Kritavarma
| Kritavarma | |
|---|---|
| Texts | Mahabharata,Puranas |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents |
|
| Siblings | Devavāha, Gadādhanvan, and Śūra |
| Dynasty | Yaduvamsha |
Kritavarma(Sanskrit:कृतवर्मा,IAST:Kṛtavarmā) is aVrishniYadavawarrior inHinduism.He appears as a minor character in theMahabharata,fighting in theKurukshetra warfor theKauravas.[1]Kritvarma was the commander of the Narayani sena consisting of gopas.[2][3][4]
According toF.E. Pargiter,he was the son of Hṛidika, born in theAndhakaclan of theYadu dynasty.[5]
Legend
[edit]Syamantaka theft
[edit]Kritavarma is said to have encouraged, or in some accounts, participated in the theft of the legendary Syamantaka jewel from KingSatrajit.Along with his friendAkrura,he is said to have caused Shatadhanva to murder Satrajit, and steal the jewel for himself. Shatadhanva was subsequently slain by Krishna, though he no longer had the jewel, having given it to Akrura and Kritavarma for safekeeping. When a famine broke out inDvaraka,or in other accounts, due to the discovery of Akrura's possession of the Syamantaka, both Kritavarma and he were summoned to the city to hand over the jewel. In the end, Krishna decided that Akrura should keep the jewel with him.[6]
Kurukshetra war
[edit]Kritavarma chose theKauravaside in theKurukshetra Warwhen his assistance was sought byDuryodhana,promising to lend him oneakshauhini.[7]
On the first day of the war, he fought a duel withSatyaki.As amaharathi,was placed at the head of the flying-heron formation that had been set up byBhishma.He engaged in a number of conflicts throughout the war. He was defeated byBhimain single combat, and wounded in another bout against Satyaki. He fought a duel againstDhristadyumna,and one againstArjuna,Bhima, and Satyaki. He attackedAbhimanyu,killing his horse. After fainting in a bout against Arjuna, he metYudhumanyu and Uttamaujasin combat. He defeatedShikhandi,Bhima, andYudhishthiraon various occasions. He fled the battlefield after the death ofDrona.He participated inAshwatthama'svendetta against the Pandavas by setting fire to their camp while their warriors slept.[8]After the war, he informedDhritarashtraregarding the death of his son, Duryodhana, and returned home. He appeared at Yudhishthira'sashvamedhasacrifice.[9]
Yadu massacre
[edit]The conflict between Kritavarma and Satyaki in theMausala Parvais the inciting event for the Yadu massacre, that results in the destruction of the majority of the Yadu race at Prabhasa. Inebriated due to the consumption of wine, Satyaki is stated to have mocked the Kshatriya birth of Kritavarma for the immoral murder of the warriors of the Pandava camp while they slept, believing that he would never be forgiven for this act. In retort, Kritavarma accused Satyaki of unheroic conduct when the latter attackedBhurisharavaswhen he had laid down his arms. Satyaki countered by reminding him of his unrighteous role in taking the Syamantaka jewel fromSatrajit.ObservingSatyabhama'sgrief, Satyaki promised her vengeance, and immediately beheaded Kritavarma. The clans of the Bhojas and the Andhakas started to fight each other, beginning the Yadu massacre.[10]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Himanshu Agarwal (20 August 2019).Mahabharata Retold Part-2.Notion Press. pp. 49–.ISBN978-1-64587-785-1.
- ^Shankar, Uday (1979).Untold Tales from the Mahabharata: The Epic Beyond the Obvious.p. all.
- ^Kumar, Nava (1979).The Mahabharata A Spiritual Interpretation.p. 152.
- ^Kotru, Umesh, Ashutosh (2015).Karna The Unsung Hero of the Mahabharata.p. all.
{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^Pargiter, F.E. (1972).Ancient Indian Historical Tradition,Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, p.105.
- ^wisdomlib.org (2019-01-28)."Story of Kṛtavarmā".wisdomlib.org.Retrieved2022-12-01.
- ^Uberoi, Meera (2005).The Mahabharata.Penguin Books India. p. 252.ISBN978-0-14-303358-5.
- ^Gandhi, Rajmohan (2000-10-14).Revenge and Reconciliation: Understanding South Asian History.Penguin UK. p. 25.ISBN978-81-8475-318-9.
- ^Mani, Vettam (2015-01-01).Puranic Encyclopedia: A Comprehensive Work with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature.Motilal Banarsidass. p. 431.ISBN978-81-208-0597-2.
- ^Valmiki; Vyasa (2018-05-19).Delphi Collected Sanskrit Epics (Illustrated).Delphi Classics. p. 8826.ISBN978-1-78656-128-2.
