Yudhiṣṭhira
Hindu · demigod · dvapara yuga · demigod
Eldest Pandava; demigod son of Dharma by Kuntī. Embodiment of dharma — his truthfulness is so absolute that his chariot was said to hover above the ground; the single half-truth he utters (about Aśvatthāmā's death, Drona Parva 191) causes it to touch earth for the first time. King of Indraprastha after the Pandava settlement, then of Hastināpura after Kurukshetra. Loses everything to Śakuni's loaded dice in the gambling hall (Sabha Parva), triggering the thirteen-year exile and ultimately the war. Only Pandava to ascend to heaven in his physical body (Svargārohaṇa Parva); refuses to enter without his dog (revealed as Dharma in disguise — his father testing him one final time).
Parentage
Children
Domains
- kingship righteous
- truth and dharma
Powers
- Answer the questions of the Yaksha (Dharma)
- Ascend to heaven in his mortal body with the dog
- Wields the power of unbroken truth
Epithets
- धर्मराज
- अजातशत्रु
- धर्मपुत्र
Relations
- spouse: Devika
- sibling: Bhīma
- sibling: Arjuna
- sibling: Nakula
- sibling: Sahadeva
- sibling: Karṇa
- spouse: Draupadī
- father of: Prativindhya
- father of: Yaudheya