The Princess of Matsya
Uttarā was the daughter of King Virata and Queen Sudeshna, the rulers of the Matsya Kingdom. Her entry into the epic narrative is set during the final, crucial year of the Pandavas' thirteen-year exile (known as Ajñātavāsa), which required them to live in complete concealment.
- The Year of Concealment: The five Pandava brothers and their wife Draupadi spent this year disguised in King Virata's court. Arjuna, the third Pandava, took the disguise of a eunuch named Brihannala. His task was to teach music, dance, and fine arts to the royal princess, Uttarā. This period established a deep, pure guru-shishya (teacher-student) bond between them, with Arjuna treating Uttarā like a daughter.
To Let Uttara – উত্তরা এলাকায় বাসা খোঁজার সহজ ও দ্রুত সমাধান এখন basha-vara.com-এ
When the Pandavas' year of anonymity ended, their true identities were revealed after Arjuna, as Brihannala, single-handedly defeated the Kaurava army that had attacked Matsya. Grateful and impressed, King Virata immediately offered Uttarā's hand in marriage to Arjuna.
Arjuna respectfully declined the offer, stating that having served as her dance teacher, he was already like a father to her, and marrying her would be morally inappropriate and tarnish their relationship in the eyes of the world.
Instead, Arjuna proposed a marital alliance between the two families by having Uttarā marry his own sixteen-year-old son, Abhimanyu, whose mother was Krishna's sister, Subhadra.
- Political Significance: The wedding of Uttarā and Abhimanyu was not just a personal union but a grand celebration that cemented the alliance between the Pandavas, the Matsya Kingdom, and the powerful Vrishni clan (of Krishna), thereby consolidating the Pandavas' strength before the Kurukshetra War.
Widowhood and The Curse of the Brahmastra ????
Uttarā's happiness as a young bride was tragically short-lived. The Kurukshetra War broke out shortly after her marriage, and Abhimanyu, a supremely valiant warrior, joined his father on the battlefield.
- Abhimanyu's Death: On the thirteenth day of the war, Abhimanyu was brutally killed by a coalition of Kaurava warriors (the Maharathas), including Karna, Drona, and Jayadratha, after he was trapped inside the impenetrable Chakravyuha formation.
- Devastating Grief: Uttarā was widowed at a very young age. Her lamentation over the death of her heroic husband is a famous, heart-rending passage in the epic, illustrating the depths of her sorrow and the tragedy of war.
The Saving of the Lineage
In the final days of the war, a vengeful Ashwatthama (son of Drona), sought to completely extinguish the Pandava lineage.
- The Brahmastra Attack: Ashwatthama launched the powerful celestial weapon, the Brahmashira Astra (a form of the Brahmastra), directly into Uttarā’s womb to kill the only surviving heir of the Pandavas.
- Krishna’s Intervention: Uttarā rushed to Krishna for protection. Recognizing the immense danger, Krishna intervened with his divine power. He entered Uttarā's womb as a soul and absorbed the weapon's destructive energy, saving the stillborn child.
- Birth of Parikshit: The child was revived and later named Parikshit (meaning 'He who has been tested' or 'He who looks around,' in reference to him being the only survivor). Parikshit was the sole continuation of the Kuru dynasty.
Legacy as Queen Mother ????
Following the Pandavas' victory and Yudhishthira's coronation, Uttarā lived a life of devotion and discipline as the Queen Mother of Hastinapura.
- Succession: Years later, when the Pandavas and Draupadi renounced the world to begin their final journey, Parikshit was installed as the new King of Hastinapura, ensuring the survival and prosperity of the righteous Kuru line.
- Puranic Importance: In later Puranic literature, such as the Bhagavata Purana, Uttarā plays a key role. It is her son, King Parikshit, who receives the narration of the entire history of Krishna and the divine lineage from Sage Shuka, making her an indirect link to the foundational texts of Vaishnavism.
Uttarā is therefore remembered not just as a grieving widow, but as the woman whose protected child became the essential bridge between the era of the Pandavas and the subsequent age of Indian history.