Characters of the Mahabharata: Glossary of Names (P to Y)
Names of Characters That Begin with 'P'
Panchali: Draupadi, Queen of the Pandavas, daughter of King Drupada.
Panchalya: Son of king Drupada who died in the war.
Pandavas: The descendents of King Pandu.
Pandu: Second son of Vichitravirya and Ambalika who succeeded to the throne of Hastinapura on his father's death, as his elder brother Dhritarashtra was born blind, father of the Pandavas.
Parasara: A great sage, father of Veda Vyasa.
Parasurama: An incarnation of Sri Krishna; fifth son of sage Jamadagni and Renuka.
Paravasu: Son of Raibhva and elder brother of Arvavasu whose wife was violated by Yavakrida, who was killed with a spear for his sin.
Parikshit: Son of Abhimanyu by his wife Uttara; grandson of Arjuna and father of Janamejaya. Succeeded Yudhishthira on the throne, and the ‘Shrimad Bhagavatam’ was narrated to him by Shukdeva Goswami just before Parikshit was killed by the curse of a snake bite.
Parjanya: The god of clouds and rain. Also known as Indra.
Parnada: The Brahman who, for Damayanti, discovered where Nala was hiding.
Partha: Arjuna.
Parvata: A sage who was the nephew of sage Narada.
Parvati: Consort of Shiva. Rukmini prayed to her for saving her from the cruel Sisupala king of Chedi, as she had set her heart on marrying Krishna.
Paurava: A descendant of Puru of the Lunar race.
Paushya: A king whose wife gave her earrings as a gift to the sage Uttanka.
Phalguna: Arjuna.
Pishacha: A fiend, evil spirit.
Pitamaha: Bhishma, literal meaning grandfather.
Prabhasa: The Vasu who seized Vasishtha's divine cow.
Pradyumna: Sri Krishna's son.
Prahlada: Devotee of Lord Vishnu who in his Narasimha incarnation saved him from death by his demon father Hiranyakashipu. He later became an enlightened king.
Prasenjit: Father of Renuka, wife of sage Jamadagni.
Pratardhana: Son of Divodasa, king of Kashi, and a mighty warrior.
Pratikhami: Duryodhana's charioteer.
Pratipa: A king of the Lunar dynasty and father of King Shantanu.
Pratusha: Son born to Dharmadeva of his wife Prabhata. He is one of the Vasus – the god of light.
Pritha: Mother of Karna; Kunti before her marriage.
Purushottama: Sri Krishna, means the Supreme Being.
Pundarikaksha: Krishna, the lotus-eyed one.
Purochana: An architect who built a beautiful wax palace named ‘Sivam’ in Varanavata.
Puru: Sixth king of the Lunar race, youngest son of Yayati and Sharmishtha. His descendants were the Pauravas from which came the Kauravas and Pandavas.
Purumitra: One of the eleven valiant son of Dhritarashtra, a Kaurava warrior.
Purvachitti: A celebrated celestial maiden and dancer.
Pushkara: An evil brother of King Nala.
Names of Characters That Begin with 'R'
Radheya: Son of Radha, ie, Karna, who as a foundling was brought up as a son by Radha, the wife of the charioteer Adhiratha.
Raibhya: A sage whose hermitage on the banks of the Ganga was visited by the Pandavas during their wanderings. Bharata, son of Dasaratha bathed in this ghat; Indra was cleansed of his sin of killing Vritra unfairly by bathing here; Sanatkumar became one with God; Aditi, mother of the gods, prayed here to be blessed with a son.
Rakshasa: Demon or a fiend.
Rantideva: A pious and benevolent king of the Lunar race, sixth in descent from Bharata. He was rich, religious, and charitable.
Ravana: King of Lanka who abducted Sita, wife of Ramachandra.
Renuka: Daughter of King Prasenjit, wife of sage Jamadagni and mother of God’s incarnation Parasurama.
Ribhus: Son of Sudhanva, a descendent of sage Angiras. Spiritually advanced beings who live in the region of Lord Brahma.
Richika: A sage descended from Bhrigu and husband of Satyavati, son of Urva and father of Jamadagni.
Rishyasringa: Son of sage Vibhandaka who descended from sage Kashyapa; he grew up seeing no mortal except his father. He performed a sacrifice for King Dasharatha that effected Lord Rama’s birth.
Rituparna: A king of Ayodhya of the Ikshvaku dynasty.
Rohini: Daughter of Daksha and fourth of the lunar asterisms, the favorite wife of the moon.
Romapada: King of Anga, country that was once affected by a great drought.
Rudra: Shiva.
Rukma: Vidarbha’s heir apparent, defeated by Balarama and Krishna he set off to establish a new city Bhojakata ashamed to return to Kundinapura, the capital of Vidarbha.
Rukmini: Daughter of Bhishmaka, king of Vidarbha, and the first wife and chief queen of Lord Sri Krishna.
Rumanvan: The eldest of the five sons born to sage Jamadagni by his wife Renuka.
Names from Mahabharata Starting with 'S'
Saraswati
Saraswati: Lord Brahma’s wife. Also a river that rise from the Himalayas and ends in the sands of the desert, but in ancient times flowed on to the sea.
ExoticIndia/Wikimedia Commons
The Mahabharata is the world's longest epic and one of Hinduism's most popular and important scriptures. Here is a glossary of over 400 names from among the numerous characters found in the 100,000 verses and 18 chapters of the great epic poem written by sage Vyasa
Names of Characters That Begin with 'S'
Sachidevi: Wife of Indra, also known as Indrani, on whom Nahusha's evil eye fell.
Sagara: A king of Ayodhya of the Solar race and son of King Bahu.
Sahadeva: Youngest of the five Pandava brothers, son of Madri and fathered by one of the twin Ashwins (physicians of heaven).
Sahajanya: A heavenly nymph accomplished in dancing.
Saibya: A ruler friendly to the Pandavas.
Sairandhri: A female attendant employed in queen’s apartments.
Samvarta: Son of sage Angiras and Brihaspati's younger brother, a person of great learning.
Samba: A Yadava youngster dressed as a woman who gave birth to a mace, as foretold by rishis.
Sanga: Son of Virata. When king Virata was wounded, he had to get into Sanga's chariot, having lost his chariot, horses, and charioteer.
Sanjaya: The narrator who tells blind Dhritarashtra the progress of the war from day to day as he was blessed with a divine vision.
Sarasana: One of the hundred Kaurava brothers who died in the war
Saraswati: Lord Brahma’s wife. Also a river that rise from the Himalayas and ends in the sands of the desert, but in ancient times flowed on to the sea.
Sarvabauma: A king of the Bharata dynasty; son of Viduratha and father of Jayatsena.
Sarvadamana: Bharata, the heroic son of Shakuntala.
Satanika: Virata's son whose head was severed by Drona.
Satyabhama: One of Sri Krishna’s wives, daughter of King Satrajit.
Satyajit: A Panchala prince, a hero who stood by Yudhishthira to prevent his being taken prisoner by Drona, while Arjuna was away answering a challenge by the Samsaptakas (the Trigartas).
Satyaki: A Yadava warrior, friend of Krishna and the Pandavas.
Satyavan: The virtuous husband of Savitri, who saved him from death.
Satyavati: Mother of Vyasa and wife of King Shantanu. She bore two sons, Chitrangada and Vichitravirya.
Satyavrata: A king of the Solar race descended from Ikshvaku; also known as Trishanku and was raised to heaven by sage Vishwamitra.
Saumadatti: Bhurishravas, the son of Somadatta.
Savitri: Daughter of King Ashwapati and Queen Malati, and wife of the pious Satyavan, whose life she saved by following Lord Yama, god of death.
Savyasachin: Arjuna, an ambidexter who could use his bow with the same skill with either hands.
Senajit: A king who was the son of King Vishvajit. He wrote a treatise on the duties of a king.
Shachi: Wife of Indra, king of gods.
Shaivya: A king of ancient India, and close friend of the sages Narada and Parvata. Another Shaivya was the grandson of King Ushinara, King Shivi’s father.
Shakuni: King of Gandhar, Duryodhana’s maternal uncle, Queen Ghandhari’s brother. He was a skillful gambler and a cheat who beguiled the Kaurava into playing dice and defeated the Pandavas and sent them to live in the forest for thirteen years of which the last year had to be in incognito.
Shakra: Indra.
Shakuntala: The abandoned daughter of Menaka and Vishwamitra. She was adopted and raised by sage Kanwa in a forest retreat.
Shala: Son of King Parikshit of the Ikshvaku dynasty. He refused to return two horses he had borrowed from sageVamadeva.
Shalihotra: An expert in the science of horses.
Shalwa: Friend of Sisupala, who besieged Dwaraka Sri Krishna's kingdom to avenge Sisupala's death at the latter's hand.
Shalya: Ruler of Madradesa and brother of Madri and uncle of the Pandavas who because of having received hospitality from Duryodhana went over to his side.
Shanta: King Lomapada’s daughter, who was married to Rishyashringa.
Shantanu: A king of the Lunar race, son of Pratipa. King of Hastinapur, father of Bhishma.
Sharmishtha: Daughter of King Vrishaparva, king of the Asuras. She became a maidservant of Damayanti as a consequence of offending her.
Sharyati: A king in the Ikshvaku line. His daughter Sukanya married the aged sage Chyavana.
Shiva: The god who destroys this world at the designated time.
Shivi: King of Ushinara and also the son of Ushinara, known for his charity and devotion.
Shri: Goddess Lakshmi.
Shrutasena: The younger brother of the serpent Takshaka.
Shukracharya: Son of sage Bhrigu and priest of Bali and the Daityas. His daughter Devayani married King Yayati of the Lunar race.
Shwetaki: A king who was greatly occupied with performing sacrifices.
Sikhandin: A girl turned man, warrior on the Pandavas side who restored order among scattered, subdued soldiers, Drupada's son.
Saindhava: Jayadratha.
Sini: Kinsman of the Kauravas, one of the suitors to Devaki’s hand.
Sisupala: King of Chedi, killed by Sri Krishna at the time of Dharmaputra's Rajasuya sacrifice.
Somadatta: A king of the Kuru dynasty and son of King Balhika. One of the suitors to Devaki's hand. A kinsman of the Kauravas.
Somaka: A son of Sahadeva, he was the king of Panchala and is known for sacrificing his son to obtain one hundred sons.
Stuna: A Yaksha who had mystic powers and lived in a forest mansion.
Subahu: King of Kulinda in the Himalayas, ally of the Kauravas.
Subhadra: Wife of Arjuna, sister of Sri Krishna and mother of Abhimanyu.
Sudakshina: A warrior on the Kaurava side.
Sudaman: He was a king of Dasharna.
Sudarsana: A warrior on the Kaurava army.
Sudeshna: Queen of King Virata whom Sairandhri (Draupadi) served.
Sugriva: Monkey-king, friend of Sri Rama, and brother of mighty Vali whom Sri Rama killed.
Sujata: Daughter of Sage Uddalaka and wife of Kagola, his disciple who had virtue and devotion but not much learning, mother of Ashtavakra.
Suka: A sage, son of Vyasa, who related the Srimad Bhagavata to King Parikshit, grandson of Arjuna.
Sukanya: Wife of recluse Chyavana. She was responsible for his regaining his youth from the Ashwins.
Sumitra: Abhimanyu's charioteer.
Sunda: A demon for whose destruction the heavenly nymph Tilottama was sent down from heaven to create friction between him and his brother Upasunda.
Surya: The sun god.
Susarma: King of Trigarta, a supporter of the Kauravas who backed the proposal to invade Matsya, Virata's country.
Sushena: Son of sage Jamadagni.
Sushobhana: A Manduka princess who became King Parikshit’s wife and bore him three sons.
Suvala: The king of Gandhara and father of Gandhari, Dhritarashtra’s wife.
Suvarna: A soldier on the Kaurava side.
Sri Rama: Ramachandra, heir apparent to Ayodhya’s throne, banished to the forest for fourteen years, killed Ravana the king of Lanka who abducted his wife, Sita.
Srinjayas: Pandava supporters.
Srutayu, Astutayu: Two brothers fighting on the Kaurava side attacked Arjuna but were killed.
Srutayudha: A Kaurava warrior whose mace hurled at Krishna rebounded, killing himself. It was a gift to his mother Parnasa from Varuna who specified that the mace hurled at one who is weaponless would rebound and kill the wielder.
Sveta: A son of King Virata who fell in the battle to Bhishma's arrow.
Names of Characters That Begin with 'T'
Takshaka: A serpent and son of Kadru, chief of snakes.
Tantripala: Sahadeva’s assumed name at Virata's court.
Tilottama: An apsara, heavenly nymph; she brought about the destruction of the two demons Sunda and Upasunda.
Turvasu: Son of King Yayati by Devayani.
Twashtri: The chief architect of the gods; also known as Vishwakarma.
Names from Mahabharata Starting with 'U'
Names of Characters That Begin with 'U'
Uddalaka: A great sage and teacher of Vedanta, another name of Aruni, a disciple of Ayodhya-dhaumya.
Umadevi: Wife of Shiva.
Upachitra: One of King Dhritarashtra's hundred sons who perished in the war.
Upamanyu: A dutiful disciple of the teacher Ayodha-daumya.
Uparichara: A Vasu or demigod who became the king of Chedi by Indra’s command. His daughter Satyavati gave birth to sage Vyasa.
Upasunda: A Daitya (demon), son of Nisunda and brother of Sunda.
Urvasi: An apsara, celestial nymph in Indra's court, whose amorous overtures Arjuna declined.
Ushinara: Another name of King Shivi.
Utanka: An ideal disciple of Veda, who was the disciple of Ayodha-daumya.
Names of Characters That Begin with 'V'
Vahuka: A disguised form of King Nala given by the Naga Karkotaka.
Vaisampayana: Chief disciple of sage Vyasa who revealed the epic for the benefit of humanity.
Vaishravana: The god of wealth.
Valala: Bhima’s assumed name when he worked as a cook at Virata's court.
Vali: Monkey-king, brother of Sugriva.
Vamadeva: An ancient hermit whose horses were borrowed by King Shala, who refused to return them and was killed by some titans.
Vamana: An incarnation of Sri Krishna in the form of a dwarf. He appeared in the Treta yuga from sage Kashyapa and his wife Aditi.
Vandi: Court poet of Mithila who on being defeated by Sage Ashtavakra in debate drowned himself in the ocean and went to the abode of Varuna.
Varshneya: King Nala’s charioteer who later became King Rituparna’s charioteer.
Varuna: The god of the oceans.
Vasishtha: A celebrated Vedic sage, mind-born son of Lord Brahma; he had cursed the eight Vasus to be born in the world of men as sons of Ganga and Santanu.
Vasudhana: A warrior who perished in the battle on the twelfth day.
Vasudeva: Sri Krishna, son of Vasudeva.
Vasumanas: A king of the dynasty of Ikshvaku descended from Haryashva and Madhavi.
Vasus: The gods of water, the pole-star, moon, earth, wind, fire, dawn, and light.
Vatapi: A demon consumed by the sage Agastya.
Vayu: The god of wind.
Vedavyasa: Vyasa, author of the Mahabharata.
Vibhandaka: Son of the great sage Kashyapa. He was a forest ascetic who fathered sage Rishyashringa.
Vichitravirya: Younger son of Santanu who succeeded King Chitrangada on the throne of Hastinapura. He had two sons, Dhritarashtra and Pandu.
Vidura: Son of sage Vyasa and a maidservant. He was a counselor to his brother King Dhritarashtra of Hastinapur.
Vikarna: One of the hundred sons of Dhritarashtra who protested that staking of Draupadi was illegal as Yudhishthira himself was a slave and had lost all his rights.
Vinda, Anuvinda: Two brothers kings of Avanti on the Kaurava side, defeated by Yudhamanyu.
Virata: King of Matsya, where the Pandavas lived in disguise during the thirteenth year of their exile.
Viravahu: A king of the country of Chedi.
Vishoka: Bhima's charioteer.
Vishnu: One of the gods of the Hindu holy trinity who maintains and restores the Universe. He resides in Vaikuntha (the transcendental world) and in every atom of creation (material world). Lord Krishna is his incarnation.
Vishvamitra: A royal hermit of immense attainments. His father was King Gadhi of Kanyakubja.
Viswachi: A celestial nymph who sings and serves god Kuvera.
Viswakarma: The architect of the gods.
Viswavasu: A brother of the incarnation of God Parasurama.
Visvarupa: Twashta's son who became the preceptor of the gods, Brihaspati having left when insulted by Indra.
Vivimsati: A Kaurava hero.
Vriddhakshatra: King of the Sindhus, father of Jayadratha into whose lap his son Jayadratha's head was caused to fall by Arjuna.
Vrihadgarbha: The son of emperor Shivi.
Vrika: A Panchala prince who fell in the battle.
Vrisha, Achala: Sakuni's brothers.
Vrishaparva: Born from sage Kashyapa and his wife Danu, and he had a daughter named Sharmishtha.
Vrishnis, Kekayas: Tribals who were devoted to the Pandavas, who with Sri Krishna visited the Pandavas in their exile.
Vrishasena: A warrior on the Kaurava side.
Vritra: Demon of drought and uncongenial weather; son of Twashta who was defeated by Indra's weapons Vajrayudha. He was born out of his father's sacrificial flames and became Indra's mortal enemy.
Vrikodara: Bhima’ s name, meaning wolf-bellied, denoting slimness of waist and insatiable hunger.
Vyasa: Compiler of the Vedas, son of sage Parasara.
Names of Characters That Begin with 'Y'
Yadu: Son of King Yayati of the Lunar race, and founder of the line of the Yadavas in which Sri Krishna was born.
Yaksha: A class of demi-gods, subjects of Kubera, the god of wealth. Sometimes they appear as imps of evil.
Yama: God of death. Lord Dharma, whose son was Yudhishthira answered Yama’s questions correctly whereupon his dead brothers were brought back to life on the banks of the enchanted pool.
Yavakrida: Son of Sage Bharadwaja who was bent upon mastering the Vedas.
Yayati: The fifth king of the Lunar race, and son of King Nahusha. Emperor of the Bharata race, married Devayani and Sarmishtha. One of the ancestors of the Pandavas who became prematurely old due to Sukracharya's curse.
Yudhamanyu: A prince supporting the Pandavas.
Yudhishthira: The eldest of the five Pandava princes and the son of Dharma, or the god of righteousness by Kunti.
Yuyudhana: Another name of Satyaki.
Yuyutsu: A noble son of Dhritarashtra who bent his head in shame and sorrow when Yudhishthira lost Draupadi.
Names of Characters That Begin with 'P'
Panchali: Draupadi, Queen of the Pandavas, daughter of King Drupada.
Panchalya: Son of king Drupada who died in the war.
Pandavas: The descendents of King Pandu.
Pandu: Second son of Vichitravirya and Ambalika who succeeded to the throne of Hastinapura on his father's death, as his elder brother Dhritarashtra was born blind, father of the Pandavas.
Parasara: A great sage, father of Veda Vyasa.
Parasurama: An incarnation of Sri Krishna; fifth son of sage Jamadagni and Renuka.
Paravasu: Son of Raibhva and elder brother of Arvavasu whose wife was violated by Yavakrida, who was killed with a spear for his sin.
Parikshit: Son of Abhimanyu by his wife Uttara; grandson of Arjuna and father of Janamejaya. Succeeded Yudhishthira on the throne, and the ‘Shrimad Bhagavatam’ was narrated to him by Shukdeva Goswami just before Parikshit was killed by the curse of a snake bite.
Parjanya: The god of clouds and rain. Also known as Indra.
Parnada: The Brahman who, for Damayanti, discovered where Nala was hiding.
Partha: Arjuna.
Parvata: A sage who was the nephew of sage Narada.
Parvati: Consort of Shiva. Rukmini prayed to her for saving her from the cruel Sisupala king of Chedi, as she had set her heart on marrying Krishna.
Paurava: A descendant of Puru of the Lunar race.
Paushya: A king whose wife gave her earrings as a gift to the sage Uttanka.
Phalguna: Arjuna.
Pishacha: A fiend, evil spirit.
Pitamaha: Bhishma, literal meaning grandfather.
Prabhasa: The Vasu who seized Vasishtha's divine cow.
Pradyumna: Sri Krishna's son.
Prahlada: Devotee of Lord Vishnu who in his Narasimha incarnation saved him from death by his demon father Hiranyakashipu. He later became an enlightened king.
Prasenjit: Father of Renuka, wife of sage Jamadagni.
Pratardhana: Son of Divodasa, king of Kashi, and a mighty warrior.
Pratikhami: Duryodhana's charioteer.
Pratipa: A king of the Lunar dynasty and father of King Shantanu.
Pratusha: Son born to Dharmadeva of his wife Prabhata. He is one of the Vasus – the god of light.
Pritha: Mother of Karna; Kunti before her marriage.
Purushottama: Sri Krishna, means the Supreme Being.
Pundarikaksha: Krishna, the lotus-eyed one.
Purochana: An architect who built a beautiful wax palace named ‘Sivam’ in Varanavata.
Puru: Sixth king of the Lunar race, youngest son of Yayati and Sharmishtha. His descendants were the Pauravas from which came the Kauravas and Pandavas.
Purumitra: One of the eleven valiant son of Dhritarashtra, a Kaurava warrior.
Purvachitti: A celebrated celestial maiden and dancer.
Pushkara: An evil brother of King Nala.
Names of Characters That Begin with 'R'
Radheya: Son of Radha, ie, Karna, who as a foundling was brought up as a son by Radha, the wife of the charioteer Adhiratha.
Raibhya: A sage whose hermitage on the banks of the Ganga was visited by the Pandavas during their wanderings. Bharata, son of Dasaratha bathed in this ghat; Indra was cleansed of his sin of killing Vritra unfairly by bathing here; Sanatkumar became one with God; Aditi, mother of the gods, prayed here to be blessed with a son.
Rakshasa: Demon or a fiend.
Rantideva: A pious and benevolent king of the Lunar race, sixth in descent from Bharata. He was rich, religious, and charitable.
Ravana: King of Lanka who abducted Sita, wife of Ramachandra.
Renuka: Daughter of King Prasenjit, wife of sage Jamadagni and mother of God’s incarnation Parasurama.
Ribhus: Son of Sudhanva, a descendent of sage Angiras. Spiritually advanced beings who live in the region of Lord Brahma.
Richika: A sage descended from Bhrigu and husband of Satyavati, son of Urva and father of Jamadagni.
Rishyasringa: Son of sage Vibhandaka who descended from sage Kashyapa; he grew up seeing no mortal except his father. He performed a sacrifice for King Dasharatha that effected Lord Rama’s birth.
Rituparna: A king of Ayodhya of the Ikshvaku dynasty.
Rohini: Daughter of Daksha and fourth of the lunar asterisms, the favorite wife of the moon.
Romapada: King of Anga, country that was once affected by a great drought.
Rudra: Shiva.
Rukma: Vidarbha’s heir apparent, defeated by Balarama and Krishna he set off to establish a new city Bhojakata ashamed to return to Kundinapura, the capital of Vidarbha.
Rukmini: Daughter of Bhishmaka, king of Vidarbha, and the first wife and chief queen of Lord Sri Krishna.
Rumanvan: The eldest of the five sons born to sage Jamadagni by his wife Renuka.
Names from Mahabharata Starting with 'S'
Saraswati
Saraswati: Lord Brahma’s wife. Also a river that rise from the Himalayas and ends in the sands of the desert, but in ancient times flowed on to the sea.
ExoticIndia/Wikimedia Commons
The Mahabharata is the world's longest epic and one of Hinduism's most popular and important scriptures. Here is a glossary of over 400 names from among the numerous characters found in the 100,000 verses and 18 chapters of the great epic poem written by sage Vyasa
Names of Characters That Begin with 'S'
Sachidevi: Wife of Indra, also known as Indrani, on whom Nahusha's evil eye fell.
Sagara: A king of Ayodhya of the Solar race and son of King Bahu.
Sahadeva: Youngest of the five Pandava brothers, son of Madri and fathered by one of the twin Ashwins (physicians of heaven).
Sahajanya: A heavenly nymph accomplished in dancing.
Saibya: A ruler friendly to the Pandavas.
Sairandhri: A female attendant employed in queen’s apartments.
Samvarta: Son of sage Angiras and Brihaspati's younger brother, a person of great learning.
Samba: A Yadava youngster dressed as a woman who gave birth to a mace, as foretold by rishis.
Sanga: Son of Virata. When king Virata was wounded, he had to get into Sanga's chariot, having lost his chariot, horses, and charioteer.
Sanjaya: The narrator who tells blind Dhritarashtra the progress of the war from day to day as he was blessed with a divine vision.
Sarasana: One of the hundred Kaurava brothers who died in the war
Saraswati: Lord Brahma’s wife. Also a river that rise from the Himalayas and ends in the sands of the desert, but in ancient times flowed on to the sea.
Sarvabauma: A king of the Bharata dynasty; son of Viduratha and father of Jayatsena.
Sarvadamana: Bharata, the heroic son of Shakuntala.
Satanika: Virata's son whose head was severed by Drona.
Satyabhama: One of Sri Krishna’s wives, daughter of King Satrajit.
Satyajit: A Panchala prince, a hero who stood by Yudhishthira to prevent his being taken prisoner by Drona, while Arjuna was away answering a challenge by the Samsaptakas (the Trigartas).
Satyaki: A Yadava warrior, friend of Krishna and the Pandavas.
Satyavan: The virtuous husband of Savitri, who saved him from death.
Satyavati: Mother of Vyasa and wife of King Shantanu. She bore two sons, Chitrangada and Vichitravirya.
Satyavrata: A king of the Solar race descended from Ikshvaku; also known as Trishanku and was raised to heaven by sage Vishwamitra.
Saumadatti: Bhurishravas, the son of Somadatta.
Savitri: Daughter of King Ashwapati and Queen Malati, and wife of the pious Satyavan, whose life she saved by following Lord Yama, god of death.
Savyasachin: Arjuna, an ambidexter who could use his bow with the same skill with either hands.
Senajit: A king who was the son of King Vishvajit. He wrote a treatise on the duties of a king.
Shachi: Wife of Indra, king of gods.
Shaivya: A king of ancient India, and close friend of the sages Narada and Parvata. Another Shaivya was the grandson of King Ushinara, King Shivi’s father.
Shakuni: King of Gandhar, Duryodhana’s maternal uncle, Queen Ghandhari’s brother. He was a skillful gambler and a cheat who beguiled the Kaurava into playing dice and defeated the Pandavas and sent them to live in the forest for thirteen years of which the last year had to be in incognito.
Shakra: Indra.
Shakuntala: The abandoned daughter of Menaka and Vishwamitra. She was adopted and raised by sage Kanwa in a forest retreat.
Shala: Son of King Parikshit of the Ikshvaku dynasty. He refused to return two horses he had borrowed from sageVamadeva.
Shalihotra: An expert in the science of horses.
Shalwa: Friend of Sisupala, who besieged Dwaraka Sri Krishna's kingdom to avenge Sisupala's death at the latter's hand.
Shalya: Ruler of Madradesa and brother of Madri and uncle of the Pandavas who because of having received hospitality from Duryodhana went over to his side.
Shanta: King Lomapada’s daughter, who was married to Rishyashringa.
Shantanu: A king of the Lunar race, son of Pratipa. King of Hastinapur, father of Bhishma.
Sharmishtha: Daughter of King Vrishaparva, king of the Asuras. She became a maidservant of Damayanti as a consequence of offending her.
Sharyati: A king in the Ikshvaku line. His daughter Sukanya married the aged sage Chyavana.
Shiva: The god who destroys this world at the designated time.
Shivi: King of Ushinara and also the son of Ushinara, known for his charity and devotion.
Shri: Goddess Lakshmi.
Shrutasena: The younger brother of the serpent Takshaka.
Shukracharya: Son of sage Bhrigu and priest of Bali and the Daityas. His daughter Devayani married King Yayati of the Lunar race.
Shwetaki: A king who was greatly occupied with performing sacrifices.
Sikhandin: A girl turned man, warrior on the Pandavas side who restored order among scattered, subdued soldiers, Drupada's son.
Saindhava: Jayadratha.
Sini: Kinsman of the Kauravas, one of the suitors to Devaki’s hand.
Sisupala: King of Chedi, killed by Sri Krishna at the time of Dharmaputra's Rajasuya sacrifice.
Somadatta: A king of the Kuru dynasty and son of King Balhika. One of the suitors to Devaki's hand. A kinsman of the Kauravas.
Somaka: A son of Sahadeva, he was the king of Panchala and is known for sacrificing his son to obtain one hundred sons.
Stuna: A Yaksha who had mystic powers and lived in a forest mansion.
Subahu: King of Kulinda in the Himalayas, ally of the Kauravas.
Subhadra: Wife of Arjuna, sister of Sri Krishna and mother of Abhimanyu.
Sudakshina: A warrior on the Kaurava side.
Sudaman: He was a king of Dasharna.
Sudarsana: A warrior on the Kaurava army.
Sudeshna: Queen of King Virata whom Sairandhri (Draupadi) served.
Sugriva: Monkey-king, friend of Sri Rama, and brother of mighty Vali whom Sri Rama killed.
Sujata: Daughter of Sage Uddalaka and wife of Kagola, his disciple who had virtue and devotion but not much learning, mother of Ashtavakra.
Suka: A sage, son of Vyasa, who related the Srimad Bhagavata to King Parikshit, grandson of Arjuna.
Sukanya: Wife of recluse Chyavana. She was responsible for his regaining his youth from the Ashwins.
Sumitra: Abhimanyu's charioteer.
Sunda: A demon for whose destruction the heavenly nymph Tilottama was sent down from heaven to create friction between him and his brother Upasunda.
Surya: The sun god.
Susarma: King of Trigarta, a supporter of the Kauravas who backed the proposal to invade Matsya, Virata's country.
Sushena: Son of sage Jamadagni.
Sushobhana: A Manduka princess who became King Parikshit’s wife and bore him three sons.
Suvala: The king of Gandhara and father of Gandhari, Dhritarashtra’s wife.
Suvarna: A soldier on the Kaurava side.
Sri Rama: Ramachandra, heir apparent to Ayodhya’s throne, banished to the forest for fourteen years, killed Ravana the king of Lanka who abducted his wife, Sita.
Srinjayas: Pandava supporters.
Srutayu, Astutayu: Two brothers fighting on the Kaurava side attacked Arjuna but were killed.
Srutayudha: A Kaurava warrior whose mace hurled at Krishna rebounded, killing himself. It was a gift to his mother Parnasa from Varuna who specified that the mace hurled at one who is weaponless would rebound and kill the wielder.
Sveta: A son of King Virata who fell in the battle to Bhishma's arrow.
Names of Characters That Begin with 'T'
Takshaka: A serpent and son of Kadru, chief of snakes.
Tantripala: Sahadeva’s assumed name at Virata's court.
Tilottama: An apsara, heavenly nymph; she brought about the destruction of the two demons Sunda and Upasunda.
Turvasu: Son of King Yayati by Devayani.
Twashtri: The chief architect of the gods; also known as Vishwakarma.
Names from Mahabharata Starting with 'U'
Names of Characters That Begin with 'U'
Uddalaka: A great sage and teacher of Vedanta, another name of Aruni, a disciple of Ayodhya-dhaumya.
Umadevi: Wife of Shiva.
Upachitra: One of King Dhritarashtra's hundred sons who perished in the war.
Upamanyu: A dutiful disciple of the teacher Ayodha-daumya.
Uparichara: A Vasu or demigod who became the king of Chedi by Indra’s command. His daughter Satyavati gave birth to sage Vyasa.
Upasunda: A Daitya (demon), son of Nisunda and brother of Sunda.
Urvasi: An apsara, celestial nymph in Indra's court, whose amorous overtures Arjuna declined.
Ushinara: Another name of King Shivi.
Utanka: An ideal disciple of Veda, who was the disciple of Ayodha-daumya.
Names of Characters That Begin with 'V'
Vahuka: A disguised form of King Nala given by the Naga Karkotaka.
Vaisampayana: Chief disciple of sage Vyasa who revealed the epic for the benefit of humanity.
Vaishravana: The god of wealth.
Valala: Bhima’s assumed name when he worked as a cook at Virata's court.
Vali: Monkey-king, brother of Sugriva.
Vamadeva: An ancient hermit whose horses were borrowed by King Shala, who refused to return them and was killed by some titans.
Vamana: An incarnation of Sri Krishna in the form of a dwarf. He appeared in the Treta yuga from sage Kashyapa and his wife Aditi.
Vandi: Court poet of Mithila who on being defeated by Sage Ashtavakra in debate drowned himself in the ocean and went to the abode of Varuna.
Varshneya: King Nala’s charioteer who later became King Rituparna’s charioteer.
Varuna: The god of the oceans.
Vasishtha: A celebrated Vedic sage, mind-born son of Lord Brahma; he had cursed the eight Vasus to be born in the world of men as sons of Ganga and Santanu.
Vasudhana: A warrior who perished in the battle on the twelfth day.
Vasudeva: Sri Krishna, son of Vasudeva.
Vasumanas: A king of the dynasty of Ikshvaku descended from Haryashva and Madhavi.
Vasus: The gods of water, the pole-star, moon, earth, wind, fire, dawn, and light.
Vatapi: A demon consumed by the sage Agastya.
Vayu: The god of wind.
Vedavyasa: Vyasa, author of the Mahabharata.
Vibhandaka: Son of the great sage Kashyapa. He was a forest ascetic who fathered sage Rishyashringa.
Vichitravirya: Younger son of Santanu who succeeded King Chitrangada on the throne of Hastinapura. He had two sons, Dhritarashtra and Pandu.
Vidura: Son of sage Vyasa and a maidservant. He was a counselor to his brother King Dhritarashtra of Hastinapur.
Vikarna: One of the hundred sons of Dhritarashtra who protested that staking of Draupadi was illegal as Yudhishthira himself was a slave and had lost all his rights.
Vinda, Anuvinda: Two brothers kings of Avanti on the Kaurava side, defeated by Yudhamanyu.
Virata: King of Matsya, where the Pandavas lived in disguise during the thirteenth year of their exile.
Viravahu: A king of the country of Chedi.
Vishoka: Bhima's charioteer.
Vishnu: One of the gods of the Hindu holy trinity who maintains and restores the Universe. He resides in Vaikuntha (the transcendental world) and in every atom of creation (material world). Lord Krishna is his incarnation.
Vishvamitra: A royal hermit of immense attainments. His father was King Gadhi of Kanyakubja.
Viswachi: A celestial nymph who sings and serves god Kuvera.
Viswakarma: The architect of the gods.
Viswavasu: A brother of the incarnation of God Parasurama.
Visvarupa: Twashta's son who became the preceptor of the gods, Brihaspati having left when insulted by Indra.
Vivimsati: A Kaurava hero.
Vriddhakshatra: King of the Sindhus, father of Jayadratha into whose lap his son Jayadratha's head was caused to fall by Arjuna.
Vrihadgarbha: The son of emperor Shivi.
Vrika: A Panchala prince who fell in the battle.
Vrisha, Achala: Sakuni's brothers.
Vrishaparva: Born from sage Kashyapa and his wife Danu, and he had a daughter named Sharmishtha.
Vrishnis, Kekayas: Tribals who were devoted to the Pandavas, who with Sri Krishna visited the Pandavas in their exile.
Vrishasena: A warrior on the Kaurava side.
Vritra: Demon of drought and uncongenial weather; son of Twashta who was defeated by Indra's weapons Vajrayudha. He was born out of his father's sacrificial flames and became Indra's mortal enemy.
Vrikodara: Bhima’ s name, meaning wolf-bellied, denoting slimness of waist and insatiable hunger.
Vyasa: Compiler of the Vedas, son of sage Parasara.
Names of Characters That Begin with 'Y'
Yadu: Son of King Yayati of the Lunar race, and founder of the line of the Yadavas in which Sri Krishna was born.
Yaksha: A class of demi-gods, subjects of Kubera, the god of wealth. Sometimes they appear as imps of evil.
Yama: God of death. Lord Dharma, whose son was Yudhishthira answered Yama’s questions correctly whereupon his dead brothers were brought back to life on the banks of the enchanted pool.
Yavakrida: Son of Sage Bharadwaja who was bent upon mastering the Vedas.
Yayati: The fifth king of the Lunar race, and son of King Nahusha. Emperor of the Bharata race, married Devayani and Sarmishtha. One of the ancestors of the Pandavas who became prematurely old due to Sukracharya's curse.
Yudhamanyu: A prince supporting the Pandavas.
Yudhishthira: The eldest of the five Pandava princes and the son of Dharma, or the god of righteousness by Kunti.
Yuyudhana: Another name of Satyaki.
Yuyutsu: A noble son of Dhritarashtra who bent his head in shame and sorrow when Yudhishthira lost Draupadi.
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