When we think of The Mahabharata, we think of the Pandavas as its heroes. We follow their journey, from riches to rags to riches again, with bated breath.
But how well do we know its “villains”, the Kauravas? Their tumultuous lives — filled with what they stood to gain and everything they lost along the way — is a footnote in this great epic.
The Kauravas were a hundred and counting, in number, but can we name any of them beyond Duryodhana and Dushasana? It’s time to brush the dust off these forgotten lives.
Here’s an introduction to three lesser-known Kauravas.
Vikarna
Illustration: S.G. Abhirami
As the third Kaurava brother, Vikarna could have followed in the footsteps of his siblings. But his passion for dharma burnt bright.
During the game of dice, where his brothers taunted Draupadi while the Kuru elders looked away, it was Vikarna who stood up for his sister-in-law. When she argued that Yudhisthira could not stake her after losing himself and implored the elders to step in, Vikarna echoed her sentiments. His concern was dismissed but it still showed his strength of character.
Eventually, he was slain in the Battle of Kurukshetra. His death was mourned by the Pandavas and Kauravas alike.
Did you know?
Vikarna’s equivalent in the Ramayana is Kumbhakarna. Both of them were dutiful brothers who played out the roles ordained for them by destiny.
Yuyutsu
Illustration: S.G. Abhirami
Yuyutsu was also Dhritarashtra’s son but his mother was Sughada, Gandhari’s personal attendant. This made him a lifelong target of his jeering half-brothers — something he shared in common with the Pandavas. They struck up an easy friendship that remained steadfast through the years. He even sent them warnings about Duryodhana’s schemes — one of which saved Bheema’s life.
It should come as no surprise that Yuyutsu was the only Kaurava to fight for the Pandavas, during the Battle of Kurukshetra.
Did you know?
Yuyutsu’s equivalent in the Ramayana is Vibhishana. Both of them defected before their respective wars, pledging alliance to the other side.
Dushala
Illustration: S.G. Abhirami
Dhritarashtra and Gandhari had a hundred sons. But their final child — the 101st — was a daughter named Dushala.
Growing up, she was doted on by her brothers and treated by the Pandavas as their own sister. But all was not idyllic for Dushala. She was married off to Jayadratha, the haughty king of Sindhu, and their marriage was riddled with unhappiness. Dushala was widowed in the war and lost her son, Suratha, some years later.
When the Pandavas were conducting a yagna to become the ultimate rulers of the land, Dushala brought her grandson to them. The innocence in the child’s eyes moved Arjuna to crown him the king of Sindhu.
Would you agree?
Dushala’s tale shows that it may take 105 men to wage a war, but one woman to restore peace.
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The earliest Hindu scriptures are the Vedas, which have hymns to many gods or devas, most of whom were linked to natural phenomena such as Indra (god of thunder and rain), Vayu (god of wind), Agni (god of fire), Surya (sun god), Chandra (moon god), and so on. These gods were also the Dikpalas or guardians of the eight directions.
Indra
Illustration: Sanjay Valecha, Durgesh Velhal
Indra is the king of the Vedic gods. He carries a thunderbolt and brings rain or life to the world. He rides on Airavata, the white elephant, and presides over a sumptuous court in Indralok, with beautiful apsaras in attendance. He is also the guardian of the eastern direction and the husband of the beautiful Shachi or Indrani.
Agni
Illustration: Sanjay Valecha, Durgesh Velhal
Agni is the god of fire. He is associated with the domestic cooking fire and also with the fire lit at yagnas. So, his is often shown with two flames around his crown. He is the one who carries all the offerings to the various gods (as the offerings are given into the fire). Agni rides a ram and is also the lord of the southeast direction. In later times, he also becomes the foster father to Kartikeya, the son of Shiva.
Vayu
Illustration: Sanjay Valecha, Durgesh Velhal
Vayu is the Vedic god of wind. He is also the lord of prana or breath. His is the guardian of the northwest direction.
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According to the Devi Bhagavata, the Universe is the manifestation of Goddess Durga. Durga is worshipped all over India in sixty-four forms, including as Ambika, Kali, Chandika and Chamundi. Read the story of how these incarnations of Durga killed Asura king Shumbha and his commanders in a fierce battle and how Kali came to be known as Chamundi.
Shumbha’s decision
A long time ago, the Devas were defeated and were forced to flee heaven by Shumbha, the king of the Asuras. Chanda and Munda, the commanders of Shumbha, decided to follow the Devas to find out their whereabouts. The Devas reached Mount Himavat and prayed to Goddess Durga. Just then, Goddess Ambika, an incarnation of Durga, emerged from the body of Parvati, Shiva’s consort. Chanda and Munda, who witnessed this event, rushed immediately to Shumbha to inform him of Ambika. Shumbha was impressed when he heard about Ambika’s beauty and grace from his commanders and decided to marry her.
Script: Subba Rao, Illustration: Souren Roy
Dhumralochana’s death
Chanda and Munda returned to Ambika and informed her about their master’s wish to marry her. Ambika told them that she had taken a vow to marry the man who would defeat her in battle. When Shumbha learnt about the vow, he sent Dhumralochana, a commander, to bring Ambika to him. Dhumralochana took an army with him to Mount Himavat and confronted Ambika. When Ambika refused to break her vow, Dhumralochana rushed towards her. With contempt, Ambika uttered a single syllable – ‘hum’. In a moment, the mighty commander was burned to ashes. Seeing this, the army began to flee from the battlefield. However, Chanda and Munda stopped the retreating soldiers and encouraged them to capture Ambika.
From Kali to Chamundi
As the asuras returned, another incarnation of Durga, named Kali, emerged from Ambika. Kali battled fiercely with the Asuras and crushed them to death. When Chanda and Munda rushed towards Kali, she seized them by their hair and beheaded them. Ambika, with a smile, said that since Kali had killed Chanda and Munda, she would also be known as ‘Chamundi’.
Shumbha’s end
When Shumbha learned about his commanders’ fate, he rushed to the battlefield with a huge army. The Shaktis, the feminine elements of various gods, emerged on the battlefield. Brahmani emerged from Brahma, Vaishnavi emerged from Vishnu and Maheshwari from Shiva. Finally, Chandika emerged from Ambika. The sky was filled with the various Shaktis. In the great battle that followed, the Asuras fled, unable to match the powers of these Shaktis, which infuriated Raktabeeja, a terrible asura who had the power to create replicas of himself from his blood that touched the ground. Kali, upon Chandika’s request, prevented Raktabeeja’s blood from falling to the ground, leading to hundreds and thousands of Raktabeejas that had arisen, to be wiped out. Furious with the turn of events, Raktabeeja rushed towards Chandika and a battle ensued between them. Chandika killed Raktabeeja in the end. Nishumbha, Shumbha’s brother, vowed to kill Chandika, following the death of Raktabeeja. But he too, was no match for Chandika, and met his end at her hands.
Script: Subba Rao, Illustration: Souren Roy
Angered by his brother’s death, Shumbha mocked Durga for getting help to destroy his men rather than fighting alone. Durga replied that she was alone all along the battle and what Shumbha witnessed was only her different forms. Then, all the Shaktis merged into Durga much to Shumbha’s amazement. A fierce battle ensued between Durga and Shumbha, in which Durga finally killed Shumbha with her spear, much to the joy of the Devas.
Script: Subba Rao, Illustration: Souren Roy
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The ritual of sacrifice was central to the religion of the Vedic times. At its core was the belief the gods required to be propitiated with offerings. These were to be given as prescribed in the ancient Vedic sacred texts. Once this was done, then the gods would reward the patron or the organiser of the sacrifice with wealth, children, cattle, health, happiness and all manner of good things.
The ‘sacrifice’ consisted of offerings of milk, ghee (clarified butter), honey, fruits, an intoxicating drink called Soma, and cooked dishes both sweet and savoury. In ancient times, animal sacrifice was also quite common.
These offerings were sent to the gods ritually through the medium of the yagna. The purohita (priest) would invoke the name of the deity and chant the appropriate mantra from the Vedas, and then make the offering into the fire called Havan. The ritual remains the same even today. Of course, in most yagnas, only a token offering is made into the fire. Perhaps in olden times, the yagnas were on a larger scale and litres of milk, ghee and kheer were poured into the Havan!
All gods, big and small, were summoned to the yagna by the priest, and given their share of the sacrifice according to their status in the divine hierarchy. Agni, the God of fire, carried the oblations to the gods. After the gods received their share, all those who attended the ceremony would receive theirs, most likely in the form of a delicious feast.
Many myths focus around the incident of a yagna near that went awry, because a deva or sage was slighted on the occasion, leading to a terrible fight. This is what happens in the main story of the Shiva Purana, when Prajapati Daksha uses the occasion of a yagna to convey his displeasure of Shiva.
Bana, an asura king who had received a boon from Lord Shiva, was confident that no warrior could defeat him on a battlefield. His illusion shattered when he was unable to match Krishna’s powers, even with Shiva by his side. Read on to know why Krishna and Shiva fought on opposite sides for an asura king.
Bana’s curse
Bana was an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva. With his thousand arms, he played various musical instruments for Shiva, as he danced the Tandava. Pleased with his devotion, Shiva assured him of his protection in any battle. After gaining Shiva’s favour, Bana became vain and arrogant. One day, he complained to Shiva that even without his thousand arms, there was no warrior equal to him, except the Lord himself. Shiva was livid upon hearing these arrogant words. To put an end to Bana’s pride, Shiva cursed him. He declared that a warrior equal to him would humiliate Bana in the future. This curse did not shock or upset Bana much to Shiva’s surprise. Instead, the asura king said that he would gladly accept this curse and would be waiting to meet his peer in a battle.
A few days after this incident, Usha, Bana’s daughter, confided to her close companion, Chitralekha, that a dark-blue-skinned prince wearing yellow garments often visited her in her dreams but disappeared quickly. Intrigued, Usha wanted to find out the identity of this prince and expressed her wish to meet him. Chitralekha was gifted with yogic powers and great artistic skills. To help the princess, she started painting portraits of all the gods, gandharvas and yakshas. When she showed Usha the portraits of Krishna and his son, Pradyumna, the princess said that the man in her dreams closely resembled the two of them. Chitralekha then painted the portrait of Aniruddha, son of Pradyumna and grandson of Krishna. Much to her delight, Usha immediately recognised Aniruddha as the prince from her dreams. Chitralekha promised Usha that she would bring Aniruddha to her as soon as possible. Then with her yogic powers, she conveyed herself to Dwaraka and found Aniruddha sleeping in his chambers. Chitralekha feared that the prince would resist coming with her if he was awake. Instead, she transported the sleeping Aniruddha to Usha’s chambers in Bana’s palace.
Usha was delighted to see Aniruddha and thanked Chitralekha for her help. As soon as Chitralekha left, Aniruddha woke up from his sleep and was shocked to find a beautiful maiden in front of him. Usha greeted Aniruddha with a smile. She explained her dream to the perplexed prince and added that he had been brought to her chambers as her honoured guest due to her love for him. Usha also told him that since he had been brought to her kingdom in secrecy, he was free to leave her if he wanted to return to Dwaraka. However, Aniruddha was impressed by Usha’s beauty and grace. He reciprocated her love and decided to marry her and a secret wedding soon took place.
After their wedding, Usha and Aniruddha spent their days happily in the princess’ chamber. The guards outside Usha’s chambers became suspicious as they noticed that the princess hardly ever stepped out of her chamber. Upon investigating, they found out about Aniruddha and his secret marriage to Usha and immediately rushed to Bana. The asura king was furious when he heard about his daughter’s secret marriage. Burning with anger, he immediately rushed towards her chamber with a few guards. He ordered his guards to arrest Aniruddha and a fight ensued. The asura guards were no match for the prince and he soon slew them all with a mace. However, before Aniruddha could escape, Bana grabbed hold of him with his thousand arms. He then imprisoned Aniruddha by tying him up with serpents from head to toe.
Battle of the gods
Meanwhile, back in Dwarka, Aniruddha’s family had become worried over his four-month-long disappearance. To relieve them from their worry, Sage Narada visited Krishna’s palace and told him about the whereabouts of Aniruddha. Krishna immediately set out towards Bana’s kingdom, with Pradyumna, Satyaki and hundreds of warriors, to rescue Aniruddha. Upon finding out that Krishna meant to attack him, Bana too began his preparations for war. When Krishna reached, Bana greeted him with an equally huge army and soon a fierce battle ensued between them. As Shiva had promised his protection to Bana, he too arrived on the battlefield with his son, Kartikeya, to aid the asura. All the celestials, the sages, the gandharvas, yakshas and apsaras came in their chariots to watch the battle between Shiva and Krishna.
The battle raged on. Krishna fought with Shiva, while Pradyumna and Satyaki fought with Kartikeya and Bana respectively. Krishna destroyed Shiva’s hordes with ease and Pradyumna defeated Kartikeya after a tough battle. Sensing defeat, Bana left Satyaki to battle directly with Krishna himself. He aimed thousands of arrows at Krishna but Krishna destroyed them with his disc. Krishna then cut off all of Bana’s arms except four, to humble him. Before he could kill the asura, however, Shiva intervened and asked Krishna to spare Bana. Not only did Krishna spare Bana, but he also granted the asura immortality and everlasting youth. Accepting his defeat, Bana released Aniruddha and accepted his marriage to Usha. In the end, Krishna, Pradyumna and Satyaki returned to Dwaraka with the happy couple.
Trishanku, a king of the Ikshvaku race, wished to ascend to heaven in his mortal body. When his teacher, Sage Vasishtha refused to help him, he sought the assistance of his teacher’s rival, Sage Vishwamitra. Read more to know how Vishwamitra fulfilled the king’s wish, after enduring some obstacles from the devas.
Trishanku’s wish
Trishanku was a king belonging to the Ikshvaku dynasty. One day, he decided that he wished to enter heaven while still in his mortal body. He approached his teacher, Sage Vasishtha for help. The sage disapproved of the king’s idea as it was against the natural process. However, Trishanku was determined. He then sought the help of Vasishtha’s sons. The sage’s sons too were furious upon hearing the king’s words and refused to help him. They felt that the king had insulted their father by approaching them with a request that their father had refused and cursed him to become a Chandala (an outcaste).
The curse transformed Trishanku’s appearance and he no longer looked like a king. Still adamant, he approached Sage Vishwamitra, Vasishtha’s rival, to fulfil his desire. As expected by the king, Vishwamitra comforted the distressed king and agreed to help him. He summoned his sons and asked them to prepare for a pious sacrifice. He also ordered his disciples to invite all the learned sages to his hermitage for the sacrifice. After a few days, his disciples returned, informing him that all but Vasishtha’s sons, had accepted the invitation.
Finally, the day of the sacrifice arrived and Vishwamitra officiated as its chief priest. After the completion of the sacrifice, Vishwamitra requested the devas to accept the offering and lead Trishanku to heaven in his own body. None of the devas appeared even after a long wait. The sage was enraged. He turned to the king and declared that he would help Trishanku ascend to heaven without any help from the devas. As soon as Vishwamitra said those words, the king began to ascend towards heaven. However, when he reached heaven, Indra and the other devas barred his entry, stating that the king had been cursed by his teacher’s sons. Thus, he could have no place in heaven. The devas also declared that Trishanku should fall to the depths of the earth. Confused and shocked, Trishanku began falling down and begged to Vishwamitra to save him. Using his divine powers, Vishwamitra halted the king’s fall mid-air.
Determined to fulfil his promise to Trishanku, Vishwamitra began creating a new heaven around the king. He also created seven planets, the Saptarishis and twenty-seven stars, around the king and decided to make Trishanku the king of the devas. When the devas found out, they were perturbed. They immediately appeared before the sage and pleaded with him, asking him to change his decision. They also told the sage that Trishanku could not be allowed to enter heaven as he was cursed by his teacher’s sons.
However, Vishwamitra was firm in his decision. He told Indra that he could remain the sole king of heaven if he allowed Trishanku to stay suspended in heaven, along with all the newly-created planets. The devas agreed to this solution and Trishanku finally realised his dream of ascending to heaven.
Sage Durvasa was known for his irritable nature and bad temper. Overwhelmed with anger, he once cursed Bhanumati, Krishna’s granddaughter, to be kidnapped by her enemy. When she was indeed kidnapped by an asura named Nikumbha, it was the joint efforts of Krishna, Pradyumna and Arjuna that saved the princess.
Durvasa’s curse
Bhanumati was the daughter of Bhanu, who was Satyabhama and Krishna’s son. One morning, Krishna arrived at Raivataka for a grand sacrifice along with his wives, children and kinsmen. The sacrifice was held to celebrate, Rukmini and Krishna’s son, Pradyumna’s life events. He had destroyed Vajranabha, a terrible asura, and had got married to Prabhavati, Vajranabha’s daughter. While the elders in her family were busy with the sacrifice, young Bhanumati decided to explore the woods and play with her friends. As she ran into the woods, she failed to see Sage Durvasa arriving towards her and bumped into him. He was furious as Bhanumati, though only a child, almost made him lose his balance. In anger, he cursed the child that she would be kidnapped by her traditional foes.
Narada’s intervention
Script: Kamala Chandrakant; Illustration: H.S. Chavan and Ranjana
Sage Narada, who was passing by, witnessed the whole event. He chastised Durvasa for cursing a child. Durvasa immediately regretted his harsh words. To reduce the curse’s impact, the sage declared that Bhanumati would remain unharmed even after being kidnapped and would later marry a worthy man. Bhanumati and her friends were frightened by this incident and decided not to mention it to their elders, so as to not worry them. Soon Krishna and his family returned to Dwaraka after the sacrifice, unaware of all that had transpired.
Bhanumati’s abduction
Years went by and when Bhanumati was ready to get married, Bhanu planned to conduct a swayamvara to find her a worthy husband. Meanwhile, Vajranabha’s brother, Nikumbha was waiting for a perfect moment to take revenge on the Yadavas for his brother’s death, in his capital Shatpura. An opportunity soon presented itself when Nikumbha’s spies came rushing to convey their big news to him. They told him that Krishna and the Yadavas had gone for a long cruise leaving Dwaraka under the care of Ugrasena, the aged king of Mathura, and Vasudeva, Krishna’s father. The spies also added that young maidens from the family remained in Dwaraka. Nikumbha was overjoyed. Without wasting a moment, he flew to Dwaraka where he planned to kidnap Bhanumati and then defeat the Yadavas when they came to his city to rescue the princess. Bhanumati and her companions were in the garden of the secluded inner apartments of Krishna’s palace, laughing and playing. Suddenly, Nikumbha arrived and snatched Bhanumati. The asura was a powerful sorcerer. He made her and himself invisible and flew to Shatpura, much to the agony of Bhanumati’s companions. Hearing the commotion, Ugrasena and Vasudeva arrived at the place and learnt about Bhanumati’s kidnapping.
Script: Kamala Chandrakant; Illustration: H.S. Chavan and Ranjana
Trio to the rescue
Ugrasena and Vasudeva immediately rushed to Krishna and informed him about Bhanumati’s abduction by Nikumbha. Krishna turned to Pradyumna and Arjuna, the third Pandava, who was also accompanying them, to rescue Bhanumati. Krishna thought of Garuda, who immediately appeared before him, to take them to Shatpura. Meanwhile, Nikumbha made himself visible again and was planning to reach his city before the Yadavas could figure out his whereabouts. However, to his dismay, the asura saw Krishna and Arjuna following him on Garuda, while Pradyumna pursued him in a flying chariot. When Nikumbha tried to use Bhanumati as a shield, the terrified princess fainted. Arjuna began to use arrows to attack the asura without harming Bhanumati. Nikumbha, using his magic powers, suddenly disappeared with Bhanumati, in front of their eyes. However, Pradyumna had learnt the technique of exposing the invisible from his wife Mayavati. He exposed Nikumbha in front of Krishna and Arjuna. Vulnerable to attack, Nikumbha turned into a yellow vulture and reached Mount Gokarna. He dropped Bhanumati on the mountain and flew to Shatpura. Pradyumna carried the unconscious Bhanumati into his chariot, while Krishna and Arjuna chased Nikumbha.
The final battle
Script: Kamala Chandrakant; Illustration: H.S. Chavan and Ranjana
Nikumbha entered a cave which led to his city and blocked the inner entrance. Krishna and Arjuna waited all night outside the cave with the hope that the asura might come back. Next morning, Pradyumna joined them after delivering Bhanumati safely to her father, Bhanu. When he learnt that Nikumbha had hid himself inside the cave, he began to taunt the asura to come outside. His plan worked. The asura, seething with fury, made himself invisible and charged out of the cave roaring to destroy the Yadavas. Arjuna showered arrows in the direction of the voice but Nikumbha struck him with his mace. Soon, Pradyumna was hurt too. Burning with anger, Krishna used his powerful discus on Nikumbha. Terrified, the asura disappeared again. When Pradyumna and Arjuna gained consciousness, they saw that the sky was filled with numerous Nikumbhas. The trio also split themselves into numerous forms and a new battle ensued.
Script: Kamala Chandrakant; Illustration: H.S. Chavan and Ranjana
Unfortunately, Nikumbha managed to capture Arjuna. Krishna and Pradyumna saw Arjuna being carried away by the asura. Krishna used his discus to cut the asura’s head off while Pradyumna received Arjuna in his chariot as he slipped from Nikumbha’s grasp. After defeating Nikumbha, the three heroes received a grand welcome in Dwaraka. Later, Narada arrived in Dwaraka and told the family about Durvasa’s curse and blessing. As per Narada’s suggestion, Bhanumati was wedded to Sahadeva, the fifth Pandava prince in a joyous ceremony.
The Ashoka tree plays an important role in the Ramayana. It is the tree under which Sita spends her days after being abducted by Ravana. It is also the tree under which she meets Hanuman, bringing her news of Rama’s rescue. Here is an interesting legend behind the Ashoka tree.
Sashoka was a feared cannibal. He would roam the jungles everyday and attack any travellers he found and eat them. One day, he spotted a hut near the edge of the forest. Outside it, there was a sage meditating. Surprised by how still the sage sat, Sashoka went up to him. He asked the sage how he was so calm and said that he wanted to give up his restless life and become like the sage. To this the sage replied that he himself had taken many lifetimes to attain such a state. He blessed Sashoka and said that in his next life he would be born as a tree in Ravana’s garden. When Ravana would abduct Sita and keep her captive there, Hanuman would visit her and her grief would disappear. Then Sashoka would be liberated from his grief and be known as Ashoka, the remover of sorrow.
According to the Matsya Purana, Svayambhuva Manu and his wife, Shatarupa, are said to be the first humans created by Brahma. They were formed out of two sides of Brahma and are the ancestors of all human beings. They had five children. Sati and Dhruva were their grandchildren. Here is a look at their family tree.
