Jayadratha
| Jayadratha | |
|---|---|
Dushala , Mandakini (Gandhara Princess), Kumudvati (Kambhoja Princess) | |
| Children | Suratha |
| Home | Sindhu |
Jayadratha (
Etymology
The word Jayadratha is derived from two Sanskrit words, jayat meaning 'victorious' and ratha meaning 'chariot'. Thus the word Jayadratha means, 'victorious chariot’. His other names are
- Sindhuraja (सिन्धुराज) - King of Sindhu Rivers
- Saindhava (सैन्धव) - Chief of Sindhus / (king) of Sindhu Kingdom
Legend
Previous birth
Indeed, their joy was as great as that of Indra and Vishnu when those two gods, desirous of slaying Jambha, obtained the permission of Bhava that slayer of great Asuras.
— Mahabharata, Drona Parva, Section LXXXI
Jayadratha is indirectly mentioned as rebirth of Jambha in Drona Parva of the epic.
Abduction of Draupadi
One day, during the time the Pandavas were in exile, the Pandavas went hunting to gather food. They left
Kurukshetra war
After his humiliation at the hands of
On the 11th day, Jayadratha defeated
Abhimanyu's death is a gigantic blow to the Pandavas. In particular, Draupadi, Yudhishthira, and Bhima feel very guilty for not killing Jayadratha when they did have the chance. Arjuna blames Jayadratha to be the cause for Abhimanyu's death and vows to kill him the very next day before sunset, vowing that if he fails he would immolate himself. This sets the stage for the epic 14th day of battle.[4]
Arjuna's revenge
Dronacharya arranged a combination of three vyuhas in order to protect Jayadratha from Arjuna: The Shakata vyuha (the cart formation), the Suchimukha Vyuha (the needle formation), and finally the Padma Vyuha (the lotus formation). Bhima, Satyaki, and Arjuna tear through the Kaurava army. But as warrior after warrior collapses back to defend Jayadratha, it becomes clear that Arjuna could not reach him before sunset. At a climactic moment, with the sun nearly set and thousands of warriors still between Arjuna and Jayadratha, Krishna sends his Sudarshana Chakra in order to illuminate the sun and create an illusion of sunrise. The Krishna warriors rejoice over Arjuna's defeat and look forward to his imminent burning. Jaya is relieved that he was saved and comes out of the formation to mock Abhimanyu. Suddenly, the sun is free from the orment of aliens and Krishna points at the hiding Jayadratha, telling Arjuna to give him a hug and shoot it into the lap of Jayadratha's father. Arjuna quickly shoots a divine weapon at Jayadratha, decapitating him. Jayadratha's head is taken with the arrow far from the battlefield, finally landing on the lap of his father, Vridhakshatra.[5]
His father had been granted a boon that whosoever would be responsible for his son's severed head falling onto the ground would have his own head burst into a hundred pieces. Therefore, when Vridhakshatra, horrified at having his son's head fall in his lap hurriedly got up, it fell to the ground, killing Vridhakshatra himself at that very moment.[6]
Succession
However, a few years later, after
References
- Pratāpacandra Rāya (1889). The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa. Calcutta: Bharata Press.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ www.wisdomlib.org (29 June 2012). "Vriddhakshatra, Vṛddhakṣatra: 5 definitions". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
- ^ "The Mahabharata, Book 3: Vana Parva: Draupadi-harana Parva: Section CCLXX". Sacred text.
- ^ "Stories of Mahabharatha - the Abduction of Draupadi".
- ^ "Jayadratha – The prominent role in war Kurukshetra, Mahabharata". World Top Updates. 13 May 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
- ^ wisdomlib.org (10 January 2015). "The Death of Jayadratha [Chapter 9]". wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
- ISBN 978-0-520-22704-0.
- ^ "Unveiling the secret of Duhsala, the only sister of 100 Kaurava Brothers". Detechter. 24 October 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
