern Madra and Sahadeva as King of southern Madra.[19]
Upon the onset of
.Except Yudhishthira, all of the Pandavas grew weak and died before reaching heaven. Nakula was the third one to fall after Draupadi and Sahadeva. When Bhima asked Yudhishthira why Nakula fell, Yudhishthira replied that Nakula took pride in his beauty and believed that there was nobody equal to him in looks.[20]
References
- ^ "The Mahabharata, Book 1: Adi Parva: Sambhava Parva: Section XCV". 16 January 2010. Archived from the original on 16 January 2010. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
- ^ Sir Monier Monier-Williams (1899). A Sanskrit-English dictionary. p. 523.
- ^ Søren Sørensen (1904–1925). Index to the Names in the Mahābhārata. p. 1.497.
- ^ Gopal, Madan (1990). K.S. Gautam (ed.). India through the ages. Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. p. 73.
- ISBN 9780199781478. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
- ^ "The five Pandavas and the story of their birth". aumamen.com. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
- ISBN 978-981-4459-88-4.
- ^ "Mahabharata Text".
- ISBN 9788186937662.
- ISBN 9788190100823.
- ^ "The Mahabharata, Book 1: Adi Parva: Sambhava Parva: Section XCV". Archived from the original on 16 January 2010.
- ^ "Mahabharata. Digvijaya Parva". www.tititudorancea.com. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
- ISBN 9788176252263.
- ISBN 9788177552713.
- ISBN 9780595401888.
- ^ "Mahabharata Text".
- ^ Bhagavad Gita 1.16
- ^ "The Mahabharata, Book 8: Karna Parva: Section 48". sacred-texts.com. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
- ^ "Shalya – Vyasa Mahabharata".
- ^ "The Mahabharata, Book 17: Mahaprasthanika Parva: Section 2".
Sources
- Vyāsa (November 2006). Mahabharata: The great hall. Book two. NYU Press. ISBN 978-0-8147-9406-7.
- Chakravarti, Bishnupada (13 November 2007). Penguin Companion to the Mahabharata. Penguin UK. ISBN 978-93-5214-170-8.
- Mani, Vettam (1975). Puranic encyclopaedia : a comprehensive dictionary with special reference to the epic and Puranic literature. Robarts – University of Toronto. Delhi : Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 9780842608220.
