Subhadra
Subhadra | |
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Kuru Dynasty (by marriage) |
Subhadra (
Subhadra is part of the triad of deities worshipped at the
Etymology and other names
The Sanskrit name Subhadrā is made up of two words: su and bhadrā. The prefix su denotes goodness,[1] while bhadrā is translated as fortune or excellence.[2] The name means 'glorious', 'fortunate', 'splendid', or 'auspicious'.[3]
Subhadra is referred to as Bhadrā (भद्रा), literally 'fortunate', when she is introduced to Arjuna in the
Legends
Birth
Subhadra was born to Yadava chief Vasudeva and his wife Rohini, making her the sister of Balarama and half-sister of Krishna. According to the epic Mahabharata, she was the favourite daughter of Vasudeva.[a]
Marriage to Arjuna
Subhadra's marriage with Arjuna is first narrated in the section Subhadraharana Parva of Adi Parva, the first book of the Mahabharata. Different editions of the epic contain varying accounts of the story. Later texts also improvise and provide more details to it.[7]
According to the
The Kumbhakonam Edition (Southern Recension) of the Mahabharata presents a distinct account of Subhadra's abduction, deviating from the Chaturdhara version. This rendition transforms the narrative into a mutual love story, providing additional details about the events. According to this version, during his pilgrimage, Arjuna reached Prabhasa, where he encountered Gada, a Yadava chief. Gada told Arjuna about Subhadra, kindling Arjuna's desire to marry her. In pursuit of this goal, Arjuna adopted the guise of an ascetic, contemplating under a tree with the hope that Krishna would facilitate his marriage. Simultaneously, in Dvaraka, Krishna, using his divine abilities, became aware of Arjuna's aspiration and visited him at Prabhasa. Krishna guided Arjuna to the Raivataka mountain, the site of an impending festival for the prominent Yadavas. During the festivities, Arjuna, accompanied by Krishna, chanced upon Subhadra and was captivated by her allure. Krishna suggested the abduction of Subhadra, to which Arjuna agreed and decided to wait for a suitable moment. Post-festival, Balarama encountered the disguised Arjuna and extended him an invitation to reside in the Dvaraka palace, as a sign of hospitality. Subhadra assumed the caretaker role for the ascetic, while Arjuna, deeply enamored, openly admired her. Subhadra, upon observing him, recognized his resemblance to Arjuna, from him having been previously described by Gada and Krishna. Acknowledging Subhadra's reciprocation of affection, Arjuna disclosed his true identity. A grand ritual dedicated to the god Shiva was scheduled on an island near Dvaraka, prompting the Yadavas, led by Balarama, to depart for worship. Seizing the opportune moment, Arjuna eloped with Subhadra.[6][9]
The Bhagavata Purana describes Subhadra's role in choosing Arjuna. It also adds a detail about Balarama having picked Duryodhana—one of the Kauravas—as Subhadra's groom, without her consent. Knowing that after getting the news of Subhadra's having eloped, Balarama would wage a war against Arjuna, Krishna decided to be the charioteer for Arjuna. Arjuna proceeded to take Subhadra and with Krishna in tow, they left. After getting the news that Subhadra had eloped with Arjuna, Balarama consents and conducts the marriage of Subhadra with Arjuna in Dvaraka.[6][7]
Marital life
Upon Arjuna's return from exile to Indraprastha—the capital of the Pandavas—with Subhadra, he received a warm welcome. Inquiring about his first wife Draupadi, his brothers revealed her reluctance to meet anyone due to anger. Arjuna, in an attempt to reconcile, presented Subhadra to Draupadi disguised as a simple cowherd. Subhadra, portraying herself as a cowherder and Krishna's younger sister, entrusted Draupadi with her belongings, expressing herself as her maid. This gesture cultivated trust and affection, prompting Subhadra to humbly declare her reluctance to replace Draupadi. Touched by this display of love, Draupadi embraced Subhadra, embracing her as a younger sister and acknowledging her as Arjuna's wife.[10]
Subhadra stayed with Arjuna in Indraprastha where she gave birth to
Later life
After
As a goddess
Association with Ekanamsha or Yogamaya
Subhadra is associated with goddess
In Krishna's life, Yogamaya plays the role of the facilitator of his earthly birth and his guardian. She takes birth as the daughter of cowherd Nanda and Yashoda, after which her place is swapped with Krishna to protect the latter from the tyrant ruler Kamsa. After warning Kamsa about his impending death, Yogamaya vanishes. According to Devdutt Pattanaik, the scriptures don't clarify if Yogmaya becomes Subhadra after fulfilling her role, but the name 'Yogamaya' is synonymous with Subhadra in Puri, Odisha, where she is worshipped prominently.[15] Professor Lavanya Vemsani believes that the only way to understand Subhadra's connection with the goddesses is by considering her as reincarnation of Ekanamsha, who in turn is the Earthly manifestation of Yogmaya. According to her, Yogamaya descends on Earth as Ekanamsha— the daughter of Nanda and Yashoda—and later reincarnates as Subhadra.[7]
Worship
Subhadra is one of the three deities worshipped at the Jagannath temple at
There is a village called Bhadrajun in the western part of Rajasthan where Subhadra is worshipped as Dhumda mata since the time of Mahabharata. It is believed that, after eloping with her lover Arjuna and a gruelling journey of three days, the couple got married here.[17]
In some texts like the
In popular culture
- In B. R. Chopra's 1988 series Mahabharat, Subhadra was portrayed by Aloka Mukherjee.[19]
- In Ramanand Sagar's 1993 series Krishna, Subhadra was portrayed by Sonia Kapoor.
- In the 2002 Sahara One's series Draupadi, Subhadra was portrayed by Sharmilee Raj.
- In the 2013 Star Plus's series Mahabharat (2013), Subhadra was portrayed by Veebha Anand.[20]
- In the 2018 Star Bharat's series RadhaKrishn, Subhadra was portrayed by Aanchal Goswami.
See also
Notes
References
- ISBN 978-90-272-4768-1.
- ^ Bopp, Franz (1845). A Comparative Grammar of the Sanscrit, Zend, Greek, Latin, Lithuanian, Gothic, German, and Sclavonic Languages. Madden and Malcolm. p. 398.
- ^ Monier-Williams, Leumann & Cappeller 1899, p. 1229.
- ^ a b Ganguli 1883.
- ^ Monier-Williams, Leumann & Cappeller 1899, p. 396.
- ^ a b c d Mani 1975.
- ^ ISBN 978-3-030-73165-6.
- ^ Debroy, Bibek. The Mahabharata (Version 2).
- ^ Southern Recension Kumbhakonam Edition Adi Parva.
- ^ Srivastava 2017.
- ^ Mahaprasthanika Parva https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m17/m17001.htm
- ^ Gupta, Vinay K. "Vrishnis in Ancient Literature and Art". Indology's Pulse Arts in Context, Doris Meth Srinivasan Festschrift Volume, Eds. Corinna Wessels Mevissen and Gerd Mevissen with Assistance of Vinay Kumar Gupta: 70–72.
- ^ Hawley & Wulff 1982.
- ^ Ph.D 2016, p. 257-258.
- ^ ISBN 978-93-5305-100-6.
- ^ "Why Subhadra Is Worshipped With Krishna In Jagannath Yatra". indiatimes.com. July 2011. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
- ^ "the history of the village of Bhadrajun". wikipedia.org. September 2009.
- ^ "Brahma Vaivarta Purana Chapter 6:181-190". en.krishnakosh.org. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ "31 years of Mahabharat on Doordarshan: Interesting facts about one of most popular TV shows ever". The Financial Express. 2 October 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
- ^ "Veebha Anand as Subhadra in StarPlus' Mahabharat". The Times of India. 4 September 2013.
Further reading
- Monier-Williams, Sir Monier; Leumann, Ernst; Cappeller, Carl (1899). A Sanskrit-English Dictionary: Etymologically and Philologically Arranged with Special Reference to Cognate Indo-European Languages. Motilal Banarsidass Publishing House. ISBN 978-81-208-3105-6.
- Mani, Vettam (1975). Puranic Encyclopedia: A Comprehensive Work with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature. Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978-81-208-0597-2.
- Ph.D, Lavanya Vemsani (13 June 2016). Krishna in History, Thought, and Culture: An Encyclopedia of the Hindu Lord of Many Names: An Encyclopedia of the Hindu Lord of Many Names. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-61069-211-3.
- Ganguli, Kisari Mohan (1883). "The Mahabharata, Book 1: Adi Parva: Subhadra-harana Parva: Section CCXXI". www.sacred-texts.com. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- Hawley, John Stratton; Wulff, Donna Marie (1982). The Divine Consort: Rādhā and the Goddesses of India. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. ISBN 978-0-89581-102-8.
- Srivastava, Diwaker Ikshit (11 December 2017). Decoding the Metaphor Mahabharata. One Point Six Technology Pvt Ltd. ISBN 978-93-5201-000-4.