Whose name is this? - Page 5

What's the answer to Question#14?

Originally posted by: NerdyMukta

What's the answer to Question#14?

First, we have to complete the answer to this question:

13. Which two characters were known as Sātvatīputra or Sātvatīsuta? And who is Sātvatī in each case?

Originally posted by: BrhannadaArmour

Correct on Abhimanyu and Subhadrā, for whom the name Sātvatī is also used where she appears without her son.

Satvat and Kausalyā were the parents of Bhajamāna, Devāvṛdha, Andhaka, and Vṛṣṇi, the forefathers of the Sātvata clan.

Vasudeva was a patrilineal descendant of Vṛṣṇi, and Devakī was a patrilineal descendant of Andhaka. So, Kṛṣṇa could have been called Sātvatī's son, but my understanding is that the text doesn't call him that.

At Sabhāparvan 42.6, Kṛṣṇa refers to another character as Sātvatīsutaḥ: "This governor is our extraordinary enemy, the son of a woman descended from Satvat, who is cruel-natured to Satvat's descendants and no ally although we don't harm him."

This same character is addressed by Bhīṣma as Sātvatīputra at Sabhāparvan 35.8, where reading it as a compound with the next word tejasā would give the impression that it refers to Kṛṣṇa: "In this assembly of kings, I see not even one governor of land who hasn't been defeated in battle energetically, son of a woman descended from Satvat!"

Who is this character and who is his Sātvatī mother?

Śiśupāla was called Sātvatīsuta and Sātvatīputra because his mother Śrutaśravas was a Sātvatī, being the sister of Pṛthā Kuntī and Vasudeva.

Given this answer, can anyone answer questions #14 and #15?

Originally posted by: BrhannadaArmour

When you have identified the Sātvatī's son apart from Abhimanyu or Kṛṣṇa, you may be able to answer this next question.

Subhadrā is called Mādhavī at Ādiparvan 1.103.

15. Who is called Mādhavī at Ādiparvan 136.6?

"Those women enjoyed themselves as they pleased, ate and drank, descendant of Bharata, and went home only at night, taking leave of the woman descended from Madhu."

There is only one descendent of Madhu in Hastinapur, other than Subhadra. Kunti.

Subhadrā is called Mādhavī at Ādiparvan 1.103.

15. Who is called Mādhavī at Ādiparvan 136.6?

"Those women enjoyed themselves as they pleased, ate and drank, descendant of Bharata, and went home only at night, taking leave of the woman descended from Madhu."

Originally posted by: devashree_h

There is only one descendent of Madhu in Hastinapur, other than Subhadra. Kunti.

Pṛthā Kuntī is the correct answer. However, she held this brāhmaṇa-bhojana in Vāraṇāvata, not Hāstinapura.

Vidura's wife in Hāstinapura was the daughter of King Devaka - as far as we know, the same Devaka who was Devakī's father and a descendant of Madhu through Andhaka. So, we can imagine Vidura addressing his wife as Daivakī or Devakī, Āhukī, Kaukurī, Āndhakī, Sātvatī, Mādhavī, or Dāśārhī.

Now you know five women who are Sātvatī = Mādhavī = Dāśārhī. One of them - Subhadrā, Devakī, Vidura's wife, Pṛthā Kuntī, or Śrutaśravas - is the key to answering this outstanding question.

14. Who was known as Dāśārhīputraja at Strīparvan 25.22?

I checked that section so now I know the answer.😊

Good for you! May I ask why you haven't shared the answer?

I hope no one thinks that this is a quiz where you have to come prepared. The rules of the game are: "you have to figure out who the character is. It can be done by logic." Obviously, you should use all of the information provided in the question itself. And if a question inspires you to read the text or a translation, that is a good outcome.

Because I looked for the answer in the text and did not guess it. And yes, it does inspire me to read the text, which I love. Is it OK if I give the answer?

Yes, you followed the rules to figure out the answer, so please give the answer and explanation.

"You have to guess" is not a rule. Looking for the answer in the text/translation is allowed and encouraged by the rules!

So, it is Shrutasravas, Mother of Shishupal who is mourning the death of her grandson Drishtaketu.

The king of Chedi has been slain, with his forces and his relatives. Truth was his valour and the brave son of the daughter of Dasharha is lying down.

Though the text calls her Shrutadeva

Dhrishtaketu was the son of Shishupala. Thus, he was the king of Chedi. However, Shishupala’s mother was Shrutadeva. She was from a Yadava (Dasharha) lineage and Dhrishtaketu was descended from the Dasharhas on this side.

Correct! Dāśārhī = Śrutaśravas, Dāśārhīputra = Śiśupāla, and Dāśārhīputraja = Dhṛṣṭaketu.

Your first quote translates Dāśārhīputraja incorrectly as "son" when it should be "grandson." I would translate the verse like this: "These best women of the Cedi king are crying as they lift onto their laps the brave one born of the son of Daśārha's female descendant, lying down, truly valorous."

The previous verse refers to Dhṛṣṭaketu's wives (bhāryāḥ), and so, in this verse, the word Cedi-rāja-var'āṅganāḥ may indicate either those same wives or the wives of his father or grandfather. We don't know for sure whether Śrutaśravas is on the battlefield to mourn her grandson.

Your second quote appears to be a footnote/endnote, not part of the text itself. The name of Śiśupāla's mother does not appear in the text of Strīparvan, nor in Sabhāparvan where she is a character. Śiśupāla's matronymic Śrautaśrava appears at Āraṇyakaparvan 16.2, and Harivaṃśa tells us that his mother's name was Śrutaśravas, both in the genealogy and in the episode of Rukmiṇī being engaged to Śiśupāla.

Śrutadevā was a sister of Pṛthā Kuntī and Śrutaśravas, according to Harivaṃśa, which tells us: (1) King Agṛdhnu was born of Kuntya and Śrutadevā; (2) Śrutadevā gave birth to Nikṛttaśatru "Śatrughna;" (3) Ekalavya, born of Śrutadevā, was known as a Niṣāda's son and raised by Niṣādas.

16. Who was known as Drauṇi?