Yudhishthira Yudhisthira (Sanskrit) One of the principal heroes of the
Mahabharata, eldest of the five Pandavas, son of Kunti by the god of justice, Dharma. Because he possessed virtuous character and all the attributes of a model ruler, he was selected as heir apparent to the throne of Hastinapura by his uncle Dhritarashtra: this choice led to the enmity of his cousin Duryodhana and his followers (the Kauravas or Kurus), and eventually to the great conflict on the field of Kurukshetra described in the opening chapter of the
Bhagavad-Gita. The Pandavas were victorious in this struggle, and Yudhishthira was crowned king.
One section of the
Mahabharata is devoted to the attainment of svarga (heaven) by Yudhishthira. He set out on this pilgrimage with his dog, four brothers, and their wife Draupadi, who one by one fell by the way. Alone Yudhishthira and the dog ascended to svarga to be met by Dharma, who said the dog was not permitted to enter. Yudhishthira refused to enter without his dog and turned away from the goal, but Dharma explained that it was only a test of his compassion. Yudhishthira also descended into the underworld successfully, aiding his brothers and wife whom he found there, and they all ascended to svarga.
Orientalists have speculated as to whether there was a monarch named Yudhishthira at the time of the commencement of the kali yuga (3102 BC). The computation of periods in Hindu accounts, however, applied to cosmic events as well as to terrestrial catastrophes, and names were used in the same manner. Thus Yudhishthira, "the first King of the
Sacea, who opens the Kali Yuga era, which has to last 432,000 years -- 'an actual King and man who lives 3,102 years BC,' applies also, name and all, to the great Deluge at the time of the first sinking of Atlantis.
to be continue "
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