Pushkara (Sanskrit : पुष्कर, romanized: Puṣkara) is the younger brother of Nala, the king of the Nishadas featured in the Mahabharata. Scheming with the asura Kali, he defeated Nala in a manipulated game of dice, robbing him of his kingdom and riches. Nala later defeats him in a rematch, and is restored as the king. Despite his actions and lust for Nala's wife, Damayanti, [1] Pushkara is forgiven, and the brothers make their peace with each other. [2]
Damayanti is a figure in a love story found in the Vana Parva book of the Mahabharata. She is the daughter of Bhima and a princess of the Vidarbha Kingdom, who marries King Nala of the Nishadha kingdom. The figure is also found in other Hindu texts by many authors in numerous Indian languages. She, along with Nala, are the central figures in the 12th century text Nishadha Charita, one of the five mahakavyas in the canon of Sanskrit literature, written by Sriharsha.
Nala is a character in the Vana Parva book of the Mahabharata. He was the king of Nishadha Kingdom and the son of Veerasena. Nala was known for his skill with horses and for his culinary expertise. He married princess Damayanti, of the Vidarbha Kingdom. He was blessed by goddess Kali. He was also a great cook and wrote the first-ever book on cookery, Pakadarpanam. He is said to have been able to cook a full meal without lighting fire. Even today, a consistently good chef/cook is credited as someone with Nala-Bhagam to mean that their dish tastes as if Nala has prepared it.
Shikhandi is a character in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. Born as Shikhandini, daughter of Drupada, the King of Panchala, Shikhandi becomes a biological male after agreeing to a sex exchange with a yaksha. He is the brother of Draupadi, the female protagonist of the epic, who is the common wife of the Pandavas.
Sampati is a demigod in Hinduism. He is the elder son of Aruṇa and Shyeni. He is the elder brother of Jatayu. He has the form of either a vulture or an eagle. Sampati loses his wings when he is a child. According to the Brahma Purana, Sampati has a swift and well-known son Babhru.
Dhrishtadyumna is the son of Drupada—the king of the Panchala kingdom—and the twin brother of Draupadi in the Hindu epic Mahabharata.
Jayadratha is the king of the Sindhu kingdom featured in the Mahabharata. He was married to Dushala, the only sister of the hundred Kaurava brothers. The son of the king Vriddhakshatra, he is killed by Arjuna. He has a son named Suratha.
Astika is a rishi (sage) featured in Hinduism. He is the son of Jaratkaru by the serpent goddess, Manasa.
In Hinduism, Kali is the being who reigns during the age of the Kali Yuga and acts as the nemesis of Kalki, the tenth and final avatar of the Hindu preserver deity, Vishnu.
Karkotaka is a naga king in Hinduism. One of the children of Kashyapa and Kadru, Karkotaka is regarded to have lived in a forest near the Nishadha Kingdom. According to Hindu mythology, he stings King Nala, transforming him into a twisted and ugly shape.
Ugrasena is a character mentioned in the Hindu epic, Mahabharata. He is the King of Mathura, a kingdom that was established by the Vrishni tribes from the Yaduvamsha clan. His son Kamsa was a cousin of Krishna's mother, Devaki. King Ugrasena was overthrown by Kamsa, and was sentenced to life in prison, along with Kamsa's cousin, Devaki, and her husband, Vasudeva. Krishna reinstalled Ugrasena as the ruler of Mathura once more after defeating his wicked uncle.
The Vana Parva, also known as the "Book of the Forest", is the third of eighteen parvas in the Indian epic Mahabharata. Vana Parva traditionally has 21 parts and 324 chapters. The critical edition of Vana Parva is the longest of the 18 books in the epic, containing 16 parts and 299 chapters.
Sharanga also spelt as Saranga, is the celestial bow of the Hindu god Vishnu, primarily associated with his avatar of Rama. In South India, the Sharanga is also simply known as the Kodanda, literally meaning bow. Rama is often praised as Kodandapani, the holder of the Kodanda. The attribute of the bow is also mentioned in the Vishnu Sahasranama.
Amaravati is the capital city of Svarga, the realm of Indra, the king of the devas, in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. It is also called Devapura, ‘city of the devas’ and Pūṣābhāsā, ‘sun-splendour’ in the Puranas.
Nila, also spelled as Neela, is a character in the Hindu epic Ramayana. He is a vanara chieftain in the army of Rama, the prince of Ayodhya and avatar of the god Vishnu. He is the commander-in-chief of the vanara army under the vanara king Sugriva, and is described as leading the army in Rama's battle against the rakshasa king Ravana of Lanka and as killing many rakshasas.
Naishadha Charita, also known as Naishadhiya Charita, is a poem in Sanskrit on the life of Nala, the king of Nishadha. Written by Sriharsha, it is considered one of the five mahakavyas in the canon of Sanskrit literature. It was composed by Śrī Harṣa in the court of the Gahaḍavāla King Jayachandra.
Bahuk is a Gujarati long narrative poem by Chinu Modi. The poem is composed both in metrical and non-metrical verse and centres on Nala, a character from the Mahabharata who metamorphosed into Bahuka. It is an acclaimed poem of Gujarati literature written in Sanskrit-styled figurative language. The poem was selected for the Ushnas Prize (1982–83) by the Gujarati Sahitya Parishad.
The ancestors of Rama, the protagonist of the Ramayana, are described below according to Vishnu Purana and Valmiki Ramayana. The famous personalities of Suryavamsha as per the Vishnu Purana, Valmiki Ramayana, Ramakatha Rasavahini, Bhagavata Purana, and Raghuvamsha Charitram are Ikshvaku, Vikushi, Kakusta, etc. According to Hinduism, the city of Kosala and Ayodhya were founded by Manu and by his son Ikshvaku, whose descendant was Rama.
Nalakhyan is a medieval Gujarati akhyana, written by 17th-century Gujarati poet Premanand Bhatt (1649–1714). One of Premanand's most popular works, it retells the story of the mythical Hindu king Nala and his queen Damayanti. Through the machinations of Kali, an embodiment of the forces of evil, Nala and Damayanti are sent into exile, separated, and each subjected to a series of trials and reversals. Finally, when with Kali departs, they are reunited and restored to their former happiness.
Nala and Damayanti is an episode from the Indian epic Mahabharata. It is about King Nala and his wife Damayanti : Nala loses his kingdom in a game of dice and has to go into exile with his faithful wife Damayanti in the forest, where he leaves her. Separated from each other, the two have many adventures before they are finally reunited and Nala regains his kingdom.