Yuyutsu
Encyclopedia
Yuyutsu in the Hindu
epic Mahabharata
, was the only son of Dhritarashtra
who survived the Kurukshetra
war.
Fearing problems with Gandhari
's pregnancy which had continued for over a year, Dhritrashtra married a woman from Vaisya Varna, from whom he bore a son, Yuyutsu. Ironically, Yuyutsu was born younger to Duryodhana
, but elder to Dushasana
.
Thus, contrary to popular perception, Dhritrashtra had 101 sons, not 100.
He was one among the 11 Athirathis (capable of fighting 10,000 warriors at a time) among the Kauravas. Yuyutsu, Duryodhana's half-brother, fought battle on behalf of Pandavas.Just before the battle of Kurukshetra
between Kaurava
s and Pandava
s, when asked if any one wanted to change sides in the battle, Yuyutsu changes his side from Kauravas to Pandavas. When Pandavas won the war, as a token of gratitude, the eldest Pandava Yudhisthira granted the kingship of Indraprastha to Yuyutsu, one among the 10 warriors survived in Mahabharatha war.
Yuyutsu was also appointed the guardian to king Parikshit of Hastinapur,when the Pandavas departed for the Himalayas after the war and Parikshit was minor.
The descendents of Yuyutsu,found mainly in and around Hastinapur/Indraprastha,call themselves as Rajvanshi Vaishyas to distinguish themselves from the Agrawal Vaishyas, with whom they share the titles and Gotras.
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
epic Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
, was the only son of Dhritarashtra
Dhritarashtra
In the Mahābhārata, Dhritarashtra was King of Hastinapur at the time of the Kurukshetra War, the epic's climactic event. He was born the son of Vichitravirya's first wife Ambika, and was fathered by Vyasa. He was blind from birth, and became father to a hundred children by his wife Gandhari...
who survived the Kurukshetra
Kurukshetra
Kurukshetra is a land of historical and religious importance. Historically the land belonged to Punjab now a district in Haryana state of India. It is a holy place and is also known as Dharmakshetra . According to the Puranas, Kurukshetra is named after King Kuru, the ancestor of Kauravas and...
war.
Fearing problems with Gandhari
Gandhari (character)
Gāndhārī is a character in the Hindu epic, the Mahābhārata. In the epic, she was an incarnation of Mati, as the daughter of Subala, the king of Gandhara, or the modern Kandahar, a region spanning northwestern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan, from which her name is derived...
's pregnancy which had continued for over a year, Dhritrashtra married a woman from Vaisya Varna, from whom he bore a son, Yuyutsu. Ironically, Yuyutsu was born younger to Duryodhana
Duryodhana
In the Hindu epic the Mahābhārata, Duryodhana is the eldest son of the blind king Dhritarashtra by Queen Gandhari, the eldest of the one hundred Kaurava brothers, Emperor of the world at that time which means Emperor of India or Bharatvarsha as it was known at that time, cousin and the chief...
, but elder to Dushasana
Dushasana
Dushasana was the second son of the blind king Dhritarashtra and Gandhari in the epic Mahābhārata, and the younger brother of Duryodhana.-Birth and development:...
.
Thus, contrary to popular perception, Dhritrashtra had 101 sons, not 100.
He was one among the 11 Athirathis (capable of fighting 10,000 warriors at a time) among the Kauravas. Yuyutsu, Duryodhana's half-brother, fought battle on behalf of Pandavas.Just before the battle of Kurukshetra
Kurukshetra
Kurukshetra is a land of historical and religious importance. Historically the land belonged to Punjab now a district in Haryana state of India. It is a holy place and is also known as Dharmakshetra . According to the Puranas, Kurukshetra is named after King Kuru, the ancestor of Kauravas and...
between Kaurava
Kaurava
The term Kaurava is a Sanskrit term, that means the descendants of Kuru, a legendary king who is the ancestor of many of the characters of the Mahābhārata.The term is used in the Mahābhārata with two meanings:...
s and Pandava
Pandava
In the Hindu epic Mahābhārata, the Pandava are the five acknowledged sons of Pandu , by his two wives Kunti and Madri. Their names are Yudhisthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva. Although, Karna is told by Lord Krishna that according to the laws and ethics he is the first son of Kunti making...
s, when asked if any one wanted to change sides in the battle, Yuyutsu changes his side from Kauravas to Pandavas. When Pandavas won the war, as a token of gratitude, the eldest Pandava Yudhisthira granted the kingship of Indraprastha to Yuyutsu, one among the 10 warriors survived in Mahabharatha war.
Yuyutsu was also appointed the guardian to king Parikshit of Hastinapur,when the Pandavas departed for the Himalayas after the war and Parikshit was minor.
The descendents of Yuyutsu,found mainly in and around Hastinapur/Indraprastha,call themselves as Rajvanshi Vaishyas to distinguish themselves from the Agrawal Vaishyas, with whom they share the titles and Gotras.