Dyutimat (younger brother) Madrasena (younger brother) Lakshmana Krishna's wife (niece)
35-651: In the Hindu epic Mahabharata , King Shalya ( Sanskrit : शल्य , lit. Pike ) was the brother of Madri (mother of Nakula and Sahadeva ), and the ruler of the Madra kingdom. Skilled with the mace and a formidable warrior, he was tricked by Duryodhana to fight the war on the side of the Kauravas . He was encouraged to serve as the charioteer of Karna by Duryodhana. Shalya was an incredibly calm and deliberate fighter, his level-headedness and prowess in warfare making him
70-658: A great warrior in spite of his slight build. On his way to Hastinapura , King Pandu encountered Shalya's army. At parlay, Shalya and his general met with Pandu; Pandu was very impressed by Shalya's slight general and became friends. Bhishma , head of Pandu's family, learned of Shalya's beautiful sister, Mādrī and decided to arrange Pandu's second marriage with Madri. Shalya agreed and was gifted with gold and jewels from Hastinapura . Years after Madri had decided to self-immolate herself, Shalya invited his nephews Nakula and Sahadeva to Madra, wishing to make them his heirs. On their eighteenth birthday, Shalya revealed his intention to
105-444: A poet by his skill at rhyme. It is composed of a varying number of short poems or cantos, that tells the story of a classical epic. Each poem is composed in a metre that is fitting to the subject matter, such as a description of the seasons, a geographical form of nature such as a mountain, and cities. In the relatively secluded world of modern Sanskrit literature, mahakavya s continue to be produced. Some of these have been awarded
140-586: A son, Shatanika who was killed by Ashwatthama in the Kurukshetra War . He also married Karenumati , the daughter of Shishupala , who bore him one son, Niramitra . Nakula was sent west by Yudhisthira to subjugate kingdoms for the Rajasuya sacrifice, after crowning as the Emperor of Indraprastha . Nakula set forth to the kingdom once dominated by Vasudeva with a huge army. He first attacked
175-766: Is a genre of Indian epic poetry in Classical Sanskrit . The genre is characterised by ornate and elaborate descriptions of phenomena such as scenery, love , and battles . Typical examples of mahākāvya are the Kumarasambhava and the Kiratarjuniya . The genre evolved from earlier epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana . Despite the length of mahākāvya s (15-30 cantos , a total of about 1500-3000 verses), they are still much shorter than
210-585: Is helpless against Abhimanyu's attacks. On the 14th day, he tries to stop Arjuna’s advance towards Jayadratha but is defeated; injured so badly that he cannot even sit down. During the night battle at the end of the day, he vanquishes Virata and makes him flee. On 16th day of battle, Karna defeated, but spared the lives of Nakula and Sahadeva , stating that they are younger and not his equals, therefore not deserving of death by his hands. He proceeded to clash with Arjuna, having previously promised Kunti that he would not attempt to slay any Pandava except Arjuna. During
245-590: Is the Saundarananda , which focuses on the conversion of Nanda , Buddha's half-brother. Tradition identifies five works as model mahākāvya : To this list, sometimes a sixth one is also added. In the mahākāvya genre, more emphasis was laid on description than on narration. Daṇḍin 's Kāvyādarśa lists the traditional characteristics of a mahākāvya as: About this list, Ingalls observes: These are not random suggestions but specific requirements. Every complete mahākāvya that has come down to us from
280-525: The Śrībhārgavarāghaviyam (2002) composed by Jagadguru Rāmabhadrācārya continue to have the subject of the traditional epics. Nakula Nakula ( Sanskrit : नकुल ) was the fourth of the five Pandava brothers in the ancient Indian epic, the Mahabharata . He and his twin brother Sahadeva were the sons of Madri , one of the wives of the Pandava patriarch Pandu , and Ashvini Kumaras ,
315-655: The Kauravas , Shalya met the Pandavas and apologised for his mistake. Nakula and Sahadeva grew enraged, saying that Shalya had truly proven that Nakula and Sahadeva were not real brothers to the Pandavas, but only step-brothers . Yudhishthira quickly stepped in and reprimanded the twins, commanding that they were never to again cheapen their relationship by saying they were "step" brothers. At this point, Shalya realised that he had underestimated their brotherly bond. Yudhishthira promised to Shalya that he would kill him during
350-575: The Rajasuya of his eldest brother Yudhishthira, he conquered the kings of the Sivis, the Rohitakas and other dynasties. After Yudhishthira lost all his possessions to his cousin Duryodhana in a dice game, the Pandavas and Draupadi were exiled for thirteen years. During the Pandavas' year of incognito exile, he disguised as a horse trainer named Granthika, and worked in the kingdom of Virata . Nakula
385-462: The Ramayana (500 cantos, 24000 verses) and the Mahabharata (about 100000 verses). The Buddhist poet and philosopher Aśvaghoṣa ( c. 80 – c. 150 CE ) is one of the earliest Sanskrit poets with surviving Kāvya literature. His Buddhacarita ( Acts of the Buddha ) calls itself a mahākāvya and was influential enough to be translated into both Tibetan and Chinese. Another kāvya by Aśvaghoṣa
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#1732791704492420-687: The Sahitya Akademi Award for Sanskrit . In the introduction to Ṣoḍaśī: An Anthology of Contemporary Sanskrit Poets (1992), Radhavallabh Tripathi writes: On the other hand, the number of authors who appear to be very enthusiastic about writing in Sanskrit during these days is not negligible. […] In a thesis dealing with Sanskrit mahākāvya s written in a single decade, 1961–1970, the researcher [Dr. Ramji Upadhyaya] has noted 52 Sanskrit mahākāvya s (epic poems) produced in that very decade. Some modern mahākāvya s do not aim to satisfy all
455-577: The Vattadhanas and the Utsava-sanketas. Yudhishthira's loss in the game of dice meant that all Pandavas had to live in exile for 13 years. Once in exile, Jatasura , disguised as a Brahmin , kidnapped Nakula along with Draupadi , Sahadeva and Yudhishthira . Bhima rescued them eventually and in the fight that ensued, Nakula killed Kshemankara, Mahamaha, and Suratha. In the 13th year, Nakula disguised himself as an ostler and assumed
490-478: The Pandavas would give them no power, his brothers and Kunti genuinely loved him, and would never try to make Nakula and Sahadeva their pawns. After some deliberation, Nakula was convinced that Shalya had no ulterior motives. Sahadeva and he agreed to become the heirs to Shalya's throne, on the condition that they would always stay with the rest of the Pandavas. When Shalya heard of the impending Kurukshetra War , he marched forth with his army to join his nephews. On
525-525: The arrow destroyed Arjuna's crown which was given to him by Indra. On the 17th day, unarmed and on foot, Karna is killed by Arjuna. After Karna's demise, Shalya would console the grieving Duryodhana by reminding him that Karna's death was inevitable. Duryodhana subsequently named Shalya as the new commander-in-chief of the Kaurava forces. After Shalya is named the new commander-in-chief for the Kaurava forces, Krishna suggested that Yudhishthira should kill
560-522: The boon with Pandu's second wife, Madri , who invoked the Ashvini Kumaras to beget Nakula and Sahadeva , as twins. Madri committed self immolation, called Sati when her husband died and entrusted her children's care to Kunti. Despite different divine paternal parentage these five children, first three of Kunti – Yudhisthira , Bhima and Arjuna - and latter two of Madri – Nakula and Sahadeva, were called Pandavas , or sons of Pandu. Nakula
595-466: The course of the battle, Karna invoked the Ashwasena snake on his arrow and directed it towards Arjuna . However, Shalya advised him to aim it at Arjuna's chest. Karna disregarded his advice, as he had already aimed the arrow towards Arjuna's head and said that changing the target of a bow right before firing it is not a brave act. Krishna drove Arjuna's chariot into the earth, saving Arjuna's life, as
630-537: The departure of Krishna , the Pandavas retired. Giving up all their belongings and ties, the Pandavas and Draupadi , along with a dog, made their final journey of pilgrimage to the Himalayas . 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
665-448: The divine twin physicians of the gods, whom she invoked to beget her sons due to Pandu's inability to progenate. Nakula is described as the most handsome man of his lineage, and was renowned for his beauty, skill in swordsmanship and horse keeping. He shared the common wife, Draupadi , with his four brothers. He was also married to Karenumati of Chedi Kingdom . He had two sons Shatanika and Niramitra from his two wives respectively. During
700-481: The epic as Āśvineya, Aśvinīsuta and Aśvisuta because they are the sons of the Ashvins and as Mādravatīputra, Mādravatīsuta, Mādreya, Mādrinandana, Mādrinandanaka, Mādrīputra, Mādrīsuta, Mādrītanūja because they are the sons of Mādrī. Due to Pandu 's inability to bear children (because of the curse of Rishi Kindama ), Kunti had to use the boon given by Sage Durvasa to give birth to her three children. She shared
735-399: The eve of the war. Prior to the start of the war, Yudhishthira met with his elders on the Kaurava side, seeking their blessings. Shalya readily offered his blessings to Yudhishthira, wishing him victory. Shalya was requested by Yudhishthira to heap praises of his brothers in order to infuriate Karna. Though not spirited in his fight, Shalya confronted many great warriors during the war. On
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#1732791704492770-463: The first day, he attacks Yudhishthira and snaps his bow. However, Yudhishthira takes another bow and wounds Shalya. Shalya killed Uttara Kumara on the first day of the war. He killed the boy with his spear after a fantastic duel, and subsequently hailed his brave death. On the second day, his eldest son Madranjaya is killed by Virata as revenge for Uttara. On the 13th day, Shalya's sons Rukmangada and Rukmaratha were killed by Abhimanyu ; Shalya himself
805-412: The image of a red deer with a golden back. His conch, which was blown among others at the start of the war, was named Sughosha. On the 1st day of the war, Nakula defeated Dussasana , sparing his life so that Bhima could fulfill his oath. On the 11th day, Nakula defeated Shalya , destroying his chariot. On the 13th day, his advance into Dronacharya 's formation was repulsed by Jayadratha . On
840-532: The intent of killing him with his bare hands. After fighting with the mace, spear and by the means of archery, Yudhishtira took his javelin (which was once used by Shiva to kill the demon Andhaka ) and hurled it at Shalya. That divine weapon struck squarely on his leg and Shalya was injured, the bhargavasta shot by Yudhistira from the Vijay bow hit him in the chest and he died. Mahakavya Mahākāvya (lit. great kāvya, court epic), also known as sargabandha ,
875-465: The name of Granthika (between themselves, the Pandavas called him Jayasena ) at the Kingdom of Virata . He worked as a horse-trainer who looked after horses in the royal stable. Nakula desired Drupada to be the general of the Pandava army, but Yudhishthira and Arjuna opted for Dhristadyumna . As a warrior, Nakula slew prominent war-heroes on the enemy side. The flag of Nakula's chariot bore
910-471: 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 . On the 18th day, he killed Karna's sons Chitrasena, Satyasena and Sushena. After the war , Yudhishthira appointed Nakula as the King of Northern Madra and Sahadeva as King of southern Madra. Upon the onset of Kali Yuga and
945-470: The powerful warrior, as the eldest Pandava was not a man of aggression and could meet Shalya's aggressive demeanor in battle. Yudhishthira engages Shalya in an long archery duel. With the assistance of Bhima, Yudhishthira deprives Shalya of his charioteer and horses. In a fit of rage, Shalya rushes towards Yudhishthira with a sword and shield in hand. Using his arrows, Bhima destroys Shalya’s weapons but Shalya undeterred by this, proceeds towards Yudhishthira with
980-861: The prosperous mountainous country of Rohitaka . He defeated the Mattamyurakas of the land in a fierce encounter. In another battle with the sage Akrosha, Nakula subjugated the regions of Sairishaka and Mahetta . He also defeated many tribes and small dynasties, including the Dasarnas , the Sivis , the Trigartas , the Amvashtas, the Malavas , the five tribes of the Karnatas , the Madhyamakeyas ,
1015-456: The time of Kalidasa contains the whole list, which, if one considers it carefully, will be seen to contain the basic repertory of Sanskrit poetry. Contained in it are the essential elements of nature, love, society, and war which a poet should be able to describe. The great kāvya tested a poet by his power of rendering content, which is a better test at least than the Persian diwan, which tested
1050-529: The traditional criteria, and take as their subject historical matter (such as Rewa Prasad Dwivedi 's Svatantrya Sambhavam on the Indian independence movement , or K.N. Ezhuthachan 's Keralodayah on the history of Kerala ), or biographies of historical characters (such as S.B. Varnekar 's Shrishivarajyodayam on Shivaji , M. S. Aney 's Sritilakayasornavah on Bal Gangadhar Tilak , or P. C. Devassia 's Kristubhagavatam on Jesus Christ ). Some others like
1085-540: The tutelage of Drona . Nakula turned out to be an accomplished wielder of the sword. Along with the other Pandava brothers, Nakula was trained in religion, science, administration, and military arts by the Kuru preceptors Kripacharya and Dronacharya . He was particularly skilled at horse-riding. 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
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1120-459: The twins. Shalya argued that Nakula could be a king one day, instead of fourth-in-line to the throne of Hastinapura, provided that Yudhishthira would be named the crown prince . Nakula supposed that Shalya only wished to anoint Nakula and Sahadeva as his heirs because they were both children of deities , and that Shalya was rejecting his own children from the line of succession with this gambit. Nakula admitted that while Sahadeva and he staying with
1155-400: The way, Shalya was tricked by Duryodhana , who arranged a huge feast for Shalya and his men, entertaining him for hours. Impressed, Shalya was generous with his praise and asks to see Yudhishthira , who Shalya thought was his host. When Duryodhana revealed the treachery, Shalya is astounded but is compelled to grant a boon due to the hospitality. Unable to turn down Duryodhana's request to join
1190-572: Was a skilled warrior who fought in the Kurukshetra War between the Pandavas and their cousins Kauravas . After the war, Yudhishthira appointed Nakula as the king of northern Madra . At the end of the epic, during the Pandavas' journey to the Himalayas to enter heaven, Nakula was the third to fall, following Draupadi and Sahadeva, due to his excessive pride in his beauty. In Sanskrit, the word nakula means "mongoose" or "mongoose-colored." Nakula and his brother Sahadeva are both also referred to in
1225-628: Was known to be the most handsome person in the Kuru lineage. 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 Hastinapura where he was brought up by Kunti . Kunti loved him as much as her own sons. Nakula greatly improved his archery and swordplay skills under
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