Uttara (Mahabharata)

Uttara
Uttar and Arjuna discovering the arms
Information
Title	Prince or Yuvaraja

In the epic Mahabharata, Uttar or Uttara(उत्तर) was the prince of Matsya Kingdom and the son of King Virata, at whose court the Pandavas spent one year in concealment during their exile. His sister Uttarā was given in marriage to Abhimanyu, son of Arjuna, and he in turn gave his daughter Iravati in marriage to his nephew Parikshit.^[1] Thus, Uttar was also the maternal grandfather of Janamejaya.

Major episode

Towards the end of the year that the Pandavas spent at the Matsya Kingdom, Duryodhana (suspecting that the Pandavas were hiding in Matsya) attacked that kingdom. The army of Hastinapura stood at the borders of Matsya, but King Virata had already taken his entire army to fight the Trigarta army attacking from the south. When news arrives at the palace, Uttar confidently boasts about how he will single-handedly wipe out the Kauravas, downplaying their abilities. Upon the prodding of his mother and her maid, he takes his sister's dancing teacher, the eunuch Brihannala, who was in reality Arjuna, as his charioteer. As they approach the Kuru army, Uttar panics at the site, and asks Brihannala to turn back. When he refuses, citing Kshatriya dharma, Uttar dismounts the chariot and runs for his life, only for Arjuna to run up to him and catch him. In order to fortify Uttar's courage, Arjuna revealed his true identity. Uttar was incredulous and initially refused to believe Arjuna; only after Arjuna had recited his ten aliases did Uttar believe that Brihannala was indeed Arjuna in disguise. Arjuna then took charge and single-handedly defeated the entire Hastinapura army.^[2]

Mahabharata war

During the 18-day Kurukshetra war, Uttar and his brothers fought in support of the Pandavas. Uttar was killed on the very first day of the war by Shalya. Uttar's brother Shweta, who witnessed the ghastly death of his brother, immediately went into a frenzy and started attacking Shalya repeatedly to avenge his brother's death. Bhishma came to Shalya's rescue and ultimately killed Shweta. Thus the two brothers died on the same day, within minutes of each other. In the Chatahurdi compilation, a third brother, Shankhya, was killed by Drona on the seventh day of the war.^[3]

Progeny

At the time of the Kurukshetra war, Uttar's sister Uttara was pregnant. With all the slaughter during the war, this child of Abhimanyu and Uttara ended up becoming the heir of the Pandavas. This was Parikshit, who would grow up to be a great and wise king. Uttar left behind a daughter, Iravati, who was, like Parikshit, an orphan at birth. In time, Iravati was given in marriage to her cousin Parikshit. The couple were blessed with four sons, of whom the eldest, Janamejaya, became a great king.

References

1. K M Ganguly(1883-1896)2003,Retrieved 2015-03-08
2. Pilikian, Vaughan. Mahabharata. New York: New York UP, 2009. Print.
3. K M Ganguly(1883-1896)The Mahabharatha Book 7: Drona Parva SECTION CLXXXII, October 2003,Retrieved 2015-03-08