Shaunaka Shaunaka (Sanskrit: शौनक śaunaka) is the name applied to teachers, and to a Shakha of the Atharvaveda. It is especially the name of a celebrated Sanskrit grammarian, author of the Ṛgveda-Prātiśākhya, the Bṛhaddevatā, the Caraṇa-vyūha and six Anukramaṇīs (indices) to the Rigveda. He is claimed as the teacher of Katyayana and especially of Ashvalayana, and is said to have united the Bashkala and Shakala Shakhas of the Rigveda.…
Shikhandi Shikhandi (Sanskrit: शिखण्डी, Śikhaṇḍī, lit. lock on the crown of the head) was born as a daughter named Shikhandini to Drupada, the Panchala king, and later became Shikhandin after obtaining manhood from a Yaksha named Sthuna. In his past life, Shikhandi was Amba, one of the three Kashi princesses, who wanted to kill…
Shishupala Shishupala (Sanskrit: शिशुपाल, lit. protector of child, IAST: Śiśupāla; sometimes spelt Sisupala) was the son of Damaghosha after whom clan of Ghosi Yadavas was named as his descendants to king of Chedi, by Shrutashrava, sister of Vasudeva, Kunti. He was slain by Krishna, his cousin and an avatar of Vishnu, at the great Rajasuya Yajna of Yudhishthira in punishment for the opprobrious abuse…
Shloka Shloka (meaning “song”, from the root śru, “hear”) is a category of verse line developed from the Vedic Anustubh poetic meter. The traditional view is that this form of verse was involuntarily composed by Valmiki in grief, the author of the Ramayana, on seeing a hunter shoot down one of two birds in love. The Shloka and…
Shri Shri (Devanagari: श्री, ISO: Śrī, also transliterated as Shree, Sri, or Sree, is an Indian word denoting wealth and prosperity, primarily used as a honorific. Hindu goddess of wealth, Lakshmi, is also known as Shree. In Devanagari script for Sanskrit, Hindi, Marathi and other languages, the word ⟨श्री⟩ is combination of three sounds: श् (ś), र् (r) and ई (ī, long…
Shrutakarma Shrutakarma (IAST: Śrutakarmā, Sanskrit: श्रुतकर्मा, lit. he whose deeds are famous) or Shrutakirti (lit. he whose fame is heard about) was the son born to Arjuna and Draupadi, the third of the Upapandavas. The Upapandavas were the five sons born to Draupadi from each of the five Pandavas. They are: Prativindhya from Yudhishthira, Sutasoma from Bhimasena, Shrutakarma from…
Shrutasena Shrutsena was born to Sahadeva and Draupadi and the fifth of the Upapandavas. The Upapandavas were the five sons born to Draupadi from each of the five Pandavas. They are: Prativindhya from Yudhishthira, Sutasoma from Bhimasena, Shrutakarma from Arjuna, Shatanika from Nakula and Shrutasena from Sahadeva. They fought the battle on…
Shuka Shuka (also Shukadeva, Shuka deva, Suka, Sukadev, Śukadeva Gosvāmī) was the son of the sage Vyasa (credited as the organizer of the Vedas and Puranas) and the main narrator of the Bhagavata Purana. Most of the Bhagavata Purana consists of Shuka reciting the story to the dying king Parikshit. Shuka is depicted as a sannyasi, renouncing the world in pursuit of moksha (liberation), which most…
Shukra Shukra, the Sanskrit for “clear, pure” or “brightness, clearness”, is the name of the son of Bhrigu, and preceptor of the Daityas, and the guru of the Asuras, identified with the planet Venus, one of the Navagrahas. He presides over Shukravar or Friday. He is of white complexion, middle-aged and of agreeable countenance. He is described variously as mounted on…