List of characters in

the Mahabharata

The Mahabharata is one of the two major

Sanskrit epics of ancient India; it was
composed by the sage Vyasa. The most
important characters of Mahabharata can
be said to include: Krishna; the Pandavas
— Yudhishthira, Bheema, Arjuna, Nakula
and Sahadeva, along with their wife
Draupadi; and the Kauravas (who were a
hundred brothers), led by the eldest
brother, Duryodhana. The most important
other characters include Bhishma, Karna,
Dronacharya, Shakuni, Dhritrashtra,
Gandhari and Kunti. Some pivotal
additional characters include Balarama,
Subhadra, Vidura, Abhimanyu, Kripacharya,
Pandu, Satyavati, Ashwatthama, and
Amba. Deities who play a significant role in
the epic include Vishnu, Brahma, Shiva,
Ganga, Indra, Surya and Yama.
Major characters in the Mahabharata.

This list mentions notable characters and

may also contains characters appearing in
regional stories and folklores related to
Mahabharata.[note 1]

Abhimanyu …

Abhimanyu was the son of third Pandava

prince Arjuna and Yadava princess
Subhadra. He was a disciple of his
maternal uncles Krishna and Balrama. He
was killed unfairly on the 13th day of
Kurukshetra War. In the war, Abhimanyu
killed warriors including Rukmartha,
Brihadbala, Laksmana (Duryodhana's son),
Dushmanara (Dushyasana's 2nd son), 7
foster brothers of Karna, sons of Shalya,
etc. and defeated mighty warriors
including Drona, Ashwatthama, Kripa,
Karna, Shalya, Duryodhana, Dushasana,
Vrishasena, etc. in direct and joint attacks
when he had a bow in his hands. He was a
great warrior just like his father Arjuna. He
was among the most loved sons of
Pandavas.[1]

Adhiratha …
Adhiratha was the foster father of Karna
and the charioteer of Bheeshma. He was
also the leader of all Sutas and royal
charioteers. His wife was Radha.[2] Shon
was their biological son. As the Bhagavata
Purana, Adhiratha descended from Yayati
and therefore was related to Krishna. He
was also the descendant of Romapada,[3]
the king of Anga and brother-in-law of
Dashratha's descendant Shighra, king of
Ayodhya.

Adrika …

Adrika was an apsara, who was cursed to

become a fish and only to be liberated
when she gives birth to a human. Adrika,
as a fish, lived in the river Yamuna. Once
she came in contact with the semen of
Uparichara and impregnated herself. After
10 month, some fishermen caught her, cut
open her womb and found two children —
Matsyagandha and Matsya. After the
incident, Adrika was liberated from her
curse and returned to heaven.[4]

Agni …

Agni is the Hindu god of fire, son of Aditi

and Kashyapa, and husband of Svaha. In
the Vana Parva, sage Markandeya told the
story of Agni's marriage. In the Khandava-
daha Parva, Agni in disguise approaches
Krishna and Arjuna seeking sufficient food
for gratification of his hunger and
expressed his desire to consume the
forest of Khandava protected by Indra for
the sake of Takshaka, the chief of the
Nagas. Aided by Krishna and Arjuna, Agni
consumes the Khandava Forest. Later, as
a boon, Arjuna got all his weapons from
Indra and also the bow, Gandiva, from
Varuna.[5]

Alambusha …

Alambusha was a Rakshasa and a brother

of Baka. In the Kurukshetra War, he fought
from the Kaurava side. During the war, he
killed Iravan, son of Pandava prince Arjuna
and Naga lady Ulupi. Later, Alambusha
was killed by Bhima's son, Ghatotkacha.[6]

Amba …

Amba was the eldest daughter of Kashya,

the king of Kashi and the sister of Ambika
and Ambalika. Amba was abducted by
Kuru prince Bhishma and holds him
responsible for her misfortune. Her sole
goal in life becomes his destruction, to
fulfill which she is reborn as
Shikhandini/Shikhandi.[7]
Ambalika …

Ambalika is the daughter of Kashya, the

King of Kashi, and wife of Vichitravirya, the
King of Hastinapur. She was also the
mother of Pandu, step mother of
Dhritarashtra and grand mother of
Pandavas.[8]

Ambika …

Ambika is the daughter of Kashya, the

King of Kashi, and wife of Vichitravirya, the
king of Hastinapura.[9] She was also the
mother of Dhritarashtra and stepmother of
Pandu and grandmother to the
Kauravas.[10]

Anjanaparvana …

He was the son of Ghatotkacha and

Mourvi. His grandparents were Bhima and
Hidimbā. He was killed by Ashwatthama in
the Kurukshetra War.

Arjuna …

Arjuna is considered as chief protagonist

in Mahabharata. Arjuna plays the listener's
role in Bhagavad Gita. Arjuna was the son
of Pandu and Kunti in the Kuru Kingdom.
He was the spiritual son of Indra. He was
the 3rd of the Pandava brothers and was
married to Draupadi, Ulupi, Chitrāngadā
and Subhadra at different times. His 4
children included Iravan, Babruvahana,
Abhimanyu and Srutakarma. Arjuna was
an Atimaharathi and was equal to 12
Maharathis. He was a cousin and was the
best friend of Lord Krishna. He was the
best archer and the greatest warrior in
Mahabharata. He defeated great warriors
like Bhishma, Drona, Ashwatthama, Karna,
Kripa many times but never got defeated
by any of them throughout his life. He
performed incredible feats like defeating
Gandharva King Chitrasena, defeating and
killing Puloma, Kalakeyas, Kala-kunjas, and
Nivatakavachas (whom Ravana and
Indrajit together failed to defeat and made
truce).[11][12]

Arshi (Shakuni's wife) …

Shakuni's wife was the queen of Gandhar

and the mother of Uluka, Vrikaasur, and
Vriprachitti. In later retellings, she is
named Arshi, also known as Arsh and
Charulata. Her brothers Keturaja and
Ketusena were killed by Drupada on the
11th day of the war. She was very close to
her sister-in-law, Gandhari.
Aruni …

In the Mahabharata, Aruni appeared in the

Adi Parva. Aruni was a disciple of sage
named Dhaumya. Once a flood took place
in the fields of the ashram (school). A
breach was formed in the embankment.
Dhaumya sent Aruni to stop the water
from entering the embankment. After a
long time, Aruni had not returned. So,
Dhaumya went out to find Aruni. The latter
lying in the breach of the embankment to
prevent the water from entering it.
Because of his loyalty, Aruni is also known
as Gurubhakta Aruni.
Ashvins …

The Ashvins or Ashwini is a pair of twin

gods. Their father is Surya and his mother
is Saranyu. They are the gods of medicine
and health. In the epic, Kunti felt bad for
Madri as she didn't have any children due
to a curse and shared her secret mantra
with her. Madri, using the mantra, called
the Ashwini and had two twins, Nakula and
Sahadeva.[13]

Ashwatthama …

Ashwatthama was the son of guru Drona

and the grandson of the sage Bharadwaja.
Ashwatthama possessed the celestial
weapon Narayanastra (which no one
possessed in the Mahabharat era). He
used Narayanastra and killed 1 akshouni
of the Pandava army. Ashvatthama fought
on the Kaurava side against the Pandavas
in the Kurukshetra War. He became a
Chiranjivi (immortal) due to a curse on him
by Lord Krishna after he shot the
Brahmashirastra over Uttara's womb.
Ashvatthama was appointed as the final
commander-in-chief of the Kauravas in the
Kurukshetra War. Overcome with grief and
rage, he slaughters most of the Pandava
camp in a single night offensive.