Other People of the Purāṇas and Itihāsas
The Purāṇas and the Itihāsas speak of many people besides the ṛshis, kings and devas: devotees, brāhmaṇas, merchants, hunters, vānaras, attendants and others whose lives carry a teaching. The pages below explain them one by one.
Gaurumukha was the disciple whom the ṛshi Śamīka sent to warn King Parīkshit of the śāpa his son Śṛṅgi had spoken, that Takshaka would bite him in seven days.
Susheṇa, Son of KarṇaSusheṇa, a son of Karṇa, guarded his father's chariot and fought Bhīmasena and Nakula on the seventeenth day of the Kurukshetra war.
Gautama KṛtaghnaGautama was the fallen brāhmaṇa of the Kṛtaghnopākhyāna who killed his host, the crane king Nāḍījaṅgha, for food, and was later revived at Nāḍījaṅgha's request.
SuśobhanāSuśobhanā, daughter of the frog-king Āyus, married King Parīkshit on one condition and left him when water was brought near her.
GhaṇṭākarṇaGhaṇṭākarṇa was a piśāca with the names of Bhagavān Vishṇu written on his body, who praised Bhagavān Kṛshṇa in a stotra at Badarikāśrama and received liberation.
SvayaṃprabhāSvayaṃprabhā, a gandharva's daughter and tapasvinī, kept Hema's cave and received Rāma's vānaras, then received Bhagavān Rāma's darśana.
GhṛtācīGhṛtācī is a well-known apsarā who exchanged śāpas with Viśvakarmā at Pushkara and was born as a śūdra woman, and later bore nine sons on the Malaya mountain.
TārāTārā, wife of the vānara king Vāli and mother of Aṅgada, warned Vāli about Śrī Rāma and later mourned him on the battlefield.
GokarṇaGokarṇa, born from a cow with cow-shaped ears, taught his father Ātmadeva and freed his brother Dhundhukāri from the preta state by reciting the Bhāgavata for seven days.
TṛjāṭaTṛjāṭa was a poor brāhmaṇa who received dāna from Rāma in Ayodhyā before Rāma left for his forest exile.
GuhaGuha was the king of the Nishādas at Śṛṅgaverapura, an old friend of Bhagavān Rāma, who guarded him through the night and arranged the crossing of the Gaṅgā.
TrivakrāTrivakrā, also called Kubjā, gave sandalwood paste to Kṛshṇa in Mathurā, and Kṛshṇa made her body straight and later visited her home.
GuṇakeśīGuṇakeśī is the daughter of Mātali, Indra's charioteer, whose search for a husband is the subject of the Mātali Upākhyāna told by Kaṇva in the Udyoga Parva.
UgrajanmanA learned brāhmaṇa who found his parents reborn as a bull and a female dog, and freed them by keeping the Ṛshipañcamī vow.
HemakuṇḍalaHemakuṇḍala was a rich merchant of Nishadha in the Kṛtayuga who used his wealth for dharma, and the father of Śrīkuṇḍala and Vikuṇḍala.
UgrakarmāUgrakarmā was the commander of the Kekaya forces on the Kaurava side, killed by Karṇa on the seventeenth day of the Kurukshetra war.
HemakāntaHemakānta was a prince of Vaṅgadeśa who was freed from the fault of Brahmahatyā by shading the ṛshi Trita with a Palāśa leaf in the month of Vaiśākha.
UpabarhaṇaUpabarhaṇa was a gandharva king and an earlier birth of the divine ṛshi Nārada; his life is the main account of the Brahma Khaṇḍa.
HemamālinHemamālin was a yaksha of Kubera who was cursed with leprosy for delaying the flowers for Bhagavān Śiva, and healed by the Yoginī Ekādaśī vow.
UpapāṇḍavasThe Upapāṇḍavas are the five sons of Draupadī, one born to each of the five Pāṇḍavas.
Hemaprabhā, wife of VallabhaHemaprabhā, wife of Vallabha of Kāñcana, kept the Pārśvaparivartana Ekādaśī by chance and was taken to the abode of Bhagavān Vishṇu.
VakulamālikāVakulamālikā is the close attendant of Bhagavān Śrīnivāsa on Veṅkaṭādri and the messenger who arranged his marriage to Padmāvatī.
IlvalaIlvala was the rākshasa king of Māṇimatī who killed brāhmaṇas with his brother Vātāpi, until Agastya Maharshi digested Vātāpi.
Vallabha of KāñcanaVallabha was a rich man of Kāñcana whose quarrelsome wife Hemaprabhā kept an Ekādaśī by chance and was freed by Bhagavān Vishṇu's messengers.
Indrasena, charioteer of YudhishṭhiraIndrasena was the charioteer of Yudhishṭhira Mahārāja in the Kurukshetra war, named in the Droṇa Parva of the Mahābhārata.
VandiVandi was Varuṇa's son and the debate champion at King Janaka's court, defeated by the twelve-year-old Ashṭāvakra.
JalandharaJalandhara was a mighty asura king born from the fire of Bhagavān Śiva's anger in the ocean, who was killed by Bhagavān Śiva after Vṛndā's devotion was broken.
Vasu of KeralaVasu was a brāhmaṇa of Kerala who became an evil spirit and was freed when a pilgrim sprinkled water from Prayāga on him.
JāmbavantaJāmbavanta, the ancient king of the bears, served Bhagavān Rāma, woke Hanumān's power, and later gave his daughter Jāmbavatī to Bhagavān Kṛshṇa.
VasudevaVasudeva, a Yādava prince of the line of Śūrasena, was the father of Bhagavān Kṛshṇa and Balarāma and carried the infant Kṛshṇa across the Yamunā.
JaraJara was the hunter whose arrow struck the foot of Bhagavān Kṛshṇa at the end of His earthly life, as the ṛshis had foretold.
VātāpiVātāpi was the brother of the rākshasa Ilvala and could take any form; Agastya Maharshi ended him by digesting him.
JaṭāsuraJaṭāsura was a rākshasa who entered the Pāṇḍava camp on Gandhamādana as a brāhmaṇa, seized four of them, and was killed by Bhīma.
VedanidhiVedanidhi, also called Agnipa, was a brāhmaṇa and the father of the young celibate in the Padma Mahā Purāṇa's account of the five gandharva maidens.
JayaśarmanJayaśarman, an outcast son of a brāhmaṇa of Avantī, kept the Kāmalā Ekādaśī and received the grace of Lakshmī.
VidyāpatiVidyāpati was the brāhmaṇa whom King Indradyumna sent to Utkala to find the secret form of Bhagavān Vishṇu called Nīla Mādhava.
JīmūtaJīmūta was a famous wrestler who fought the disguised Bhīmasena in the court of King Virāṭa and was killed in the arena.
VikuṇḍalaVikuṇḍala, a thief killed by a snake, was sent to svarga by old puṇya and then gave his best puṇya to free his brother Śrīkuṇḍala from naraka.
KadrūKadrū, wife of Kaśyapa Prajāpati, was the mother of the nāgas, won her bet against Vinatā by trickery, and laid a śāpa on her own sons.
Vimala of DvārakāVimala was a brāhmaṇa of Dvāravatī whose son Haridatta gave up worldly life after rākshasīs were freed near Bhagavān Kṛshṇa's city.
KalahāKalahā was a quarrelsome wife who became a preta at the Kṛshṇā-Veṇī confluence and was freed by the brāhmaṇa Dharmadatta.
VinatāVinatā, wife of Kaśyapa and mother of Aruṇa and Garuḍa, served Kadrū as a slave for five hundred years until Garuḍa freed her.
Kālavatī and KalāvatīTwo women with similar names: Kālavatī, the mother who raised Nārada, and Kalāvatī, the nāga princess who married Pushkara.
VirajasaVirajasa was the first being Bhagavān Vishṇu made from his own mind to rule the earth, but he turned away from kingship.
Kālikā NāgakanyāKālikā was a nāga princess, freed by Bhagavān Rāma and married to Taksha, son of Bharata, at Ayodhyā.
VīravikramaVīravikrama, a devout Śūdra, kept a promise made with his right hand, and Bhagavān Vishṇu took his whole family to Vaikuṇṭha.
KālipriyāKālipriyā killed her husband Śaṅkara, then turned to the Kārtika pūjā of Rādhā and Kṛshṇa and was taken to Goloka.
Viśālā, Daughter of VaruṇaViśālā, daughter of Varuṇa, was the friend of Aśrubindumati and spoke for her to Yayāti at the Kāma-saras lake.
Kamalā NāgakanyāKamalā was a nāga princess, freed by Bhagavān Rāma and married to Subāhu, son of Śatrughna, at Ayodhyā.
Viśākha in the MahābhārataIn the Mahābhārata, Viśākha is the golden being who came out of the wound that Indra's vajra made in Skanda's side.
KāñcanamalinīKāñcanamalinī, one of five gandharva maidens cursed to become piśācas, gave her Māgha puṇya to another sufferer.
Vishṇu ŚarmāVishṇu Śarmā was a Vaishṇava brāhmaṇa whose three years of tapas at Ayodhyā brought Bhagavān Vishṇu there as Vishṇuhari.
Kañjākshī NāgakanyāKañjākshī was a nāga princess, freed by Bhagavān Rāma and married to Aṅgada, son of Lakshmaṇa, at Ayodhyā.
VishṇudāsaVishṇudāsa was a poor brāhmaṇa devoted to Bhagavān Vishṇu, who reached Vaikuṇṭha and became its doorkeeper Puṇyaśīla.
Kañjānanā NāgakanyāKañjānanā was a nāga princess, freed by Bhagavān Rāma and married to Lava, son of Rāma and Sītā, at Ayodhyā.
Viśvāvasu the ŚabaraViśvāvasu was the Śabara devotee who secretly worshipped Nīla Mādhava at the Rohiṇī Kuṇḍa before King Indradyumna came.
Kañjāṅghrī NāgakanyāKañjāṅghrī was a nāga princess, freed by Bhagavān Rāma and married to Citraketu, son of Lakshmaṇa, at Ayodhyā.
Vṛddha-kanyāThe Vṛddha-kanyā, the old maiden, was created by Kuṇirgarga's tapas and married Śṛṅgavanta for one night before going to svarga.
Kapila in PātālaIn the Mahābhārata, Kapila sat in deep tapas in Pātāla, burned Sagara's sixty thousand sons to ash, and told Aṃśumān how they could be freed.
Yudhājit of KekayaYudhājit was the king of Kekaya, Bharata's maternal uncle, and Bharata's charioteer in the war against the gandharva king Śailūsha.
KapotaKapota is the male pigeon of the Kapota–Lubdhaka Saṃvāda, who offered his own body to the hunter who had caught his mate.
AdhirathaAdhiratha was a charioteer of the Kuru royal house who found the infant Karṇa in a basket on the river and raised him as his son.
KapotīKapotī is the female pigeon of the Kapota–Lubdhaka Saṃvāda, who taught her mate atithi-dharma from inside the hunter's net.
AśvasenaAśvasena was a nāga, the son of Takshaka, who escaped the burning of the Khāṇḍava forest and later entered Karṇa's arrow to kill Arjuna.
Karkaśa BhillaKarkaśa is a bhilla who robbed the brahmin Śambhu of Kāñcī, received bananas from him in Caitra, and reached Vishṇu-loka.
AśvatthāmanAśvatthāman was the son of Droṇācārya and Kṛpī, born with a gem on his forehead, and a great warrior on the Kaurava side.
KarkoṭakaKarkoṭaka is the serpent-king whom Nala carried out of a fire, and whose bite changed Nala's form so that no one knew him.
BudbudaBudbuda was an apsarā cursed to live as a crocodile at a tīrtha, and freed when Arjuna dragged her out of the water.
Karṇāṭaka DaityaKarṇāṭaka was a powerful daitya who seized newly wed couples near Dharmāraṇya until Mātaṅgī slew him, and the region he settled was named after him.
CitrārathaCitrāratha was a gandharva who met the Pāṇḍavas at the Gaṅgā, was defeated by Arjuna, and then gave him the cākshushī vidyā.
KāyavyaKāyavya was a nishāda-born robber-chief of the Pāriyātra forest who kept a strict code, cared for his blind parents and reached siddhi.
Droṇa the Śāraṅgaka BirdDroṇa was the youngest of the four śāraṅgaka bird-sons of Mandapāla and Jaritā, whose hymn to Agni saved the nest from the Khāṇḍava fire.
KevaṭaKevaṭa is the boatman who took Rāma, Sītā and Lakshmaṇa across the Gaṅgā and first washed Rāma's feet with his own hands.
JaritāJaritā was a śāraṅgaka bird, wife of the ṛshi Mandapāla, who raised their four sons alone and lived through the burning of the Khāṇḍava forest.
KharaKhara was a rākshasa brother of Rāvaṇa who led the rākshasas at Janasthāna in Daṇḍakāraṇya, harmed the ṛshis, and was slain by Rāma.
JaritāriJaritāri was the eldest of the four bird-sons of Mandapāla and Jaritā, who survived the burning of the Khāṇḍava forest.
KīrtimukhaKīrtimukha, the glorious face, is the fierce face that guards the doors of Śiva temples, born from the wrath of Bhagavān Śiva.
KauravyaKauravya was the king of a nāga clan in the underwater nāga world and the father of the nāga princess Ulūpī.
KṛīḍāKṛīḍā, 'Play' personified, was the go-between of Manmatha who tried to draw the devoted wife Sūkala into his garden, and failed.
KīrtimālīKīrtimālī was the princess whom Bhadrāyu married after he won back his kingdom; in her past life she was Piṃgalā, a gaṇikā at Gokarṇa.
KṛshṇadvijaKṛshṇadvija was a brāhmaṇa of Daśapura who lost his sight from grief when his middle son was taken for the Naramedha, and regained it when Viśvāmitra returned the boy.
LapitāLapitā was the second bird-wife of Mandapāla, the ṛshi reborn as a śāraṅgaka bird, and she was jealous of his concern for Jaritā and their sons.
KṛshṇaśarmanKṛshṇaśarman was the family priest of the Śūdra Vīravikrama, who warned him not to give his daughter to a stranger, and was taken to Vaikuṇṭha with the family.
LatāLatā was one of five apsarās cursed to live as crocodiles at tīrthas; Arjuna freed her during his twelve years of forest exile.
KṛtaśvaKṛtaśva is a ṛshi and prajāpati named in the Bāla Kāṇḍa of the Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa among the early holders of divine weapons given to Rāma.
PurocanaPurocana was Duryodhana's minister who built the house of lac at Vāraṇāvata to burn the Pāṇḍavas, and who died in that same fire.
KṛkalaKṛkala was a vaiśya householder and the husband of Sūkala, taught by Dharmarāja that rites done without one's wife bring no fruit.
Rādhā, Mother of KarṇaRādhā was the wife of the charioteer Adhiratha and the foster-mother of Karṇa, whom she found as an infant in a basket on a river.
KshemavṛddhiKshemavṛddhi was the senāpati of Śālva's army in the attack on Dvārakā with the Saubha vimāna, and fought Sāmba, son of Bhagavān Kṛshṇa.
Ṛshabha YogīṚshabha Yogī was the great yogī who taught the prince Bhadrāyu, gave him the Śiva Kavaca and divine gifts, and sent him to win back his kingdom.
KubjāKubjā was the hunchbacked sandal-bearer of Mathurā whom Bhagavān Kṛshṇa made straight and beautiful with a touch.
SamīcīSamīcī was an apsarā cursed to live as a crocodile at a tīrtha until Arjuna pulled her out of the water.
KumudrāKumudrā is a nāga princess, sister of the nāga king Kumuda, and the second wife of Kuśa, the elder son of Bhagavān Rāma.
SārisṛkkaSārisṛkka was the second of the four bird-sons of Mandapāla and Jaritā, who survived the burning of the Khāṇḍava forest.
KuśadhvajaKuśadhvaja was a monkey, a prince of Kāśī and a Śiva-gaṇa, then a Garuḍa by śāpa, freed when king Indradyumna's kīrti was restored.
SaurabheyīSaurabheyī was an apsarā cursed to live as a crocodile at a tīrtha until Arjuna pulled her out of the water.
Kuśala BrāhmaṇaKuśala was a poor brāhmaṇa whose unfaithful wife was born a crocodile; their son's śrāddha at the Madhuvana tīrtha freed her.
SīmantinīSīmantinī, daughter of King Citrāvarman, kept the Somavāra vrata and saved her husband Candrāṃgada from Takshaka's realm.
Līlāvatī of the Rādhāshṭamī VrataLīlāvatī was a woman of the Kṛta Yuga who lived in great pāpa, yet Vishṇu's messengers took her to Goloka because she kept the Rādhāshṭamī vrata.
StambamitraStambamitra was the third of the four bird-sons of Mandapāla and Jaritā, who survived the burning of the Khāṇḍava forest.
LohitākshaLohitāksha, the red-eyed sūta, was the master builder of Janamejaya's sarpa-yāga and foretold that a brāhmaṇa would stop it.
SundaTwo figures are named Sunda: the asura brother of Upasunda in the Mahābhārata, and the rākshasa husband of Tāṭakā in the Rāmāyaṇa.
LolajihvaLolajihva was a rākshasa of the Tretā Yuga who destroyed the holy city of Dharmāraṇya until Bhagavān Vishṇu slew him with the Sudarśana cakra.
TilottamāTilottamā was the apsarā made from the finest essence of every beautiful thing to bring about the end of the asura brothers Sunda and Upasunda.
Lomaśa the CatLomaśa is the cat in Bhīshma's story of the cat and the mouse Palita, who joined forces for a time to save each other's lives.
UlūpīUlūpī, a nāga princess, met Arjuna at Gaṅgādvāra, gave him a vara, and later restored him to life at Maṇipura.
Lubdhaka the HunterLubdhaka was a hunter who saw a pigeon couple give themselves into the fire for a guest, gave up his life of hunting and reached svarga.
UpasundaUpasunda was the younger of the two inseparable asura brothers Sunda and Upasunda, sons of Nikumbha, who destroyed each other for love of Tilottamā.
Mahākāla the HunterMahākāla was a fierce hunter who worshipped a Śiva liṅga by chance and became a gatekeeper of Kailāsa.
Vāmadeva YogīVāmadeva Yogī was a Śaiva yogī whose bhasma-covered body freed a brahmarākshasa of twenty-five births of pāpa in the Krauñca forest.
MainākaMaināka is a divine mountain, a son of Himavān, who rose from the ocean to offer Hanumān a place to rest on his way to Laṅkā.
VargāVargā was one of five apsarās turned into crocodiles by a brāhmaṇa's śāpa and freed when Arjuna pulled her out of a tīrtha.
Makara-dhvaja (Ānanda Rāmāyaṇa)Makara-dhvaja is a son of Hanumān born in pātāla, who guarded its gate and was made king of pātāla by Rāma.
Makaradhvaja (Tulasī Rāmāyaṇa)Makaradhvaja is a son of Hanumān who guarded the gate of Pātāla for Ahirāvaṇa and was made king of Pātāla by Hanumān.
Mālatī (Nāgakanyā)Mālatī is a nāga princess, freed by Bhagavān Rāma, who was married to Yūpaketu, son of Śatrughna, at Ayodhyā.
MālavatīMālavatī, eldest daughter of Citraratha, was the devoted wife of the gandharva Upabarhana and brought him back to life with a stotra.
Maṇibhadra (Yaksha)Maṇibhadra is the chief guardian of Kubera's Mandākinī lake at Alakāpurī, who welcomed the ṛshi Ashṭāvakra in the Mahābhārata.
MaṇigrīvaMaṇigrīva, a son of Kubera, became a tree in Nanda's courtyard by Nārada's śāpa and was freed by the child Kṛshṇa.
MaṇimantaMaṇimanta was the captain of Kubera's yaksha forces on Gandhamādana, killed by Bhīma in the Mahābhārata because of Agastya's śāpa.
MañjughoshāMañjughoshā was a beautiful apsarā who stayed with the brahmarshi Medhāvin for fifty-seven years and was freed from his śāpa by the Pāpamochanī Ekādaśī.
MantharāMantharā was the hunchbacked attendant of Queen Kaikeyī who persuaded her to ask for Rāma's exile and Bharata's coronation.
MārīcaMārīca was a powerful rākshasa, son of Tāṭakā, who warned Rāvaṇa against Rāma and then took the form of the golden deer.
MārishāMārishā arose from the sweat of the apsarā Pramloca, became the wife of the ten Pracetasas, and was the mother of Daksha Prajāpati.
Satyavatī (Matsyagandha)Matsyagandha, later called Satyavatī, was a fisherman's daughter, the mother of Vyāsa through Parāśara, and later queen of Hastināpura as Śantanu's wife.
Mohinī (Created by Brahmā)This Mohinī was made by Brahmā to break King Rukmāṅgada's Ekādaśī vow, failed, and then learned the glory of holy places from the purohita Vāsu.
Mohinī of MāhishmatīMohinī was a veśyā of Māhishmatī who, through puṇya gained without knowing it, was reborn as the virtuous queen Hemāṅgī.
Mukunda the BrāhmaṇaMukunda was a brāhmaṇa killed by the barber Candaka. His bones reached the Kośala Tīrtha in Indraprastha, and he was set free.
Mura of CandravatīMura was a powerful asura of the Tālajaṅgha line who drove out the devas and was killed by Ekādaśī Devī, giving Bhagavān Vishṇu the name Murāri.
MurāsuraMurāsura was a dānava, son of Kaśyapa and Danu, whose touch killed. He conquered the three worlds and was slain by the cakra of Bhagavān Vishṇu.
Nāḍījaṅgha RājadharmaNāḍījaṅgha, also called Rājadharma, was a crane king, friend of Brahmā, killed by the brāhmaṇa Gautama and revived through a divine cow's milk.
Nāḍījaṅgha the GaṇādhipaNāḍījaṅgha was a gaṇādhipa of Bhagavān Śiva who fell through pride, became a crane by Gālava's śāpa, and was freed after the Indradyumna search.
NalaNala was the vānara son of Viśvakarman who built the Setubandha, the causeway across the ocean that let Rāma's army reach Laṅkā.
NalakūbaraNalakūbara, a son of Kubera, became an arjuna tree in Nanda's courtyard by Nārada's śāpa and was freed when the infant Kṛshṇa uprooted the trees.
Nandin the VaiśyaNandin was a devout vaiśya of Indragrāma who served Bhagavān Śiva at the Dhavaleśvara liṅga and became a gatekeeper at Kailāsa with the hunter Mahākāla.
NīlaNīla is a great vānara commander in Sugrīva's army, born from a part of Agni, the deva of fire, to serve Bhagavān Rāma.
Nṛsiṃha of KamalapuraNṛsiṃha was a brahmin of Kamalapura who freed three piśācas by giving them the puṇya of his Caitra snāna, and was the father of Rāmadāsa.
PalitaPalita is the mouse in Bhīshma's account of the cat and the mouse, who joins his enemy Lomaśa to survive and ends the pact when the danger is over.
PārighaPārigha is the caṇḍāla hunter in the Mahābhārata whose net caught the cat Lomaśa and set off the pact between the cat and the mouse Palita.
PaśusakhaPaśusakha was a śūdra, husband of Gaṇḍā, who travelled with the seven ṛshis and Arundhatī through the famine and passed the lotus-pond of Kṛtyā.
Piṅgalā of AyodhyāPiṅgalā of Ayodhyā was a veśyā (courtesan) who came to Bhagavān Rāma at night, was refused, and was born as the hunchback Kubja in Mathurā.
PiṅgalāPiṅgalā was a courtesan who gave up hope in men in one night and turned inward, and became one of the twenty-four gurus of the avadhūta Dattātreya.
PracetasThe ten Pracetas brothers, sons of Pracīna-barhish, did tapas in the ocean for ten thousand years, praised Bhagavān Vishṇu, and became fathers of Daksha.
PrākārakarṇaPrākārakarṇa was an owl on Kailāsa who had once been the brahmin Ghaṇṭa, a Śiva-bhakta of Vārāṇasī, and who helped Indradyumna regain his kīrti.
AcalāAcalā is a gandharva princess, freed by Bhagavān Rāma and married to Subāhu, son of Śatrughna, at Ayodhyā.
PramadvarāPramadvarā was the daughter of the apsarā Menakā and the Gandharva Viśvāvasu, bitten by a serpent before her wedding to Ruru and revived by his gift of half his life.
AhalyāAhalyā is the most beautiful being Brahmā created, given to the ṛshi Gautama as his wife; the Gautamī river restored her after Gautama's śāpa.
PramathasThe Pramathas are the night-wandering attendants of Bhagavān Śiva, who tell in the Anuśāsana Parva whom they harm and what keeps them away.
AjāmilaAjāmila was a brāhmaṇa of Kānyakubja who fell from dharma, called his son Nārāyaṇa at death, and reached Vaikuṇṭha.
Prasenā, Son of KarṇaPrasenā, a son of Karṇa, fought for the Kauravas and was killed by Ugrakarmā on the seventeenth day of the Kurukshetra war.
AkūpāraAkūpāra is the very old tortoise of Indradyumna's lake who knew King Indradyumna and whose word let the king return to svarga.
PrātikāmīPrātikāmī was Duryodhana's sūta charioteer, sent twice to bring Draupadī to the dice assembly and the bearer of her question about the stake.
AnaupaymāAnaupaymā was the wife of the dānava Bāṇa of Tripura. She asked Nārada about dharma, and his answer led to the fall of the city.
PūjanīPūjanī was a wise sparrow in the palace of king Brahmadatta of Kāmpilya who blinded a prince for killing her chick and then spoke with the king on enmity.
AndhakaAndhaka, the daitya king of Pātāla and grandson of Prahlāda, desired Gaurī and made war on Bhagavān Śiva; the Purāṇas tell how he ended.
Pulomā, Wife of BhṛguPulomā was the wife of Maharshi Bhṛgu and mother of Cyavana, carried off by the rākshasa Pulomā, who was burned to ash when Cyavana was born.
AṅgadaAṅgada, son of the vānara king Vāli and Tārā, was yuvarāja of Kishkindhā and led the southern search for Sītā.
Pulomā RākshasaPulomā Rākshasa carried off Bhṛgu's wife Pulomā and was burned to ash by the tejas of her newborn son Cyavana.
AñjanāAñjanā, mother of Hanumān, did a thousand years of tapas at Ākāśagaṅgā on Veṅkaṭādri, and Vāyu promised to be born as her son.
Puṇḍarīka the MerchantPuṇḍarīka was a merchant whose devotion drew Bhagavān Vishṇu to live in his house for a full month.
AśrubindumatiAśrubindumati, daughter of Rati, was born from a lotus in the Kāma-saras and became the wife of King Yayāti.
Puṇyaśīla and SuśīlaPuṇyaśīla and Suśīla are the doorkeepers of Bhagavān Vishṇu's abode Vaikuṇṭha in the Padma Mahā Purāṇa.
ĀtmadevaĀtmadeva was a learned brāhmaṇa of Kohala, father of the ṛshi Gokarṇa and of the wicked Dhundhukāri.
RaṅgavidyādharaRaṅgavidyādhara was a gandharva cursed by Pulastya to be born as a boar, and freed when King Ikshvāku slew him in battle.
Āyus, the Maṇḍūka-rājaĀyus, the frog-king, gave his daughter Suśobhanā in marriage to King Parīkshit of the Ikshvāku line on one condition: no water near her.
Reṇuka (Nāga Messenger)Reṇuka is a mighty nāga sent by Brahmā to the Diggajas to learn their secret dharma, told in the Anuśāsana Parva.
BhānusenaBhānusena, a son of Karṇa, fought for the Kauravas and was killed by Bhīmasena on the seventeenth day of the Kurukshetra war.
ṚksharājaṚksharāja was the vānara born from Brahmā's earwax, from whom Vāli and Sugrīva were born, in the Tulasī Rāmāyaṇa.
Sons of BrahmāThe Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa lists the sons of Brahmā, with the meaning of each name, and tells of the eleven Rudras and the four Kumāras.
ŚailūshaŚailūsha was the gandharva king of the north-west who fought Bharata for seven days and fell to his Rudrāstra.
KeśinīKeśinī, also called Bṛhatsena in some versions, was Damayantī's companion who found out that the charioteer Bāhuka was Nala.
Sāmba the Bahvṛca BrāhmaṇaSāmba was the brāhmaṇa chosen by the citizens of Kurujāṅgala to answer Dhṛtarāshṭra when he left for the forest.
CañcalāpāṅgīCañcalāpāṅgī was a beautiful prostitute of the Dvāpara Yuga who threw betel powder on a Vishṇu temple wall and reached Vaikuṇṭha.
SaṃpātiSaṃpāti was Jaṭāyu's elder brother, an eagle who lost his wings and regained them by telling the vānaras where Sītā was.
CārvākaCārvāka was a brahmarākshasa and former friend of Duryodhana who falsely denounced Yudhishṭhira at Hastināpura and was destroyed by the brāhmaṇas.
SāṇḍipaniSāṇḍipani was the guru of Bhagavān Kṛshṇa and Balarāma at his āśrama in Āvantī, and received his dead son back as guru-dakshiṇā.
CañcalāCañcalā is a gandharva princess freed by Bhagavān Rāma and married to Pushkara, son of Bharata, at Ayodhyā.
Satyasena, Son of KarṇaSatyasena was a son of Karṇa who fought for the Kauravas and was killed by Nakula on the eighteenth day of the Kurukshetra war.
Caṇḍa the HunterCaṇḍa, a hunter full of pāpa, kept Śivarātri without knowing it, and Vīrabhadra took him and his wife Caṇḍā to Śiva's world.
ŚālakaṭaṃkaṭāŚālakaṭaṃkaṭā was a rākshasa, named in the Droṇa Parva as the parent of the rākshasa warrior Alambhusha.
Caṇḍaka the BarberCaṇḍaka, a barber of the Indraprastha region, killed the brāhmaṇa Mukunda, yet both were freed at the Kośala tīrtha.
ŚāmbarāyaṇīŚāmbarāyaṇī was a woman who gained long life in svarga through Māsanakshatra pūjā to Bhagavān Vishṇu and told Indra about the manvantaras.
CandravadanāTwo women named Candravadanā appear in the Ānanda Rāmāyaṇa: a gandharva princess and the daughter of Bhṛgu.
Śambhu of KāñcīŚambhu was a brahmin of Kāñcī who travelled to Ayodhyā for the Caitra snāna and freed a chain of beings along the way.
Candrikā, Wife of AṅgadaCandrikā is a gandharva princess freed by Bhagavān Rāma and married to Aṅgada, son of Lakshmaṇa, at Ayodhyā.
Śarabha, Merchant of HastināpuraŚarabha was a merchant of Hastināpura who gained a son, Śivaśarman, by going to the Nigamodbodhaka tīrtha at Indraprastha.
CapalāCapalā is a gandharva princess freed by Bhagavān Rāma and married to Taksha, son of Bharata, at Ayodhyā.
ŚobhanaŚobhana was the husband of Candrabhāgā who fasted on Rāmā Ekādaśī, died of the strain, and reached a divine city on Mount Mandara.
CitralekhāCitralekhā, friend of Ushā and daughter of Kumbhāṇḍa, drew Aniruddha's portrait and carried him to Śoṇitapura.
ŚrutāvatīŚrutāvatī was a daughter of Bharadvāja, born through the river Sarasvatī, who won Indra as her husband by extreme tapas.
Citrasena the GandharvaCitrasena, king of the gandharvas and Arjuna's friend, captured Duryodhana at Dvaitavana and freed him at Yudhishṭhira's request.
ŚvapacaThe Śvapaca is the unnamed caṇḍāla who debated the starving ṛshi Viśvāmitra over dog-meat in the Mahābhārata, Śānti Parva.
Citrasena, Son of KarṇaCitrasena was a son of Karṇa who fought for the Kauravas and was killed by Nakula on the eighteenth day of the Kurukshetra war.
ŚyāmābālāŚyāmābālā was the daughter of King Bhadraśravas of Saurāshṭra, who kept the Guruvāra vow of Lakshmī and married Māladhara.
DadhimukhaDadhimukha was the old vānara guardian of Sugrīva's Madhu Vana, whose report of its ruin told Sugrīva that Sītā had been found.
SiddhārthaSiddhārtha was a minister at the court of King Daśaratha in Ayodhyā, named in the Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa of the Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa.
Daṇḍaka the ThiefDaṇḍaka was a thief of the Dvāpara Yuga who did every kind of pāpa, yet one accidental act at a Vishṇu temple took him to Vaikuṇṭha.
SiddhasamādhiSiddhasamādhi was a brāhmaṇa ṛshi at the Mahālakshmī temple in Kolhāpura whose recitation of Gītā Chapter 12 gave him power over the devas.
Devadāsa and UttamāDevadāsa and Uttamā were a devotee couple, with a son named Aṅgada, linked to Badarikāśrama in the Padma Purāṇa's Uttara Khaṇḍa.
Śravaṇa KumāraŚravaṇa Kumāra was the young brāhmaṇa who served his blind parents and was killed by mistake by King Daśaratha's arrow.
DevadyutiDevadyuti was a brāhmaṇa devotee of Bhagavān Vishṇu who told the spirit of King Citra to take the Māgha bath at Prayāga.
ŚrīkuṇḍalaŚrīkuṇḍala was the elder son of the merchant Hemakuṇḍala, freed from Raurava naraka when his brother Vikuṇḍala gave him his puṇya.
Devavrata, the Flute of KṛshṇaDevavrata was a brāhmaṇa who worshipped Kṛshṇa with a Tulasī leaf, was reborn as a bamboo, and became Kṛshṇa's flute.
ŚrīmantaŚrīmanta was the son of Nimi, a wealthy tapasvin whose death caused the first śrāddha in the world.
DhaneśvaraDhaneśvara was a brāhmaṇa of Avantī who lived badly, yet gained Kārtika puṇya by chance and rose to the world of the Yakshas as Dhanayaksha.
SthūṇakarṇaSthūṇakarṇa was a yaksha of Pāñcāla who gave Śikhaṇḍī his male form and was made female by Kubera's śāpa until Śikhaṇḍī's death.
Dharma DevatāDharma Devatā is Dharma in person, born from the chest of Śrī Kṛshṇa, who was born again as Yudhishṭhira, Vidura and a caṇḍāla.
SubāhuSubāhu was a rākshasa sent by Rāvaṇa to disturb Viśvāmitra's yajña at Siddhāśrama, and Rāma slew him with the Āgneya astra.
Dharma-Vyādha of the MahābhārataThe righteous hunter of Mithilā who taught the brāhmaṇa Kauśika the deepest teaching on dharma, karma and moksha, in the Vana Parva of the Mahābhārata.
Suguṇā DāsīSuguṇā was an attendant in Rāma's household who caught dripping tāmbūla juice in her hands and received the vara of being born as Rādhā.
DharmadattaA brāhmaṇa of Karavīra who kept the Kārtika vow all his life, freed the rākshasī Kalahā by giving her half his puṇya, and was told he would be born as Daśaratha.
SukanyāSukanyā, daughter of King Śaryāti, was given in marriage to the blind ṛshi Cyavana and helped the Aśvins restore his youth.
DhātreikāDraupadī's personal maid, who alone saw Jayadratha carry Draupadī away and told the Pāṇḍavas which way he had gone, so that they could give chase.
Suketu (Son of Citraketu)Suketu, son of Citraketu, was a Pāṇḍava warrior who fought Kṛpa on the seventeenth day of the Kurukshetra war and was killed.
DhundhukāriThe wicked son raised by the brāhmaṇa Ātmadeva, who became a preta and was freed by his brother Gokarṇa's seven-day Bhāgavata Saptāha.
Suketu (Yaksha)Suketu was a yaksha who won from Brahmā the vara of a daughter of great strength, Tāṭakā, and gave her in marriage to the rākshasa Sunda.
DhundhulīThe wife of the brāhmaṇa Ātmadeva, who fed a siddha's fruit to a cow, passed off her sister's child as her own, and died in a well driven by that son.
Sumanā (Kekaya Princess)Sumanā, a Kekaya princess, asked the radiant Śāṇḍilī in devaloka how she had reached that world, which led to the teaching on strī-dharma.
DiggajasThe mighty elephants of the directions who bear the whole earth, and the rite they taught Reṇuka, Brahmā's messenger, in the Anuśāsana Parva.
SumantraSumantra was the trusted chief minister and charioteer of King Daśaratha, who drove Rāma, Sītā and Lakshmaṇa into exile and later reached Vaikuṇṭha.
DundubhaThe brāhmaṇa ṛshi Sahasrapāt, turned into a harmless snake by Khagama's śāpa, who taught Ruru that ahiṃsā is the highest dharma.
Sumatī (Mother of Kalki)Sumatī was the wife of the brāhmaṇa Vishṇuyaśa of Śambhala and the mother of Kalki, the avatāra of Bhagavān Vishṇu.
DurgamuA gandharva cursed by Vasishṭha to be a rākshasa for sixteen years, and freed when the Sudarśana cakra cut off his head at the Setu-kshetra.
SunīdhāSunīdhā, daughter of Mṛtyu, was cursed by the gandharva Suśaṃkha and became the wife of Aṅga and the mother of King Vena.
GaṇḍāGaṇḍā was the maidservant who wandered with the seven ṛshis and Arundhatī in the famine, and passed the lotus pond of the rākshasī Kṛtyā by explaining her name.
SuśaṃkhaSuśaṃkha was a peaceful gandharva tapasvin whose curse on Sunīdhā led to the birth of the wicked king Vena.