Uttarā
Sign in to saveUttarā () is a character in the ancient Hindu epic Mahabharata. She was the princess of Matsya, and the daughter of King Virata and Queen Sudeshna, at whose court the Pandavas—the central figures of the epic—spent a year in concealment during their exile. During this period, she learned music and dance from Arjuna, the third Pandava, and later married his son, Abhimanyu. Uttarā was widowed at a young age during the Kurukshetra War. Following the Pandavas' victory in the war, she and her unborn son were attacked by Ashwatthama, and were saved by the divine intervention of Krishna. Her son Parik
Key facts
- Character.info hdr
- Information
- Character.name
- Uttarā
- Character.image
- File:Uttara crying for her husband.jpg
- Character.alt
- Uttara
- Character.caption
- Abhimanyu consoles Uttarā before leaving for the war, illustration by S.N. Das
- Character.family
- Virata (father)Sudeshna (mother)Uttara (brother) Shankha (brother)
- Character.spouse
- Abhimanyu
- Character.children
- Parikshit
- Character.origin
- Matsya Kingdom
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Wikidata facts
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- Uttara crying for her husband.jpg
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- Uttarā
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Article
6 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Literary background
- Biography
- Legacy
- References
- Notes
Uttarā () is a character in the ancient Hindu epic Mahabharata. She was the princess of Matsya, and the daughter of King Virata and Queen Sudeshna, at whose court the Pandavas—the central figures of the epic—spent a year in concealment during their exile. During this period, she learned music and dance from Arjuna, the third Pandava, and later married his son, Abhimanyu. Uttarā was widowed at a young age during the Kurukshetra War. Following the Pandavas' victory in the war, she and her unborn son were attacked by Ashwatthama, and were saved by the divine intervention of Krishna. Her son Parikshit saved the Kuru lineage from extinction, and became a well-known monarch celebrated in both the Mahabharata and the Bhagavata Purana.
==Etymology== The Sanskrit name Uttarā is derived from the word Uttara by adding a feminine termination ā. It can have multiple meanings; according to British Indologist Monier Williams, in this context, it means 'upper,' 'higher,' 'superior,' or 'excellent'. The word is also used to denote the 'North direction', as well as 'an answer'. The male form of the name also appears in the Mahabharata as the name of her elder brother.