Nakula
Encyclopedia
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
: नकुल, naküla,'twin
Twin
A twin is one of two offspring produced in the same pregnancy. Twins can either be monozygotic , meaning that they develop from one zygote that splits and forms two embryos, or dizygotic because they develop from two separate eggs that are fertilized by two separate sperm.In contrast, a fetus...
) was one of the five Pandava
Pandava
In the Hindu epic Mahābhārata, the Pandava are the five acknowledged sons of Pandu , by his two wives Kunti and Madri. Their names are Yudhisthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva. Although, Karna is told by Lord Krishna that according to the laws and ethics he is the first son of Kunti making...
brothers according to the epic Mahābhārata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
. Nakula and Sahadeva
Sahadeva
Sahadeva was one of the five Pandava brothers according to the epic Mahābhārata. He was one of the twin sons of Madri, who invoked Ashvins using a mantra shared by Kunti for a son. His twin brother was named Nakula...
were fraternal (non-identical) twins born to Madri
Madri
In the Mahābhārata epic, Madri was a princess of the Madra kingdom and the second wife of Pandu.On his way to Hastinapur, King Pandu encountered the army of Shalya, King of Madra. Very soon, Pandu and Shalya became friends and Shalya gave his only sister, Madri to Pandu, as a gift of their...
, who had invoked the Ashvins
Ashvins
The Ashvins , in Hindu mythology, are divine twin horsemen in the Rigveda, sons of Saranya , a goddess of the clouds and wife of Surya in his form as Vivasvat. The Ashvins are Vedic gods symbolising the shining of sunrise and sunset, appearing in the sky before the dawn in a golden chariot,...
using a mantra
Mantra
A mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that is considered capable of "creating transformation"...
for a son, the mantra shared by Kunti. (The Ashvins were divine physicians.) As soon as Nakula and Sahadeva were born, an incorporeal voice said, ‘In energy and beauty these twins shall transcend even the twin Aswins themselves.’
According to record, Nakula and Sahadeva had the special abilities of being able to care for horses and cows. In the Mahabharata, Nakula is described as extremely attractive, ("devastatingly handsome"), supreme in intelligence, and full of love. He was observant and kept a watchful eye on his elder brother Bhima
Bhima
In the Mahābhārata, Bhima is one of the central characters of Mahabharata and the second of the Pandava brothers...
's mischievous and often dangerous pranks. He was compared to Kamadeva
Kamadeva
Kāmadeva is the Hindu god of human love or desire. Other names for him include; Atanu , Ragavrinta , Ananga , Kandarpa , Manmatha , Manasija ,...
, the god of love, due to his good looks. During the 13-year exile of the five Pandava brothers, he smeared himself with dust to conceal his looks from the Kauravas.
Nakula was chosen by Yudhishtira as the one brother to be brought back to life during the exile in forest, when all the other four brothers had died after drinking water from a lake. This was because he was a son of Madri; Yudhishtara, being a son of Kunti, wanted to be fair to both mothers.
Marriage Alliances
All five PandavaPandava
In the Hindu epic Mahābhārata, the Pandava are the five acknowledged sons of Pandu , by his two wives Kunti and Madri. Their names are Yudhisthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva. Although, Karna is told by Lord Krishna that according to the laws and ethics he is the first son of Kunti making...
brothers were wed concurrently to Draupadi
Draupadi
In the epic Mahābhārata, Draupadi, also known as ' is the "emerged" daughter of King Drupada of Panchāla and the wife of the five Pandavas. When Yudhisthira becomes the king of Hastinapura at the end of the war, Draupadi becomes the queen of Indraprastha...
, and each had a son by her. Nakula's son begotten upon Draupati was named Satanika after a royal sage of that name.(Ref: Mbh 1. 223). Nakula also married Karenumati, the princess of Chedi
Chedi Kingdom
Chedi kingdom was one among the many kingdoms ruled during early periods by Paurava kings and later by Yaduvanshi Rajput kings in the central and western India. It falls roughly in the Bundelkhand division of Madhya Pradesh regions to the south of river Yamuna and along river Betwa or Vetravati...
, and fathered by her a son named Niramitra (MBh.1.95); he also married the daughter of Jarasandha
Jarasandha
Jarasandha was a great and legendary king of Magadha. He was the son of a vedic king named Brihadratha. He was also a great devotee of Lord Shiva. But he is generally held in negative light owing to his enmity with the Yadav clan in the Mahābhārata....
, the king of Magadh, after Bheem (his elder brother) had slain him.
Association with Horses
Nakula's deep understanding of horse breedingHorse breeding
Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in domesticated horses...
and training is documented in the Mahabharat after the death of Narakasura
Narakasura
In Hindu beliefs, Narakasura or Naraka is the asura son of the earth goddess Bhudevi and Lord Vishnu in his Varaha Avatar . In other sources, he is the son of the asura Hiranyaksha. He is said to have established the kingdom of Pragjyotisha in Assam after overthrowing the last of the Danava king...
by Krishna. He was a qualified veterinary surgeon specializing in horses. The science of horses was an expertise of western kingdoms, of which Madra
Madra Kingdom
Madra Kingdom was a kingdom grouped among the western kingdoms in the epic Mahabharata. Its capital was Sagala, modern Sialkot . The Kuru king Pandu's second wife was from Madra kingdom and was called Madri. The Pandava twins, Nakula and Sahadeva, were her sons. Madri's brother Shalya was the king...
was ruled by Shalya
Shalya
In the epic Mahabharata, King Shalya was the brother of Madri , as well as the ruler of Madra-desa or the kingdom of Madra. Thus, he was the maternal uncle of Nakula and Sahadeva and was loved and revered by the Pandavas. When he was young, he entered a competition among princes and nobilities to...
, Nakula's maternal uncle.
During the 13th year of the Pandavas' exile, Nakula lived incognito in Upaplavya
Upaplavya
Upaplavya was a city in the Matsya Kingdom ruled by king Virata as per the epic Mahabharata. It was the city where the Pandavas camped and planned their strategy for the Kurukshetra War. The allies of the Pandavas held extensive meetings in the tents constructed at Upaplavya, and stayed there as...
(the capital of Matsya-Desh) under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Arishtanemi, and looked after King Viraat's royal horses.
Astrological Abilities
Nakula was a great astrologer, but he could say something about the future just once, after which he used to forget what he had said. Before the epic Mahabharta War started, Duryodhana approached Nakula asking him who would win the war. Nakula replied that the army of the one could can hoist his flag on the stone of a mountain would win the war. As soon as he said this to Duryodhana, he forgot what he had said, but Bheema heard it. Duryodhana sent his army and men to hoist a flag at a particular mountain. Bheema ran alone. Duryodhana's men were able to reach the mountain before Bheema could. Bheema fought them and put a few of them down, but he had forgotten to carry the flag of his side. He was clad only in his underclothes ('Gerua'), which he hoisted as his side's flag.Other Talents
Nakula also had the relatively lesser-known talent of dodging rain. He could ride a horse in rain without getting wet (see external link).Nakula's Battles
Sahadeva
Sahadeva was one of the five Pandava brothers according to the epic Mahābhārata. He was one of the twin sons of Madri, who invoked Ashvins using a mantra shared by Kunti for a son. His twin brother was named Nakula...
, Nakula became an expert swordsman under the guidance of Kuru preceptor Drona
Drona
In the epic Mahābhārata, Drona or Dronacharya was the royal guru to Kauravas and Pandavas. He was a master of advanced military arts, including the Devastras. Arjuna was his favorite student. Dronas love for Arjuna was second only to his love for his son Ashwatthama...
. A chapter (Mbh 12.165) in the Mahabharata is dedicated to Nakula's conversation with his grandfather Bhishma
Bhishma
Bhishma or Bheeshma or Devavrata or 'Bhishma Pitamah' was the eighth son of Kuru King Shantanu who was blessed with wish-long life and had sworn to serve the ruling Kuru king. He was one of the most prominent characters of the great Indian epic, the Mahabharata. He was the grand uncle of both the...
on the subject of the sword, its history and its use. His expertise in the use of the sword, along with his ability to use that weapon riding a horse, could be why his elder brother Yudhisthira
Yudhisthira
In the great Hindu epic Mahabharata, Yudhisthira , the eldest son of King Pandu and Queen Kunti, was king of Indraprastha and later of Hastinapura. He was the leader of the Pandava side in the Kurukshetra War...
chose him as the general for their military expedition to the western kingdoms. The western kingdoms were considered to possess expertise in warfare involving horses, using the swords as the main weapon. In the Mahabharata one chapter (Mbh 2:31) is devoted to Nakula's expedition to the western kingdoms, to collect tributes from the kings, for king Yudhisthira
Yudhisthira
In the great Hindu epic Mahabharata, Yudhisthira , the eldest son of King Pandu and Queen Kunti, was king of Indraprastha and later of Hastinapura. He was the leader of the Pandava side in the Kurukshetra War...
's Rajasuya
Rajasuya
Rajasuya was a sacrifice, described in detail in the Mahabharata, performed by the ancient kings of India who considered themselves powerful enough to be an emperor...
sacrifice. Nakula had followed the Uttarapatha
Uttarapatha
Ancient Buddhist and Hindu texts use Uttarapatha as the name of the northern part of Jambudvipa, one of the "continents" in Hindu mythology.The name is derived from the Sanskrit terms uttara, for north, and patha, for road...
route or some route parallel to it, that leads to the western countries. He was mentioned as battling with Yavana's (Indo-Greeks) in his journey to the west. He also seemed to have followed the route leading to Dwaraka from the western countries. He encountered the Sudras
Sudra Kingdom
The Sudra Kingdom is mentioned as one of the kingdoms of ancient India mentioned in the epic Mahabharata. They were mentioned along with another tribe called the Abhiras along the banks of Sarasvati River where it dried up in the desert. The Yadava Balarama visited this place during his pilgrimage...
and Abhiras
Abhira Kingdom
Sura and Abhira tribe were mentioned as two kingdoms where the river Saraswati existed only as a dried up river bed during the time of Kurukshetra War. They were sometimes referred to as Surabhira also, combining both Sura and Abhira kingdoms...
dwelling in the Sarasvati River
Sarasvati River
The Sarasvati River is one of the chief Rigvedic rivers mentioned in ancient Hindu texts. The Nadistuti hymn in the Rigveda mentions the Sarasvati between the Yamuna in the east and the Sutlej in the west, and later Vedic texts like Tandya and Jaiminiya Brahmanas as well as the Mahabharata...
basin.
Nakula was one of the Pandava
Pandava
In the Hindu epic Mahābhārata, the Pandava are the five acknowledged sons of Pandu , by his two wives Kunti and Madri. Their names are Yudhisthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva. Although, Karna is told by Lord Krishna that according to the laws and ethics he is the first son of Kunti making...
-generals in the Kurukshetra War
Kurukshetra war
According to the Indian epic poem Mahābhārata, a dynastic succession struggle between two groups of cousins of an Indo-Aryan kingdom called Kuru, the Kauravas and Pandavas, for the throne of Hastinapura resulted in the Kurukshetra War in which a number of ancient kingdoms participated as allies of...
, under the generalissimo Dhristadyumna
Dhristadyumna
Dhrishtadyumna , also known as Draupada, was the son of Drupada and brother of Draupadi and Shikhandi in the epic Mahābhārata...
. Nakula slew prominent war-heroes on the enemy side, including, on the 17th day of battle, the Gandhaar prince Ulooka, son of Shakuni
Shakuni
Shakuni , an avatar of Dvapara, the personification of Dvapara Yuga, was the brother of Gandhari in the Mahābhārata. He was portrayed as an extremely intelligent but devious old man, who was very fond of his nephew Duryodhana. He won the kingdom of the Pandavas' for his nephew, as a wager in a...
.